3 ms·

>> Braintree is asking those companies to make it easier to "graduate" to Braintree. I think you hit the nail on the head. I just looked at their pricing and

by bshep 16y ago

>> Braintree is asking those companies to make it easier to "graduate" to Braintree. I think you hit the nail on the head. I just looked at their pricing and we cant afford them, so we are stuck with paypal for now. By the time we grow enough we will be locked into paypal.

slantyyz 16y ago
@bshep: A bit offtopic, but how has your experience been with PayPal so far? I'm investigating payment gateways for a SAAS offering (I'm based in Canada), and despite all the negativity surrounding PayPal, it seems to be the easiest way to go. I can't afford to go with Braintree, and I'm not quite sure they even deal with Canadian companies.
- thechangelog 16y ago
  FWIW I've been quite pleased with PayPal, both standard and "pro." They get a bad rap (somewhat deserved), but for ease of setup and low barriers to entry, they're the best I've found. For one customer (a music festival) I set up paypal integration for ticket sales three years ago and haven't had to change anything since.
  - what 16y ago
    Have you ever integrated PayPal in a way that requires a PayPal account for purchase (ie: turning the "PayPal account optional" setting off)? How many people bounce when they have to pay with their PayPal account? I was looking into their Adaptive Payments API, but it requires both sender and receiver(s) to have a PayPal account. I'm not sure if that's a good idea.
    - thechangelog 16y ago
      I'm not brave enough for that. Everything we do is about reducing friction.
  - bshep 16y ago
    I've also had a good experience with paypal. I've also tried google wallet (much cheaper) but google does not allow for subscriptions which I need for my business. The only thing with paypal is that if they decide your business is somehow in a legal gray area they will take your paypal balance and you have very little recourse. At least this is what I have always heard in Paypal horror stories.
- agmiklas 16y ago
  You might want to consider Beanstream -- they're based out of Victoria and offer services broadly similar to Braintree (data vault for CCs, etc). IIRC, it is possible for a Canadian company to use Braintree and other US based payment processors, but you need: a) A US EIN number b) A US chequing account The US chequing account is easy -- you can get that through Harris (www.harrisbank.com). They are actually a subsidiary of BMO, and so are used to opening US accounts for Canadian individuals and companies. You can work with them entirely by mail/e-mail (including the account opening process). I know foreign companies can apply for an EIN -- but it's not something we've done, so I can't speak from experience there.
  - mattm 16y ago
    I have a personal US bank account with Harris. Very easy to setup for Canadians and great customer service.
- what 16y ago
  >I can't afford to go with Braintree, and I'm not quite sure they even deal with Canadian companies. There's a link (it's an ajaxy modal window or I'd give the link) on their pricing page for people outside of the US. If you don't have a legal US presence "you can work with one of their partners for a merchant account" but you have to be "processing at least 3 million in volume or will meet those thresholds within 12-18 months." So even less of an option.
cayblood 16y ago
For merchants processing less than 1-2k a month, Braintree probably is a bit more expensive (~$50 a month) but I think it's worth it, knowing you'll get great customer service, clean APIs, bundled services, data portability, and no hidden fees. For me it's a no brainer.

by bshep 16y ago

slantyyz 16y ago

@bshep: A bit offtopic, but how has your experience been with PayPal so far? I'm investigating payment gateways for a SAAS offering (I'm based in Canada), and despite all the negativity surrounding PayPal, it seems to be the easiest way to go. I can't afford to go with Braintree, and I'm not quite sure they even deal with Canadian companies.

thechangelog 16y ago
FWIW I've been quite pleased with PayPal, both standard and "pro." They get a bad rap (somewhat deserved), but for ease of setup and low barriers to entry, they're the best I've found. For one customer (a music festival) I set up paypal integration for ticket sales three years ago and haven't had to change anything since.
- what 16y ago
  Have you ever integrated PayPal in a way that requires a PayPal account for purchase (ie: turning the "PayPal account optional" setting off)? How many people bounce when they have to pay with their PayPal account? I was looking into their Adaptive Payments API, but it requires both sender and receiver(s) to have a PayPal account. I'm not sure if that's a good idea.
  - thechangelog 16y ago
    I'm not brave enough for that. Everything we do is about reducing friction.
- bshep 16y ago
  I've also had a good experience with paypal. I've also tried google wallet (much cheaper) but google does not allow for subscriptions which I need for my business. The only thing with paypal is that if they decide your business is somehow in a legal gray area they will take your paypal balance and you have very little recourse. At least this is what I have always heard in Paypal horror stories.
agmiklas 16y ago
You might want to consider Beanstream -- they're based out of Victoria and offer services broadly similar to Braintree (data vault for CCs, etc). IIRC, it is possible for a Canadian company to use Braintree and other US based payment processors, but you need: a) A US EIN number b) A US chequing account The US chequing account is easy -- you can get that through Harris (www.harrisbank.com). They are actually a subsidiary of BMO, and so are used to opening US accounts for Canadian individuals and companies. You can work with them entirely by mail/e-mail (including the account opening process). I know foreign companies can apply for an EIN -- but it's not something we've done, so I can't speak from experience there.
- mattm 16y ago
  I have a personal US bank account with Harris. Very easy to setup for Canadians and great customer service.
what 16y ago
>I can't afford to go with Braintree, and I'm not quite sure they even deal with Canadian companies. There's a link (it's an ajaxy modal window or I'd give the link) on their pricing page for people outside of the US. If you don't have a legal US presence "you can work with one of their partners for a merchant account" but you have to be "processing at least 3 million in volume or will meet those thresholds within 12-18 months." So even less of an option.

cayblood 16y ago

For merchants processing less than 1-2k a month, Braintree probably is a bit more expensive (~$50 a month) but I think it's worth it, knowing you'll get great customer service, clean APIs, bundled services, data portability, and no hidden fees. For me it's a no brainer.