[epub] PayPal

[Dawn Rivers Baker <editor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Janet.

I make PayPal available as one of my payment options and have had about 
half my premium subscribers opt to use it.  I like it because it 
specifically handles subscriptions (i.e., recurring billing) and it is a 
respected brand, so that people who might be nervous about using my own 
virtual terminal still have a painless way of paying for a subscription.

What I don't like about PayPal, and have never liked about PayPal, is the 
hoops they make you jump through to use their system.  It's not the simple 
"input your credit card information" stuff you get with a virtual terminal 
setup, so if you're not already a member of PayPal, it's not as convenient 
as a virtual terminal.  You also have to go back to the PayPal web site in 
order to accept payments made to you, which is less convenient for the 
seller than a virtual terminal/merchant account arrangement.  So, I don't 
think people should use it as their sole payment option, but I do think it 
can be good as one of your options.

When you set up for payment using PayPal, an email address is always 
required, because payers are identified as email addresses rather than as 
either businesses or individuals.  You can also require a shipping address 
-- whether you need it to deliver the product/service or not -- if you need 
it for your records.  They also let you set up a deferred payment for the 
subscription option, in case you want to offer potential subscribes a set 
number of free trial issues of your publication.

I haven't had my paid subscriptions up and running long enough to tell you 
how well the recurring billing deal works (i.e., whether the customer is 
simply billed without any advance warning, what happens if the funds aren't 
available in the customer's account when the recurring billing date rolls 
around, that kind of thing), but so far, I haven't any snafus to report.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers!
Dawn

Wahmpreneur
http://www.wahmpreneur.com
Business news for women who work where they live


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