Selling Software Online
Back in 1999, when I began creating my own logo design software, there were very few ways of collecting payment from online customers.
I went directly to Visa, Mastercard and American Express and set up accounts with each one.
All three gave me different methods of entering credit card information. I had to place each purchase … manually … into a software application ( that I think I remember purchasing for $400). Each night, we had to submit the credit card information … over a dial up connection! 56k I think it was… then each morning, I’d get an eMail with the cards that went through.
Then I’d send the software to the customer…
This online commerce stuff was new back then, so collecting credit cards without an official signature was very tricky.
It was very easy for the end customer to reverse the charges, or provide stolen Credit Cards.
They (the credit card companies) collected 3 to 4% of each transaction. So not only did I loose the sale if the customer reversed the charges, I’d loose the transaction fees, the bank fees and, of course, the actual sale.
It was nutts I tells ya!
Things are different today. So very different. And so much easier.
There are many companies that can help you now with selling downloadable software. Paypal is very popular. I recommend finding a programmer to help you set up your Paypal account ( I did this for my own website design software store). You can use a service like eLance.com to find a programmer that will connect your downloadable software with your own PayPal account.
There are also full service companies. DigitalRiver.com and Cleverbridge.com. I’ve used them both and they’re fantastic. They take between 10 and 20% of your sales, but that’s their fee. They also handle fraud control and digital downloads.
They also make it easy to collect any form of currency, in any language.
They’ve not only provided me with eCommerce, but I’ve got many connections to the software world through them. I’ve been honored to meet people at of some companies I really admire. Symantec, Adobe, and online shops like Clipart.com.
… So if you’re selling anything online, anything that can be purchased and downloaded through the web, these companies can work for you so you can work for yourself.
About the Author
Marc Sylvester is a professional software developer. He owns and operates Laughingbird Software. You can visit his website at http://www.thelogocreator.com to download the latest version of his logo design software tool for both Mac and Windows.
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