It seems like there is a new thread about this every week, so I decided to make a sticky post about it. Generally, the threads go something like this: 1. A developer asks, "Which E-Commerce service should I use?" 2. Someone will reply, "BMT Micro" 3. Then someone else will reply, "Plimus" 4. Then a small discussion about the various pros and cons of each will be discussed, perhaps throwing in names like Regnow and SWREG too. Most developers who post here use Plimus or BMT Micro, and swear by them. Personally, I use BMT, and couldn't be happier- but the same can be said for the people who use Plimus too. Anyway, each service is different, and basically comes down to which service is right for you. There is a very helpful site which displays a nice feature comparison chart, along with pricing: http://www.regshare.com Hope that helps!
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/registrationservices.html a list of services, comparison websites, and other info.
A person looking at all of the options should consider if they want to support a company (Digital River) that has bought out the majority of its competitors. Most of the companies offering software registration services are now owned by DR. I won't go into a self-righteous rant about it, but if you didn't know, then you really should. Here's an article: Digital River's Destructive Acquisition Strategy -Erik
That article is a bit out of date, my provider ShareIt has been bought out since! There are pro's and con's to buy outs. I haven't noticed any negative effects on ShareIt and recommend them as a payment provider, particularly for Europeans because the bank transfer charges are low. Mark
I always suggest Charge.com. You get a super easy and quick PHP API for processing credit card orders. You just set some variables, call a function in your PHP file, and it does the transaction for you. It'll tell you whether it went through successfully or if it suspects fraud. You can also use a nice online page to manually make charges manually or give refunds. They can also process checks over the internet, integrate into some free shopping cart systems, and the API can calculate taxes and shipping charges for you too. You don't have to have a merchant account and setup is free. Charge.com will cost you $40/month plus 25 cents and 2.39% of each transaction. Minus the $40/month, you'll get $19.27 out of every $20 you sell, which means you keep more of your money. I personally will roll my own check out system right on my domain using charge.com because it looks more professional, I have complete control, and I get more money per purchase. Just wanted to mention charge.com because I've found it to be such a great deal in doing e-commerce systems for other commercial websites. - Jeremiah
hmmm... I have made little freeware games and one popular freeware game... I was thinking paypal, but I am scared to start it. What if I somehow get 2000 orders. That is lot of work to send serial number for the game... Is there anyway to make everything automatic? And is it illegal to sell games without company? I mean international selling...
Well, unless you've reinvented sliced bread, you'll have plenty of time to switch your method of payment before you get 2,000 orders. Don't worry about it. You should worry if it's effective enough as a payment method or not.
You can automate selling through PayPal with their IPN (Instant Payment Notification) system. Probably not, as long as you don't "forget" to pay your taxes. If you are a minor, you probably aren't allowed to sign contracts, so keep that in mind. Other than that, give your local government or chamber of commerce a call. They can tell you all you need to know.
Hello everybody... I'm a freeware game developer, but I want to venture in a shareware market... BMT micro looks good, but does anyone know if it will provide all the papers to fill out my taxes?
I am signed up with BMT micro as it seemed to offer the best terms for my needs.. even though I haven't released anything yet I have heard of ShareIt and even checked it out a couple of times but what are the real options for UK developers who want to receive payments in GBP and not pay massive USD to GBP conversion charges. I think this thread would be more usefull if we had general guidelines for developers from DIFFERENT parts of the world instead of treating everyone as US based. U.S : dollars U.K : pounds EUR: euros Most other places can easily fall under the US providers but we have to jump through so many hoops in the U.K with VAT and Conversions (and low $/£ ratio at the moment). thanks
I would also add Trymedia's ActiveMark: (handles DRM security, payment & distribution) http://www.trymedia.com White papers can be found here: http://www.trymedia.com/services/services_whitepapers.shtml
Go Daddy hosting - $3.95. Is there a catch? GoDaddy.com's Economy hosting package looks pretty good for $3.95 a month: 5GB storage 250GB transfer 500 email accounts Windows or Linux 99.9% uptime guarantee. http://tinyurl.com/asdld Does it look like there's a catch?
Yes. It sucks. It may be "up" all the time, but it's slow as hell. I'm using that for TIGRS right now, but only until TIGRS is more popular. As soon as version 2 is released, I suspect many more than just a handful of developers will use it, and there will be a real need to switch to a real server. Also, the SQL is very spotty and limited. Unless you're hosting family photos, don't go with Go Daddy's hosting. It sucks.
For developers who are just getting started and do low-volume credit card processing take a look at Propay. No monthly fees, $35 per year, 3.5% plus $.35 for each sale. You have to type in the card number, exp date, and amount. https://epay.propay.com/cgi/appProcess1.exe/tier_detail Then once your volume is higher, move to one of the more advanced services. Tom