These portable credit-card processing doohickeys Square, Intuit whatchamacallit, etc.

[Daniel Stone]

Anyone use one of these?

Got me thinking... I've seen some larger camera shops on ebay that state they DO NOT accept payment via Paypal, only through credit cards(I'm assuming you call them and do it over the phone?)... Well anyhow, I've noticed some coffee shops here in LA that are using them now, and seem to be loved by customers and the business owners, simply because they only charge a per-transaction fee, no daily fee, no monthly fee, etc...

So... what's the deal? Anyone heard anything other than some scumbags who've used them to "skim" credit cards, I'm just looking at this as an option if I continue to sell @ the local monthly camera show(since ya'll are tight wads it seems lately ;)).... No matter.

thoughts or advice on these? This would be only used as a secondary option to cash transactions for in-person deals...

thanks,

Dan

Intuit's "GoPayment"
http://payments.intuit.com/merchant-services/mobile-pricing-234NS-3426UD.html

Square reader
https://squareup.com/reader

[Jon Shiu]

Paypal been advertising a card reader. Seems like an easy option if need swiping.

Jon

[Jehu]

Square is inexpensive, reliable and exceptionally easy to set up. The module for Droid and iPhone is free.

[Zaitz]

I used payanywhere once and thought it worked fantastic. Set up is free. They send the card reader to you for free. Setting up the items is easy and making transactions is easy. Funds go to your bank account and the transaction fee is less than Paypals 3%.

http://www.payanywhere.com/

[Greg Blank]

For many years I processed CC's using a bank, until the day the bank decided to start charging 30+ per month regardless of transactions or not+ any transaction fees. Anything though can be a business expense and a deduction or an absorbed cost. I use PP and a lot pf people prefer it because no information is exchanged, for me not keeping peoples CC information on file is a plus. There are successful businesses I know of that don't accept credit cards, only cash or cash like transactions. Square is ok the percent they charge is similar to pay pal.

[eddie]

i use gopayment on my iphone. free if you do small transactions (still have to pay the 3% or what ever but no monthly vig). if you do more then you pay per month plus %. still not bad.

i have intuits payment stuff for a while as well. got tired of the monthly payment for the rarely used service .

i am setting up an e commerce site soon so i am not sure what i will use then....maybe intuit but i may have to pay monthly again as i plan (hope) to be making WAY more money......

eddie



if I continue to sell @ the local monthly camera show(since ya'll are tight wads it seems lately ;))
Dan


YEAH! what Dan said! go to e bay and "steal" my lenses there please....one day left!

[Daniel Stone]

got a quick question for ya'll...

So I signed up for the Intuit GoPayment reader, but it seems that some people have experienced non-compatibility with the type of phone I have, T-Mobile/HTC MyTouch 4g....

so, I might have to look for a new phone(staying with T-Mobile), does anyone here use the Intuit GP reader(grey one) with an Android-based phone? If so, which model? Seems the "compatible devices" list on the Intuit site doesn't seem to be very reliable, as some of the models listed have been "problematic" in one way or another.

P.S. I'm still waiting to receive the reader to actually try it in-person, hopefully it'll arrive soon, and I can test it out. Just putting out a feeler to see if other Android-OS phone models have good reliability with this particular reader.

thanks,

Dan

[Sylvester Graham]

Reports of skimming are from the early days when readers like square did not encrypt. Now, any reputable reader, including square, encrypts on swipe and there's no way for anyone to access the #, including you. Of course, I'm not a computer scientist but I did spend quite a while researching mobile card swipes, and I can tel you most are encrypted now. Unless your running a serious business with over 10k a month in charges, go with an encrypted reader with the lowest swipe %. Forget readers that charge a monthly service charge--again I don't know what kind of business your running but if you don't make that many sales why bother risking LOSING money. Also watch out for readers that have a cancellation fee or hidden surcharge if a monthly minumum isn't met.

[Daniel Stone]

I'm not running a "business" per se, but I have an abundance of camera equipment I'm trying to liquidate, so going to the local camera shows is a great place to get things offloaded(if people are willing to buy). I figured that if splitting the ~3% fee with the customer gets me a sale, its better than no sale at all... Most people aren't walking around @ these shows with $600 cash in their pocket, but you'd be surprised. But being able to take credit cards for those that don't (I had a few people turn away when I said I wasn't able to take them YET), so those might have been sales...

And since the setup was FREE, cancelling my account is FREE, the fees are relatively negligible, I feel its a win-win proposition for everyone. I still like cash in hand, but this is an electronic world we live in, so I have to adapt if I want to be able to keep things going...

thanks for the tips though amilne, I researched the various offerings before settling on the GoPayment from Intuit

-Dan

now only if my current device will work, I hate "upgrading" if it isn't really necessary...

[Sylvester Graham]

Oops, missed your post above mine. In all honesty I expect traditional wired card swipers to disappear from metro areas in a few years. Current businesses might keep them, but the things cost $500 new and you need software+merchant account to run them.

[Daniel Stone]

Hey guys,

just thought I'd re-chime in here. I received my card reader yesterday, and was able to use it for the first time today @ the camera show where I was hawking my excess gear. Actually sold some stuff :)

buyer agreed to split the fees, I wouldn't have sold the camera(Fuji 120/220 rangefinder) if I didn't have the reader/capability to accept cards.

all in all, smooth as I saw in the videos! I could get the hang of this! I was a bit nervous in all honesty, I was using my cell phone to generate a wi-fi network(just for the tablet, a motorola Xoom I picked up on CL last week) since I don't have a data plan for the tablet itself(just using it on wi-fi) so I could use it to process the transactions. Having a stylus for the customer to sign with(rather than with their finger), works much nicer. The Intuit app also allows me to send an email to the customer, and I get one sent to my designated email. Very nice experience all in all!

Point of this really is this:

I would have missed a sale since the customer didn't have the cash in-hand at the time. He was about to walk away when I mentioned to him I accept credit/debit. Well he promptly walked back to my table and handed over his c/c. Done and one. 30s max time on the transaction itself.

If anyone reading this is also considering the intuit reader/app for processing payments on-the-go, I'd highly recommend it.

-Dan


http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy161/mr_danielstone/intuitreader_zps2bf0cc8b.jpg

[Michael Gordon]

I used to pay approx. $700 per year for the right to call myself a CC merchant whether or not I actually swiped any cards. I now pay only for the transaction. I love Square.

As for Intuit, I unfortunately like Quickbooks. Along with thousands of others, I despise its maker :

http://michaelegordon.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-quickbooks-sleazy-ad-practices-and-customer-service

http://intuitsucks.org

[Jim Becia]

I used to pay approx. $700 per year for the right to call myself a CC merchant whether or not I actually swiped any cards. I now pay only for the transaction. I love Square.

As for Intuit, I unfortunately like Quickbooks. Along with thousands of others, I despise its maker :

http://michaelegordon.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-quickbooks-sleazy-ad-practices-and-customer-service

http://intuitsucks.org

Michael,

I, like you, use Square and love it. I used it for twenty art fairs this year without I hitch. After my first week with Square, I cancelled my cc processing account that was getting exorbitant with the fees. I highly recommend it. Jim

[jsnowden]

Anyone use one of these?

Got me thinking... I've seen some larger camera shops on ebay that state they DO NOT accept payment via Paypal, only through credit cards(I'm assuming you call them and do it over the phone?)... Well anyhow, I've noticed some coffee shops here in LA that are using them now, and seem to be loved by customers and the business owners, simply because they only charge a per-transaction fee, no daily fee, no monthly fee, etc...

So... what's the deal? Anyone heard anything other than some scumbags who've used them to "skim" credit cards, I'm just looking at this as an option if I continue to sell @ the local monthly camera show(since ya'll are tight wads it seems lately ;)).... No matter.

thoughts or advice on these? This would be only used as a secondary option to cash transactions for in-person deals...

thanks,

Dan

Intuit's "GoPayment"
http://payments.intuit.com/merchant-services/mobile-pricing-234NS-3426UD.html

Square reader
https://squareup.com/reader

Check out http://www.payanywhere.com...2.69% per swipe. There are no setup or cancellation fees, no monthly minimums, or hidden fees.

[Daniel Stone]

well this is kinda "out of the blue", but I got the Intuit reader. Soon found out(after 1 sale) that if I went over $600, I'd get a 1099K tax form. I was planning to use this for camera shows, where I have(in the past) occasionally had a table to slog off my stuff. You'd be surprised how some people are willing to whip out the c/c, but with cash they're much more 'picky' :p

I still have the reader, and my account, but haven't used it but for (1) transaction. I didn't feel like reporting money to the gov't(since this isn't a business, just a person-->person transaction)

back to cash only now...

-Dan

[Jac@stafford.net]

[...] So... what's the deal? Anyone heard anything other than some scumbags who've used them to "skim" credit cards,

You aren't paranoid enough. Many cards with RFID capabilities can be read from feet away.

[Daniel Stone]

You aren't paranoid enough. Many cards with RFID capabilities can be read from feet away.

exactly why I don't carry any cards in my wallet that contain an RFID chip. just (1) c/c, (1) debit card, and a few other things(library card, etc..) I specifically requested a non-rfid chip'd debit/credit cards when I had to get new ones. The young woman helping me asked me why, and I gave her the same reason as you've stated above, she readily agreed :).

BTW, is there any way to fry(but not disable the magnetic strip) the RFID chip alone? So no damage to the rest of the card(so it can still be swiped like normal in a c/c reader?)

-Dan

[Corran]

I don't see what the problem is with getting a 1099. I get a dozen per year because I perform for various groups and events as well as get paid by several gov't institutions for audio/video services, photography, etc.

Don't forget that you can claim what you paid for the item against what you sold it for. Assuming you aren't buying/selling things at a massive profit you'll likely not incur any taxes at all.

Just because you got cash doesn't mean you don't owe taxes... ;)

*I'm not a tax expert so take anything I say here with a grain of salt...

[Dan Henderson]

A just-slightly off-topic question, I recently became Treasurer of a cooperative art gallery. I am stunned at the ridiculously high charges our credit card processor is charging. I wonder if these things are suitable for relatively low-volume brick and mortar stores? Any input will be appreciated.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Hey, I've got a BlackBerry Storm II... PayPal and Amazon Payments accounts. Most of the free card swipe devices and plans are set up for iPhones and Androids. What card-swipe options are there for BB users-- besides changing phones?

[Daniel Stone]

Hey, I've got a BlackBerry Storm II.....What card-swipe options are there for BB users-- besides changing phones?

I think "PayAnywhere" supports BB users, wait, their website only lists (1) 'Storm' device, and that's thru Verizon:

http://www.payanywhere.com/support/

-Dan

[konakoa]

exactly why I don't carry any cards in my wallet that contain an RFID chip. just (1) c/c, (1) debit card, and a few other things(library card, etc..) I specifically requested a non-rfid chip'd debit/credit cards when I had to get new ones. The young woman helping me asked me why, and I gave her the same reason as you've stated above, she readily agreed :).

BTW, is there any way to fry(but not disable the magnetic strip) the RFID chip alone? So no damage to the rest of the card(so it can still be swiped like normal in a c/c reader?)

-Dan

I wish I knew how to tell if my credit cards even have the RFID chips in them. Sometimes there is a label--one I noted has a suspicious printed logo of a dot and bars emanating from it but no other indicators or printed phrases saying as such. When I've asked my card company about my cards (the last time someone stole my information I asked about RFID chips) they couldn't give me an answer.

Try this Dan. http://www.idstronghold.com/Credit-Card-RFID-Blocking-Sleeves/products/5/ It's a metalized sleeve your cards fit into that prevents anyone from grabbing RFID info from a distance. It's a minor inconvenience to have to constantly slide cards in and out of them (I use these for mine) yet it is peace of mind.

[Robert Hall]

Square


Love it.

[emh]

A just-slightly off-topic question, I recently became Treasurer of a cooperative art gallery. I am stunned at the ridiculously high charges our credit card processor is charging. I wonder if these things are suitable for relatively low-volume brick and mortar stores? Any input will be appreciated.

Dan- Square may work well for your gallery, but I think it needs to be linked to one specific email address. If the gallery has a phone (or ipad) that never leaves, you shouldn't have an issue. But, if there are different people manning the shop, at different times, with different phones, it may be an issue. Talk to Square. I found them very helpful when I had questions. I'm sure there's a work-around...

[tiggert]

A just-slightly off-topic question, I recently became Treasurer of a cooperative art gallery. I am stunned at the ridiculously high charges our credit card processor is charging. I wonder if these things are suitable for relatively low-volume brick and mortar stores? Any input will be appreciated.

I dont see why not, they simply rock. Worth picking up an android or iphone to use with it!

[Don Dudenbostel]

I use square on my iphone and have no problems. 2.75% per transaction and the money in in the bank in short order. It's easy to manually enter a card number so I may stop using PayPal.