I used to take credit cards, but found that the cost in fees were not worth it unless I was doing a really big show. Now I accept Cash and local checks (and of course cash).
Awesome thread guys! Im loving the idea of the square! Unfortunantly I dont have the $ to invest in one of those smart phones yet by my bf's mom who will be with us for my craft fair in oct just got a new iphone so im hoping i can convince her to let me use it for the day to accept payments if needed! How do you guys incorperate the fee (2.75% / transaction) into your pricing? Do you just eat it or charge a little extra for the customer to use a cc?
Last season I used my Propay with a knucklebuster, but this year I have the free mobile propay thing set up on my Blackberry, I will carry the knucklebuster with me for when I am too busy or don't get a signal. I used to take checks all the time, but people use debit cards mostly now..cash is king! But 40 to 50% of my sales at shows are debit or credit...I have a $25 minimum for plastic, though
i have the square and love it - although no one paid with a credit card at my first show! haha but the app lets you input your inventory items and makes it easy to add everything up without having to write it all down then pull out a calculator. yup, i'm lazy ;) you can also text or email customers a receipt even if they don't pay with a credit card which is fun.
i put a credit card logo sign on my table and shined a light right at it so no one would miss it ;)
Just finished another show. Without square I would be sunk.
Since I got square in January I have sold $20 with cash and over $1,000 with square.
Some of those sales at shows, some at home to company who decide to buy.
It all depends on your price point I guess. But last night I had 3 women fighting over who was going to be paying with their cards. They were quite happy with the text receipt while they were still standing there
Doing my first fair next month and I can't decide if I should take a card reader...
The fair is an evening with bubbly and canapes, followed by a day. Most of my items are £10-30. My initial thought is it's a charity Christmas event so people will bring cash. But I don't want to miss out on sales because I don't take card. If it was a longer show I wouldn't hesitate...
I am with Forest AcademyAlpacas. At my last show in September, at least 40% of my sales were with a credit card. I believe I had only 3 checks. I began using Square a few years ago and have never looked back. It is just amazing how many customers just pull out their credit card and simply assume that you accept them. No telling how many sales I would have lost if I did not accept credit card payments, but I am sure it would be quite a few.
I bought an iPad just for the purpose of taking credit cards...my birthday gift to myself that has easily paid for itself. It is also the perfect way for me to delist items from Etsy while I am at the show so I don't double sell items. I feel comfortable leaving my Etsy shop open while selling at the shows at the same time, so, the potential for a prosperous weekend on both venues is great.
I say go for it. If you end up not using Square, it costs you nothing, but chances you will be pleasantly surprised with your results.
Someone asked about card readers that work in Canada. Well..you'll have to test the app and then the reader on your phone, but Payd is one that is an option for Canadians. I've used it a number of times now, with no problems. The only thing is that they cannot guarantee your phone will work if it isn't listed on their site. Definitely worth a try, though! http://www.getpayd.com
I have an iphone and chose that one specifically so I can use the paypal card reader. My personal quirk perhaps but I like the idea that they are vetting the card before I accept it and the open connection is to THEM, not my bank account.
Oh and of course cash, checks with ID although those are rare.
The square has saved a lot of sales for me and I think people will buy more knowing they can use their cards. The last two shows, half my sales were on the square.
I got a smartphone last year just so I could use Square. I bought a Tmobile prepaid phone with a $30 a month plan - 100 talk minutes, unlimited text and data. The phone I got was a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4G, works just fine and wasn't *too* expensive.
I always stand where the customer can see me swipe their card. I've never had anyone show any concern. Many have already used it. Others are just happy they can make their purchase with a card.
If I wouldn't have had my Square, I'm not sure I would've had the two big sales I did that helped save my show from being a total disaster. It worked like a charm and the customers didn't bat an eye about me using it. They thought it was cool to use my stylus on my phone screen to sign their names. I have Sprint HTC Evo btw.
I've been using Square for 2 years now. At every show, my sales are now at least 50% higher than they likely would have been if I didn't accept credit cards.
I just got my Square and I also have a PayPal reader. I haven't had a chance to use either yet. I hope that the small towns around where I live will like it. What I don't like about the PayPal reader is that I have to take my phone cover off to use it. I just got my Square yesterday and haven't ha a chance to really study it yet. I have a iPhone 5 and just love it. I'm trying to get use to the new version ios 7. Some things I like about it and some I don't.. That's change for you.
I'm going to use Square this year at Christmas Bazaars. A little nervous about it (what if it doesn't read when slid through, etc.). I hope to get more sales this way!
Jaime, you can always key in the numbers if the card won't swipe - you'll pay a slightly higher percentage, but it's not too bad. There's instructions on the square site for how to handle non-swiped transactions.
I would say that 1/3 to 1/2 of my sales at every show are credit cards! And Square has added an Item Library feature that I found is really useful in getting a handle on what is sold at shows.
I used square for the first time at my first festival last month and LOVED IT! Everything swiped perfectly, it gave the option of a receipt by text, e-mail or none at all. I put all my items in so all I had to do was find them in my list, click and slide. I also kept track of all my cash transactions too. It was so nice to have everything all in one spot.
After a lot of research I have just found a UK equivalent WorldPay Zinc! You buy a card reader device and can use any iPhone/iPad device or an Android device. Feel much better now I know I won't be potentially putting customers off by only accepting cash!
