[HCoop-Discuss] Alternatives to Google Checkout

[Clinton Ebadi]

Greetings,

Everyone may have noticed that Google Checkout really did disappear at
the end of November. I've been asleep at the wheel a bit there, and have
yet to implement an alternative.

So! Here's the part where I actually start working on that. The first
step is to see what everyone thinks we should use. A few ideas:

 - Braintree, because Google recommended them as a Checkout
   replacement. I'd never heard of them before. Supposedly we get locked
   in forever to the old Google Checkout rate (same as Paypal's rate
   that hasn't changed in a decade -- 2.9% + 30 cents) which might be
   nice.

 - Dwolla, because I hear they're cool. I tried signing up for a
   personal account with them, but their verification process got really
   creepy, really fast. It felt almost like I was being socially
   engineered as part of an identity theft scam. Perhaps not a huge
   deal; I think organizations accepting money can do so without
   requiring the payee to sign up for an account.

 - Square. My band uses their phone attachment to take credit card
   payments on merch. Their website implies HCoop could use them to
   accept digital payments as well. Their fees look pretty competetive
   (2.75% with no static base fee, better than Paypal).

 - Coinbase? My only knowledge of them is that Overstock.com partnered
   with them and they give merchants local currency. Their fees seem
   especially reasonable: 1% + 15 cents. But they're also new, and
   Bitcoin may just be a fad.

From what I can tell I just need a suggestion or three, a quick board
vote, and I should be able to minimally integrate a new payment provider
into the portal. So! Fellow members! Tell me how you want to be able to
pay your dues and I'll make it so.

Regarding the general state of the coop's finances... our bank account
balance is sufficient for the time being. The treasurer is basically
awol, but since I know Steve in the Real World (tm) I am harassing him
into telling me how much money we have regularly. I've been processing
Paypal payments every week or two (since all things not done otherwise
fall to the President I suppose) and will continue to do so until we
figure out a longer term solution (new treasurer, basically).

-- 
                         Ruled by the ebb of my oceans                         
                        Slaves to the dusk and the dawn                        
                         Your petri dish civilisations                        
                             Are buried and born                              
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