Most e-commerce and donation based website likely have a neutral position from a business stance on the still unfolding WikiLeaks scenario. While the owners themselves may have a personal position, from a occupational pursuit perspective “business is business”

Yet only a person living in a cave on a remote island can escape the Wikileak news, and the ensuing groundswell and backlash that continues to grow against companies that have chosen to position themselves on a precarious ledge. These companies thought pattern seem obliviously at odds with the clientèle that placed them on top of the pile.

Paypal, and Amazon, and to a lesser extent EveryDNS, have by their actions infuriated many of the rank and file of the tech generation that empowered them to rise above their competition and be positioned in the forefront of their respective game. This growing groundswell may have game changing implications as many tech savvy citizens appear to be exercising their rights by choosing not to conduct business with these companies.

Many e-commerce competitors of Amazon may indeed be rubbing their keyboards in glee as this holiday season gets in full swing, but that may be short lived euphoria, if your site insists on offering only Paypal as the payment portal!

As much of Paypal success has hinged on their widespread acceptance in the marketplace, e-commerce and donation based sites might be wise to offer alternative payment solutions or risk losing revenue to competing websites that have wisely chosen to do so.

PayPal Alternatives... this list will continually be populated.

HostJury is not affiliated with, neither receives any renumeration from,  nor does it endorse any of the following companies.  

Feel free to add your alternative to Paypal as a comment... we will check it out and add it to the list!

 

allpay

Some media types are suggesting allpay as an alternative to Paypal for UK residents. We received the following email from their contact line:

Thank you for contacting allpay. Unfortunately we do not offer any services that are alternative to Paypal. At this moment in time we are unable to provide any services for e-commerce websites, should this change in the future I will be sure to contact you.

Regards,

moving on....

Google Checkout

Google Checkout is Google’s attempt at a replacement for PayPal.

Similar to PayPal, Checkout is a middle man solution – storing credit and debit cards in its system, and then using those to transfer funds to a a bank account.  With the ability to embed “buy now” buttons if shopping cart functionality isn’t needed. When Google Checkout was first cranked out it was not available to many customers which hindered its acceptance. This has changed and is now available North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India and Singapore. I am sure this list will continue to grow.

Moneybooker.com 

Money Bookers is a UK based company,  and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom (FSA). They offer a number of benefits including sending money securely worldwide to anyone with an email address – even if the recipient does not have a Moneybookers account. Moneybookers already works with a large number of shop systems and solution providers.

Edit: For those who are looking for an alternative as a boycott of Paypal for it's reaction to WikiLeaks, Moneybooker.com will not be a viable choice... they cut their ties in August of 2010.

"Moneybookers terminated its relationship with WikiLeaks in August, claiming that the clandestine organisation had been placed on a US watchlist in the wake of damaging leaks about US activities in Afghanistan." 

Moving on....

Paymate

Paymate provides secure, reliable and innovative Internet-based payment services to buyers in 57 countries around the world and sellers in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. You can use Paymate to receive online payments via credit card, and like PayPal – you don’t need to have a merchant facility with a bank.

While originally setup for e-bay, it now integrates with Magento and has the ability to place a button on your site. Paymate also launched an Affiliate Marketing Program where you can earn money by simply referring new clients to them. HostJury has gracefully declined the offer!

Availability: Australia, USA, New Zealand

 

WePay

WePay needs to have a decent image that is easy to copy. While the site does look very user friendly, icons must have been at a premium  when they designed the site. No gif for WePay

WePay is a good tool to use if you are a group or organization collecting funds and accepting donations. WePay makes it easy to collect and manage money online. Unlike competitors, WePay allows users to keep their group's money in a dedicated account, and to share this account with their group. (or not). The service is great for roommates, clubs, organizations, fantasy leagues, teams, and much more.

Pros:
-Easy to use interface button can be placed on your site
-Users only need a credit card or bank account to donate; no other account is necessary
-Easy widgets allow you to integrate donations with existing sites or social sites like Facebook & Twitter
-All money is insured by the FDIC, so it has an added level of trust

Cons:
-WePay collects 3.5% of all transactions
-Currently, payments from outside the USA are not allowed although they hope to change this soon.

 

obopay

Obopay is the first truly comprehensive mobile payment service in the United States. That means we're the only service that lets you instantly get, send and spend money anywhere, anytime with anyone.

With Obopay you can instantly pay back a friend, split a dinner bill, get money from your parents, get quick cash, pay up or collect on a friendly wager, track purchases, check your balance, and much, much more. And, you can do it all from your phone; anywhere, anytime with anyone.

 

clickandbuy

Regardless of what merchandise or services you are selling, at ClickandBuy you can be sure of a solution that meets your requirements. As a result, you can make your services even easier to use for your customers, increasing your sales. Simply choose the ideal solution from four charging modules:

ClickandBuy transaction, ClickandBuy subscription, ClickandBuy billing agreement, ClickandBuy period-based charging.

A Monthly Fee is charged to maintain the account