Card Readers
Yesterday I wrote about the fun of business accounting software and I got some pretty interesting answers thank you. Today I'm wondering what you think about credit card readers. Ever since square started advertising I've noticed that there are a few more on the market, PayPal is coming out with one and Intuit of course has one also. Those of us that he shows festivals will probably find these very handy. So I was wondering what you think of them. Have you used one? Which one have you used? What do you think of it? What do your customers think of it? And have you had any problems with it and what happened?
Thank you I really appreciate your comments.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
Thank you I really appreciate your comments.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
I've resisted getting one, but one from paypal would be convenient for me I think.
ReplyDeleteSince I do have a paypal account, and like doing business with them it seems like a good idea, but they are just starting this end and I'm not one for jumping on the band wagon first.
DeleteWe have a traditional merchant account with a machine in our gallery that can store and forward when doing shows. Yes there are fees attached to that, which may seem higher at first glance than a square. We don't have smart phone, just old fashioned cell phones that you can talk on and our cell phone bill for two people is $69/mo. We compared the cost of switching to smart phones & square vs. a merchant account, and the merchant account was significantly less expensive for us. I think for people who are already spending money on smart phones and data plans then the square or other reader, might be a good way to go.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest show that we do each year is at a ski resort that has no cell phone service so the reader wouldn't work for us there. No cell service, no credit card sales for square users.
The one complaint I have heard about square is that there is no way to contact them by phone, only e-mail. I don't know if that has changed.
Thanks Michele, this is some good stuff to think about. I appreciate all the information. It is a good idea to consider the cost of the smart phone or tablet into the cost of the credit card transactions.
Deleteno matter what you do there seems to be some charge somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend with the square but it does not always work- so she has both a regular and uses square.
I would love it if folks would write checks again!
I resent the money we have to pay to take CC and debit cards.
Hi Meredith, I know about the charges. Isn't it funny that people complain about the cost of stuff they buy but don't realize that they are causing some of that by using credit cards rather than cash.
DeleteI have several friends that use Square but like Michele, I have at least a couple shows a year that don't have cell phone service so I've also not gotten one since I still would need to use the swipe and store device or not take cards at those events. More than 1/2 of my sales at some events are CC sale, it could have a significant impact. People always seem grateful that I take cards so they can get that extra piece and not have to worry about using all their cash so they can't buy something else from someone who doesn't take cards. I think it does increase my sales. My friends that do use Square like it and we've discussed the Paypal option as well. They believe the Square system more desirable because the money goes directly into your checking instead of into your Paypal account where you have to make a transfer after that. That transfer adds a couple days to the time it takes to get that cash into your checking account. As a consumer I've done a few transactions with Square and found it simple to use.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue, I've noticed a huge increase in sales since I started taking credit cards, you're right, people are glad that we'll take them.
Deleteagain, I just hand write, I fill out the credit card receipt by hand and take it home and enter it into my propay account. Propay does have a reader now for ipad and I have considered getting it, but I did a show last year and everyone was running around saying "my card reader doesn't work, my internet is down, my computer died." I was giving out my paper credit card receipts to them.....
ReplyDeleteI don't know... I trust my hand writing more than batteries and technology when it comes to money!
Hi Tracey, that's what I'm doing now with PayPal but I usually get one credit card that is declined when I get home. It's normally no big deal, just paypal had a different email address or phone number than the person gave me, but I have to send them an email and some people are embarrassed even when I explain that it has nothing to do with them. I had one person who didn't answer my email, then when she did she said she would take care of it the next day, which turned out to be a few days later she said she'd write me a check and mail that. The day I was planning to go knock on her door the check came. Who needs that? What a time suck. Thankfully, we have fairly reliable cell service in the Atlanta area.
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