Online Payments (Third Party Store)

To determine which eCommerce solution you are on, see How do I know if I am using Native eCommerce or Third Party eCommerce?

The process of receiving money for your sales via an online payment method involves three parties:

• Your store.
• The payment gateway: a special system, located outside your store but connected to it on a programming level, that processes your customers' credit cards (or e.g. PayPal accounts) and does charging
• Your merchant account at the payment gateway connected to your bank account.

To put it simply, your store connects to the payment gateway, transmits the order details, the payment gateway processes the customer's credit card and transfers the money to your merchant account. Then you can withdraw the funds to your bank account and pay your bills or go on vacation.

Online payment methods can be narrowed down to 2 options:

• Accepting credit/debit cards.
• PayPal, a leading payment processor in US presently. To provide credit card payment option, you should choose a payment gateway through which your funds will be processed. So your next question is...

What payment gateway should I choose for my store?

Choosing a payment gateway means choosing a company (payment processor) who meets the following criteria:

• They accept payments in your region (i.e. where you live or run your business) and allow paying with your currency. It could be a company working solely in your country like PayPal, etc).
• Their services meet your business requirements.
• Their plans and prices suit your budget. Most of the payment systems apply transaction fees. To learn exact fees, you should contact customer service of the payment company that you're considering. Below you will see a full list of payment gateways that are already connected.

What online payment methods can I use?

Here is a list of all online payment methods that work. The payment methods below do not require programming knowledge and are already integrated into your store. Just pick a payment method in the Payments tab of your store and follow the instructions.

What do I need to start accepting credit cards?

1. Open a bank account where you will transfer the money from your purchases.
2. Find a payment company/processor from the list above.
3. Create an account with the chosen company.
4. Configure the payment method in your store.
5. Make sure it works properly. A recommended way would be to create a test product, e.g., $0.01 and try to buy it as a usual customer. If the payment is setup correctly, your order will be recorded in Accepted status in your control panel.