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Configure your Payment Processor: Merchant Account

Updated

A merchant account is the traditional method to process credit card orders online: You collect the funds at the point of sale, and they're transferred directly into your bank account. Obtaining a merchant account also allows you to set up a credit card terminal for in-person charges. It is the ideal solution for high-volume sellers. Both individuals and businesses can have merchant accounts.

 

There are several fees involved in setting up and maintaining a merchant account:

  • One-time setup fee: $100, depending on the chosen provider
  • Monthly fee: $20-$30/month, depending on the chosen provider
  • Transaction fees: Varied

Because of these fees, we normally only recommend the merchant account option over PayPal if you maintain a steady stream of sales. If you're a lower volume seller who still wishes to offer an integrated checkout solution, you may want to consider checking out Stripe.

PhotoShelter for Brands supports the following merchant accounts:

  • Authorize.Net
  • NETbilling
  • TouchNet (requires manual setup)
  • CASHNet (requires manual setup)

 

There’s an 8% Transaction Fee applied to all PhotoShelter sales. This information can be found in the terms and conditions, specifically under section 4.2: https://go.photoshelter.com/terms-and-conditions-brands 

 

Setting Up to Sell with a Merchant Account: The Basics

  1. Obtain a gateway account with NETbilling or Authorize.net.
  2. Obtain a merchant account that is compatible with either NETbilling or Authorize.net. If you already have a merchant account, confirm that your existing account is compatible with NETbilling or Authorize.net.
  3. Configure your gateway account to work with PhotoShelter for Brands (as per the below instructions).
If your gateway account is not set up to process American Express cards, you will not be able to use an American Express card for your merchant account setup within PhotoShelter for Brands.
If you'd like to use TouchNet or CASHNet, please contact PhotoShelter for Brands Technical Support for setup assistance.

Merchant and gateway accounts

Credit card charges are processed in several steps. When a user enters his or her credit card information, we use a "gateway" to send the transactions to a "clearinghouse." Think of a gateway as the electronic version of those card swiping machines. The clearinghouse is a company that checks to see that the credit card is valid and has enough credit for the purchase.

When a card has been approved and the charge is made, that money is sent into a merchant account (a special type of bank account), which then forwards that money to your personal or business bank account. So in order to make this all work, you need a gateway account and a merchant account. Both the gateway vendor and merchant vendor take a small percentage of your sale as their fee. These fees total about 3-5% of the total sale (the rate can fluctuate, and is usually more for American Express). Every company in the world that accepts credit cards pays these fees.

 

Creating Your Authorize.net Account

You can sign up through an online form: http://reseller.authorize.net/application/?id=5554845 

Configuring Your Authorize.net Account

  1. After you create your Authorize.net gateway account, you will be provided an API Login ID and Transaction Key. Copy the ID and Key.
  2. From your PhotoShelter for Brands account, click Sell > Sales Settings.
  3. Enter both the ID and Key into the fields under Buyer Payment Method of the same name on the Sales Settings page within your PhotoShelter for Brands account. You can find your ID (and generate a new key, if necessary) in the Account — API Login ID and Transaction Key area within your Authorize.net account.

 

Creating Your NETbilling Account

You can call NETbilling or sign up online: https://www.netbilling.com/

Configuring Your NETbilling Account

  1. Log in to NETbilling's Merchant account website: https://secure.netbilling.com/merchant/
  2. Go to Menu Options Setup — Access Security.
  3. Scroll down to Direct Mode Interfaces.
  4. Native Direct Mode Interface — Enable Native Direct Mode v.3 (SAS) Channel must be selected.
  5. Copy the value from the Dynamic IP Security Code field. If there is no value there, you will need to generate one using the Generate button.
  6. From your PhotoShelter for Brands account, click Sell > Sales Settings.
  7. Under Buyer Payment Method, select Merchant Account (NETbilling) and copy the the Dynamic IP Security Code into the Secure code/Cert ID: field. 

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