Im in the process of buying a credit card terminal for shows. Any recommendations of which ones will work the best for the money and the better carriers for service? The worst thing is getting to a show and machine has no service.
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I've good luck with the Way systems terminal and printer. It is a cell phone with a credit card slide built in and a small infrared printer. As long you have cell phone access, the system works anywhere there is a show, indoors or outside. Works for two full days without recharging. Many service providers will give you the equipment for free, however, often with a contract. Try Northamerican Bancard for this option.
Another option and much less expensive is offered by Thompson Merchant Services. They offer phone authorization, which is easy and relatively fast, so no worry for declined cards. And no need to batch out at the end of the day. I also think they allow seasonal use, so no charges when you don't need their system during off season
Lindsay, I have looked into Propay and have wondered if it looks to good to be true. Like I saw a membership fee (up to $200) and then it says $50 for the basic level acceptance and $20 a year. How much is the little swiper? I am interested in switching my account as I pay $20 a month. I have a knuckle buster. What's the bottom line with Propay? How much will the whole deal cost?
Lindsay Pless > Dawn Waters BakerAugust 19, 2010 at 2:08pm
Dawn...I just checked and they have gone up a bit. The first year I paid $59.95 to be able to take Visa, MC, AmEx and Discover and I built in the 3.25% charge into my pricing foregoing the other little 35cent charge. Since then I pay $29.95 a year with the 3.25% charge for each transaction plus 35 cents.
They sell a machine for I think $89.95 but I just got a knucklebuster on Ebay for $25 and ordered the plate for $5. and change including S&H. Sometimes I phone my charges in at a show but most of the time I just wait till I get home. You need the customers cc number, three digit code, exp. date, zip code and phone number. I use the large size sales slips so I typically have my customers write in their information including address and email on that while I'm writing up the credit card receipt. Hope that helps.
As long as they're only charging me $29.95 a year, I'll continue to take AmEx and Discover but if it goes up, I'll just go back to taking Visa and MC only.
Last summer at a fairly large Arts & Crafts show in Northern Indiana in August, 4 of my 6 card purchases were denied, 3 were over the limit, and one was customer gave me wrong mailing address, so it didn't match up. Needless to say, I spent hours being very nice on the phone, and emailing invoices for their merchandise after the show. One lady, who had an over the limit denial, ignored my pleasantries and reminder invoices through email, so I finally got the card to process 2 months later. Guess she finally paid her credit card bill. :) I only had an imprinter in my tent, and then processed through paypal.com when I got home.
I currently am looking into signing up for a credit card merchant where I can use the app on my Android phone right there. I will continue to use the imprinter also, to help avoid chargebacks (when a customer says they never got merchandise and was charged) So far I only have collected information on Paynet. .25/transaction and 2.5%, with $10 fee a month, that is if you use only Visa/MC. Discover/AMEX have higher rates and under limit fees. They own their own gateway, so NO gateway fee. ("iCharge" has a free app for iPhone and Android, have lower transaction rates, but charge a monthly $14.99) I can apply as a seasonal user with Paynet for 6 months, cancel after the 6 months, and then reopen again when the season starts. After reading info on ProPay, I will probably call on Monday and compare ProPay with Paynet. Paynet says they can "get me up and running in a day or two", good thing since my next show is in a week.
Oh and yes, I WILL open a credit card merchant account for only 2 shows in my 6 months. I have had many people ask me if I take credit cards and when I say "no sorry, just cash or check" they say, "well, I'll be back then," never to return. For a small operation like myself, I NEED EVERY PURCHASE possible! :)
Charity Edson said:
I have a quick question to add to the knucklebuster/calling in later method.... Does anyones charges ever get denied and you end up losing your merchandise because it was called in later? My husband and I have out first show in a month and are down to picking out what company to use for acceptingcreditcards. I like the idea of swipe now, call it in later, but he is a skeptic of course and is afraid of a purchase being denied after they are already gone with the product. Any thoughts on this?
No machine will work if no cell service is available/ Verizon has great reception; my AT&T barely got a signal at Berkshires Art Festival/ Verizon had full signal;; Why Buy a terminal before you know your needs/ how many charges are you making?? Try Dial-Pay till you figure your needs,cheap, NO CONTRACT, and no out of pocket. See the other blogs on this topic// Commerce Payment group has been very helpful & a 28 page primer of answers and pitfalls is free before you choose anyone. I await their ability to accept I-Phone swipe machines(veriphone Payware mobile system-- NOT SQUARE they have issues to figure out-especially transaction limits of $100) Hope this helps--Fair Winds
If you do not get the card authorized at the time of the sale, you as the merchant assumes all responsibility and risk for a declined card later on.
The card companies want you to authorize the sale right there. And if you don't, and the card is declined when you call it in at the hotel, you lose. You chose not to get the card authorized. If there's no signal, we choose to either take the risk, or put the equipment away.
Many states have now passed laws making it illegal to require anything other than the Zip Code in order to complete the sale unless the item's being shipped. They have especially clamped down on gathering of phone numbers. Something about our customers having privacy rights.
Charity Edson said:
I have a quick question to add to the knucklebuster/calling in later method.... Does anyones charges ever get denied and you end up losing your merchandise because it was called in later? My husband and I have out first show in a month and are down to picking out what company to use for accepting credit cards. I like the idea of swipe now, call it in later, but he is a skeptic of course and is afraid of a purchase being denied after they are already gone with the product. Any thoughts on this?
I've only been doing this for about a year now, but I use the store and forward method (machine that I use to call up later on). So far I've never had a single sale turned down (fingers crossed). I am a glassblower selling pendants, necklaces, earrings and so forth using handmade glass beads and such so it may be that there isn't much of a market to pawn my stuff and so little opportunity for using fake cards. I don't know, but it really works well for me.
Replies
Another option and much less expensive is offered by Thompson Merchant Services. They offer phone authorization, which is easy and relatively fast, so no worry for declined cards. And no need to batch out at the end of the day. I also think they allow seasonal use, so no charges when you don't need their system during off season
Good luck.
They sell a machine for I think $89.95 but I just got a knucklebuster on Ebay for $25 and ordered the plate for $5. and change including S&H. Sometimes I phone my charges in at a show but most of the time I just wait till I get home. You need the customers cc number, three digit code, exp. date, zip code and phone number. I use the large size sales slips so I typically have my customers write in their information including address and email on that while I'm writing up the credit card receipt. Hope that helps.
As long as they're only charging me $29.95 a year, I'll continue to take AmEx and Discover but if it goes up, I'll just go back to taking Visa and MC only.
I currently am looking into signing up for a credit card merchant where I can use the app on my Android phone right there. I will continue to use the imprinter also, to help avoid chargebacks (when a customer says they never got merchandise and was charged) So far I only have collected information on Paynet. .25/transaction and 2.5%, with $10 fee a month, that is if you use only Visa/MC. Discover/AMEX have higher rates and under limit fees. They own their own gateway, so NO gateway fee. ("iCharge" has a free app for iPhone and Android, have lower transaction rates, but charge a monthly $14.99) I can apply as a seasonal user with Paynet for 6 months, cancel after the 6 months, and then reopen again when the season starts. After reading info on ProPay, I will probably call on Monday and compare ProPay with Paynet. Paynet says they can "get me up and running in a day or two", good thing since my next show is in a week.
Oh and yes, I WILL open a credit card merchant account for only 2 shows in my 6 months. I have had many people ask me if I take credit cards and when I say "no sorry, just cash or check" they say, "well, I'll be back then," never to return. For a small operation like myself, I NEED EVERY PURCHASE possible! :)
Charity Edson said:
The card companies want you to authorize the sale right there. And if you don't, and the card is declined when you call it in at the hotel, you lose. You chose not to get the card authorized. If there's no signal, we choose to either take the risk, or put the equipment away.
Many states have now passed laws making it illegal to require anything other than the Zip Code in order to complete the sale unless the item's being shipped. They have especially clamped down on gathering of phone numbers. Something about our customers having privacy rights.
Charity Edson said:
I've only been doing this for about a year now, but I use the store and forward method (machine that I use to call up later on). So far I've never had a single sale turned down (fingers crossed). I am a glassblower selling pendants, necklaces, earrings and so forth using handmade glass beads and such so it may be that there isn't much of a market to pawn my stuff and so little opportunity for using fake cards. I don't know, but it really works well for me.
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