A merchant account comes with a merchant identificationnumber.

"How exactly does Ecommerce work"?This has to be the most-frequently asked question I receivefrom newbie clients. They know people are buying online andthey know they have to accept credit cards if they want tostand a chance in all the net-based competition, but beyondthat realization, most are clueless as to how it all works.I can't blame them, really. It's a confusing online worldout there and a lot of people who are trying to tell themhow it works are really just trying to sell them their ownsolution. It's kinda hard to trust the validity of what theysay when profit is a huge motivating force behind theirpersuasive suggestions.And to be sure, there is profit in this Ecommerce game!Money is to be made at many steps along the Ecommerce path.With that in mind, let's take a walk along the path toEcommerce, and take a look at the signs--or components--thatare necessary to take part in the Ecommerce excitement andpotential profits.

1. The Merchant Account:This really is your first step towards Ecommerce, unlessyou have chosen to go through a payment facility and arewilling to give up a rather large portion of your sales infees. The up-front costs of a merchant account can be heftyfor a small business, but the long-term savings can besubstantial.This is especially true if you are selling big ticket items.For instance, on the sale of a $300 product/service througha payment facility you could pay between $20-$45 dollars ormore in fees. With your own merchant account it willprobably cost you about $9. With the typical fees andequipment for a merchant account startup costing about$1,500, you can recoup that cost rather quickly.A merchant account comes with a merchant identificationnumber. 

That is about all it gets you. In order to processtransactions you need either a terminal (the little box thatyou swipe your credit card China supermarket shopping basket Suppliers through at retail outlets) orsoftware that runs on your PC and will dial up the merchantvia your modem, and then process the transaction and depositthe money into your bank account.2. The Shopping Cart:If you are selling just one or two items on your site youwon't have much need for a shopping cart. A site with avariety of products should use the shopping cart systembecause it's the easiest way for your customers to shop. Theeasier it is to shop, the more they will spend, which isexactly the psychology supermarkets use, and exactly howshoppers are similar whether in a supermarket or scanningthrough your website. And the nice thing about electronicshopping carts is that the wheels never go square, and youdon't have to send a clerk out after the store closes toround up all the carts that have been left scattered aroundthe neighborhood.