The Why's and How's of Travel Merchant Account Application

"HONG KONG, July 1 — With helicopters pumping out streams of red smoke and boats carrying giant red Chinese characters — and with demonstrators calling once again for the elusive goal of full democracy — Hong Kong marked on Sunday the 10th anniversary of its return by Britain to Chinese rule."

Unfortunately, we weren't able to go to Hong Kong early this week. All Cathay Pacific flights were chock full of passengers excited to see the events (which were uneventful, by the way) and we didn't like risking money for sweepstakes seats. It's likely that some travelers may have booked flights earlier and canceled them for some reason too. We don't call it high risk merchant business for nothing.

WHY (NOT) APPLY FOR A TRAVEL MERCHANT ACCOUNT?

HOW MAPs LOOK AT YOUR BUSINESS

...I won't put your hopes high and suddenly burst your bubble. It is extremely challenging to apply for a travel merchant account. And hardly will you get accepted if you file for it on a domestic bank. What's your option? Go offshore. Offshore high risk merchant account providers not only cater to all types of high risk businesses, they also are very flexible when it comes to accepting many international currencies and payment methods. Travel agencies with poor credit rating may still apply, as they have a high acceptance rate.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES?

...Common sense will tell you that along with the benefits (have I mentioned tax reductions and very little government interference?), you also need to pay for a price.

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TRAVEL MERCHANT ACCOUNT APPLICATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

High Risk Merchants Quick Guide on Telemarketing Frauds

My friend Anna won't even answer telemarketers when they call. Sometimes I tell her to give them the benefit of the doubt as they might offer something good but she refuses flat out. Says she's tired of glib spiels and doesn't want to be bothered. She knows when it's a telemarketer calling. It's always on her landline phone. Her mobile phone is the only scam-free phone she has. Ooops, maybe not. At times she still receives weird messages saying she won trip for two cruise tickets. But we know very well it's just a scammer. We call them up and tell them we need money to return their call as our phone credits are used up. Talk about swallowing your own pill.

Making Money by Phone?

...So what exactly constitutes a clean and a dirty telemarketing gimmick? I won't generalize and say all telemarketers are a pain in the neck. The only problem is when you cannot detect the difference and you become a victim of fraud. This industry is riddled with high incidences of frauds and chargebacks -- hence operators may always have a hard time finding a good high risk merchant account provider to handle the credit card processing transactions. But the possibilities online are endless. Surf online and you might find just the right provider for you.

Telemarketing Frauds: 2006 Statistics

Tips and Tricks Against Phone Scammers

more tips from www.highriskexperts.com Gerri Bryce
Insider Tricks to Successful High Risk Merchant Account Application

Unbeatable Techniques in Buying and Selling Online

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ONLINE BUYING PART 2

How do people buy online? There's no mystery to it. The world wide web is constructed such that when people want to buy online, they just scan the pages and spot the most conspicuous objects in their vision. If you know what you're looking for in a figurine store, you don't look at every single crystal or ceramic on display (unless you're OC). You don't even stop at one store to buy as soon as you get inside the mall (unless you're a patron). This buying pattern of your customers occurs whether you're selling brick and mortar, or whether you own a low risk or a high risk merchant account store.

Inside the article:

BUY ONE CAR, GET TWO DRIVERS FREE!

WHAT PRICE THOU YE FANCY?

YOUR SECURITY IS OUR PRIORITY

PERISHABLE, DO NOT DELAY

THANK YOU, COME AGAIN!


More tips from www.ezinearticles.com by Gerri Bryce

Top 3 Goals All High Risk Merchants Should Know

Credit card processing is a confusing world. It is. Until you get hold of the details it is unwise to dip your foot in the murky waters. Established high risk merchants know that it's more than just getting a reliable payment gateway or the ability to accept debit cards. It is also about being able to provide security to your customers as well as getting the lowest rates on the best processing service. An efficient shopping cart is also a must.

The good thing about high risk merchant credit card processing is that it continues to evolve.

New merchant account providers surface to bring more competitive rates. New technical knowledge enhances open source software for free online shopping cart construction. More and more ways to accept payment online are being devised.

GOALS, GOALS, GOALS

But the core of building your own merchant account can be outlined in simple terms. The first goal is to make sure your customers are satisfied. The second goal is to profit more from low overhead costs and efficient payment processing. The third goal is to keep the business thriving with as few chargebacks as possible.

Goal 1: Customer Satisfaction

Goal 2: Profit

Goal 3: Survival

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Top 3 Goals All High Risk Merchants Should Know

High Risk Merchants' Guide on Building E-Commerce Websites

Building an e-commerce website -- what does it entail? Again, don't let me go into that harangue of telling you guys that this task is something only 21-year old eggheads in stiff white collars can do. You would either need a little of their help or search online for a reliable company that offers a package of services for high risk merchant account owners. And if you got lucky on the latter, you still would need to create a checklist on which elements you need to prioritize for your website. I'm talking about the bare bones. After you have decided on those, it's time to figure out whether to add some fancy stuff on your website or keep things simple.

So what elements should you consider added on your e-commerce website? If you've published a book before (not e-book, but if you want to go into that detail, see my article Homemade Remedy for Download Theft), most likely you'd already be familiar with the steps you need to take from the time you've conceived the story to the moment it's out in the bookstore shelves. Yes, you would need an endorsement from celebrities, too! Remember Harvey Mackay's "Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"? Well yeah, that one's a classic.

Web copy, layout and other visuals, e-commerce elements, marketing elements, and customer service tools, are some of the basic stuff you need to incorporate in your e-commerce website. Each one of these elements comes with its own set of structure that would also require a bit of search engine friendliness or better yet, full-blown SEO campaign.

The Web Copy

Image and Flash Files

Shopping Cart

Customer Service Add-Ons

Homemade Remedy for Download Theft

It's not for the geeks.

Many online sellers aren't bothered so much by copyright infringement as they are of losing money by theft of their online products. Most popular among these is the e-book. Guess we already know why those who are selling e-books are considered high risk merchants: the sole fact that the e-book they are selling can be easily downloaded for free (without being dubbed "freeware" or "shareware") makes them vulnerable to frauds and chargebacks in the long run.

Now, some first time e-book sellers are not savvy when it comes to protecting their products online. Of course it would be extremely helpful (and imperative) to learn how to do it before launching the e-book for paid download. It would be worth taking a look at my past article "What Every High Risk Merchant Should Know About Intellectual Property Rights" to find out more about what you can and cannot do on a legal basis when it comes to online product theft.

IT'S IN THE PACKAGING, SILLY!

Normally, a high risk merchant would find a way to counter hackers from getting access to the download page. But this takes a certain degree of skill.

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Homemade Remedy for Download Theft

(Highriskexperts.com tips by Gerri Bryce)

E-Commerce Success: When High Risk Merchants Go the Brick and Click Way

Too lazy to shop out?

I have always believed in the empowerment of human potential. Sounds deep huh! Well, a decade and a half ago, when the Internet has started to boom and online shopping carts or high risk merchant accounts were unheard of, everyone foresaw that it's the end of the human urge to leave the house, travel, and experience the world using the tactile senses. Virtual reality became a challenge. The Internet morphed into a breeding ground for experimentation in which people would be immersed into a world that was so convenient they would do nothing more than click the mouse (or anything similar to pushing a button) and have the stuff that they want. In fact, today the pioneers of VR have created games in which you would only use your brainwaves (connected to electrodes) to move objects on the screen. Not bad.

When e-commerce sites are a must

E-commerce faces the same situation today. People would normally go to the malls, window-shop, pick their goodies, fall in line at the counter, cash out from the wallet or swipe the credit card, then leave with the big ol' shopping bag in hand. Obviously, everyone still does it. But brick and mortar stores are becoming less and less attractive without an integrated e-commerce website. Whether you are an ordinary businessman selling toiletries and cosmetics or a high risk merchant selling adult products, it usually pays to put up your own website and let it expand your customers' buying experience.

Convenience, convenience, convenience

In-store pick up: Save costs, make money