Trafficking Human Pheromones Online: How Risky?

The sale of human pheromones is quite a controversial issue today. For high risk merchants, however, it is but another desirable drug that helps increase sexual attraction among men and women. Marketing it online may be a bit of a challenge, mostly because people find it hard to believe that pheromones actually work. We won't contest their effectivity. The scope of high risk merchant services guarantee that if you intend to sell this product in your online pharmacy, you can get your application approved as long as you pass your MAP's requirements.

THE AXE PHENOMENON

One time I picked up my fiance's AXE Body Spray, Orion bottle and read the back label. "...when you spray it, women will come."

"Did AXE really say that?" he said. "Yeah!" And we both burst out laughing. I didn't think AXE would go that far to describe its masculine body sprays as phenomenally attractive to women that they will be compelled to...err, come. No pun intended!

WHAT'S WITH PHEROMONES?

Whether AXE has added pheromones in their list of body spray ingredients or not, we do not know (well maybe check the back label again?) but we know for sure that it smells amazing. It does have an effect on me and I don't intend to endorse the product. However, unlike AXE Orion, human pheromones are considered non-prescription drugs and if you sell them online, they are considered high risk products. What's the catch?

Unfortunately, not only CDs and clothes can be pirated. The danger of buying drugs online is that you will never really find authenticity unless you've seen and touched and tried them. The catch is when buyers are sold with so-called pheromone colognes or perfumes that are diluted or fake. And when they receive fake products, naturally they will ask for a chargeback, or worse, sue the manufacturer. Chargebacks are the number one cause of problems among merchants and high risk merchant providers. So how can anyone make sure they are buying the real thing?

See more of this article:

Trafficking Human Pheromones Online: How Risky?

Underwriting High Risk Merchant Accounts

High risk merchant account providers hire an underwriter to help them assess whether an applicant should be approved for an account or not. Like a quality control personnel, an underwriter makes sure that the applicant passes the requirements outlined by the provider in its criteria of merchant account approval. Different MAPs have different criteria of judging whether a business is high risk or not. Among domestic MAPs, an applicant is declined if it is considered high risk. But for those who apply for offshore merchant accounts, the likelihood of getting approved is far greater.

The task of underwriting an application may be complicated, but there are criteria involved that make it easier. Underwriters are responsible for assessing how much rolling reserve should be put on a company, as well as check on the following:

THE PRODUCT:

Product Type

Means of Delivery to Customer

Lifetime Membership

THE COMPANY BACKGROUND:

Fraud History Checking

Processor Switching

Chargeback History

Credit History

THE PRICING

THE BLACKLIST

HOW UNDERWRITERS SEE RISKS

There are several types of risks involved when assessing a high risk merchant account application. However, the most aggravating of these is the contingent liability. As mentioned above, a business that relies on lifetime delivery of product is the most likely to be declined. Unlike risks on fraud or credit, contingent liability increases the possibility of chargebacks in the future. If a merchant is not able to deliver the product or service as promised, customers will want a refund. Generally, the longer the allowance period from the payment to the delivery of the product/service, the higher the risk. Also, if there is little or no proof that it has been deliverd, such as a movie file downloaded online, the higher the risk that is involved.

See the whole article:

Underwriting High Risk Merchant Accounts

More High Risk Merchant Account ezinearticles by Gerri Bryce:

• OsCommerce for High Risk Merchants - The Good, The Bad, and The Possibilities
  [Finance] Just because osCommerce is the most popular merchant account software doesn't mean it's the best solution for your online business. Agree or disagree? Do you find osCommerce to be overrated? A lot of high risk merchants adopt osCommerce as their primary merchant account solution because of so many advantages.



• Insider Tricks to Successful High Risk Merchant Account Application
  [Finance] Many merchants complain about the lack of information when it comes to high risk merchant account application. It's not that there's no information at hand; it's more likely because merchant account providers do not give standard customer service or are simply too lazy to share the nuts and bolts that the applicants need.

Women Gamblers and the World of High Risk Merchants

What's new in the gambling world? Well, apart from Jerry Yang bagging the 2007 WSOP prize, nothing much. The same old story goes that internet gambling can be addictive and this is exactly what motivates the U.S. government to curtail, if not ban, online gambling. High risk merchants have a way of dealing with these current restrictions by being based offshore. I have nothing against it. In fact, I think that being based offshore is practically what makes online gambling businesses survive. Do I have anything against online gambling too? Well, my knowledge is as good as what I hear and read. Consider this:

WOMEN BETTING HIGHER THAN MEN?

"High-stakes women gamblers who use the Internet to wager on games win more often than men, according to a Harvard Medical School study." Initially, anyone would think that the gambling online arena is permeated with middle-class American/European/Asian men who take off a percentage off their income and use it play online, for entertainment's sake. But the report says when it comes to internet betting, women are less afraid to stake big dough and win/lose according to their bets. They are, in short, more fierce online gamblers.

I GOT HUSTLED!

What does it imply? These days I wouldn't call addiction as the main issue in internet gambling. This report is kinda funny though. It reminds me of when my fiance and I went to a casino somewhere in South East Asia. I was then a stupid dork who didn't know the first thing about poker tournaments and stuff. One time...

Story continues here:

Women Gamblers and the World of High Risk Merchants

Does your Water Filtration System Need a High Risk Merchant Account?

The good thing about a water filtration system business is that compared to other high risk merchant accounts, the discount rates are quite lower. The tricky part is selling them online. Merchants who intend to sell or lease water filtration equipment must inevitably have a website set up as well as a merchant account in order to process credit cards online. The cost of set up and merchant account must be industry standard. For example, the average discount rate may be 3% to 6%, but may be lower because of the less risky nature of this business.

China: Slowly killing its people?

What's the price of progress? Ask the Chinese. Whether they are aware or not, China's rapidly growing economy has resulted in a depressingly polluted country that will soon cause hundreds of millions of premature deaths from contaminated air and water in a few years. This is according to a 18-month study done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Although China has structured plans to curtail the catastrophic effects of their economic growth, we have yet to see the good results. In the study, it has been declared that not only has pollution in China affected human health, but the ecosystem as well. Especially the aquatic system. China has given its share of toxins in the sea as well as greenhouse gases mostly emitted from highly industrialized countries...

Is the water filtration business as risky as it seems?

How can a high risk merchant account provider help?

More articles by Gerri Bryce:

• High Risk Merchant Account Tips on IP Detection
• Insider Tricks to Successful High Risk Merchant Account Application
• The Psychology of Online Buying
• E-Commerce Success: When High Risk Merchants Go the Brick and Click Way
• Homemade Remedy for Download Theft
• High Risk Merchants' Guide on Building E-Commerce Websites
• Top 3 Goals All High Risk Merchants Should Know
• Unbeatable Techniques in Buying and Selling Online
• High Risk Merchants Quick Guide on Telemarketing Frauds
• The Whys and Hows of Travel Merchant Account Application
• 10 Questions to Ask Your Gaming Merchant Account Provider
• Dating Websites Gone Mad: High Risk Merchant Account Providers to the Rescue
• In Praise of Porn: Adult High Risk Merchant Accounts
• High Volume Merchant Account : Is It Worth Acquiring One?
• osCommerce for High Risk Merchants: The Good, The Bad, and The Possibilities
• Peddling the Human Growth Hormone Online: A High Risk Merchant's Dilemma
• Multilevel Marketing: A High Risk Merchant's Experience Told Part 1
• Multilevel Marketing: A High Risk Merchant's Experience Told Part 2

Multilevel Marketing: A High Risk Merchant's Experience Told Part 2

In Part 1 of this article I mentioned about my own experience with MLMs, what most people would call a high risk business by virtue of high incidences of scam involved. I must admit there's a difference between the legit ones that sell real products and ones that merely ask you to recruit new distributors so that you may gain commissions off their membership fees. High risk merchant providers are aware of these. They will certainly not accept your application if they learned you had been previously involved in a MLM fraud. To learn more about this topic I wrote, see Insider Tricks to Successful Merchant Application.

PYRAMID SCAMS VS. LEGIT MLMs

I was then in my college days and seeking some help for my university fees when I saw an ad about scholarship opportunity on the local paper. I contacted the number and was told to attend a meeting to find out more about it. Soon I realized it was some sort of MLM business with a variety of benefits for the members. In my desire to get the scholarship, I joined. I paid a downpayment for my fee but it took long for me to realize that the scholarship I wanted from them would never materialize. Why?

Read the rest of the story:

Multilevel Marketing: A High Risk Merchant's Experience Told Part 2

Multilevel Marketing: A High Risk Merchant's Experience Told Part 1

High risk merchant providers include Multilevel Marketing in their list of industries. To some, MLM has earned a bad reputation for being a lousy business scheme in which members could supposedly become wealthy by virtue of "downline recruitment". To others, MLM is a decent way to make a profit out of sales as well as commission from new salespersons enrolled in the company. High risk merchants who own successful MLM businesses know that despite being tagged illegal or fraudulent, MLM is still a highly profitable industry. That is, if distributors aim to earn through product selling and not through recruitment alone.

SECRET MEETINGS

It was back in 2004 when my cousin approached me and asked me to come with him to some mysterious business meeting at a building downtown. He said if I was open to opportunities to make money part time more than I made then, I could learn a lot just by mere listening to the speakers of that meeting. There was no commitment to join or pay for anything. I was optimistic and joined. Yep, I was hardly surprised when I sat in the corner of the room with my cousin, listened to the highly motivational lectures of three self-professed millionaires, and learned that it was possible to make a lot of dough with the MLM scheme. We had to sell Asian coffee...

continued:

Multilevel Marketing: A High Risk Merchant's Experience Told Part 1

Marketing the Human Growth Hormone Online: A High Risk Merchant's Dilemma

"The US Food and Drug Administration has not approved Jintropin and that the drug is not a recognized treatment for any medical condition." This is an excerpt from The Sidney Morning Herald, who told of news about Sylvester Stallone caught carrying 48 vials of human growth hormones (HGH) in his baggage. This happened exactly five months ago. Stallone has pleaded guilty and apologized to the public for the mistake he committed. Apparently, "Australian laws prohibit the importation of natural and manufactured growth hormones without a permit." Stallone was not only guilty of importing human growth hormones but also four vials of testosterone. According to his lawyers, Stallone was undergoing medical treatment and his only mistake was that he has not been informed too well of the customs laws in Australia.

Legal Issues Associated with HGH

I bet you think this news is kinda outdated. While Stallone is facing charges of illegal possession of prohibited substances, elsewhere in the world high risk merchants continue to sell human growth hormones to customers who are willing to try their purported benefits to the body. HGH is being used by bodybuilders, along with steriods, to help them increase muscle mass. HGH is a prescription drug and is used for medical purposes to treat deficiency in human growth and other related disorders. Anyone caught possessing it in the U.S. without a doctor's prescription may be imprisoned for up to 5 years (10 years for minors).

Side Effects?

HGH comes with its own side effects, if taken in excessive amounts. Although it can improve muscle mass and reduce fat (and is purported as anti-aging other than its ability to improve height for stunted children), HGH does not improve muscle strength. A high dose can cause overgrowth of extremities and internal organs. Its known side effects when taken in normal amounts include fluid retention, joint pain, and nerve compression symptoms.

Now who doesn't want to reverse the aging process and resort to the miraculous HGH? According to doctors...

continued: Human Growth Hormones and High Risk Merchant Account

other articles by Gerri Bryce:

• High Risk Merchant Account Tips on IP Detection
• Insider Tricks to Successful High Risk Merchant Account Application
• The Psychology of Online Buying
• E-Commerce Success: When High Risk Merchants Go the Brick and Click Way
• Homemade Remedy for Download Theft
• High Risk Merchants' Guide on Building E-Commerce Websites
• Top 3 Goals All High Risk Merchants Should Know
• Unbeatable Techniques in Buying and Selling Online
• High Risk Merchants Quick Guide on Telemarketing Frauds
• The Whys and Hows of Travel Merchant Account Application
• 10 Questions to Ask Your Gaming Merchant Account Provider
• Dating Websites Gone Mad: High Risk Merchant Account Providers to the Rescue
• In Praise of Porn: Adult High Risk Merchant Accounts
• High Volume Merchant Account : Is It Worth Acquiring One?
• osCommerce for High Risk Merchants: The Good, The Bad, and The Possibilities