Actually, getting set up to sell online and take credit cards isn't as difficult as it may seem. But there are several pitfalls:

• Merchant Accounts. Salespeople may try to sell you what you don't need. Their commissions may run several hundred dollars. We tell you where you can go to obtain a Merchant Credit Card account for with little or no application fee.
• A payment gateway is the connection between your website and your bank's credit card processor. Unfortunately, you can be shoved into one that's inappropriate for your needs. You can back out when you get wiser (if you can break the long-term lease you may have signed), but by then you'll have paid all the non-refundable fees. This mistake can cost you many hundreds of dollars and set you back several months.

There are sharks in the waters looking for your money -- and some very legitimate, helpful people. You absolutely must get some understanding before you buy -- or you're shark bait, just waiting for Jaws to bite.

The back issues of Web Commerce Today contain several key articles that will steer you around the obstacles:

• "Why You Need to Take Credit Cards on Your Website"
• "Unraveling the Mystery of Merchant Credit Card Accounts"
• "Guidelines for Obtaining a Merchant Credit Card Account for Web Sales"
• "Shopping Guide to Real-Time Credit Card Authorization for Internet Websites,"
• "A Short List of Internet Credit Card Gateways"
• "How to Decide Whether You Need Real-Time Credit Card Authorization for Your Site"
• "How Does a Foreign Business Obtain a US Merchant Credit Card Account for Web Commerce?"
• "International Payment Issues"
• "Non-US Credit Card Gateways"

You can see how abundant good and reliable information is for our subscribers. Our goal is to make you successful.

Credit Cards are just the beginning of what you need to know to keep out of the reach of sharks. You need to subscribe today! to Web Commerce Today.

Special if you subscribe to Web Commerce Today before the end of the Month I'll give you three e-books worth $87.85 absolutely free if you subscribe before the end of the month. The 213-page Shopping Cart Report is the most comprehensive purchasing guide to e-commerce software ever published. It provides a basic overview, as well as special informaiton on B2B, digital, and members-only e-commerce software. The top eight small to medium business shopping cart programs are compared and contrasted, and many of them reviewed in detail. In addition, you'll find links to online reviews of over 500 e-commerce programs. I sell this for $34.95. My 119-page ebook is A Merchant's Guide to E-Commerce Payment Gateways, a must if you are trying to figure out what payment gateway to get, and how this piece fits with the other pieces of your online venture. In this report I recommend several gateways, and tell you about a total of 90. You also get candid user feedback from 70 readers. I sell this for $29.95. My 108-page "Report on Affiliate Management Software: User Feedback and Editor's Choices" gives candid feedback from 90+ people whose companies manage affiliate programs. Some of what they say is damning, some offers deserved praise. If you're planning to set up an affiliate program, this e-book will guide you -- and perhaps keep you from losing your job from making a wrong decision. I sell it for $22.95 on my website. But if you subscribe (or renew your subscription) to Web Commerce Today before the end of the month, I'll give you a copy of all three e-books absolutely free. Together they're worth $87.85 -- and if you add in the subscription price of $49.95, the total value is $137.80. But you'll receive the e-books absolutely free when you pay only the subscription price of $49.95 . Don't miss out. Subscribe now!

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