Just from my experience from the small shop I work at, yes it is something that is almost becoming a must because people are using plastic more whether debit or credit. It is however expensive for the merchant because you are charged per transaction.
I [URL removed] Check around because there are different rates out there. My boss for example thought she was getting the best rates through a company her bank set her up with. Not so, she found better and when the bank company would not match it, she did her card business elsewhere. Also we set a minimum for accepting the card. We will not take it for purchases under $5.00, that of course could be set higher by you.

I use credit cards online and also at book shows. People don’t expect to be able to use them as the latter, but are always pleased to see that they can. They tend to spend a bit more!

Yes, you have to shop around. If you plan to take them for online sales too be forewarned — there’s a thing called PCI compliance that is akin to jumping through flaming hoops. But it’s worth it. If you’re only going to take them at shows you don’t have to worry about it.

I use Paypal however their fees can be much too high especially if you don’t do volumes in sales. In other words it isn’t worth it unless you are doing hundreds or thousands of dollars in sales or are willing to wait for your money until you have that much accrued. Now, my wife uses ProPay for her jewelry business as a distributer for Premier Designs. The fees are actually not too bad but I’m not sure about internet sales through something like bonanzle but to just run the cards for payment it would be fine. You would need internet access laptop to access the site and obtain immediate authorizatino or someone could give you a bogus or stolen credit card and walk with your merchandise.

I use Propay! www.propay.com I used it in my consignment shop. You can hook it up to a laptop and instantly have the payment go through or you can use the credit card swipper to store the information and the cost and when you get home you can log into your propay account and add the names and amount of the purchase, you just have to keep an accurate account for the day. I loved it! It is a really small card swipper and very easy to use. You should check it out.
Good Luck!

check this out too for Q&A all in areas of expanding your business at>

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And be sure to talk to your own bank about what they can offer you in the way of credit card processing. Many times they are happy to make you a better deal than other financial institutions just to get your additional business.

I don’t accept credit cards at craft shows and I do really well. I think I have only had one or to people ask me If I take a credit card.

Its important to accept credit cards, you can get a cc for max3,000, if thats what yo want to.however you will make more sales, money is tight all over and that is why cc is so important for sales…think about it…

I don’t know about the USA, but here in Canada (when I used to do craft shows/trade shows), found that customers much preferred the ability to use debit card/credit card,if it was available and having those methods of payment accessible at shows increased sales tremendously. The transaction & user fees were high enough at that time, but because I purchased a POS machine, I didn’t have that monthly rental fee for the terminal. Technology has advanced considerably & the POS machines can be purchased much cheaper now than in the past. With the new chip card technology, the older POS machines will be soon outdated & no longer able to be used…all need to be upgraded &/or have to purchase/rent new equipment that accepts the chip cards. Do a thorough research on the internet on POS terminals & you’ll most likely be able to find something to meet your needs.

alertpay.com

Ditto about Propay. I have a lot of friends that use it and love it for trade shows.

I think mpay does it right over your phone too.

Thank you all SO much you have been so helpful and I loved that so many shared their ideas. I especially liked the suggestion of putting a minimum charge amount on. You are all the BEST!!!!

You can bring your laptop and allow your customers to shop from your entire selection of merchandise listed on your Bonanzle store.

This way if they see something you forgot to bring or ran out of, they can purchase it immediately and you can ship it to them once the show is over.

If you have an IPHONE you can do it with propay and Paynet. Paynet is just $10.00 a month.

Propay has NO monthly fees.

You can use the internet in real time and process the credit card. Or use your phone,I like calling in and following the prompts to process the card. Now they have a credit card swipe to capture the info.

If you belong to any of the big warehouse clubs check out their credit card services. I know Sams club and Bj’s both have them, Costco I am sure has one but there isn’t one close by me so I haven’t been into one for years. Anyway you can probably check their rates and costs for the machine online at their websites. I am not sure if you lease or have to buy the credit card scanner.

We use Square for all shows. Cheaper than paypal and money is directly deposited into your account (Mon-Fri). Easy to use and people love the ability to use CC. It has increased our sales tremendously and customers much more likely to purchase more expensive items.

I wish I knew it. All these financial things are such a headache for me and I have no idea how to deal with them. I am also waiting for advice

Hello. I think you can check if PCI compliance management software from [URL removed] is suitable for your case. I know they can solve this question, but it is better to ask them directly through a website chat or by calling them.