When it comes to accepting payments through your eCommerce website, there are many different methods to choose from. Each has attractive features that make deciding which to use difficult. After all, you want to feel good about your payment method. For many website owners, PayPal has been the payment gateway of choice since the early 2000s. There are several key points that make this company ideal as an affordable solution for your online store.

Security - PayPal's servers are incredibly secure keeping your money safe. In addition to preventing people from accessing your account, the customer's financial information is saved on their servers - not your website. While you may want to provide security for the customer's shipping information, attackers will not retrieve credit card information or payment types from your website should they gain access. This means you're off the hook- putting the responsibility of protecting financial information solely on PayPal's shoulders while reducing your security costs.

Variable Payment Types - PayPal will allow you to accept a variety of different payment methods. While users may choose to use their own PayPal account to purchase goods, they can also use credit and debit cards as well as eChecks. Accepting eChecks is like any other check requiring time for the money to be available. Until it clears, you may want to hold off on shipping the customer's purchase.

Integration - The popularity of PayPal is such that nearly every eCommerce solution has the capacity to use it as a form of payment method. In most cases, you need to input the account email address and the merchant key - which is obtainable directly from PayPal for free. The company also features API integrations for developing other styles that use the account for accepting money. For those that develop the eCommerce site without management solutions, PayPal also provides carts and buttons allowing you to create an online store in nearly any capacity.

Account Debit Card - While it does take three to five business days to transfer money from PayPal to your bank account, the use of the account debit card can allow the funds to be immediately available. This debit card works just like any other allowing you to make online purchases or use in real life. The processing fees are immediately deducted from the amount when a customer pays, showing you exactly how much money you have at any given time.

The Fees - For most eCommerce sites, the fees for using PayPal are just 2.9 percent of the total plus $0.30 per transaction. For example, if you sell an item for $2.99 and charge $1.93 shipping for a total of $4.92, you'd only pay $0.44 in processing fees. This is the only fee you'll pay with PayPal as there are neither maintenance fees nor annual membership subscriptions to pay. For orders more than $3000 in total, the fees actually decrease. Virtual terminals and manually typing in credit cards through the card swiper cost a bit more, but these are methods that are not commonly used through most eCommerce websites.

PayPal does what it can to help you succeed. Whether you are using the standard payment through this gateway or designing your own API for accepting payments, the company has your best interest in mind. The more successful you are, the more money the company makes. Choose the best payment solution that fits your needs and feel comfortable with your choice regardless of what company you use.

Author Bio
Ken Myers is a father, husband, and entrepreneur. He has combined his passion for helping families find in-home care with his experience to build a business. Learn more about him by visiting @KenneyMyers on Twitter.