credit cards

[tuckermtn]

Been thinking about accepting credit cards at the sugarhouse this spring. Anyone else taking plastic and can recommend a processing company? Pros-cons? I know they take 2-3% of the transaction, but If it gets someone to buy that extra quart then I'm okay for that. Also will help with the mail-order thing.

One thing I'll need to do is run it wirelessly- looks like thats pretty do-able.

any input appreciated.

-eric

[Brokermike]

I've been thinking of the same thing and saw an ad on tv the other night for a cell phone that allows you to swipe a Credit card, if you're thinking of wireless that is the easiest way to go.

Other folks I know just write a receipt and process through paypal at the end of the day

[NH Maplemaker]

I was told that it is the year around fee for the machine that gets you!! So have stayed away from it. Will be interested to see what others have to say about it!! JimL.

[Sugarmaker]

Have been thinking also about this.
Just trying to be more consumer friendly for customers. So much plastic is being used today. I was wondering if we are loosing some sales due to just cash or check sales? I will be watching this too.

Chris

[dnap63]

I plan on accepting cards this year. I look at it as just one more tool to increase profits. On average people will spend more money if you accept a credit card. I havent signed up yet with a company but I have about 12 inquiries to look at and will decide which one to go with this week.

[jasonl6]

My local bank offers machines that allow you to process credit cards. The money is directly deposited into your checking account. Might be something to look into before you look into 3rd party cc machines.

Jason

[3rdgen.maple]

My bank offers the same thing but no machine. You go online to your account and manually input the credit card and money goes to the account you have setup for the transactions but keep in mind the bank gets a fee I think its 3%. Cant remember been awhile since Ive used it.

[40to1]

Have no experience accepting cards - just using them (sigh...)
However, I think it's been pretty much determined that people spend more when they're paying with credit cards.
Anytime you make it easier for people to buy things - they buy things!

You might get more traffic (especially if they see the credit card logos on your signage) and people might buy a quart over a pint. But I think where where credit cards really shine is when incidentals and impulse buys are available.

Have plenty of value-added products and maple-related items (magnets, serving pitchers (for maple syrup of course), cookbooks, maple-related postcards, etc.) arranged around the cash register.

Keep track of what moves and if you earn more, great! If not, go back to cash and checks.

[dnap63]

Typically when you have to key in a transaction rather than swiping a card through a reader you will have to pay a higher rate. Also if you do Farmers markets like we do a wireless machine may be worthwhile. A few weeks ago I saw this new company called squareup.com that gives you a free card swiper that plugs into a smart phone or an ipod. I was interested but don't have either one.

[Jim Brown]

Gentlemen; We have stayed away from the cards. Here is what we found out:

1. You will be charged 1-5% for ever purchase that you use a card so you must adjust your prices or you lose on every sale with a card.
2. With the machines there is an access fee with most , for instance you will be charged .50 cents or more per transactions with the machines if you don't own it.
3. Most companys will sell or rent you the machines, The ones we looked at were $25.00 per month to rent.
Given the fact we are trying to keep our prices down so the common folks can afford our products we chose not to go the card route.Granted we may lose a few sales but have found out that the majority of the folks we deal with will find cash or a check if they want syrup.
Just our two cents

Jim

[upsmapleman]

We have sales of several thousand on credit cards every year. We found that our local bank was the best way to go. They set it up and you have local support if you ever need it. We did buy our machine from Ebay for alot less than they were asking. Be careful there are alot of machines which are no longer legal on there. You need to make sure you have one that wipes out all but the last 4 #'s. You can find out what one they recommend and look for that one. Unless your looking to increase sales by a few hundred a month may not be worth it. The more they are used the cheaper it is to use them. Also we are finding fees keep going up. Reward cards! You pay a higher processing fee. Need to key enter a higher fee. Need to bypass something a higher fee. We only do 3 shows a year and may do 3o cards at a show. We do it on paper and then key enter when we get home. Figures out less than trying to get wirless for a day. So far have not had a bad card.

Dale

[Amber Gold]

I thought of using paypal, but then you run the risk of taking the information down and not having it go through. The other option would be to run a wireless router so you can bring a lap top into the SH and processing it immediately, but then that process is slower too.

We're working on a website which will have merchant services built into it. Maybe we'll handle all credit card transactions through the website so we're not paying for a machine.

There are options to make it work, but unfortunately it eats into your profits, but then again, you'll probably sell more. If sales continue to increase this year, we'll probably add it for the 2012 maple season.

[upsmapleman]

We use to take credit cards on line thru our web site. Laws changed and this became very risky. We do not do any online credit cards the credit card company required us to hire a company to check our security. We pay $25 a year just to say no one can hack in. Real time processing a credit card is expensive. We use Pay Pal for on line.

[briduhunt]

I went to a local surplus supply store this year before Christmas and he was using Pay Pal for all credit card/Debit card sales. I believe that PayPal does take a cut of the sale but I was told it was lower than what he could find from any banks. I will stop over to his shop this weekend and look into it more and let everyone know what I found out. We would all like to have more sales and any tool that can help us is always a good thing to consider.

[Sugarmaker]

We currently use PayPal for online sales and it seems to work fine. I think we will stay with cash, check, or IOU in the sugarhouse for another season.
Regards,
Chris

[paul]

we have been selling syrup for some 11 year now and we have found that most folks love the fact that we don`t take credit cards. We ship them their syrup with a bill, when they get the syrup they send us a check. Folks love the fact that we trust them.I know what your thinking, what if they don`t pay. Well 11 years and only 1 loss, I think that pretty good. the credit card company`s make enough money,do they really need to charge a transaction fee and a fee for the machine. Not from us. Just my 2 cents

[few trees]

Watch out for American Express. I accepted their cards for a trial period but they kept charging me after the term expired and I never did get the excess charges back. Very bad company.:mad:

[Farmboy]

CASH. We don't except credit cards for anything. The farm or my dads company. Cash and checks only. All credit cards do is make rich people richer. My $0.02

[danno]

I'm sure that CC may increase a sale (maybe buy that extra quart), but I can honestly say I have never had a drive up customer ask if I take plastic. Cash or check is offered.

I was very surprised that Marcland was selling $450 (or more expensive models if you wanted it) syrup draw off units at the verona confernce with IOU's. That's allot of merchandise to be handing over the counter to customers all over the NE. Sent them my check last week:)

[OneLegJohn]

I have been kicking this around because of the demographic I draw. People in their 20's and 30's don't seem to carry cash as much as older generations. I did see the iPhone has an app to use a credit card. Does anyone use the iPhone to process credit cards? What are the fees associated.

[ToadHill]

We've been accepting credit cards for a couple of years now. We accept VISA, MC, Discover and Amex. We started doing it because we started a website, but we also accept them at the sugarhouse. During our maple weekends we do several thousand dollars worth of sales just on credit cards. I'm sure that if we didn't accept them we would still get some of those sales, but I also know that there are people who buy from us as opposed to some of our neighbors simply because they can use the plastic. I don't know that those sales alone are enough to justify taking credit cards, but because of the website we had to anyhow, so this is just a bonus.

We use Quick Books and process the cards through Intuit's website. We didn't have a phone at the old sugarhouse so we just used the old fashioned credit card slips and then processed them later. We have only had a couple of minor instances where the card failed to process. If you do this make sure you get all of the info correct including a phone number to clear up any mistakes.

I can't compare this service to any other, but it has worked for us. I can't say exactly what the fees are because they are different for each type of card and type of transaction. They are significant and you need to factor that into your bottom line. I suspect that a local bank may give you a better deal. We will find out this year when we plan to install a card swipe.

Randy

[allgreenmaple]

We've been accepting credit cards for a couple of years now. We accept VISA, MC, Discover and Amex. We started doing it because we started a website, but we also accept them at the sugarhouse. During our maple weekends we do several thousand dollars worth of sales just on credit cards. I'm sure that if we didn't accept them we would still get some of those sales, but I also know that there are people who buy from us as opposed to some of our neighbors simply because they can use the plastic. I don't know that those sales alone are enough to justify taking credit cards, but because of the website we had to anyhow, so this is just a bonus.

We use Quick Books and process the cards through Intuit's website. We didn't have a phone at the old sugarhouse so we just used the old fashioned credit card slips and then processed them later. We have only had a couple of minor instances where the card failed to process. If you do this make sure you get all of the info correct including a phone number to clear up any mistakes.

I can't compare this service to any other, but it has worked for us. I can't say exactly what the fees are because they are different for each type of card and type of transaction. They are significant and you need to factor that into your bottom line. I suspect that a local bank may give you a better deal. We will find out this year when we plan to install a card swipe.

Randy Interested in how much business you do via your website. It may be something I may set up eventually.

[michiganfarmer2]

I use paypal for online sales.

Most of my face to face sales take place at my sharpening business. I accept credit cards at my sharpenign business. When someone wants to pay for syrup with their credit card, and tell them I preferr anything els, but if a credit card is all they have, I will accept it. Thats kinda trickey too because the credit card sales go into my sharpening business checking.

[ToadHill]

Interested in how much business you do via your website. It may be something I may set up eventually.

While I don't want to share specific personal financial information, I will say that it hasn't been enough at this point to justify the investment in time and/or finances (about $3,000 to set it up and annual expenses to maintain it), but we had other reasons for doing it. Keep in mind our site includes a complete shopping cart including UPS shipping calculations. There is a lot of competition on the web so it isn't the be all end all that everyone thinks. We wanted a site that would allow our customers to ship gifts to friends and relatives, a location to post the dates of our Maple Weekends, directions to our sugarhouse, etc. To that end it has worked great.

Randy

[danno]

I have been kicking this around because of the demographic I draw. People in their 20's and 30's don't seem to carry cash as much as older generations. I did see the iPhone has an app to use a credit card. Does anyone use the iPhone to process credit cards? What are the fees associated.

I find that extremely interesting - I have virtually no business from that age bracket. I'd say close to 100% of my customers are 40+. Hum??? May I ask how old you are? I'm 45. I'm wondering if the age of the producer has any impact on the average age of their customer.

[tuckermtn]

Danno- I hear that 45 is the new 35- means you have an extra ten years of sugaring at the end...

[bigtreemaple]

While I don't want to share specific personal financial information, I will say that it hasn't been enough at this point to justify the investment in time and/or finances

Randy

We have had similar experience with the web. It sells some syrup but not that much, I really expected it to do beter but it doesn't seem to take off.

[BryanEx]

We have had similar experience with the web. It sells some syrup but not that much, I really expected it to do beter but it doesn't seem to take off.

Questions on your comment because online sales really interest me. Did you just add an online shopping cart to your existing web site or did you actively and aggressively market online? Were SEO, Google placement, page rank, keywords, and web site interface all actively monitored and adjusted? I'm just trying to get a feel for your "experience with the web" and how much was put into that experience. Some producers I've talked to have found online sales to be an easy add-on while others have had to battle it tooth and nail to make it work.

[Clan Delaney]

I talked to a friend of mine today who recommended two different methods that might work for those who wish to accept plastic in the sugar house. One was Authorize.net (http://www.authorize.net/), which uses a web interface (a website with secure login) to process credit/debit cards on the spot. It looks like it requires set-up and monthly maintenance fees in addition to per-transaction fees. That may be worth it to some, though. You would also need a computer/laptop/netbook and a way to access the internet to use this.

My favorite was Square (http://help.squareup.com/customer/portal/topics/4139-frequently-asked-questions/articles). Sign up for an account and they send you a card swipe device that plugs into the audio jack of your iPhone (or similar supported smartphone). Then you just download their app, and start taking payments. There is a 2.75%+15cent per-transaction fee and that's it. (I did the math and, for example, on a 10 dollar purchase, they'd take 43 cents. This is what I'd use if I could. It makes me want to get a smartphone.

[Amber Gold]

Clan, I discovered squaredup last week. If I go plastic, this is the way I'll go because you can take it anywhere and make purchases. The problem is I'd need to get a cell phone which would need to be figured into the cost of it.

[sfsshadow]

we started credit cards a few years ago.after trying a couple different companys,we found one we liked.sales have increased around 35% we now use a cash register.helps keep track of syrup sales vs candy,etc.i miss our old tin cash box,though

[dnap63]

With the Squareup system I think you can also use an "ipod touch" to process the credit cards. It is a good alternative if you don't need a contract with a smart phone. Now all I have to do is figure out how to borrow my kids Ipod.

[shane hickey]

I am 27 and most of my costomers are near my age some are a lot older but the Iphone are very nice for transaction also when boiling I can play record and send to my friends and they all know fresh maple syrup is being made and the sales start. The Ipads are nice the Iphones are more convient. Technology has come along ways have to keep up with it or fall behind. It's kind of like gps on tractors today or farming with horses and smelling the farts in the past.

[OneLegJohn]

Thanks for all the input. My iPad delivers tomorrow and the square should be here shortly. I like the iPad because customers "sign" their name with their finger. As long as my internet is working, I'll be good. I advertise my SH as a WiFi hotspot during March Maple Madness tours. So, I purchased a new wireless router that will give my iPad's signal priority over guests. I don't want to lose signal in the middle of the transaction.

[bigtreemaple]

Questions on your comment because online sales really interest me. Did you just add an online shopping cart to your existing web site or did you actively and aggressively market online? Were SEO, Google placement, page rank, keywords, and web site interface all actively monitored and adjusted? I'm just trying to get a feel for your "experience with the web" and how much was put into that experience. Some producers I've talked to have found online sales to be an easy add-on while others have had to battle it tooth and nail to make it work.

I hired a lady who does web sites and teaches it at the local community college to design my site. She put in key words and meta tags etc but we have not worked hard (or paid additional fees) to get to the top in the search engines. I do not have the understanding of how all the web stuff works in order to do it myself and I have chosen not to spend additional money on the project.

[BryanEx]

Okay, fair enough bigtreemaple. Thanks for sharing. After reading this entire discussion the thing I wonder about is if you do BOTH online sales and in person sales... does it require two different credit card processes or is there a way of consolidating the expenses of plastic?

- Bryan

[gmcooper]

Anyone using Nationwide credit card services for processing? We are looking to change companies and our local bank recomended this company.

Got the name wrong: http://www.nationwidepaymentsolutions.com

[Amber Gold]

If you have wi-fi and an online website, I don't see why you couldn't put all SH credit card orders through your website. Just have a check box for pick up.

If I handle credit cards, it'll probably be the cell phone with square app. For now, I'll just keep it through the website.

Onelegjohn, please keep us posted on how the Square system works.

[OneLegJohn]

Just set up the ap today. It has as an easy way to preset your items and prices....you can even select what color you want for each item. I'm getting used to the iPad and setting up the Square account was pretty easy. We will see when the square interface shows up and I get to start processing.

[holey_bucket]

I have used paypal in the past, but that Square product looks pretty good! 2.75%+.15 per swiped transaction... That's roughly $1.30 charge for a gallon of syrup sold. Good deal. I'm going to get one. There's no charge until you use it. No other fees. I already have an Android phone so it will be a snap! I personally love the idea of being able to use my phone like a point of sale machine. Now... if I could get it connected to a printer to print receipts somehow...

Check out their main site here. (https://squareup.com/) Or copy and paste this: https://squareup.com/ .

The Q&A page is here. (https://help.squareup.com/customer/portal) Or copy and paste this: https://help.squareup.com/customer/portal .

If you already use a website and sell there, or are going to, Paypal has a product called Website Payment Standard. (And several other products that may suit your business better.) Website Payment Standard is generally 2.9%+.30 per transaction. Check out the site here (https://merchant.paypal.com/cgi-bin/marketingweb?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=merchant/wp_standard&nav=2.1.0), and go to the "Pricing" tab for details.

Good luck! Hope you sell scads!

[Brent]

Around here if you go to McDonald's they run cards through Moneris. We use them.

Don't fuss about the machine rent/buy thing. You don't need it. You can copy all the data from the card with a ball point pen. Call up the Moneris number, key in your account and the card data and the amount and it's in you bank in 15 minutes. If the volume goes up, get a card. You can even get wireless card readers to run in the sugar shack out in the bush where there's no land line. But all that can come later.

[Logan Cabin]

I'm a glassblower by trade & sell at art fairs. You will certainly see an average higher ticket sale with credit cards. Check your local bank first (always nice to have someone to yell at, er, talk to in person if something goes wrong!).

The percentages will vary by processor, by type of card & whether they are swiped through a machine or called in by phone. We still use the old "knuckle-buster" machine and then call in the card info when we get home. Watch out for other add-on charges from the processor. There is also a fee (25 to 50 cents) for each transaction. Then there can be monthly fees & statement fees.
One year I totaled all that up & we had 6-7% going to the processor. Keep that in mind when investigating, a low % in one area may be eaten by a different charge.

I'm hoping to find one of the "smart-phone" dangles that allows you to swipe a card & call it in via your iPhone. You can e-mail the customer a receipt as well.

[tuckermtn]

Update on my original post. I signed up a month ago for the squareup.com service. They sent me a free card reader that plugs in to my android phone. They take a flat 3% and it allows me to take cards at the sugar house and at the farmers market on Wednesdays. No monthly fee or rental fee for the reader- which is handy with a somewhat seasonal bussiness. It allows me to text or email the person a receipt. Still determining if it is driving more sales, but I know one sale a person went from a quart to a 1/2 gallon because of the CC option.

So far I have been impressed with the simplicity of the service. Thumbs up...

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for the update. I'm thinking of making the jump and buying a smart phone and accepting credit cards using the squared up system. I'll probably wait to make the jump until the holiday season or next maple season when I expect sales to increase significantly.

[Brian Ryther]

I have lost a few sales this summer due to not having credit card services. After seeing tuckermtns post I looked into smart phone pos cc services. I went with Intuit. I use intuit for my other invoicing services so I figured it a good fit. They also ofered a free card reader. The fee is 2.7% per transaction if swiped and 3.something% if it is a manual entry. The jurry is still out, lets hope it works well.

[KenWP]

What are you guys offering for airmiles with a quart of syrup.

[tuckermtn]

Ken- from my experience airmiles is strictly Canadian thing...

[gmcooper]

This Spring we switched Credit card processors to Sam's Club/ First Data. Processing is great and % is low (under 2). Per swipe is minimal but monthly charge for unit is too much( a minor detail they skipped over in the hundreds of questions I asked before hand). They were good at getting me to switch at the last minute from buying our own processor to leasing. Everything does work well and still cheaper than our old company who never even called to see why we left.

[wiam]

Processing cards sounds like a real profit headache. If you guys really have that much of a problem getting your syrup out the door, it might be more cost effective to look into different marketing strategies, value added products, or bigger accounts. Let the people with no money spend what they dont have elsewhere, and screw up their life with someone else.

I take exception to this statement. I do not usually have enough cash on me to buy a quart of syrup, but I do in the account that my debit card is connected to.

William

[Brian Ryther]

Everyone has a different experience to offer in this business.[/QUOTE]

Then don't come down on us who use credit card pos.
I personaly have signed up to take credit cards because I have lost a few sales from people who have not had the cash on had because we live in a credit / debit transaction world. I also am hoping that by offering the credit card option people might buy three quarts instead of one because it is much easer to make a larger purchase on a cc than with cash. Time will tell.
I will however say that I have declined the ebt transaction for food stamps at my local market. Maple products are on the short list of items that food stamp are accepted for at farmers markets. I do not feel that food stamp recipients should be using there (govt, people funded) money on maple products. They should be spending it on vegies and essential items. Sugar of all kinds are not required for basic nutritional needs. Fruits and vegies supply us with enough sugar.

[BryanEx]

Processing cards sounds like a real profit headache. If you guys really have that much of a problem getting your syrup out the door, it might be more cost effective to look into different marketing strategies, value added products, or bigger accounts. Let the people with no money spend what they dont have elsewhere, and screw up their life with someone else.

Ever so helpful... :rolleyes:

[tuckermtn]

taking credit cards is not a profit headache to me...the 3% (the only fee with squaredup) for the transaction is not significant enough for me to not consider taking cards. On a typical quart sale for me that works out to $.50. I had four CC sales yesterday at the farmers market, making up over 1/3 of my total sales for the afternoon.

[Ausable]

OK, sorry to butt in, My opinion is obviously not welcome, Ill stay off of here.

Hey! -- Your Opinion is just as important as anyone else on here. It is an opinion - Yours. ---- As I well know - if 50% agree with You that is great. As far as buying stuff - I'm kinda old school - cash for small stuff - but - my Mrs. is a check writer and She does most of the buying. In this World - most of us have credit cards - as - we are kind forced to. Now -- if I'm selling anything and am getting burnt by say bad checks - I would be a bit hesitant about accepting checks for awhile..... Guess the answer might be --- Do what works for You.........

[adk1]

I can honestly say that I have not had or used a CC in 3 years now. I use my bank debit card all the time. the wife on the other hand.......

[Brian Ryther]

Good point ADK1. I do not have credit cards. If you dont have it dont spend it. But I use my debit card for every purchase I can and try not to carry cash. If I have cash then I am much more likely to buy a breakfast sandwich. If I dont the I feel silly using a debit card for a $2 purcahse. For me it is an easy way to save money and fat.

[Jake Hamels]

If you have an iPhone or android smartphone I suggest you try mobile credit card processing. I found this option when I was searching for the best method to start accepting credit cards. I went with it at first to see if it would be worth it and stuck with them since. if you want more info on it read this blog posts http://blog.payanywhere.com/2011/06/pay-anywhere-explain-to-me-what-this-is/

[Amber Gold]

Looking for an update on mobile credit card processing. How's it working out? Is it increasing sales?

Looking at my options, I think the best solution for us is to buy a tablet or iPad w/ a wireless router (both one time costs) and handle transactions with the Squared Up system. The wireless router would be at the desktop in the house and the tablet/iPad in the sugar house. Is anyone else doing it this way? I'd like to get the hardware during Christmas sales and have it set up for maple season. 90% of our retail sales are at the sugarhouse and we're only getting into craft fairs now...figure most places have wi-fi nowadays.

Thanks

[red maples]

you can get a smart phone such as an Iphone or the new one that verizon has, get the "square" with the smart phone you can take it anywhere like craft shows, where ever and still be able to accept credit cards.

for signature you just sign the phone thats why you need a good touch screen for an acurate signature!

have to calculate this out here

Ipad is what $600 wireless router $100 I think give or take the more $$$ the better it is. so thats $700 but your limited to where you can use it basically at your house unless you can find wifi. I have a router already love it everything is going wireless laptop is wireless, desk top wireless, printer wireless. pretty cool stuff. anyway, smart phone $150-$200 monthly service for single phone $80 not sure I have a family plan. $30/ month data charge. (Using verizon) $200 one time+ $110 per month $1200-$1400 a year roughly.

SO I guess it all depends on if you plan on doing more shows! is how you will go! but anyway I am hearing good things about the square seems like the way to go.

[tuckermtn]

I have been using squared since June and like the simplicity of it. No monthly fees, etc. I have over $800 in sales with them now. I anticipate using it more heading in to the holidays. I use it on my android smart phone.

so far, so good...

[Amber Gold]

Brad, neither one of us have a cell phone now, nor do we really need one. So for us to go with a smart phone, we'd need to cover the monthly cell phone charges from credit sales alone and I don't see us doing that. However, I was in Staples buying labeling stuff, and they had a basic tablet...good enough to surf the web and check email, for ~$225 throw in a router ($100) and I'm into it for ~32...since they're one time costs, it doesn't matter if it takes 1 year or five years to recoup them. 95% of our sales are at the SH and I dn't anticipate doing that many fairs.

Eric, do you advertise that you take credit, or just accept it if they ask? How do people take to handling a cc transaction on the phone?

[DrTimPerkins]

If you use a credit card and pay the balance in full each month you are getting a month long free loan. It does require that you restrain yourself somewhat when you go shopping at the maple equipment dealer though. :D With a debit card, you're tying up your own money until you spend it.

Debit cards also have FAR less protection on your account if you lose it or someone hacks your number. You're on the hook for pretty much the full balance that is charged or stolen. With a credit card, as long as you report it lost in a timely fashion, you're only going to lose about $50 max. Most credit card companies will even waive that.

If you have a PayPal account you can accept transfers or payments from a Credit Card to your account for a small fee. Simple and cheap and you (or your customer) can do it on a computer, iPad, or smartphone pretty easily.

[tuckermtn]

Josh- I do have a visa/mc logo on my price sheet. People do not seem to mind the cc transaction via the phone. Hardest part is folks using their finger to try and sign on the screen of the smart phone.

[Amber Gold]

Tim, that's how we use our cc. It's easier than carrying cash around and we have more protection with it as you said. We do not use debit cards to make purchases for that reason. We almost got burned pretty bad because the transaction didn't close when we were finished and we got stuck with the customer's behind us bill. It took a lot of fighting w/ the store to get the charge taken off. From that point on, the debit card only gets used at the bank.

Eric, what about using a pen with no ink in it? The tablet is nicer because it has a bigger screen.

[red maples]

Eric, you can buy a stylus they are very cheap Radio shack, etc. then they don't have to use their fingers.

Josh that way seems economical and your not doing that many shows but do becareful if you choose that route because public wifi is very open and easily hacked by a novice hacker and can get info from your laptop tablet etc. they do have public wifi settings on portable stuff these days to help with hackers. good hackers can get around just about anything!!!

[DrTimPerkins]

... buy a stylus...

...be careful if you choose that route because public wifi is very open and easily hacked

Two comments.

Not all styli will work with all touch-screen devices. Try (or carefully check the specs) before you buy.

When you do an online financial transaction, whether over Wi-Fi or wired, look to see that the web address starts with https:// (the "s" being the important part, as it means "secured"). If that doesn't show up....don't do it.

[OneLegJohn]

Looking for an update on mobile credit card processing. How's it working out? Is it increasing sales?

I've been running the square program on the iPad I for about 10 months. I ended up with two engagements this weekend, so I purchased the iPad II w/3G. It is great for remote sales. The cool thing is I was able to see the sales rolling in at the sugarhouse from a market 70 miles away. Slick secure technology. I think the extra $300 in cc sales this weekend answers your question, on value. I prefer the iPad over the iPhone for cc sales simply b/c people like signing with their finger. The iPhone is hard for some (eh-em) more distinguished customers to read. However, I could see the argument that the iPhone is a better value. If you have a cell phone bill, you might as well gain extra value out of it.

[Tmeeeh]

I chose Intuit's Go Payment. Because we mostly take credit card payments over the phone. The ONLY fees are a swipe fee or a key in fee. The fees are a little higher but unlike square we can key in the card numbers with a PC on Intuit's secure website. (We don't have a smartphone yet). Also we already use quickbooks and transaction history can be moved into quickbooks easily.

[sapman]

I was checking on cc fees for our well drilling business recently. We seem to pay a LOT in fees. I inquired about them, and many extra fees are for keying in. But some very hefty ones were when customers used a reward card of some kind (one transaction cost us around $2-300 X 2, I think, as they were paying for a well). Turns out, we businesses are helping pay these rewards! Wish it were possible to ask customers not to use these cards with us, but what can you do. I plan to look in to the mobile pay for my phone.

[red maples]

My wife got a square and we used it at an art show this weekend she put $600 in sales through it. pretty cool no equipment or extra fees just I think 2.75% per swipe charge manual number entry is a little more. So her fees were only 16.50...not bad!!! I Think I am gonna get one for myself and just use her phone!!! they are free to get they just have give you a few question and your all set. I don't have a smart phone only 1 step below the smart phone I personally have a problem with the $30/ mon data fees!!! I might give in but I am not due for another phone until July or August I think.

[Amber Gold]

sapman, that's another thing that kept us from going with your standard merchant services system. Why should I be paying for their rewards. Another way for big business to offer something they don't pay for which increases their profits. I like the Square system, but it's the 2.75% flat rate, regardless if buyer has a rewards card.

Just bought a Sylvania tablet at Sears for $129 and a wireless router. We'll see how good the tablet it (just using it to process the cc transactions and nothing else so it doesn't need to be fancy) and see if the range on the router is enough to get to the sugar house, or at least near it. If needed, we can get a more powerful router.

[red maples]

you can usually go buy what it says on the box then cut it in 1/2 for good reception. I have net gear and it says its good for 1000 ft which is a little much but once you get past 100 ft the internet starts to slow a little. but it will work good up to about 250 ft. and my sugarhouse is about 150-200 feet fro the house. My lap top works pretty good in the sugarhouse internet video steaming starts to get a little rough to watch too many pauses and buffering!!

[Amber Gold]

Really? They were telling me it would be a stretch to make it to the SH, which is just outside the house. I bought an extended range router, but it didn't say the range. I'll have everything hooked up and hopefully functional by week end.

[red maples]

If you have an extended range it should be fine. I actually need to look into a better one mine is about 3-4 yrs old now. which doesn't seem old but at the rate technology is growing the more stuff you have using it the signal seems to be weaker. Lap top, smart TV(just got it its for x-mas wifi one can't wait to set it up just have to finish making the stand !!! ) Wifi for the Wii, Wife's smart phone, desk top computer, wireless printer. So yeah looking into a stronger more uptodate one.

[MartinP]

Check out meraki outdoor wireless access points. You get 2 SSID's so you can have a public and a private one. Easy to get signal over 300 feet. Added bonus is you can see what devices are connected and allow or not. You can get one for around $165.

[red maples]

I can see what devices are in mine as well. it was closer to the top of the line when I bought it. If any computer tries to enter it I can block them.

[Amber Gold]

After much trial and error and research, I found the only items which work w/ the square device (intuit as well) are android based mobile phones, and handful of android tablets, and the apple products. We don't have mobile phones so were trying to go the tablet route and found the cheaper tablets can't get access to the android market (now called google play) and you need to get there to get the square app. The only tablets which could get access cost $400+ and that's a lot of coin to shell out just so you can process credit cards. So we ended up getting the iPod Touch (<$200), which is basically an iPod with wi-fi. Even though apple puts out a great product, which is generally problem free, I was trying to avoid getting an apple product because they control everything. Got the square app. downloaded last night and hopefully we can get everything figured out for maple weekend.


Anyone using the square app., are you taking the time to take pictures of all your products and cataloging them into the database? The only thing I've done is download the app. and set the account up. I haven't had a chance to dig into it. If you catalogue them, does it make it easier to process orders?

Intuit also has their own version of the Square device and Paypal has one in development now. Once we get through the maple season, we'll compare them all and see which is best.

[tuckermtn]

Josh- I plan on trying the square app on the ipod touch I got from heide for xmas. mostly still use it on my android phone. and no I don't bother to take pictures. about half the folks like to get a receipt texted, many do not.

[Amber Gold]

I thought you could catalogue all your items to create a database...makes for an easier checkout, but found out this is only available on the iPad. How do you add more than one item? I've figured out how to take a pic of the item, put the description in and the cost, but not how to add additional items.