Paypal as a Payment Gateway

The other day, a friend asked me, "What is the best way to accept credit card payment online?"

Everybody knows that you could organise a payment gateway with the local banks. It only sets you back a few thousand ringgit as a setup fee, and a few more hundreds in monthly fees.

In her business, she only receives a few credit payment a month, so a bank payment gateway is out of the question. I decided to do research and check what is the best and most effective way to accept credit payment, with the lower possible fees.

After a quick research, there isn't any online payment gateway that doesn't have any monthly fees. The lowest charged that I could find was from Paypal, of 2.9% + US0.30. Any other options either had a monthly fee, or a 5% charge!

I knew from the start that Paypal could accept credit card, but it does have some of it's own issues. About 2 years back, Paypal wouldn't accept payment if you didn't have a Paypal account. What it means is that, you MUST sign up, in order to pay with your credit card.

Recently, I read that they allow customers to pay, even if they didn't sign up or have a Paypal account. If that was true, then it would be the perfect payment gateway. The fees are low, and they are one of they biggest online payment system available.

So, I decided to create a "Pay Now" button to test whether it is true. Whether you could pay for it without a Paypal account. I recalled from the past, Paypal literally forced you to join, if you wanted to use your credit card to pay for something.

With the button created, I tested to see whether it was possible to pay without having an account. It was true, my hunch was right, I was unable to pay for it without my Paypal account. I then checked and read all the help files at Paypal, and it constantly showed up, that it was possible to pay without an account!

Hmmm, strange, Paypal openly advertise that you don't need to be a member to use your credit card. I then, decided to Google it and to read some external articles on this topic

I then found out that, it was true, Paypal do allow you to pay with your CC even if you are not a Paypal member. It however only allows this from a list of selected countries. That means, if you are in those countries, the options to pay without being a Paypal member will appear.

Their argument is that, for some "Money Laundering Act", for certain countries you must have their details on file if they were to pay with their credit card. By having an account, they would have your details, thus if there is any hanky-panky, they'll have details!

So that answers the question, Paypal would be one of the better payment options available. It has the lowest rate in the market, with no monthly fees.

The 2 bad points Paypal has as a payment gateway is that

• Cannot accept Ringgit as a currency (Able to accept USD, Pounds, AUD, SGD etc)
  
• Must be a Paypal member (in certain countries, including Malaysia)

If you are able to live with the 2 negative points of using Paypal in Malaysia, then you'll have a good method of accepting credit card payment online.

If you are having issues, withdrawing payment from Paypal, please read my two earlier articles

• Withdrawing Paypal funds via Credit Card
• Withdrawing from Paypal - The Issues!
  

eBay Education Specialist

So everybody is busy advertising that they are a eBay Education Specialist... bla bla bla... guess what, I am used to be one too...

When I first registered to get it done, it was like such a big deal. I payed like $199AUD thinking I would like the only dude with a cert such as that in Malaysia.

When my package finally arrived, I was like wow... great... I hope it is not too hard... Damn... still have to study arr... so old already wor... I hope I don't fail...

After procrastinating for like months, I decided to actually study the notes and take the exam. Little did I realised was that, the course is meant to teach students who are absolute beginners to selling on eBay.

It is targeted at people with no or very little experience. The course is very simple, and if you have been selling on eBay international for like 6 months, don't bother studying for the exams. I assure that you'll pass with flying colours. Even if you did fail, you'll get the 2nd test for free and its the same exact EXAM!! How can anyone fail? BTW I got 100% the first time...

I had forgo my annual subscription for the eBay Education Specialist. I find the details in there a little too simple for the more advance sellers out there. The course was intented to get many individuals out there to promote and advertise about eBay, to get more people interested and selling on eBay.

My purpose is not to get new sellers, but more of how to improve on existing sellers. How to make more money efficiently!

Digital Camera or Scanner?

Sorry for not writing lately. Have been busy with my stuff. Have like a few part time jobs and like 5 blogs to update. I guess, I am too busy updating my personal blog :P

Ok, so how useful is a scanner? I mean, almost everybody has a Digital Camera to capture photos for their online selling, but is a scanner any good?

Well, it depends on the purpose. Flat items, like prints, photos, designs maybe better captured using a scanner.

The following are a list of possible items you may want to sell online using a scanner

• Comic Books - Scan the cover
• Stamps
• First Day Covers
  
• Bank Notes
• Embroidery Designs - Finished product, not the digital design

As you can see, certainly certain items are best captured using a scanner. The details and higher resolution would re-assure your potential customer that you are serious in trading.

Just imagine how the photos would turn of if you used a digital camera for the four above items.

Selling Online Course Syllabus

For the past week, I have been working on my Selling Online course syllabus. I have had many revision and have finally settle on the following.

What I would be covering in my course will include only

• Selling on Auction Style, Forum Based or Personal Website.
  
• Tricks on Photography
• Professional looking yet simple HTML coding tricks
  
• Payment methods
• Logistics and Packing

My course would be a little different from the "Seminar Weekend Workshop" styles. Instead I have opted for a more practical approach. I won't be giving a talk to 20 students in a seminar room. I believe that everyone comes from a different background, with different ideas on selling online. With that many students, I would NOT be able to give the attention required by each. Not to mention, in a class of that size, students would also only listen, and not have much class participation.

My class instead would be small, intended for 4-6 people only. There would be lots of interaction and practical work throughout the workshops. Workshops will be held over 3-4 sessions, where each sessions will end with a given task. Students are required to do market research, marketing planning as well as competitor research as their homework tasks! It will be jam packed with practical things that you would actually use for selling online.

By the time, you have completed your course over the weeks, you would have learnt how to sell online, with real practical task of selling! Each student would have gone through all the steps required to sell. Since it will be held over a few weeks, each student can share any issues they have while trying to sell online.

My classes will not only teach you how to sell online, but guide you through step by step with practical experience, whether it is photographing an item, or web page design. I assure you that, you'll not get the same attention and details in any other classes.

Lego Robotics Workshops @ Building Blocks

Sorry for not updating the site for the last 2 months. Been really busy. Recently acquired a new business, Building Blocks. I will be organising and giving some Lego Robotics Workshops to kids aged 7 to 14 years old. I will be extremely busy till after the March school holidays.

I have also converted a room my office into a Coaching room. The room will fit 4-6 people comfortably. In the future, my Selling Online courses will be held in my new Coaching room.

Using the Advance Search!

Today we will discuss about the "Advance Search" function of eBay. It will be the MOST used tool you'll ever use, while selling on eBay.

In today's example, we would like to do research on a mobile phone, say the Sony Ericsson K800i. I have picked this older model phone, as to limit the number of items found , yet have it specific enough to get enough hits. In today's example, we would like to know about the Phone K800i, and NOT the accessories associated with it, like the hands free kit or batteries.

First you would need to click on the Advance Search link found on any of the main eBay pages.


Next, please key in the search criteria as "Sony Ericsson K800i", and don't forget to check the "Completed Listings Only" box. You'll realised that the first search will return heaps of items with similar keywords. Since we only want the mobile phone and not the accessories, we'll have to fine tune our search by using the "Narrow your Search" from the left pane. Please select the "Cell Phone" option.


Now we have found only 145 items, which seems about right. After looking through the items, we'll realize that not all the found items are mobile phones. Still some accessories or defective phones can be found in the completed listings. What we are interested are the Green sold prices. From the list, we could easily gauge the average selling price (ASP)!


By using the Advance Search you'll be able to do your market research on what item could be sold on eBay and its average price. No point selling something, if the average selling price is below your cost price!

Good Luck.

Free Selling Online Classes

I have been selling online for 3 years now... wow, what a journey it has been. About more a year ago I decided to do this as a Full Time job. The transition wasn't an easy one... About 6 months ago, I took even a bigger step, by getting an office and hiring a part-time staff.

Nothing comes easy, and sacrifices were made. Some may call it a learning experience...

Anyway, in the many years that I have been selling online, many of my close friends have always wondered how I could profit it, and now, doing it as a full time job...

I have had those small stories over dinner on how I do it, and for the more curious, spending hours explaining the concept of selling online... I soon realised that, I have been giving small classes to close friends on how to sell online, and decided to hold a class for my friends instead.

Easier if I could gather all my friends, and run through once, then to constanly teach them the concept of selling online.

So I will be organising a Free Selling Online classes, over a 2 day period. Each class should take about 3 hours. I have also decided to convert the meeting room into a class, and I reckon that I could fit about 8 people in there.

I welcome those who are interested to register their interest. As the class is small, only a few could be selected. It will be picked on random, giving everybody an equal chance to attend the class.

Good Luck!

Happy New Year and 2008 Roadmap

I am sorry for not posting any new information for the last 6 weeks. I had a new personal blog where I blog about my daily stuff (more exciting) as well as interesting food articles. I guess I got a little carried with the new blog till I left you guys behind...

Anyway, I had promised some of my close friends that I would organise a day where I would show them and teach them the basics on Selling online... I have put it off for too long, and would be organising a Free Class; and probably invite my fellow readers to fill up the rest of the class.

They may even be the possibility of organising advance selling classes, if the demand picks up!!