percentage of sales use credit card & cash

[suktexas]

i do not plan to get a wireless card machine yet in a few months. i want to try my products out in the shows first. can anyone share what are the percentage of sales they did with people using the credit card and cash.

i do believe if i do not take credit card now, i may loose some sales but how much i do not know. during my sales in the swap meet, i loose $10 sales as one mexician lady want to buy my bracelet and she does not have $10 and she need to pay credit card. i said no only cash.

anyone would like to share some experience?

[mark]

about 60 percent of my sales are credit cards.My advice is get a merchant account and take credit cards its a must have if you do alot of shows.

[bmermaid]

It took me a few years to suck it up and get a merchant account... pains me still to give my money to the evil CC industry, and support their doings. But, this is the society we live in.

The percent of CC sales varies, but it can be 30%-75% depending on the show. It really does increase overall sales... people just expect everyone to take cards now. They will spend more and buy things when they run out of cash. Before I took cards, I had several people put things back and leave... even if I was next to an atm!

I do it as cheaply and easily as possible, esp since there are months in the year I do no CC sales at all. You can still find knucklebuster/phone-in situations for about $10/month. The rate is about 1 point higher than swiper rates though.

This year I am switching to Propay, online based service with a phone-in option for about 1/2 the cost of my usual service. Fellow online crafters say this works well for them.

[suktexas]

i am going to look into the propay. i want to know is it the same as internet online payment and you have an option to call in for approval of the credit card. then you do not have to have a machine. you can use it online too.

Mar 11, 2010 14:47:37 GMT -5 bmermaid said:

It took me a few years to suck it up and get a merchant account... pains me still to give my money to the evil CC industry, and support their doings. But, this is the society we live in.

The percent of CC sales varies, but it can be 30%-75% depending on the show. It really does increase overall sales... people just expect everyone to take cards now. They will spend more and buy things when they run out of cash. Before I took cards, I had several people put things back and leave... even if I was next to an atm!

I do it as cheaply and easily as possible, esp since there are months in the year I do no CC sales at all. You can still find knucklebuster/phone-in situations for about $10/month. The rate is about 1 point higher than swiper rates though.

This year I am switching to Propay, online based service with a phone-in option for about 1/2 the cost of my usual service. Fellow online crafters say this works well for them.

[suktexas]

thanks for all input. the only sales i think i lost is $10 for 3 months in quartzsite, yuma, mesa, sales since i do not take credit card.

i do have a paypal account in my internet sales. i wonder if i open my computer and send them an invoice and then have them go to their email account and use paypal to pay me in the show, will the people willing to do that?

i know this is a little more work to pay but wonder if this will work at all then i do not have to open one more account?

[suktexas]

is their website www.propay.com and i google it and the firefox said it is an unsecured site and it may lead to indentity theft. can you give me a direct link of the propay company to be sured? thanks

Mar 11, 2010 14:47:37 GMT -5 bmermaid said:

It took me a few years to suck it up and get a merchant account... pains me still to give my money to the evil CC industry, and support their doings. But, this is the society we live in.

The percent of CC sales varies, but it can be 30%-75% depending on the show. It really does increase overall sales... people just expect everyone to take cards now. They will spend more and buy things when they run out of cash. Before I took cards, I had several people put things back and leave... even if I was next to an atm!

I do it as cheaply and easily as possible, esp since there are months in the year I do no CC sales at all. You can still find knucklebuster/phone-in situations for about $10/month. The rate is about 1 point higher than swiper rates though.

This year I am switching to Propay, online based service with a phone-in option for about 1/2 the cost of my usual service. Fellow online crafters say this works well for them.

[laptoo]

I take credit cards with an old fashioned knucklebuster and call them in on my cell phone right at the shows. The amount of plastic that is given to me is probably 70-80% of my sales. Now with debit cards being used frequently, folks don't seem to want to use their cash as much. Laura

[traveler]

I use a knuckelbreaker and a laptop computer with wireless capabilities. I slide the card through the computer on a USB device, and answer the questions it asks (address, zip, etc) and then imprint the card with the number. (I can hook up a printer too, if I wanted.) I would say that my sales are betwween 20 to 70% depending on the show. At the show I just did in ND, I didn't use the machine, but UP HERE, I will accept a local check, & people still write them regularly. My checks were close to 40% of the sales.

[suktexas]

Apr 15, 2010 15:11:58 GMT -5 traveler said:

I use a knuckelbreaker and a laptop computer with wireless capabilities. I slide the card through the computer on a USB device, and answer the questions it asks (address, zip, etc) and then imprint the card with the number. (I can hook up a printer too, if I wanted.) I would say that my sales are betwween 20 to 70% depending on the show. At the show I just did in ND, I didn't use the machine, but UP HERE, I will accept a local check, & people still write them regularly. My checks were close to 40% of the sales.

i am sorry traveler, can you explain a little more how you slide the credit card using a usb device into the computer? never seen them before?

thanks

[traveler]

Sure. I bought a device that plugs through your USB port that is a "credit card reader". With my wireless laptop on (Internet on), I click onto my merchant services secure web page, log in, and it takes me to the page that asks for the credit card number. I can manually put it in but it is more expensive, so you swipe the card through the reader and it takes you through the steps. It will ask for the name on the card, address, zip code, and dollar amount. Then it processes it, and gives a confirmation number. At the end of the day you just click the"Batch out" button for the final dollar amount and it credits to your bank usually within 2 days.
It is a good and bad system. It is better than nothing, and instantly gives you approval or decline, but if you are somewhere that a wireless is not that good, it can be frusterating and time consuming when your internet is lost.

[suktexas]

Apr 15, 2010 23:17:29 GMT -5 traveler said:

Sure. I bought a device that plugs through your USB port that is a "credit card reader". With my wireless laptop on (Internet on), I click onto my merchant services secure web page, log in, and it takes me to the page that asks for the credit card number. I can manually put it in but it is more expensive, so you swipe the card through the reader and it takes you through the steps. It will ask for the name on the card, address, zip code, and dollar amount. Then it processes it, and gives a confirmation number. At the end of the day you just click the"Batch out" button for the final dollar amount and it credits to your bank usually within 2 days.
It is a good and bad system. It is better than nothing, and instantly gives you approval or decline, but if you are somewhere that a wireless is not that good, it can be frusterating and time consuming when your internet is lost.

thank you for explaining. i think you can swipe the card in using the usb device. do you have to manually type in his credit card number?

this is very similar to get phone approval through paypal or credit company. but it go through a computer so you have information and approval number in the computer. the only different is it use a wireless connection, while cellular phone use a cellular connection.

[traveler]

If the numbers wont read, you manually have to put them in, but the credit card company charges a higher fee. The reader does it automatically.

[suktexas]

Apr 16, 2010 22:28:08 GMT -5 traveler said:

If the numbers wont read, you manually have to put them in, but the credit card company charges a higher fee. The reader does it automatically.

do you have a picture of how the usb automatic reader? just curious to see how it looks. i am still researching if i want to do the telephone paypal credit card approval as i have already had my paypal account. i do not wish to open more account now. paypal do not charge any maintenance fee only transaction fees when you have transaction.

[walkersstics]

Does anyone use an android phone with the proper app to take credit cards??...and if so, what app do you use, and what are the fees?