[Boxcutter]

Hi everyone,

I've been hanging around here reading loads of threads about gateway/merchant accounts but I still have some questions/problems I hope some of you can help me out with before I can get started online.

Ok so the 3 main gateway options in Ireland are Realex, Sagepay and Worldpay.

Realex - 29e a month
Sagepay - 25e a month
Worldpay - 20e a month/Extra 150e setup charge for recurring payments!

From my research Realex definitely seems to be the best overall, Sagepay are ok too and Worldpay are good but take around 4 weeks to deposit funds into your merchant account (not so good).

If I go with Realex or Sagepay I will have to integrate them with my current shopping cart though. This will cost around another 250e to get that done by the looks of things. Worldpay is already fully integrated with my cart by the way.

So to review the total costs for me to have a fully working gateway:

Realex - 250e integration + 29e a month
Sagepay - 250e integration + 25e a month
Worldpay - Recurring payments setup 150e + 20e a month

Now for merchant accounts. I have a personal account at the moment with Ulster Bank and from what I have read they are one of best to work with merchant/business wise so I am wondering what sort of extra monthly fees would I be looking at using their Merchant services with these gateways? Even a average cost will help me out.

It probably varies somewhat so just to be clear this is a start up online business.

The only total pricing I have for setting up a gateway + merchant account so far is Worldpay using their 'business gateway plus' option which includes a merchant setup fee.

Worldpay - 295e (Incl Recurring payments & Merchant setup) + 20e a month

I hope some of you can point me in the right direction so I can come to a better decision about all this. These costs are starting to add up and my budget is not massive at all.

By the way Paypal isn't a option for me because I need direct integration for seamless 1 click upsells and for integrating with my membership site scripts. There are workarounds for doing that with Paypals Website Payments Pro but it isn't available in Ireland yet.

Thanks,
Paul

[Blacknight]

Have a poke around http://webpayments.ie/

[HellFireClub]

I can't recommend Realex enough, great for integrating and great web interface for seeing what is going on in terms of payments received, etc.

I'm with AIB (their iBB is great, it's down today which is the first time I haven't been able to log into it), and you'll need iBB (Internet Business Banking) or some internet banking facility to be able to keep an eye on when payments land and reconciling that end of things.

I'm on a 3 working day payment cycle, so whatever is authorised on Monday will be in my account on Thursday morning. I certainly wouldn't be waiting for a month for funds to land into my account, that's a joke that is, if it's the set up some gateway business you mentioned.

[jacknarvy]

If you seeking out for a merchant account then there wouldn't be any better choice than using PayPal. PayPal is extremely easy to use and it's a name that people trust. If you are starting a brand new business, people will trust making a payment through PayPal. Last but not least, the operating costs are low and it's easy to install.

[Herbalist]

In order to take payments online via an ecommerce website or over the phone you will need to have both a gateway and a merchant account. You will need a merchant account if you do not already have one – you can apply for a merchant account through your bank or considering you mentioned Sage Pay as one of the options that you are looking at you could contact them – Sagepay can assist you in securing a merchant account through Elavon. This removes the need for you to have to deal directly with two different companies to secure your gateway and merchant account. There would be no set-up fee or separate monthly charge for the merchant account, just a % per transaction.

I am connected to the company.

I can see form your original post that you are looking at a few providers - it could be worth speaking to them about this to see would they also offer you this service as it would help you to get set up.

[rainbowdash]

Originally Posted by Herbalist

In order to take payments online via an ecommerce website or over the phone you will need to have both a gateway and a merchant account. You will need a merchant account if you do not already have one – you can apply for a merchant account through your bank or considering you mentioned Sage Pay as one of the options that you are looking at you could contact them – Sagepay can assist you in securing a merchant account through Elavon. This removes the need for you to have to deal directly with two different companies to secure your gateway and merchant account. There would be no set-up fee or separate monthly charge for the merchant account, just a % per transaction.

I am connected to the company.

I can see form your original post that you are looking at a few providers - it could be worth speaking to them about this to see would they also offer you this service as it would help you to get set up.

Can somebody advise what % is typical?

For example if I sell a €300 TV online how much ends up in my account if I use sagepay or Realex etc.

It seems there is a ~€30 fixed fee depending on which gateway you use but what kind of % are we looking at.

[DubPerryman]

Originally Posted by rainbowdash

Can somebody advise what % is typical?

For example if I sell a €300 TV online how much ends up in my account if I use sagepay or Realex etc.

It seems there is a ~€30 fixed fee depending on which gateway you use but what kind of % are we looking at.

The percentage is charged by the merchant bank (i.e Elavon/AIB MS) for the merchant processing. Their fees are based on their credit and risk analysis of your products/services. If you're selling high risk products/services then you will have a higher percentage. Though, typically, you will pay somewhere between 1.8% - 2.5%. If you're a brand new company it will be near the higher end.

The likes of a WorldNet or Realex will charge you for the payment gateway processing. This is for the security/authorisation of the credit card details. This is typically charged at 12c a transaction, though I know WorldNet will tailor their pricing based on your requirements.

[rainbowdash]

Originally Posted by DubPerryman

The percentage is charged by the merchant bank (i.e Elavon/AIB MS) for the merchant processing. Their fees are based on their credit and risk analysis of your products/services. If you're selling high risk products/services then you will have a higher percentage. Though, typically, you will pay somewhere between 1.8% - 2.5%. If you're a brand new company it will be near the higher end.

The likes of a WorldNet or Realex will charge you for the payment gateway processing. This is for the security/authorisation of the credit card details. This is typically charged at 12c a transaction, though I know WorldNet will tailor their pricing based on your requirements.

Thanks for that, paypal is about 2.7% + something like 30c per transaction and no other costs. Having read some threads around here people have had a problem with either paypal or sage pay or realex etc.

I have not had any problems with paypal so to save 1% I am not sure its worth the extra layer of administration to have another provider.