Author: aaronmarx

Protect Yourself with the Authorize.net Velocity Filter eCommerce merchants are vulnerable to a certain type of fraud that is perpetrated by attempts to authorize stolen credit card numbers via a program that generates hundreds or even thousands of credit card authorizations at one time. We saw a recent case that resulted in over 8,000 such […]

Fraud Flags to Look Out For With the intention to help you process as successfully as possible, here are some fraud flags for you to look out for: In all of these cases, please contact the customer before shipping any products. If the order does not seem legitimate to you, do not ship and void […]

Featured Merchant: Hayes Valley Wellness This month we’re grateful to feature a beloved client who has done wonders for the health of our co-founders. Run by Dr. Matt Colman, Hayes Valley Wellness is an oasis of peace and attentive, personalized care in the bustling, hip neighborhood of Hayes Valley. From the moment you are greeted with a […]

Fraud Alert: Processing International Orders To help avoid being the victim of fraud, we recommend shipping products outside of the US only once you have vetted the cardholder and verified their address. If you are processing with Authorize.net, the default Address Verification Service (AVS) settings will automatically reject transactions placed on cards that were not […]

This Month’s Being Game: Being Healthy This month we are “Being Healthy” as part of our monthly Dharma & Sacred Commerce practice. At Dharma, we share the perspective that health doesn’t just mean a healthy body or a healthful diet but encompasses practices of regular nourishment and love of our bodies, minds, and spirits. Whether […]

Fraud Trends for November 2011 Fraud losses cost the financial and retail industries over $250 billion annually, and cybercrimes get more sophisticated every year. Here are some new fraud trends and how to respond to them: Card Skimming Here, thieves install undetected skimmer devices inside the card reader of terminals and capture credit card data. […]

Books We Love: The Method Method This is one of the most enjoyable business books I have ever read. Actually I’m not sure I’d even call it a business book. To me most business books lecture, prescribe esoteric theory and talk at 10,000 feet. It’s like the author never started a business, except for writing […]

Benefit Corporation Bill Passes in California! On October 9th, California became the newest state to pass benefit corporation legislation, creating a new, fully voluntary class of corporation in California called “benefit corporations”. This new corporate structure allows businesses to pursue a material positive impact on the environment and community in addition to maximizing profits. Previous […]

Merchant Interview with Max Sinclair of Cocopotamus It’s actually a little tortuous writing about Cocopotamus, because we start drooling just thinking about their artisan fudge inventions. Magical flavors like gourmet sea salt & dark chocolate, or cinnamon & chlli, let alone rose water infused chocolate fudge is our idea dessert nirvana. Cocopotamus is the delicious […]

This Month’s Being Game: Being Compassionate by Speaking Powerfully A Buddhist practice called Maitri, the practice of compassionate care and loving kindness, is a useful tool with which to practice compassion toward one’s self and each other. To us, speaking powerfully means being deliberate, clear, and compassionate in our communication. This is particularly useful when […]