Finding an open source ecommerce script is the simplest approach to start an online store. oscommerce or zen-cart are two examples of shopping carts. Get your web hosting set up with these scripts.
Customers can either pay on your website or be directed to a payment gateway website to complete their transaction in order to take payments online. Your needs and budget will determine whatever option you choose.
The simplest and cheapest option is to use a third-party merchant. You might register with 2Checkout, PayPal, or Verisign Payment Processing, among others. Customers will make payment to any of these providers and when the customer is finished paying at the provider's website, they will come back to yours.
Make cautious to only choose reputable third-party merchant providers.
Don't believe those offering unbelievable low cost and no fees solutions that you located online. Who knows, maybe you won't ever receive your money back.
You can either locate a web hosting company that also provides merchant accounts, and they will take care of all the integration work for your online store. You can check out ixwebhosting's merchant account section, for instance. If you are unclear of what to do, it is best to have a professional handle the payment solution. More reviews can be found at www.ixwebhostingreview.org.