login or not login

On 29 Jul 2003 11:00:07 -0700, lilianeee RemoveThis @hotmail.com (titi) wrote:

 >I am creating an e-commerce website in order to sell some special
 >products. But I only have 7 products to sell, they are pretty
 >expensive and it is not the type of thing that someone sells regularly
 >(furneral urns). To accept payment, I chose to resort to Paypal. ...

Howdy,

Using PayPal immediately notifies potential clients that you don't qualify
for a merchant card account. I'm sure your company can accept them so why
send people down the street?

 >question is, do I ask the future customer to log into my website? The
 >benefit of having them log in is that I can keep better track of who
 >my customers are and so perform better CRM. ...

An optional Guest Book, Keep-Me-Informed, or Ask-a-Question page will get
you much further.

Presenting good pictures and description of the urns is only the beginnings
for closing a sale. Informative reference pages that explain the details of
handling a deceased family member would make you an extra good guy.

Thanks, Chris <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.bizynet.com" target="_blank">www.bizynet.com</a> and <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.bizycart.com" target="_blank">www.bizycart.com</a>
BIZynet Coordinator cgunn RemoveThis @bizynet.com
Moderator of biz.general, biz.marketplace.discussion, biz.healthcare,
biz.marketplace.web-design, biz.marketplace.international & others<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

"titi" <lilianeee DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5feb03d5.0307291000.64caa0bf@posting.google.com...
 > Hello,
 >
 > I am creating an e-commerce website in order to sell some special
 > products. But I only have 7 products to sell, they are pretty
 > expensive and it is not the type of thing that someone sells regularly
 > (furneral urns). To accept payment, I chose to resort to Paypal. My
 > question is, do I ask the future customer to log into my website?


What about a store that asks for a copy of your drivers license before you
can come in? If you knew they were going to ask for that, before you could
even browse...wouldn't you go to one of the 1000s of other stores, in the
area, that don't require that?

--Tina

--
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"Chris Gunn" <cgunn RemoveThis @bizynet.com> wrote in message
news:4j4eivcliumgs4egfdhb70kaebsqlg3eef@4ax.com...
 >
 > Using PayPal immediately notifies potential clients that you don't qualify
 > for a merchant card account.

Not true at all. I don't mind doing business with companies that only
accept Paypal. I figure they must have their reasons for not wanting to
deal with the hassle of a merchant account. Paypal, even though it is not a
perfect solution, doesn't automatically mean something negative.


--Tina
--
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 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

Don't treat it as a "you must login" issue. Tell them how 'registering'
allows them to track their order and makes it easier to check out. Or make
it a part of the check out process so they see it as 'entering normal
information to complete the sale'.

Just my 2-bits.

Brian

--
- Remove the uppercase NS' characters from my email address
"titi" <lilianeee RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5feb03d5.0307291000.64caa0bf@posting.google.com...
 > Hello,
 >
 > I am creating an e-commerce website in order to sell some special
 > products. But I only have 7 products to sell, they are pretty
 > expensive and it is not the type of thing that someone sells regularly
 > (furneral urns). To accept payment, I chose to resort to Paypal. My
 > question is, do I ask the future customer to log into my website? The
 > benefit of having them log in is that I can keep better track of who
 > my customers are and so perform better CRM. But on the other hand, I
 > think it is a little too much to ask them to log in to be able to buy
 > something. Let's say they click on a "Buy Now" button and then they
 > are brought to a page saying "you have to register/log in"...it is a
 > pretty big turn off isn't it?
 >
 > Let me know your opinion, you knowledgeable people!!
 >
 > Thanks<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

"Tina - AffordableHOST.com" <tina RemoveThis @affordablehost.com> wrote in message news:<viej7f180cm78f RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>...
 > "Chris Gunn" <cgunn RemoveThis @bizynet.com> wrote in message
 > news:4j4eivcliumgs4egfdhb70kaebsqlg3eef@4ax.com...
  > >
  > > Using PayPal immediately notifies potential clients that you don't qualify
  > > for a merchant card account.
 >
 > Not true at all. I don't mind doing business with companies that only
 > accept Paypal. I figure they must have their reasons for not wanting to
 > deal with the hassle of a merchant account. Paypal, even though it is not a
 > perfect solution, doesn't automatically mean something negative.
 >
 >
 > --Tina

Thanks for your answer. I had no idea that some people had a bad
opinion of companies using Paypal. The reason for using them is that I
figured it was a cheap and easy way to get rid of the "payment" issue
on the site. I basically have nothing to do except pay a commission on
each purchase which means that I have no fixed costs but only variable
costs. Getting a merchant account will cost me set up fees, monthly
fees etc and I haven't even sold any urn. I am a little concerned
about how my site will work at the beginning and I do it as a side
business so I am not sure I will sell enough to set up a merchant
account. But if you know a cheap solution, I would be glad to know...

Thanks

Titi<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

"Tina - AffordableHOST.com" <tina.RemoveThis@affordablehost.com> wrote in message
news:viej7f180cm78f@corp.supernews.com...
 > "Chris Gunn" <cgunn.RemoveThis@bizynet.com> wrote in message
 > news:4j4eivcliumgs4egfdhb70kaebsqlg3eef@4ax.com...
  > >
  > > Using PayPal immediately notifies potential clients that you don't
qualify
  > > for a merchant card account.
 >
 > Not true at all. I don't mind doing business with companies that only
 > accept Paypal. I figure they must have their reasons for not wanting to
 > deal with the hassle of a merchant account. Paypal, even though it is not
a
 > perfect solution, doesn't automatically mean something negative.

Yes, it does! How would you like to buy something in one shop, but
pay for the goods in another? Besides, you have Paypal account -
and I don't. So, how should I pay?

Talking about merchant account hassle? What do you know about it?
There are no haslle, or at least same hassle < <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.paypalsucks.com/" target="_blank">http://www.paypalsucks.com/</a> >
as with Paypal.

If your company e-commerce website doesn't accept cards online, it's mean
you are not serious in what you are doing. Just another website "trying
something".


Best Regards
Andrei Vesselovski<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

In article <5feb03d5.0307310420.32b28ce6 RemoveThis @posting.google.com>,
lilianeee RemoveThis @hotmail.com says...

 > Thanks for your answer. I had no idea that some people had a bad
 > opinion of companies using Paypal. The reason for using them is that I
 > figured it was a cheap and easy way to get rid of the "payment" issue
 > on the site. I basically have nothing to do except pay a commission on
 > each purchase which means that I have no fixed costs but only variable
 > costs. Getting a merchant account will cost me set up fees, monthly
 > fees etc and I haven't even sold any urn. I am a little concerned
 > about how my site will work at the beginning and I do it as a side
 > business so I am not sure I will sell enough to set up a merchant
 > account. But if you know a cheap solution, I would be glad to know...
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 > Titi
 >

As others have observed, offering only PayPal as a payment solution
makes your site appear unprofessional. Web customers are very wary about
the payment process, and rightly so. Forcing them to go to another site
and jump through a series of hoops in order to do business with you WILL
cost you sales.

As you consider your options, remember that PayPal isn't free either.
They take a sizeble bite out of your transaction.

Look into <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.2checkout.com." target="_blank">www.2checkout.com.</a> They have a solution that probably meets
your needs.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

 > "Tina - AffordableHOST.com" <tina RemoveThis @affordablehost.com> wrote in message news:<viej7f180cm78f RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>...
  > > "Chris Gunn" <cgunn RemoveThis @bizynet.com> wrote in message
  > > news:4j4eivcliumgs4egfdhb70kaebsqlg3eef@4ax.com...
   > > >
   > > > Using PayPal immediately notifies potential clients that you don't qualify
   > > > for a merchant card account.
  > >
  > > Not true at all. I don't mind doing business with companies that only
  > > accept Paypal. I figure they must have their reasons for not wanting to
  > > deal with the hassle of a merchant account. Paypal, even though it is not a
  > > perfect solution, doesn't automatically mean something negative.
  > >
  > >
  > > --Tina
 >
 > Thanks for your answer. I had no idea that some people had a bad
 > opinion of companies using Paypal. The reason for using them is that I
 > figured it was a cheap and easy way to get rid of the "payment" issue
 > on the site. I basically have nothing to do except pay a commission on
 > each purchase which means that I have no fixed costs but only variable
 > costs. Getting a merchant account will cost me set up fees, monthly
 > fees etc and I haven't even sold any urn. I am a little concerned
 > about how my site will work at the beginning and I do it as a side
 > business so I am not sure I will sell enough to set up a merchant
 > account. But if you know a cheap solution, I would be glad to know...
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 > Titi

Titi.. I had gone through some of the same gyrations about PayPal
versus a real merchant account. There is typically an up front cost with
a real merchant account versus PayPal, but that often isn't that significant
in relative terms. But the one thing that bothered me was what if I didn't have
any sales for an extended period of time... ouch. Well check out Echo-Inc
they have about the lowest rates for real payment processing and if you don't
have any sales in a month they don't charge the monthly fee.

As for using PayPal... here is my 2 cents and something I've said before.
If you're selling beach balls from a bill board then PayPal is fine, but
if you want a site with a professional appearance then I wouldn't use PayPal.
In other words it is fine for sites like eBay (ala flea market), but not for
a single store. Would you use PayPal at Sears ??
Certainly your mileage can vary, but that is my take.

Jon<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

When I first launched I required registration before moving to the
checkout page... few sales so I changed it to optional. At this point
I'd say about half my orders... maybe only 40%, are from people that
do not register... Just one sample of experience...

Jon

 > Don't treat it as a "you must login" issue. Tell them how 'registering'
 > allows them to track their order and makes it easier to check out. Or make
 > it a part of the check out process so they see it as 'entering normal
 > information to complete the sale'.
 >
 > Just my 2-bits.
 >
 > Brian
 >
 > --
 > - Remove the uppercase NS' characters from my email address
 > "titi" <lilianeee.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
 > news:5feb03d5.0307291000.64caa0bf@posting.google.com...
  > > Hello,
  > >
  > > I am creating an e-commerce website in order to sell some special
  > > products. But I only have 7 products to sell, they are pretty
  > > expensive and it is not the type of thing that someone sells regularly
  > > (furneral urns). To accept payment, I chose to resort to Paypal. My
  > > question is, do I ask the future customer to log into my website? The
  > > benefit of having them log in is that I can keep better track of who
  > > my customers are and so perform better CRM. But on the other hand, I
  > > think it is a little too much to ask them to log in to be able to buy
  > > something. Let's say they click on a "Buy Now" button and then they
  > > are brought to a page saying "you have to register/log in"...it is a
  > > pretty big turn off isn't it?
  > >
  > > Let me know your opinion, you knowledgeable people!!
  > >
  > > Thanks<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 22:34:57 -0400, Jon <prtyof5.TakeThisOut@attglobal.net> wrote:

 >
 > When I first launched I required registration before moving to the
 >checkout page... few sales so I changed it to optional. At this point
 >I'd say about half my orders... maybe only 40%, are from people that
 >do not register... Just one sample of experience...
 >
 >Jon
 >

I'm confused. How can you ship their purchase to them if they don't
register?

I agree, don't ask people to register before they buy. But surely
registration must be an integral part of the purchase process (unless
you're selling electronic goods for download)?

Win
--------------

Win Day, Multimedia Developer
Words Plus
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.wordsplus.net" target="_blank">http://www.wordsplus.net</a>
winday.TakeThisOut@REMOVETHISwordsplus.net<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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"Andrei Vesselovski" <av.RemoveThis@netcomposite.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3f28ccbb$0$18494$ed9e5944@reading.news.pipex.net...
 >
 > "Tina - AffordableHOST.com" <tina.RemoveThis@affordablehost.com> wrote in message
 > news:viej7f180cm78f@corp.supernews.com...
  > > "Chris Gunn" <cgunn.RemoveThis@bizynet.com> wrote in message
  > > news:4j4eivcliumgs4egfdhb70kaebsqlg3eef@4ax.com...
   > > >
   > > > Using PayPal immediately notifies potential clients that you don't
 > qualify
   > > > for a merchant card account.
  > >
  > > Not true at all. I don't mind doing business with companies that only
  > > accept Paypal. I figure they must have their reasons for not wanting to
  > > deal with the hassle of a merchant account. Paypal, even though it is
not
 > a
  > > perfect solution, doesn't automatically mean something negative.
 >
 > Yes, it does!


No, accepting Paypal does NOT mean you don't qualify for a merchant account.
It just means that the vendor does not have one...for whatever reason.


 > How would you like to buy something in one shop, but
 > pay for the goods in another? Besides, you have Paypal account -
 > and I don't. So, how should I pay?

I guess you don't. But, that was not my point.


 > Talking about merchant account hassle? What do you know about it?

Been in business for close to 20 years. We've used 5 different merchant
accounts and going on our 6th. We're also currently in the midst of a
class-action lawsuit with Visa and MC (to any vendor who has ever been
victim of a chargeback, let me know and I'll provide details on how you can
join). I know ALOT about it.


<font color=purple> > There are no haslle, or at least same hassle < <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.paypalsucks.com/</font" target="_blank">http://www.paypalsucks.com/</font</a>>
 >
 > as with Paypal.

If I had the time, I could pull up just as much negativity about merchant
accounts, as that. Again, Paypal is not perfect and I am not here to defend
or promote them. Just don't put words in my mouth, please.


 > If your company e-commerce website doesn't accept cards online, it's mean
 > you are not serious in what you are doing. Just another website "trying
 > something".

....and what's wrong with that? Again, I have no problem doing business with
companies who only use Paypal. I figure they must have their reasons, and I
don't automatically assume its a shady one at that.

--Tina<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: login or not login 

"Neb Revod" <spammers.biteme RemoveThis @flatline.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.199305b5191501c498972a@pdx.news.speakeasy.net...
 > In article <5feb03d5.0307310420.32b28ce6 RemoveThis @posting.google.com>,
 > lilianeee RemoveThis @hotmail.com says...
 >
  > > Thanks for your answer. I had no idea that some people had a bad
  > > opinion of companies using Paypal. The reason for using them is that I
  > > figured it was a cheap and easy way to get rid of the "payment" issue
  > > on the site. I basically have nothing to do except pay a commission on
  > > each purchase which means that I have no fixed costs but only variable
  > > costs. Getting a merchant account will cost me set up fees, monthly
  > > fees etc and I haven't even sold any urn. I am a little concerned
  > > about how my site will work at the beginning and I do it as a side
  > > business so I am not sure I will sell enough to set up a merchant
  > > account. But if you know a cheap solution, I would be glad to know...
  > >
  > > Thanks
  > >
  > > Titi
  > >
 >
 > As others have observed, offering only PayPal as a payment solution
 > makes your site appear unprofessional. Web customers are very wary about
 > the payment process, and rightly so. Forcing them to go to another site
 > and jump through a series of hoops in order to do business with you WILL
 > cost you sales.
 >
 > As you consider your options, remember that PayPal isn't free either.
 > They take a sizeble bite out of your transaction.
 >
 > Look into <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.2checkout.com." target="_blank">www.2checkout.com.</a> They have a solution that probably meets
 > your needs.


Holy crap. RUN AWAY from 2CO, faster than Paypal. They are plagued with
problems...just do a search at webhostingtalk.com on '2checkout'

--Tina

--
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.AffordableHOST.com" target="_blank">http://www.AffordableHOST.com</a> - hosting since 1997
Cpanel, Multi-Acct., Resellers, Server Pkgs., $5.95 and up.
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"Jon" <prtyof5 RemoveThis @attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:3F29D151.488A46C3@attglobal.net...
 >
 > As for using PayPal... here is my 2 cents and something I've said
before.
 > If you're selling beach balls from a bill board then PayPal is fine, but
 > if you want a site with a professional appearance then I wouldn't use
PayPal.


Yes, perfect advice. I wouldn't use Paypal if you are hoping to make your
online store your #1 business venture and selling route. I think Paypal is
fine for some sites though...like small "gonna try selling online and see
how it goes" type ventures. Its a good starting point to test the waters.

--Tina
--
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.AffordableHOST.com" target="_blank">http://www.AffordableHOST.com</a> - hosting since 1997
Cpanel, Multi-Acct., Resellers, Server Pkgs., $5.95 and up.
Newsgroup 20% Discount Code/Coupon: newsgroup<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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