PayPal standard versus express. How successful?

[jeono]

Not necessarily. They can be had for $10, and free installation on many hosts. YMMV

I saw those $10 SSL certs but if you read the fine print, you'd have to be hosting with so and so for 3 years etc. Great if you are already hosting with them but not so great if you have to use the ssl cert elsewhere--you get charged. I am speaking from very recent personal experience.

[jeono]

Well, I am talking about the situation where one does not know the true cost of shipping until one gets the order and figures out where it is going and gets the rate from a shipper. This situation would work better with PayPro or Authorize net I believe. If one is using the module in ZC for UPS real time quote, I suppose it could work. It becomes more challenging when an estore decides to have products dropshipped by various suppliers with different shipping methods and rates.

[DrByte]

It becomes more challenging when an estore decides to have products dropshipped by various suppliers with different shipping methods and rates.

True ... and in those cases it still doesn't matter whether you're using PayPal or anyone else as your provider.

[AUTOMOBILIA]

I stick with PayPal because they are a well known name and because of its association with eBay, there are millions of existing account holders worldwide and that has significant benefits for an online business. Google checkout also has credibility as a brand name as let's be honest, who's never heard of Google.

With outfits like authorise.net I'd never even heard of them until recently, so would have had reservations if I'd have encountered that name at the end of a shopping process. That may just be they not well used with European sites though and not a reflection on their credibility.

With regards to the whole SSL thing, if Joe Public can just part with a few dollars, with no financial or criminal background checks, it does perhaps make a mockery of the whole SSL process. In that context a secure site, could really be open to interpretation??

[stevesh]

With regards to the whole SSL thing, if Joe Public can just part with a few dollars, with no financial or criminal background checks, it does perhaps make a mockery of the whole SSL process. In that context a secure site, could really be open to interpretation??

Excellent point. All an SSL certificate does is 'guarantee' that the info the customer sends to the website is encrypted. Most say nothing about the integrity of the site owners. It's mostly what's come to be called 'security theater'.

[DrByte]

With outfits like authorise.net I'd never even heard of them until recently, so would have had reservations if I'd have encountered that name at the end of a shopping process.

Technically speaking, if you're using the AIM module where the cc details are collected on *your* website, then you'll *never* see any involvement by Authorize.net (or other CC gateways for that matter). You'll simply see that the store you're buying from has completed a payment, along with the confirmation receipt, etc.
No indications at all about "authorize.net" as being any organization with which you might not be familiar.