What is Kagi?

Kagi is a shareware payment processing service that makes it 
easy for people to pay shareware fees and saves shareware authors from 
handling payment processing.  Shareware is software that someone writes 
and is widely distributed on the Internet and BBSes.  People download 
the software and try it.  If they like it they pay a shareware fee for 
it's use.  We handle the processing of that shareware fee.  Here's how 
we do it.  

How does the payment processing work?

We provide shareware authors with a small registration program that they 
bundle with their software.  When a person wishes to pay for their 
shareware they run the registration program and fill in the form that it 
presents.  They enter their name, email, postal address, and the 
shareware they wish to pay for.  The form accepts many different payment 
methods such as: US Check, Money Order, Cash (in many different 
currencies), Visa, Mastercard, American Express, First Virtual, and 
Invoice (to be given to their accounts payable department).  They either 
email the data generated by the registration program or they print it 
and send it via postal mail or fax.  Sensitive information, like credit 
card numbers, is encoded for better security.  Each payer receives an 
email reply and at the once a month the shareware authors receive a 
single payment from Kagi.  

What are the advantages to this system?

Payers like this service because it makes it easy to pay their shareware 
fees and shareware authors like the service because more people tend to 
pay when it is easy to do so.  Non-USA shareware authors and payers like 
the service because it eliminates all the currency conversion issues 
such as how a payer in Finland would pay an author in Australia.  
Another benefit of the service is that shareware authors can concentrate 
on what they do best, writing software, rather than spending time 
processing payments.  

The above is just a short summary of Kagi Shareware.  We offer many 
services to meet the needs of our shareware authors and are always open 
to suggestions.  For more information go to <http://www.kagi.com/> on 
the WEB, or send email to <support@kagi.com>.  

Kee Nethery
kee@kagi.com

