Small business owner want to get into ecommerce. She needs a Web site with a shopping cart and will accept credit cards.

QUESTION.
I've operated a small business for 5 years. I'm a wholesale distributor/mfg. I'd like to once and for all get a Web site going and be able to accept credit card payments. But I don't want to use PayPal. I'm pretty computer illiterate which makes this whole endeavor difficult for me. Can you help me identify a good (reasonably priced) hosting service for my site? And can you provide some pointers to getting a merchant account for credit card payments? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

ANSWER.
I have experimented with a number of hosting services over the years. I started playing with Web pages and creating Web sites back in 1998. I started with the great number of free hosting services out there. Most are gone now since they couldn't make a profit. The one that continues to give away free space as a loss lead into providing fee-based Web site hosting services that I still use today is 50megs.com. Visit it at http://www.50megs.com/ and examine its different offerings. I have been VERY pleased with its service level. And I have not know my site(s) to be down EVER.

Paypal is not bad when it comes to enabling credit card payments over the Net. However, if you have been in business for 5 years, then you should have a good relationship with a bank or two. Banks offer the merchant accounts for credit cards. Price the offerings at your current bank or banks and then shop around at other banks you would be willing to use for your business' banking needs. The one that gives you the best deal for credit card acceptances may not be the bank you currently use for you banking. So switch to the a new bank and get your merchant account there.

I hope my comments are helpful. Good luck! Regards, -Jeff

Jeff Lippincott
SCORE.org Counselor
Princeton, NJ
scoreprinceton @ aol.com
www.scoreprinceton.org
http://www.jlippin.com/