Payment gateway recommendations please

[yakyak]

Hi
We have an online shop which is quite dated, not using anything for checking stock levels, orders come in as emails to us. The number of orders is low, so currently no incentive to update.
Currently the order is charged as soon as placed by the customer, so if the item is not in stock, we have to refund.
We get charged for this, so looking for payment gateways that can authorize a payment then take the money once we are ready to ship.

Is anyone using this payment model in the UK?
Can paypal be configured to do this?
Any other suggestions?

 

[Ozzy]

We get charged for this, so looking for payment gateways that can authorize a payment then take the money once we are ready to ship.

This is still going to cost you money. Readying your reason for wanting to change, the cost of refund, are you able to look at some way of changing your order process so you only take payment (or authorisation) when you know you can ship?
That way you only pay a fee when you know you have an order.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Wouldnt it be easier to not show items out of stock?

 

[martin_shl]

If the number of orders is low, then isn't it feasible to update the listed stock every time an order is confirmed? I have a client in this situation and takes him just a minute to remove a listing

 

[DontAsk]

Any decent (even free) shopping cart solution will cope with stock levels. I use OpenCart, but there are others.

 

[yakyak]

This is still going to cost you money. Readying your reason for wanting to change, the cost of refund, are you able to look at some way of changing your order process so you only take payment (or authorisation) when you know you can ship?
That way you only pay a fee when you know you have an order.

Actually what you say is making sense, I think I can go with this, thankyou. Really obvious to send an invoice on completion, takes someone else to point it out! No payment gateway needed