E-Commerce, also known as electronic commerce, is basically a way of doing business on the Internet. When you are selling things over the Internet, you usually will want to allow the customers to pay for the items immediately and then send the product(s) to them.
For this to happen, you will need an Internet Merchant Account. Merchant Account Providers are usually the best way to get an Internet Merchant Account. They usually understand e-commerce better and are compatible with a couple of electronic payment gateways. These electronic payment gateways will provide your customers a virtual connectivity to the card associations (Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, American Express, etc). Prices vary from one company to another, but monthly charges are usually between $10.00 - $50.00.