2CheckOut: One Great Alternative To Paypal ? 
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A 2CHECKOUT MERCHANT ACCOUNT NOW!
To launch a successful business online, prospective merchants know they can’t do without the big and trusted payment processors like PayPal, Click Bank, PayDotCom etc.
In recent times, gurus have been debating whether PayPal is really worth it or not. It’s not hard to find sites that are offering to secure Verified PayPal Merchant Accounts for merchants in ineligible countries.
I must admit that when I started out, I was drawn in by the message, “Without PayPal you can’t make money online” and so I paid $40 for an account without thinking twice. True to their words I got a Verified PayPal account afterwards but something I read later on made me desist from using that PayPal account for any major transaction.
I learnt that PayPal is SMART in that they know of merchants in ineligible countries that use their services but they don’t raise red flags UNTIL a large transaction is about to take place and then they strike. You get slapped by PayPal and lose your hard earned money. That’s the reality of things with PayPal.
I began looking for an alternative that would accept Nigeria and got to know about 2CheckOut.
2CheckOut serves as an authorized reseller of tangible and digital products and they’ve been in business for over 9 years now. They accept merchants from all countries EXCEPT North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Myanmar (Burma).
2CheckOut accepts customer orders via online checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Dinners, JCB, debit cards with the Visa and MasterCard logo, FXSource®, PayPal®, and PayPal Pay Later®.
They charge a one-time set-up fee of $49 and apply a 5.5% commission on each transaction, plus a $0.45 charge per transaction.
The reasons why I signed up with them are
- Nigeria is eligible
- They offer low cost check payments & international wire transfers to Nigeria. Also they’ve joined forces with Payoneer to provide faster & easier payments to merchants. As at this time last year, they had a Special $10 offer for every New 2CheckOut supplier/merchant. Personally I find Payoneer’s Fees ABSOLUTELY ridiculous! So I’m sticking with the International Wire Transfer.
- They offer a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee.
- Most important of all, they process customers who want to buy from you using PayPal thereby eliminating my need for an illegitimate Verified PayPal account that could see me facing financial troubles if my account is frozen.
- People are getting wary of using PayPal because in most cases they require your bank account details. Their major concern is what happens when someone hacks into the system and gets hold of my bank account details?
So back to the question. Which is better? PayPal or 2CheckOut? I’ll go with 2CheckOut. What about you? What’s your take on this?
UPDATE: 2CheckOut is now offering free demo accounts. Here’s how you can fill out your 2CheckOut Application Form online: 2CheckOut Online Credit Card Processing Application Guide
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A 2CHECKOUT MERCHANT ACCOUNT NOW!
Related Articles You May Like To Read
- 2CheckOut Online Credit Card Processing Application Guide
- A Quick Look @ Chargebacks and 2CheckOut
- Zenith MasterCard WebSurfer: The Graphcard Alternative
- How To Get A Verified Paypal Account In Nigeria
- How To Verify PayPal In Nigeria (2010 Update)
I have always used PayPal just because the ease of setup and the trusted name. But lately I have been thinking there has to be a better solution since the fees they charge really add up on me.
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I too have always used PayPal, but the fees involved are getting out of hand. Maybe a rethink is in order.
I think paypal, because they are a better known brand.
Their fees are a bit steep, but everybody knows and trusts them
PayPal was great when it was just starting. But ever since eBay took over, they have become less friendly to their users. They also charge a lot. That’s why I might give 2CheckOut a try, or Moneybookers.
@ Terry: 2checkOut is the way to go for me. Too many stories about people getting slapped by Paypal. Ouch! Besides, like I said before, they’re amongst the few that accept Nigerians
how is it to signup for 2co and i learnt you get payoneer mastercard with the account and can i make payment via gtb mastercard or can u make payment for and individual?
Great blog. keep it up
I signed up for 2CheckOut using my Zenith Bank Mastercard Websurfer. After approval, in the admin section of your account, you are given an option to have the Payoneer card mailed to you at once. I didn’t sign up for mine cos I don’t need it yet.
Unfortunately I can’t make payments for you as I don’t have that facility at the moment. Maybe Henry Omenogor can help though in my candid opinion, the site templates he’s offering together with the Payoneer card are simply horrible.
Let me know if you need more help.
Cheers.
I haven’t tried other payment processors other than paypal. Actually, I’m not that happy with Paypal. I guess I’ll try 2checkout.
I haven’t tried 2co, although I know some people swear by it. But from what you’ve described above, their fees are higher than Paypal. So far I haven’t had any trouble with PP, so will stick with them for now.
.-= Rod@Tri Nations Rugby´s last blog ..Tri Nations Results =-.
@Rod: I guess you’re one of Paypal’s happy customers. I’m okay with 2CheckOut till whenever Nigeria pops up on the list of Paypal accepted countries which I think would be never.LOL.
I agree with you absolutely. Paypal is not worth the trouble. They truly play SMART. If they are not being dubious, why wait until an account has generated a huge balance before getting it frozen? It is just another trick of defrauding people of their hard earned money. 2Checkout is better. Nice post.
2CO is an expensive alternative for people in Nigeria. IT’s a shame that Nigeria is excluded from the Paypal fun.
.-= Oluniyi David Ajao hopes you will read…Earthquake scare in Ghana. Is Ghana prepared? =-.
I love the way you described 2checkout. Its the way to go. My question is; can I use someone else’s mastercard to fund my account as well as pay the $49 one time fee?
Sorry I had to remove your link because the site was incomplete and few months back I was penalized by Google for linking to “funny sites“. Whenever the site is complete, do please let me know and I’ll add the link again
.
With reference to your question, I’m not so sure you can use someone else’s Mastercard to pay for the setup fee though I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t allow it. To be on a safe side, simply contact them before proceeding.
Best of luck!
Ok, thanks for the last reply. One last question, how often can I withdraw my balance from 2checkout? Is payoneer one of the withdrawal options? If so, will I just load my money into payoneer and cash it in Nigeria through any ATM? How long will it take them to send the card? Sorry, i stay in Yola and the internet connection is very slow, I cannot read up everything at the website.
Yes you can withdraw your 2CheckOut earnings to your payoneer prepaid mastercard and then cash it via a Zenith or EcoBank ATM here in Nigeria. According to their website, it takes 25 working days to get the payoneer card outside the US
It’s always been same sorry story with Paypal not accepting and seemingly unwillingness to do that in any near future.
In my humbly opinion, it’s about time we stop blaming Paypal for our fate in this regard, after all they have all the right to their service.
If Paypal wouldn’t allow Nigerians, who says we can’t live without it? Who says we can’t have a Nigerian Paypal and force the world to accept it? We’ve seen other Nations done it, why not Nigerians?
We need to wake up to the realization that we can’t make these people accept us by just talking, we have to start acting/executing; give them no option but to accept us, else they’ll be the one loosing “in the long run” because then we it wouldn’t suffice that they don’t accept us into their services.
If we can perfect our own thing, the sky will only be a stepping stone.
China is a clear example we can easy referenced in this regards. We all know when they used to be “run down”, but now? You’d better accept them or you’d be the one loosing out.
.-= Dayo Edunjobi hopes you will read…20 Hot Tips to Succeed as a Blogger – Tip 19: Reward Yourself =-.
For we Nigerians to get to where China is today our people and government need a TOTAL MAKEOVER upstairs as we shall never be taken serious by the global community till we take ourselves serious.
Right! Not a bad place to start. It’s just have to start somewhere and somehow!
Dayo i love your suggestion about having our own Nigerian paypal and forcing the world to accept it. But i’m sorry to say that we Nigerians are wicked and selfish in all ramification. I want to tell you in good authority that we already have a Nigerian paypal in Interswitch. But where on earth have you heard that you need to pay N150,000($1000) for a payment gateway?
Even paypal which is far bigger and accepted by the entire world is free, 2checkout is just $50, many others are free, Liberty reserve is free, Alert pay is free, Money bookers as well. Then what on earth makes Interswitch with just a Nigerian coverage worth N150,000? I refuse to call it exploitative because it is just wickedness. So i’m sorry Mr. Dayo, your dream of a Nigerian paypal is still far fetched until we jettison greed in this country.
Lol. The day I saw their tariff I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Such exorbitant price and you ain’t even assured that the security involved is as good as that overseas.
Interswitch, a Nigerian Paypal? That’s preposterous, for God sake their so called gateway sucks, if you are like me who always try to make payments online with ATM Cards, then you’ll understand what I mean, not to mention that which you have already said above. Maybe we’ll leave them with the title of “Nigerian ATM gateway” but definitely not a “Nigerian Paypal”.
Hmm! It’s easy to sit around complaining but it doesn’t change anything thing. Even you can make a difference!
Talk of an Obama becoming the President of America 10-20 year before now, would have been regarded a mirage, but it’s here before our eyes. Who says we can’t? YES WE CAN!
i havent started making sales on my site yet because i need a better payment option. tried to use alertpay but login in gets difficult and i feel 2checkout might have better options.
please, please and please how can i open from here in nigeria?
im so in need of this.know any reliable means for me to pay?
would love to hear from u.
thanks
n.b.: why is stuff made difficult for us nigerians?
Stuff is made difficult for Nigerians ’cause we are unfortunately notorious for scams
.
I opened my 2CheckOut account using my Zenith MasterCard Websurfer to pay the $49 fee. I also had to submit scanned copies of my NEPA bills as well as International Passport and application forms.
So far so good, I’m yet to start using the account yet as I’m yet to create a product
Based on the experience of others i have heard here, i’m thinking again of probably applying for the 2checkout account.
I don’t mind supplying any of identification as long as i don’t end up frustrated.
I wasn’t frustrated so I doubt if you would be
.
First of all this is a good post addressing the plight of African in regards to Making Money Online. I have enjoyed the post and I am thrilled at the attempts by others to rectify the PayPal problem.
“Don’t re-invent the wheel” when you are solving problems. I have several online business that makes good money. You don’t just have to look, but you have to look in the right places, which is an art.
Please my people. Leave PayPal and look elsewhere. Honestly, PayPal has messed with a lot of people and there are several websites that are *pissed* with PayPal Service. And there are many scams on PayPal that can make you lose a lot of money ie: Some scammers making a purchase, getting the e-product delivered, and then making making complaint to get their money back. PayPal punishes you my charging you money. Charge-back scam. It happens on PayPal, ClickBank, E-Junkie and other online vendor sites. People’s account get closed or banned daily all around the world for various unethical reasons.
If people in the USA, Europe and Asia are pissed with PayPal Services, what would it matter if they come to us in Africa? Ours would be worse.
Hello David, you’re doing a great job here. I hope to start a great blog like yours someday. (I think I love making money on the internet while I sleep).
There’s a new secret book that can solve the PayPal Problem – search for “The Sleeping Millionaire Secrets”, a streetwise practical money making secret on the internet. (No special education, skills or energy needed to make money online.) Try and get an ebook copy and your problem will be solved.
I’m not really a fan of PayPal in that they do not allow a refund of digital goods.
Case in point:
Recently I was browsing a site selling “Profit Instruments” or some program telling you how to make profitable sites (I don’t need help with that).
I hit the “add to shopping cart” button — NOT a “buy now” button — and was taken to a page that had NO price on it, but was being asked to login to Paypal. All I wanted to know was how much it cost – so stupid me, I filled out my login…
Then was taken to a page asking me what products I wanted to be up-sold – AS IF I wanted to pay for a bonus? I backed out, not seeing the cost of the main ebook or whatever it was — and then was charged $197 USD.
Yikes. I emailed PayPal, the vendor, etc…and after a few days, PayPal told me it was tough luck. They didn’t refund digital goods!
I told them a pretty thing or two, no luck. The vendor of Profit Instruments told me they were “having trouble with PayPal.”
I’m not sure what was going on, but having a 30 day money-back guarantee, only to be lied to for about a week about your troubles with PayPal…didn’t help me any.
Not a fan of PayPal…but not a fan of 5.5% commissions either on 2Checkout – but you win some, you lose some, I suppose.
That’s pretty UGLY! $197 for a product you don’t even want. I hope the Vendor refunded your money after the 1 week of time-wasting.
Who knows? Not being on PayPal’s list of accepted countries might in a way be a blessing
The problem with paypal is that they change policies everyday and most times you get to find out after being burnt.
I do get emails from them each time they make a change to their policies BUT Lord knows that I’m too BORED to go through all that legal mumbo-jumbo.
Well from the experience, paypal is the most widely use online payment process. I work for Velnet UK Limited (velnetweb.co.uk and velnet.com), we use Paypal and 2Checkout in our payment gateway, most of the payment we received is by Paypal, but Paypal use to stock sometime and few people are now using 2Checkout because, charges is better than Paypal.
hi chuks,
i am about to use 2checkoutforannline payment.
You told me you usually send your id and utility bill.please recap the process tome. Do i sent it to 2checkout or the website i am buying from?
You probably misunderstood me. What I was referring to was getting a 2CheckOut merchant account and not buying from them. If memory serves me right the only time I ordered from them there was really nothing special. Just have a scan of your international passport or driver’s license ready should in case they have to verify your order.
Am yet 2start anytin online..Chukwudi nice blog u’ve here n thanks 4 ur info..Pls i want u 2give me tips on how 2hv a good blog,drive traffick 2blogs,creat products 2sell online,get gud survey sites dat pays 4real and how 2get a better payment process..Pls mail me n put ur fone number 2..Godbless u
Thanks for the compliments. Allow me to suggest that you go slow ’cause it seems to me as though you’re quite eager to make money online in less than 3 weeks. It takes time man. For now I suggest you read my Ultimate Guide To Making Money Online In Nigeria It has quite a load of info that will get you on your way to earning well online.
P.S: Sorry I can’t give out my phone number for personal reasons.
Chuks,
You can not really blame people who try to make money online over night.
If you are a newbie and you read the kind of articles the so called gurus churn out, you will immediately think it dosen’t take more than an hour to become a millioniare online.
Thanks man. Believe me I sometimes forget that the “dumb a** gurus” are the ones to blame
Thanks chukwudi..Pls how do i get a credit card?
Are talking Credit card or Debit card? Credit cards and debit cards are available @ most Nigerian Banks. Zenith’s Websurfer works best for me when it comes to debit cards. I really don’t know of any Nigerian bank that offers credit cards ’cause most require you have a current account and some serious money rolling in monthly.
Pls i already have money online and i wil be payed through paypal or alertpay, kindly help me on this.
I haven’t transacted online with either Alertpay or Paypal so I’m really not in the best position to help you out. Sorry
Great post, I too am looking to switch from Paypal, whom I’ve been with for over 6 years. I find getting money out of it too damn diifcult. It’s almost as if they don’t feel people outside of rich north american and european countries should be making money online.
Thanks for this great post.
P.S: Comment delinked for failure to follow commenting policy
There have been so much talk about 2CO, is it the best option for online businesses in Nigeria? How does it compare to Alertpay?
I really don’t know as I haven’t tried Alertpay. What really attracted me to 2CO was the fact that they can accept Paypal on your behalf which is a great for countries where Paypal is not accepted.
Chukwudi,
I really want to thank you for the information you provided on 2co in this article as well as in others on 2co on your blog. Late last year, a pastor who has written quite a large number of books told me to design an online store for him. It was on your site I got all the info I needed (including why Zenith Websurfer card is the best for now) to set up his 2co account.
Now the good news is that everything is working like charm. Just last week, he withdrew over a thousand dollars via wire transfer (took two days to reflect in his local bank account). The wire transfer cost just $10 which was ok. And yes, he was getting sales from people using paypal.
My advice to Nigerians is to quit whining about exclusion from Paypal. If you really have something genuine to offer to the world, 2checkout is there to help you, and if you provide proper ids, your account will be operational with a short time.
And by the way, that estore is on Oluniyi David Ajao’s hosting company, web4africa ( another recommendation from you). Kudos to David. Their services are excellent.
So Chukwudi, keep up your good work. It is helping a lot of serious people out there. I had to wait until now to leave a comment on your site because I like to verify that everything is working fine before talking about it.
Making money online is not a stroll in the park but it is not climbing Mount Everest either. The problem with some of us is greed and not wanting to to do the things the right way.
Words can’t express the joy I derive from comments such as this. It really shows that there are folks out there who are really taking my tips to heart and applying them. I’m immensely happy that the info on my blog did wonders for you and your client. I wish you both continued success in your business endeavors. Cheers
What makes your tips really good is that you’re always objective in your analysis. You don’t hesitate to skewer the various scams our so-called “info-marketers” peddle offline in the pages newspapers. You know, it’s really funny to hear them talk about making money online when what most of them are doing is publish their sales letters in newspapers and fleece gullible Nigerians.
I must confess I was once a victim of these marketers. When i was serving (2006), i saw this ad that promised I could make $1000 monthly on Google. I coughed out N5000 for a couple of expired ebooks on Google adwords and affiliate marketing. Needless to say, I lost my money because to start with, i was required to jump through all sorts of hoops just to get registered as an affiliate with Clickbank. The obstacles were daunting.
I later discovered that this guy wasn’t really practicing what he was preaching. His idea of making money online was to run these ads in an entrepreneur-based Lagos publication. He ran it every edition and was really consistent.
I think he was stopped when the publisher probably got tired of complaints from people who lost their money trying to implement his ideas online. These people couldn’t see that their “mentor” was “making money online” offline.
I must confess that your blog is the first truly objective Nigerian blog with tested ideas for making money online. At least I’ve tested a few ideas from here and they worked flawlessly.
Again I’d just say to the aspiring Nigerian online entrepreneur to save themselves from scams and hassles by going through the valuable info on almost every aspect of getting started online that can be found here.
It’s a beautiful Friday morning and you’ve yet again made it even more beautiful
. Thanks for the compliments. There are other Nigerians doing great justice to whole make money online thing. Allow me to recommend the following : Nigerian Entrepreneur, Young Entrepreneur Blog, MK Akan, David Osajie.
Do have a great weekend
Thanks for the recommendations. I will check them out.
Hey bros, thanks for the recommendation. You rock!
My case is a little different, in that I do not want to recieve payments from paypal, I just want to buy something from a vendor that uses paypal exclusively. I was just about to email the vendor to see if I could get them to make an exception and allow me pay through some other means, but I came upon this post and I was wondering if I could use 2co or any other means to make a payment through paypal.
Sorry man but you cant. 2CO can only help you accept payment from clients who want to use their Paypal account to buy from you. They can’t help you purchase goods and services.
So much for that. Thanks though.
I have successfully integrated alertpay to my site, www.arthurwales.com, no setup fee and i think their transaction fees is about 2.5%.
The validation process was long, took about a month in total. My credit card was validated, i was asked to upload my company documents for verification and lastly, my website was verified, with my terms of service and return policy reviewed.
The only snag, which doesnt really matter much to me, is the holding period of the funds paid for my service, the company will hold on to the funds for 28 days.
Congrats oh! 28 days ain’t bad at all. Some payment processors hold on to your cash for like 60 days. It’s all a means of protecting the customer.
i prefer paypal…
how much does it cost to get the websurfer card 4rm zenith bank.and can u use the card for affliate marketing,google adsence and adwords.
$120 of which you can spend $100 while $20 is for yearly fees. You can use it for Adwords.
@chukwudi,before now i taught the only way to make cash in Nigeria was through G……….but with your posts i feel different.though am still waiting to receive any cash from online.what do you think about viewing ads for cash and reading emails.i have visited alot of webs that claim to use western union to pay for reading emails.waiting for your reply
I don’t believe in the whole get paid to read email or view ads crap. It just doesn’t make sense to me @ all. It’s also an great avenue to get your inbox spammed like mad
I think 2Checkout is a worthy enough alternative to Paypal in non-Paypal countries but nothing matches the ease of use of Paypal
Nothing matches the ease of Paypal but one must make do with what is available @ the moment.
Nothing really matches the ease and user-friendly functionality of PayPal!!
Udegbunam, I see you and I almost have the same story. I live in Bangladesh and paypal is not supported. It’s like a fairy tale for people here to work and earn money online.
Every site that I signed up had paypal as the payment option. So I had a hard time dealing with paypal. Later thank God of Payoneer and mastercard, it helped me get money from my local ATM also the private load helped my clients send me payment.
Now Payoneer has a 3.75% load fee and option either loader or card owner pays, also one draw back is only Visa and Mast is accepted.
Still it wasn’t a problem for me; until my business grew and things changed. Now some clients needed paypal to pay me, and some people have card other than visa/mastercard also many people don’t like the 3d secure verification of payoneer.
After all that I found 2Checkout, signed up with my odesk card and ready to rock.
They take 5.5% charge but the service (like offering all the payment method) are worth it. I don’t have to explain everytime how to pay etc. Also I can issue refund when it is needed.
One of my client accidentally paid me twice, she asked for a refund and it was taken care of automatically.
Udegbunam, currently I will stick to Payoneer card to get money from 2CO but will do check out the wire transfer here at Bangladesh.
Thanks!
The wire transfer seems to take weeks so when I’m ready to withdraw my funds, I would be using my Payoneer though it’s somewhat pricey.
I thinks paypal is better then checkout .. coz costumers are believes that and yes they do want more security and also they know about paypal scams
so my vote goes to PAYPAL
I’ve had to have a number of charges reversed over the years and while I’d love to get away from Paypal at times for some of their practices, I’ve had a much harder time with charge reversal on 2co due to them not keeping all of the information with the individual charge and having it immediately available for the reviewer to use to decide on. It means I have to go through a lot more fuss of getting transaction IDs etc. Sometimes this means I’ve allowed reoccurring erroneous billing to go on WAY too long because its a hassle. I honestly tend to stick with paypal because I’ve never had a hassle feeling like they were looking out for me when some seller obviously wasn’t. However I haven’t used 2co extensively so its likely not a fair assessment.
Kim
Is this a recent development or something you experienced a few years back? I wouldn’t like to go through hassles just to refund a client’s fee.
Chuks…
i have always asked Nigerians to forget about paypal because having a paypal account does not make any amount of money online….(bank accounts dont make money)
i havent used 2CO personally . i do have a zenith websurfer (your recommnedation) and it is doing just great.
I will check out 2CO to see if it is something i will need later…great piece of info….
bank accounts dont make money. One important point most Nigerians just don’t understand. I’m yet to make a sale with my 2CheckOut account but I’m earning my affiliate commissions
Quick question pls, If I have a customer in Nigeria with a bank card that has Naira as its currency, is it possible for this customer to pay online, that is,if I have an account with 2checkout or alertpay? I spoke to 2checkout and since naira is not one of their accepted currencies, they said “you can accept foreign currencies, and the customers bank will handle the conversion”. Do you know if this is true? I mean, will Nigerian banks automatically handle the conversion without a penalty for the customer? (2)What if this bank card is in an international currency will it be possible for the customer to make payment online? Thanks
If you are talking of naira mastercard, your bank will do the conversion using the current exchange rate if your account is in naira. If it’s in dollars no need to worry as long as the site’s default currency is dollars
just poped into this site by adventure.am an E-cash newbie,i appreciate your site alot mr chuks. and i just believe implementing your tips and suggestions found in this wonderful web will definitely help all hardworking nigerians threading this part “in life”. the next time i’ll be posting on your web will be full of testimonies. tanx a whole lot.
Thanks for this very informative article. Have not tried 2CheckOut but I’ll try checking it if it supports Philippines. Yet, paypal works.
I think there is no other payment processor better than Paypal. Its reliability, security and safety makes it best among and rule all the payment processors.
i still want to go with paypal since it is widely used and it has many withdrawal option which is not available in 2checkout
hello mr chuks,
do i need to open an account with zenith bank to get the websurfer card!
I ain’t so sure any more man. The last time I got the card, one didn’t need a bank account to get the card
thanx alot. I like what you gat going on here! Your blog iz amazing.
Thanks for the complimets
i used paypal for my online transaction. but after modifying the rule for india, i do not like it much. so i am looking for alternative.
thank you for this post .
Now, for Indian webmasters w, PayPal becomes rigid. i pref are check withdrawal now.
I’ve been using Paypal but it do good so far, and I like their services. 2checkout is also nice according to my friend who have it, but still I’m with Paypal and since beginning I already used Paypal and I will stick in using it.
Udegbunam Chuwudi I like ur blog and u are really doing a goon work of giving out info. More grease to your elbows and as you know,givers never lack. pls if I want to buy something; a pair of shoes,wristwatche, clothes etc from somwhere like amazon or e-bay could I use the Zenith Mastercard Websurfer? Thanks, waiting for ur reply.
Thanks for the compliment. A friend of mine use Zenith Visa prepaid on amazon and it worked but the goods were shipped to US first then Nigeria