Today's Web developer needs to have a thorough knowledge of how to build commerce-enabled Web sites. One of the most mysterious areas, for clients and Web shops alike, is the process of setting up a Web-enabled credit card merchant account. The gold rush of e-commerce has spawned hordes of pick-and-shovel peddlers. If you search for information on credit cards, you'll find page after page of outfits, all offering to get your credit card scene together pronto and cheapo. All of them try to make the process of getting a merchant account sound extremely difficult and complicated (if you buy their product, of course, it becomes easy). I am sorry to say that not a few of these outfits are shaky, shady, or simply scams. What do you really need to get credit card transactions going on a site, and how do you find a reputable bank that's knowledgeable about the Internet?