[Jewelry making - Article 00445] - Re: [Orchid] Advice on accepting credit cards

[TheWildInside]

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Hi Catlin,

    There are so many credit card choices out there, it does tend to be
    mind boggling. I was fortunate to fall into a wonderful new artisan
    group within six or seven months of our moving to a new area. At a
    time when I was deciding to move from wholesale-only sales to
    tradeshows, it was a much needed connection. Our group's first get
    together touched on all the important things I needed to know in a
    new area, and in an entirely new arena. But finding a credit card
    merchant was one of the most valuable pieces of information I took
    away from that first meeting. 

    I haven't yet used ProPay for a year, but I love it so far. No
    clunky machines to lug around and no charge card receipts (you may
    opt to use them if you wish). You may process charges via phone,
    though I've never felt comfortable doing that - I rarely have time
    while at a show to use my mobile phone, I think it's somewhat rude to
    process a charge while customers are milling about my inventory and I
    should be actively selling, and I'm uncomfortable with the security
    of a cell phone call to a credit card merchant. I process all
    charges from a show online the evening I return home, or the next day
    if it's late. I use a large 5x7 size receipt book I get at a local
    office supply retailer and I put everything on one page: the items
    purchased, the card number, exp date and cvv code on the back plus
    their billing address and a phone number; I then ask that they sign
    below the card number, right on the receipt. Additionally, I put a
    bright neon sticker on their copy alerting them to how the
    transaction will read on their credit card invoice. I've never
    gotten any complaints from customers when I ask for all this
    information - though a few are concerned about what I do with the
    receipt books after the sale (after the last receipt page is used, I
    keep the receipt book for several months beyond the last charge card
    I processed in case of dispute, then I destroy it). Despite my
    overkill on information collection, only the card number and a zip
    code are required to process the card; but it never hurts to have
    more than you need, and ProPay has fields to input that extra
    information to remove all doubt of foul play. It takes two or three
    days to process a sale before you have your money, less transaction
    fees, in your ProPay account. 

    ProPay has four types of accounts.. each incurs an annual fee, which
    increases as the processing limit increases (and the per transaction
    fee decreases). But there is no contractual obligation, and no
    monthly minimums; and at the Premium level I am able to process MC,
    Visa, Discover and Amex. I, too, have several months (usually Jan -
    April or May) when I'm not selling, but creating new things.. so "no
    monthly minimum" was important to me. There is a small fee (.30) to
    transfer your ProPay balance to a checking account. I usually save up
    over a couple of shows before transferring the balance. You also
    have direct access to your ProPay funds via a debit card they'll
    issue you, if you wish. I have one, though haven't yet used it. 

    My only complaint is that I would have preferred to sign on with
    their Premium Plus account but was declined for lack of credit card
    experience. My artisan friends tell me that it's easy to move up to
    the next level once you've proven to them that you're not an idiot
    and can process credit card transactions with no or few disputes or
    problems. I have had none so far. But I *have* had increased sales as
    a result of having my little credit card sign out on my checkout
    counter. Both in individual transactions and people adding another
    item or two once discovering they can charge the sale. 

    You can get all the information you need to make a decision, as well
    as go through a tutorial, at www.propay.com. 

Good luck!
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