I'm Gonna Make You Pay

eCommerce pre-configurations such as Shopify or Magento are wonderful resources to use in establishing an online presence. However, even though these sites come with great bones to work with, we still need to establish certain parameters on our own. This week: Payments.

The first thing we need to figure out is whether we will be using a third-party payment processor (such as Paypal) or decide to open a certain bank account that will allow merchant transactions. I would assume that most people these days use the myriad of third-party options out there. It just makes it much simpler. They handle the validation as well as processing the payment. I remember the days of manual card readers (I deemed them knuckle-busters) with their carbon copies and extra lines for contact information. It was entirely possible that when you finished the transaction and ran the batch at the end of the day, one of the cards would not be valid. You would then have to track that person down to get your money back. What a pain. Why not have someone do this all for me right up front?

There are many options out there for online payments. I decided to look into Amazon Pay and Paypal. Before I was doing this research, I was unaware of Amazon Pay, though it looks like they have been around for quite a while. Amazon Pay allows for people with an Amazon account to use their credit card or direct deposit information stored in Amazon for other websites what incorporate Amazon Pay. This is quite a convenient thing to do. Their methods and style are focused more towards Javascript buttons like PayPal used to be. In fact, these two companies are quite similar in their products.

I am a long time supporter of PayPal. The way they have run their company and established such a large presence helps me feel secure with their method of business. While I have an Amazon Prime account I like to use for a ton of things, I like the versatility PayPal seems to offer. Would I like to run simple credit cards through Paypal without the customer having a Paypal account? Sure, they can do that. Can I add a link that will complete their whole checkout process through PayPal direct? Sure, they can do that too. Can I add a button that will allow them to pay for that single item? Sure, they can definitely do that.

While I have had some problems connecting my RoR application through PayPal's Braintree, my gut reminds me that it is highly likely the error I am running into is on my end due to my inexperience. Can't fault PayPal for that.

Regardless of what option you choose, it is important to focus on the agreement you are entering into. These companies have to make their money somehow, and it is usually right there in the fine print. Find the best option for you and stay on top of it.