Beginner e-commerce

[Pete_Paranoid]

I would like to start an Internet shop for stage lighting on a student budget.
As I already have a website with smartyhost, I was thinking of purchasing their e-commerce power tool. What was your experience of it?

Are ssl certificates necessary? What’s the difference?

Do I need a merchant bank account?

What is the best courier from your experience?

“Payment Gateways”? WTF?

I’m an Australian, do I need to pick sides?

[Lennon]

You do need a SSL Certificate as it ensures your shoppers that your website is safe for them to complete the transaction.
You should have a merchant account in order to be able to accept Credit Card Payments, but if you select Paypal then you can select a plan from their Merchant Solutions Tool that already includes the ability to accept Credit Cards.
In my opinion the best courier service is the USPS.
And Payment Gateway is Paypal or 2CheckOut.com

[Pete_Paranoid]

Thanks for your comments Lennon, I do appreciate your time, opinion and effort!!

Though your post reminded me that I may need to clarify things further.

Before posting, I checked out www.ssl.com and had a look. I can see why a banking organisation may need encryption, but I have my Australian Business Number (a business tax number required to be displayed under Australian law on business documents) displayed on my website to verify my indentiy. There are websites where you can sign your own ssl for much cheaper. Fraud is fraud, so the police and banks would be looking out for these people anyway. I don’t trust any website regardless for various reasons with my banking details, and with payment gateways (using the payment gateways ssl for client confidentiality and piece of mind) and the added option of paying by cheque or bank money order, what is the point of having my own personal ssl certificate?

I am a sole trader, (albeit the help of a subletted additional technical advisor and sound engineer of big jobs) and my personal bank account already accepts credit card payments via direct deposit. Why do I need that extra added cost? (Do I need to go back to the previous paragraph about banking security?)

WHY CAN”T PAYMENT GATEWAYS SPEAK PLAIN ENGLISH? Additionally, have you checked out www.paypalsucks.com, it seems everyone’s out on a scam.:/

I am very sorry if anyone finds this distressing or offensive, personally or otherwise. It is certainly not intended to be defamatory at all. I simply want in a devil’s advocate style get real world responses and get away from the hype of people trying to sell things.

Can you people be really that desperate?