Best Business Practice

Online Sales and Security

eCommerce - Best Payment & Security Practice

Minimizing loss and maximizing profits is every business goal. Following proper payment and security procedures will minimize fraudulent transactions and increase overall revenue. It will also make your online business experience more enjoyable. Take a moment to read our suggestions and don't forget to view additional resources to the right for more detailed payment and security information.

Always collect customer contact information when selling products online. That includes: customer name, address, zip code, and contact info.
Always mandate CVV2/CVC information when accepting credit card orders.
Never shy away from contacting the customer to verify a large order. This is especially important if it’s a first time customer and/or international order.
If contacting a large order customer, always confirm shipping address and payment information.
Always use common sense when selling online. If the customer name is John Doe or Jane Smith or just sounds fishy, contact the customer and verify their order. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Speak with your processor and ask for the high-risk countries. There are numerous countries know for fraudulent transactions.
Make sure your shopping cart check out page is SSL secure. It is a PCI requirement and good practice.
Charge your customers credit card ONLY when product is ready to be shipped.
If the product is out of stock, on back order or a custom order, pre-authorize the card to verify funds. Charge only when ready for shipment.
Many Payment Gateways offer fraud tools/filters, use them if at all possible. It's always best to verify AVS, CVV2/CVC with each credit card transaction.

As a general rule, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Everyone wants that big sale and when it happens, and it will, always use common sense before shipping your product(s). Call, confirm then ship.

Good luck and happy selling!

Helpful Resources

https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/

http://www.pcicomplianceguide.org/pcifaqs.php

http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/cisp.html?ep=v_sym_cisp&symlinkref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fhl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DX2M%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial%26q%3Dvisa%2Bpci%2Bcompliance%26revid%3D856593122%26sa%3DX%26ei%3D6lEqTKO7KZKlnQf4ytnVDg%26ved%3D0CG8Q1QIoBA

Visa Merchant Best Practice Guide for Cardholder Not Present Transactions

Ecommerce Best Practice