Integrating Authorize.net shouldn't be that much work. Usually getting the account approved and setup is as much work as the integration. Without knowing too much about RightCart, I'd say go with Auth.net if you want to do it for the long haul and want more control.
Yeah the methodology I use to decide between Auth.net and PayPal is if the stuff I am doing is for part-time or longhaul. For parttime thing PayPal or some 3rd party is cool.
But for longhaul, you might as well spend the extra week and learn the art that you will eventually have to. And dealing with merchant account is indeed an art and study of its own.
Another thing - when you have an intermediary like PayPal you are more at risk at your money being frozen for some stupid reason, This can happen with merchant account too but never as often as I have come across torturous PayPal or 2checkout stories.
Thats all good, but I can't move paying customers from RightCart to another platform. I will have to get them to re-enter their billing information when I swop to the new billing system. I guess I could run two concurrent billing systems and just stop using the one the first one for new customers and keep billing old customers using rightcart.
Remember, there is no reason to feel guilty about having future expansion plans above and beyond what you are offering right now. You absolutely do not have to tell them ahead of time, "by signing up, you may have to switch billing systems by the end of summer" in the sign-up application. There is no need.
Instead, just mass e-mail them the link and directions to do so when the need comes (if ever.) People are used to typing in their name, address, and e-mail into forms.
Remember, the second time around, you are no longer asking a new customer to commit to you. Your customers already know you and your service, so 100% of them will gladly follow simple directions to update their address information. Trust me.
I would spend the extra few days working on the main product or service instead, until you need to use the more complex shopping cart.
No problem! Focus on creating value, not on maintaining an ordering system. It's time consuming enough to do #1. (Easier said than done.)
Plus, if you become really big--and saving 50 cents in processing fees per order will start to add up--the other shopping cart / payment processors will be knocking at your door, writing their own API for you, and giving you better deals. Or, if the problem is that they don't have enough features for you right now, just e-mail them your suggestions. By the time you go live, they will probably have a lot of the features you requested. Again, I don't know anything about any shopping cart.
If you spend time on the more difficult and complicated method when there is no urgency for it right now, when you know there's a faster and easier method available that lets you go back to working on the main product, you will just HATE your entire project.
Instead, take the easier/faster option, as you will be able to go back to working on the actual product or service sooner, so there will be less boredom. When the situation actually arises that it DOES matter which shopping cart you have, the urgency of the need will motivate you to make the switch, and you will be excited about succeeding. On the other hand, if you take the harder method right now, you will not be excited--at the end of it all, you will be angry it has taken so much time when there was an easier method. Plus, 3-6 months from now, you'll probably have to modify the ordering system no matter which shopping cart you started with. Or, what if you decide to stay in beta for the next year (not accepting any payments)?
As you can see, I've made that mistake before... This is a motivational speech for me as much as it is for you. ;)
