Free Online Merchant Account - Read This First Before Applying

I just got done watching a live UStream video cast of Howie Schwartz and Jimmy Davis talking about a Free Online Merchant Account through Imax.  First let me say how much I like Howie Schwartz.  I think he is an absolutely brilliant marketer and I have learned a lot from him.  I don’t know Jimmy Davis but he seems like a top notch guy also.

So the main focus of this video is that there is  a company offering a online credit card merchant account with no application fee.

Sounds like a good deal.  On top of that, Howie will also give you $2000+ in bonuses if you sign up through his link.  The bonuses are 20 products that you can sell with your merchant account.  Sounds Great.

So I went and looked at this offer, because it sounded a little to good to be true.  I have been a business owner for many years and have learned the importance of reading over contracts before signing anything.  I recommend that you always read through contracts before signing.

Let me say, that if you are in the market for a merchant account, then this is probably not a bad deal and you may want to take a look.  Visit Howies site here to learn more. (you may want to read the rest of this first however)

If you are not really in the market for one, you may want to consider how important it is that you have one now, before you jump in.  I know the bonuses sound great, but reading through the fine print here is what I found.

1. Although the application is free to apply, there is a $49.99 administration fee listed.  It does not state when this applies or when it will be charged.
2. Buried way down at the bottom, it states that once the contract is finalized, you are locked in for 3 years. If you choose to cancel before the 3 years is up, they will charge you $250 for canceling.  It also implies that you could be charged an additional $250 if you breach the contract, but that part is not very clear.
3. There is a $39.95 monthly charge per location.  I don’t have a problem with that except that it is not clear if that would be each website. If you didn’t have a website immediately ready for it, would you start getting charged the $39.95 anyway?  This may be OK, it just isn’t clear.
4. On top of the $39.95 monthly charges, you will also get charged a $5.00 Statement Fee (per statement) and $5.00 internet access fee (per website).  To me it sounds like you will be on the hook for $49.95 per month per website for the account.  Again, I don’t think this is a big deal if you will be using it, but I wouldn’t necessarily get it just to have it.
5. There are also another set of fees listed under “Miscellaneous fees” , just before the $250 cancellation fee mentioned above.  Again it is not clear when or how these apply and that is what makes me nervous. $25 Documentation fee, $150 Research and investigation fee, etc.

I think the final thing that bothers me about it is there is no contact page, or even visible contact information, to be able to clarify any of these things. No phone number, no email, nothing.

I eventually found some contact information listed at the bottom of the program guide:

The bottom line is “look before you leap”. If you are in the market for a merchant account, this is probably a pretty good deal.  Their processing rates look a little high, but not terrible.  (I would try to get some clarification as to what their “Non-Qualifying”  limits are as those seem a little steep.)  Oh and another note, if you do apply, make sure you click the “review you application” section at the bottom of the application before submitting or you will get an error.

This is nothing against Howie Schwartz.  Like I said, I like Howie a lot and I have learned a lot from him and usually buys whatever he puts out.  (Take a look at his Underground Traffic Society if you are just starting out.  You will learn a lot and have access to some pretty cool stuff.)  But this isn’t one of his products, it is just something he is promoting as a (I assume) JV partner. He usually has the best interests of his students in mind, but this time, it seems a little questionable.  I hope it doesn’t come back to bite him.

So why am I telling you all of this and possibly raining on Howie’s quick cash parade.  Because I have a lot of loyal followers of this site and I will always try to protect them best I can.  I am thankful for them and want to make sure that they have the best chance at success. It may not seem like a lot of money to some, but for others $50 a month for something your not going to use is a lot.  And $250 to try and get out of it can be way to much.  Been there done that.

Personally I have been using Paypal’s merchant program for years and have been very happy with it. Their pricing is very competitive (the lowest I’ve found), their transaction percentages are low, and they don’t try to hide any extra fees from you. Everything is very up front. And PayPal integrates easily with a lot of different shopping carts because they already have it built in to them.

I hope you find this useful. Please leave me a comment, especially if you have had any experiences with this company or others that someone may be able to learn from.  A lot of people read this blog and you never know who you might help.

Update:
A friend recommended a new company to me, expensus.com, that looks like it may be ok. I don’t have any information on them. Does anyone have any experience with them, good or bad? Mail this post

Technorati Tags: bancard, credit card merchant account, credit card processing, free online merchant account, howie schwartz, imax, jimmy davis, merchant account, merchant services

PPC Ninja Review: Ancient Secrets Of Pay-Per-Click Revealed

Another new product from fellow internet marketer Christian Weselak.  PPC Ninja.  I have enjoyed watching Christian move up in the ranks  in internet marketing circles for the past couple of years.  One thing I noticed when talking with him a various events is that his ideas are so simple, but so effective at making money. No big tricks.  No big secrets.  But so obvious that most people either miss them, or dismiss them.  They think, “that’s to easy. There is no way that will work.”  But lo and behold, it does.  I have used many of his methods that I have gotten out of him over the years to make a bunch of money in PPC.

Now I know that PPC is not something that is for everyone. So if PPC is not your thing, then I recommend that you skip PPC Ninja and stay with what you are comfortable doing.  There is nothing wrong with doing what works for you.

But if PPC is your thing, or you would like to learn how to make a pile of cash in PPC marketing, then I would highly recommend taking a look at PPC Ninja.

Click here to visit PPCNinja website!

I called Christian up a couple weeks ago and convinced him to let me have an advanced copy to take a look at (ok really I just asked). Here is what I have to say about it.  WOW! I was actually surprised at how many of his methods he included.  He definitly didn’t hold anything back.  I figured like most people, he would have kept the best ones for himself, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Thanks to my advanced copy (remember kids, networking is very important in this business) I was actually able to try a couple of his methods to see how they worked. I was able to start generating a solid $200 a day after about a week.  Certainly not the most money I have made online, but a nice little addition none the less.

Alright you are probably wondering what exactly you are going to learn from PPC Ninja.  Well here is a quick rundown of what you will be getting.

Pay Per CLick Ninja eCourse
OK when I said there were no “secrets”, that wasn’t entirely true.  What I should have said is that to the people that have been doing this for a while, like me, there aren’t any (or very few) secrets. But to someone just starting out, or maybe only doing it for a couple of years, there are actually quite a few.  Being able to learn them now without having to go through the pain of trial and error like most of us…that is priceless.

Anyway, I am not going to list out everything that is included.  You will be able to read all about that in the sales letter.  No point in being redundant.

Pay Per Click Ninja Video Course
These are a set of 7 videos of Christian showing you his complete thought process from beginning to end. A lot of good information in here.  I was able to pick up a couple of good ideas from these that I started using.

Again, I’m lazy and don’t want to write out everything in them. You can read the sales letter on launch day if you are really that interested.

And here are the bonuses that he is giving you with PPCNinja:

Bonus #1: Google Content Network Domination

Bonus #2: Interview with Michael Campbell

Bonus #3: How to make money with PPC and CPA offers

Bonus #4: One Year of Updates

The first 3 bonuses are nice to have, but not really necessary to making the most of PPCNinja.  The real meat of the course is in the first two items. And actually you will find enough information in just the eCourse to let you quit your day job.

The forth bonus (updates) I think will be very beneficial.  The internet marketing landscape is constatntly changing, so being able to keep abreast of new techniques can be extremely helpful. Most of us “old timers” share stuff with each other at events, but these are $5,000-$10,000 events that most people don’t have access to.

As much as I would like to freely share some of these things with you on this site, I just couldn’t do that to a friend.  Maybe after the newness wares off and these things are no longer considered “secrets” I may let a few nuggets of wisdom out here and there, but you certainly don’t want to wait that long.

Click here to visit PPCNinja website!
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