Jamila White

Q: A non-profit organization I work for is using PayPal to accept credit card payments from clients via its website (http://www.verami.org). However, a growing number of clients are from outside the U.S., and PayPal accepts credit cards from a limited number of countries. Does anyone have any recommendations on an alternative to PayPal that *does* accept credit cards from ALL countries? We don't want to have to build a shopping cart, so we want a service that, like PayPal, we can redirect users to in order to have them submit credit card info. Also, we like that PayPal is very *cheap*. I've looked into ProPay a bit, and it seems to do what I want it to.

A: No, no, no.... In your case, ProPay.com would be a BIG mistake. See, ProPay is really set up for *individuals* and not organizations (non-profits or small businesses). In fact, although they allow you to use the account for small business, they require the individual applicant to provide a social security number -- federal ID numbers and "doing business as" are not allowed. The individual opening the account has to sign an agreement to personal responsibility for all account activity. In addition, they may do a credit check on the person opening the account, and report any debts incurred on ProPay on YOUR PERSONAL CREDIT REPORT. It's essentially like opening a bank account in your name.

All of this isn't bad, necessarily. It works well for many solo professionals (i.e. freelancers, coaches, consultants, etc.) who are sole proprietors or who have subchapter "S" corporations. One of ProPay's strong points is that it allows you to do both online and OFFLINE transactions.

PayPal does *accept* international payments from most countries. There are more limits on what countries people can be in to *receive* payments. You can see a full list of these countries here: http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/approved_countries-outside

Some international alternatives to PayPal:

• WorldPay, http://www.worldpay.com: Based in the UK. I hear this works well, but it can take up to four weeks to get the international payment cleared and deposited into your account.
• PlanetPayment, http://www.planetpayment.com: based in US.
• CCNOW, http://www.ccnow.com: Based in US, but can only be used to sell tangible goods.

Also, check out the special low-cost e-commerce programs set up just for non-profits. I'm not sure whether these work for international payments or not, but it's worth looking in to:

• TouchDC: http://www.touchdc.org
• Network for Good, http://www.networkforgood.org/npo

My question for you.... If you're doing so much international business, why not just get a regular merchant account with a regular bank - and get all the advantages and protections that a traditional merchant account offers?

© Copyright 2004 Jamila White. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Jamila White - affectionately know to DCWW members as the "E-Commerce Diva" is an Internet Strategist, Web Designer, and E-Commerce instructor in the Washington D.C. area. Reach her on her web site, http://www.jamilawhite.com.