Does anyone have any experience with online payment systems companies?

I'm doing some research right now and the offerings and discrepancies are daunting to say the least. You get some companies saying things like "a low 13.9% rate" while you have people reviewing PayPal Web Merchant Pro systems stating that 2.9% (to 2.5%) plus 30 cents per transaction isn't a very good rate.

I'll be selling software and a few hardware doodads shortly so I need some way of getting paid. Something that's convenient for buyers but that doesn't suck away a huge percentage of my potential profit.

eSellerate sounded pretty good until I saw their payment schedules. 15% WTF! Kagi is 5% plus $1 - ouch.

PayPal's new Web Merchant Pro is looking good and simple except for one tiny thing. They say it's US-only right now and I'm in Canada (though I *will* have a bank account in the US in addition to up here). They also have a standard system available to Canadians, but that forces buyers to detour to PayPal's own page to make the payment (instead of a seamless experience on the merchant's own site).

So in all there are services which don't require you to have a merchant account set up, services that include application for merchant accounts and services that you have to already have existing merchant accounts set up for to use. I've always heard horrible stories about trying to apply for CC merchant accounts with internet-sales intentions - have things changed?

Any information, pointers and especially personal experience much appreciated.

Bruno