When setting up a Paypal Business Account, you will be asked what kind of account you want. There are about six different options, but the two most common for small businesses are:
- Website Payments Standard
- Website Payments Pro
Which should you get?
I have “Standard” and it meets all my needs for accepting online payments quickly and easily. It has worked reliably for me for over five years now, and my bookkeeper really likes how it keeps all the “money in and money out” straight. Website Payments Standard is what I recommend for most small businesses starting out online.
To understand which type of Paypal Business Account is best for your circumstances, you need to decide how you want customers to check out and complete payments. There are basically three ways this can happen:
1. Paypal combined with a third party shopping cart system
If you use a third party shopping cart such as 1ShoppingCart, e-Junkie or WAHM Cart then Website Payments Standard is what you want. This is the process that customers will go through:
- click your “buy” button
- get taken to your shopping cart
- fill out the info that your shopping cart requires
- get taken to Paypal to complete the payment using a credit card, bank account or Paypal account.
2. You have no idea what a third party shopping cart system is, nor do you want to get one
No problem! If you don’t have a shopping cart system at all, then choose Website Payments Standard. It will provide you with little “buy now” buttons that you can put right on your website. With this method, customers simply:
- click your “buy” button
- get taken to Paypal to complete the payment using a credit card, bank account or Paypal account
3. Paypal combined with a self-hosted shopping cart
If you have your own shopping cart hosted on your server, then you want Website Payments Pro. With the Pro version customers can shop and pay directly on your website.
Here’s a summary of the differences between the “Standard” and “Pro” accounts.
Website Payments Standard
* Accepting payments today: no additional application or shopping cart is required.
* Customers shop on your website and pay you on PayPal; even without a PayPal account.
* No annual contract is required.
Website Payments Pro
* Get features of merchant accounts and gateways at a lower cost.
* Customers can shop and pay directly on your website, or check out in a few clicks on PayPal.
* They can also pay you with credit cards via phone, fax, mail, or in person.
Here’s an article I wrote that gives step-by-step instructions on how to set up a Paypal business account. You might want to print out those instructions before going to Paypal to set up your account. Don’t worry, it’s easy! You can do it in just a few minutes, and start accepting customer payments immediately.
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Can a small water mutual use paypal to provide an online option for their customers to pay their monthly water bill. Thanks