e-Commerce and e-Payment providers

[GT Bulmer]

Hello, friends:

It wasn't too many years ago that consumer resistance to electronic online payment for goods and services was an issue. People wondered if it was safe.

Now, while there are still people who resist purchasing things online, the trend is definitely towards greater acceptance of e-commerce and e-payments systems.

I've been seeing more in the news about how the online payments industry is expanding and the competition among service providers is heating up.

PayPal is currently one of the most recognizable e-payment providers, but there are certainly others. Who are they?

Who do you use, or plan on using?

Why do you use your current provider, and why?

Other forum members will be interested in this information, and they may be inspired or encouraged by your insight and experience. Please share!

GT

[MichelleJ]

Hi GT

It is only fairly recently that people in South Africa have been able to get full use of Paypal as we were only able at one time to make payments but not receive them. Fortunately this has now changed. I have received money through Global X Change for one of the affiliate programs that I promote and have found them pretty good as the money is normally transferred directly into my bank account within 2-3 days and I have not had any problems with them.

MichelleJ

[GT Bulmer]

Hi, Michelle:

Thanks for the insight. I forgot that PayPal in South Africa has only been recently improved. I am sure that is a great relief and a benefit to many entrepreneurs there. Global X Change sounds like a good alternative to consider as well.

GT

[David Hurley]

Apart from Paypal, I also have an account with Moneybookers.com which I set up when I subscribed to Empowerism.

[GT Bulmer]

Hi, David. Thanks for the reference to Moneybookers.com.

In this topic thread, so far, we have the following service providers:

- PayPal

- Global X Change

- Moneybookers.com

I know there are others to add to the list. Any other forum members with ideas, suggestions, references, recommendations on e-Commerce and e-Payment providers?

GT

[Mal Tindle]

Hi GT,

I was always very reluctant to trust the Internet at all in the early days until I became a marketer and had to show a bit of faith. Now it is second nature to many people and I use PayPal for virtually all my transactions.

Like Michelle I use Global Exchange for one of my affiliate programs but other than that it is PayPal for me.

regards,

Mal.

[David Hurley]

When I came back to Japan in 1999 I sometimes used to ask my students if they would buy anything on the Internet and at that time most thought it was too risky. I'd encourage them to try by using well known sites such as Amazon.co.jp and also pointed out that using a credit card on a reputable site was safer than using it at a restaurant.

I can't remember the last time I had that discussion or when the "tipping point" occurred in Japan.

To answer your other question, I use Paypal for several reasons:

1. Brand familiarity
2. Easy to use
3. Free to withdraw 50,000yen+ to my Japanese bank account - a huge benefit (but maybe other systems also offer that...?)
4. Easy to cancel subscriptions

On the down side, their transaction fees are quite costly, they are difficult to contact and when disputes arise you can sometimes lose even when you can prove via your tracking service that the disputed item was "delivered" to the customer's address!

[GT Bulmer]

Thanks, Mal and David, for your additional comments.

David, that's a great account of your experience with people in Japan. I appreciate your overview of the pros and some of the cons of using PayPal.

GT

[AneshiaYS]

I use PayPal. They're recognized worldwide. 99% of my payments are processed electronically, and my customers need to feel secure about making their payment. PayPal has a sound reputation, so I am hesitant to use anyone else even if there are incentives to switch.

Aneshia

[GT Bulmer]

Hello, Aneshia:

Thanks for your comments and personal insight. PayPal is definitely one of the most recognized and most trusted of the current service providers. You occasionally hear of someone who has an issue with PayPal for one reason or the other, but generally, they seem to be dependable.

GT

[AneshiaYS]

I like PayPal because of how they handle refunds. If you buy something from someone thru PayPal and there is something defective about the product, you can request a refund. If the supplier is difficult, then PayPal will "force" the supplier to issue a refund. That's the test of a good product..how do they handle things when something goes bad. It's easy to handle things when things are going well. I think the same goes for your car insurance. How good they are depends on how they behae when you have an accident.

Aneshia