It has never been difficult for land-based or online businesses which is having a lower risk profile to acquire own account in getting an account but problems start making headway as the high risk merchants are always deprived of the privilege of owning high risk merchant accounts by most of the domestic merchant account providers.Maintaining a merchant account for receiving credit card payments is getting imperative.
Merchant accounts facilitate the credit card processing and other instruments. Merchant accounts are generally allotted by elected domestic banks, credit card processors and other account providers.
Sensitization of High Risk.
A number of online businesses is operated by apparently high risk merchants that are tremendously prone to risk due to a number of reasons including high quantity of sales and the resulting vulnerability to scam and frauds. Such high risk merchants make huge profits and run into substantial problems in accepting online payments due to non-availability of high risk merchant accounts. If any of these features are found in any business, the same can be flagged as high risk -
1. The business is not registered as per legal guidelines.
2. The vendor or the business is flagged black by merchant account providers/credit card
processing companies for different reasons of bankruptcy, fraudulent dealings or etc.
3. The merchant is having an inconsistent credit history.
4. The merchant operates any business such as telemarketing, travel, online pharmacy, gaming,
ticketing, entertainment, downloadable software, etc.
5. The business is able to generate bulky sales resulting in large number of financial transactions.
Such a situation is expected to lead the chances of fraud and declare the vendor as a high risk
merchant.
6. The business is petty with very insignificant volumes of sales and small numbers of
transactions. Such a business is simply unable to pay for the heavy
expenses involved with
purchase of fraud screening software/tools and
other miscellaneous traits plus making required
payments
towards third party processing fees.
Obtaining High Risk Merchant Accounts
A merchant account can be obtained from a in-house merchant account provider such as a designated bank or a credit card processor or from any international/
offshore agency engaged in similar activity. Nevertheless, in case a business has a high risk component, it becomes almost impossible to procure a standard online merchant account at all. A vendor running a high risk business is by no means allowed to open his own high risk merchant account
by most of the merchant account providers. Given this scenario, it is advisable to go for high risk merchant accounts from international or offshore places.
Business Warranted
A high risk merchant account is a necessity for any business that has a very soaring turnover with large volumes of sales and has a tendency towards enhanced risk of fraud. Even though there is a band of such online businesses which calls for procurement of a high risk merchant account. The most important ones are:
1. Online casinos and other gaming/ gambling agencies including sports wagering.
2. Adult services and products.
3. Pharmaceutical products.
4. Travel services.
5. Telemarketing businesses.
6. E-wallet and E-cash.
7. ISP and hosting services.
8. Online cigarette or tobacco vending.
9. Online auctions and debt services.
Customers Expectations
When running a high risk business one need to understand what is a merchant account and why is it needed. One may like it or not but if one is going to open a merchant account in a bank, he/she will have to go through authentication and evaluation system during which a bank categorizes his/her business as high or low risk. Although this procedure is unpleasant for most business owners, it still brings some advantages. The merchant account provider will in fact make clear why a particular type of business is considered as high risk group. This information is essentially used by business owners in financial decision making. Most of the times, the business owners and online marketers identify that they operate a high risk business only when applying for their merchant account.
Some More -
One does not need to be concerned about penalties and collapse of the business if sales volumes grow unpredictably. The customers will also have a chance to pay one by mail, phone of the Internet. In case of refunds one will get an opportunity to solve the business problems without facing any serious problems. Moreover, one is free to take manual or automatic transaction mode and let the account bears the buck.
Fee Structure
Whether one may like it or not, but if his/her business is referred to a high risk then one is possibility to pay more. A merchant account provider will take higher fees in comparison to usual merchant accounts. A high risk account propels processing of most credit card types which is a big advantage for an online business, especially the one aiming on a global market. Even though one is paying higher fees one will enjoy the greatest benefits of a high risk merchant account – processing of credit cards.
The contributions of merchant account in high risk business need not to be over emphasized. At the same time it would be unfair to say all the online businesses characterize high risk. High risk merchant account is truly a friend in need and deed too.