Complete eCommerce Setup

Are you a large company or are expecting to get bigger in the near future? Do you plan to sell high-priced items through your site? Do you want your entire transaction to be done through seamlessly on your website? Then we recommend the following eCommerce Setup.

1) Internet Merchant Account: Check with your current bank. They may offer Merchant Accounts and can work with you to get your site set up to accept credit cards online. Make sure to read to fine print, however. Some places charge pretty hefty fees for their accounts. If your current bank doesn't work out for you, then check out Wells Fargo . They offer several different types of Internet Merchant accounts and even have an online application.

2) Payment Gateway Account: Authorize.net has been providing Gateway services since 1996. In the Internet world, this is a long time! They offer many features for customer transaction management and boast "Experienced technical support 7 days a week 363 days a year." Their system is flexible and can be used with just about any merchant account and shopping cart combination. (Wells Fargo is an authorized reseller of Authorize.net)

3) Shopping Cart Program: We like working with eCommerceTemplates. Although they are set up to sell templates with a shopping cart programmed into the html, you can also license just the shopping cart program itself. We can purchase the license for their shopping cart, incorporate it into your site, upload it to your server, and set up the database for you to be up and running for only $350. You just sit back and watch it happen! SteepPlanet.com is one of the sites we created that uses this shopping cart program. Check it out!

4) Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate: Our sister company, Kestrel Hosting, offers a Discount SSL certificate that's affordable and provides the same level of security and browser recogntion as name brand companies. If, however, you would like name-brand recognition and a globally recognized Site Seal, then we recommend the GeoTrust Quick SSL on sale at Kestrel Hosting  (Tell me more about SSL)

How much does it cost? Let's say you choose the following:

1. Wells Fargo and Authorize.net for your Merchant Accounting = $99 setup + $29/month + transaction fees (somewhere around 3% of each purchase.)
2. eCommerce Templates shopping cart = $105 for the license + $245 for installation and configuration. No monthly or transaction fees.
3. Kestrel-Hosting SSL certificate. $69/year. No set-up* or transaction fees.
   * Free installation guaranteed for Kestrel Hosting clients only.
   Some host providers charge an additional fee to enable SSL certificates on their servers.

Total for Complete eCommerce = $449 for setup + $34.75/month + transaction fees.
(This does NOT include the cost of website design or hosting!!)

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