There are approximately a thousand vendors using the service to sell software, consultancy, and even lecture notes. Kagi s system is also particularly useful for international vendors who don t want to deal with multiple currencies. RegNet is another company offering a similar service aimed at shareware registration. VanServ is a joint collaboration between Vantage Technologies and WebAgency. Like Kagi and RegNet it offers an alternative for international vendors or those with no credit history who can t get U.S. merchant accounts.
Vantage also offers merchant accounts.
Each of these companies lets you use its Web server to host all your transactions. What you re really paying for is a secure form and the credit-card processing behind it. Neither RegNet nor Kagi is flexible enough to let you seamlessly integrate the host site into your design for that all-important professional look. Other things to watch out for are long delays in getting paid, which can range anywhere from 30 to 90 days, so that any credit-card problems or fraud can be dealt with before your payment is sent. Vantage also holds 10 percent every month as a security deposit.