Payment Processor for Your Adult Site
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| 1merchant.com |
Webmasters of adult sites are often faced with the difficult task of choosing the right payment processor for their business. While the process of doing the physical search (ie typing the keywords in the search box and filtering the results to find one great payment processor) is certainly daunting, it is even more difficult to pinpoint what you, as an adult site owner, really need to look for in the candidates that pop up in that search results page.
There is one thing you have to understand even before you begin your search. As an adult site operator, you are run a "high-risk" business. While in any other industry this may not mean much, to the world of online payment processing, it is the difference between granting your approval and outright denying your application. Understanding the concept of being a high-risk merchant will also help you set proper expectations.
Among the hurdles you may encounter as an adult entertainment industry merchant (and therefore, a high-risk merchant) are high processing fees and may be even additional paperwork. So it may not be entirely practical to base your decision solely on the prices offered by the payment processor. Yes, saving a few cents here and there is always a good thing, but do look at what else the processing company is offering. Here are some questions that may help you assess the payment processing candidates that you've narrowed down:
1. Do they understand what I need? It is not really that easy to find a payment processor that caters exclusively to your needs as an adult site owner. If you are lucky enough to find one, how do you know if their services really are geared towards your needs? One way is to know if they can provide you with the uptime any adult site needs. Choosing a payment processing partner that lists availability as one of their main focuses is a wise choice.
2. What kind of security does the payment processor offer? 128-bit SSL encryption is already the industry standard. It now comes down to how far your payment processor can push this security promise. Find out more about the specs of the processor's payment gateway. Adult sites are heavily dependent on fast and flawless technologies, try to find a processor with a tight security system that match the needs of the adult industry.
3. Can they help me curb chargebacks? Chargebacks happen for a lot of reasons, not always within the adult merchant's control. Another issue you must grasp as a high-risk merchant: Credit card associations (like Visa and MasterCard) have systems in place that may get merchants who have a high chargebcack ratio banned from accepting credit cards. This is the cold, hard truth. A payment processor with effective fraud scrubbing measures may be able to prevent you from getting into that blacklist.
4. Does the payment processor offer customized service? Let's face it. We all want to be a little different. Being an adult site, it's hard enough to compete with a million other sites with the same services on the Internet. Having a payment processor who can give you all that you need is great, but having one that lets you customize its services specifically for your site is way better.
5. Will I get my money on time? Let's not beat around the bush, the reason your adult site needs a payment processor in the first place is so you can milk a bit of cash out of all the hard work you've done. And rightly so. You deserve that money, so you should look for a payment processor that would be able to guarantee you consistent payouts. A payment processor's ability to take care of its financial liabilities is deeply rooted in the efficiency of its processes. So, that also worth looking into.
There are probably a million other questions you can (and should) ask. But these are the basics that would let you know right from the start if the payment processor you are looking at would be good for your adult business.
Remember: This search can get frustrating, but in the end it will be all worth it. Asking these questions can help narrow down your search to merchants that truly cater to your class. There are many merchant account providers out there that will be upfront with you when it comes to the details of their service. AdultMerchantPay (http://www.adultmerchantpay.com) is one example of such. This payment processor exclusively for adult merchants understands most of the industry's needs. You can also try other payment processor for high-risk industries. Don't be afraid to ask the questions that you feel will make your business with a certain processor a success.
An outspoken author and proponent of online marketing initiatives, Mary Harkness has been writing and giving talks on the various methods of effective marketing since 2000. She has been largely involved in marketing campaigns for various online industries, such as adult, gambling, pharmaceuticals, and travel and hotel services. Harkness is also the author of three top selling books on effective marketing strategies, and a well-known contributor for authority sites such as http://adultmerchantpay.com/
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