E-commerce ain't all that bad- just think of all the idiots out there (myself included) that are selling junk from a website. It can be done!
You can use paypal or propay or numerous others- it really depends on how much you know and how much you're willing to spend. We personally use Verisign for all our credit card processing and have never had a problem. I think they might be a little more expensive but you have total control over credit card transactions and reports, etc. And I trusted them more than Pay Pal, security-wise. I've heard things about PayPal's information being compromised and such:
www.paypalwarning.com
www.paypalsucks.com
Not sure if any of the allegations are true, but just the fact that someone took the time to make these anti-paypal websites was enough to make me nervous. Of course, I'm sure there are websites out there about how bad verisign sucks, but I've never had a problem with them.
And if you're nervous about coding a shopping cart from scratch- try cart32- www.cart32.com. We've used them in the past and been relatively happy with them. They have numerous options and give you quite a bit of control over how your cart looks and what kinds of products you can sell.
One other piece of advice for you- read "E-Commerce User Experience" by the Nielsen Norman Group. It will open your eyes as to why the professional sites look like they do, and common mistakes to avoid. Great reference book for anyone in e-commerce.
hth-
-Elizabeth
