Kueser Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Does anyone take credit cards? What is your experience with this? A member in my guild is wanting to get a credit card reader to attach to someone's smart phone ( won't be mine since I only have a dumb phone) to use during an upcoming quilt show event. I know it will eat into our profits ( 3 to 5%) and choosing the right one - Visa or MC or both would be a consideration. Looking for any information, advice, experience to justify this issue. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Although I can't give you any details as I don't have knowledge of them I can tell you that my guild used one at their last fundraiser. Members and guests were able to use credit cards and quite a large chunk of the money raised was charged to credit cards. I would assume that the service will be made available again the next time around as it proved so popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 We have done this at our quilt show also. We sell quilts as well as boutique items. We prefer cash or check but most people like to make large purchases with a card. If it means losing a sale because no one has cash or a check available, I'd recommend using the card reader. You can have a threshold for card sales--like only for purchases over $50. I went to a huge antique show where no one was taking cards. There was an ATM in the building so no one seemed to mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 As a customer speaking, you might actually make more using credit cards. If I go to a show with only a few bills in cash I am very selective about what I pick up. If I know that I am using my card, I am not as aware of the totals that are accumulating since each purchase is "only xxx" It is also nice that when I get home I have a receipt arrive in my email of my purchase that I can print and keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kueser Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 good point about setting a limit. Might be an incentive to buy one more thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaniceC Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I am in Canada, and assume that you are not, but wonder what happens regarding the card reader etc. after your guild show, or whatever, is over. I'm not sure if you can get the account set up, and the reader etc. for a one-time event. Here, there is a monthly fee even if you don't process any transactions. That, and the account fees, can add substantially to costs. Just a thought. Janice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCQuilts Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 You can get a Square card reader. It was free I'm not sure if it still is, there's also one that ties in with QuickBooks by Intuit. You can also let your customer know that there will be 3 to 5%, whatever it is that the company charges you, added onto the cost of the product, that way you don't incur those charges. Most people don't have a problem with that. In most cases you increase your sales that way if they can use their credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iquiltit Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 PayPal also has a credit card reader and it costs less than 3% on purchases. I had one at my flea market booth. no monthly fees. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Tree Tami Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I have Square (just used it today for the first time too!) and it charges 2.75% for swiped credit cards per transaction, or 3.5% + 15 cents for manually entered cards. There's no monthly fees and it doesn't cost anything for the regular reader. There's a new EMV reader that's coming out this spring to handle the newer chip style credit cards. That one will be $29.99 so it's only worth it if you get a lot of credit card business. So far I'd say that it was easy to use. You just have to have a good signal on your smartphone so that the card will process right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuiltGuy Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 My DW is an Artist and has used The Square for a few years. The fees are as Tami listed and it has actually increased sales because people often don't carry large amts of cash...it has been very easy to use, but you should get one early so you can practice a bit and the usually want to do a test transaction before you go live (at least they used to). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMALKB Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I always use a CC at the big shows and a lot of the booths have the things that snap into a smartphone. Probably safer for the sellers than taking checks and most people don't carry that much cash around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleyl Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 I have used square for a couple of years now. I have been absolutely satisfied with it. Had no issues at all. Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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