When it comes to Internet sales, you can hardly afford not to
have credit card processing capabilities. We offer two methods:
Our Low Cost Solution
Real-Time Credit Card
Processing
For most people our low cost solution is far preferable
simply because it costs less and does not force them to change their existing merchant
account setup. Contrary to popular marketing hype, real-time credit card processing is not
really cost effective unless you plan on handling a high volume of online orders. We
realize when it comes to financial matters, you want the facts; therefore, we provide
detailed and easy to understand schematics of both systems below, as well as a list of
advantages and disadvantages associated with each system.
Our Low Cost Solution:
When someone buys something off your website, the entire transaction is
over an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) secure connection. The Contact Designs web server
verifies that the credit card number does in fact match the numeric algorithm associated
with that type of card. All information associated with the sale (item ordered,
characteristics, address, etc.) is then written to a tab delimited DB file on our web
server. This file can easily be imported to MS Excel, MS Access, Quick Books, etc. so that
you can keep track of your online sales and maintain up-to-date records. Then an email
with a link is sent to you letting you know that orders are waiting for you to pick up.
You would then login via an SSL connection and give the server your login and password.
After that, just follow the simple detailed instructions and you will have all the
information you need to automatically run the orders through your current merchant
account.
Advantages:
simple, very low cost, no need to change merchant
accounts, fast, highly effective for low to mid volume purchase sites, you can always
easily upgrade to real-time processing
Disadvantages:
you don't get instant verification (takes a few hours
instead)
Real-Time Credit
Card Processing:
When someone buys something off your website, the entire transaction is over an SSL
secure connection. The Contact Designs web server then routes all relevant information to
a credit card processing network via an ecrypted leased line. If the order clears, the
purchase amount minus processing fees is credited to your account. All information
associated with the sale (item ordered, characteristics, address, etc.) is then written to
a tab delimited DB file on our web server. This file can easily be imported to MS Excel,
MS Access, Quick Books, etc. so that you can keep track of your online sales and maintain
up-to-date records. To retrieve this file you would simply login via an SSL connection and
give the server your login and password. After that, just follow the simple detailed
instructions and you will have all the information you need to automatically run the
orders through your current merchant account.
Advantages:
instant verification of all orders, excellent for
inventory management on sites experiencing high volume sales
