Small business taking payment

wallofsound · 26 Oct 2012 at 12:02

Hi all,

My farther in law is thinking of opening a small art gallery and we're trying to think of ways that he can take card payments.

There is izettle - https://www.izettle.com/ which looks amazing, but only takes mastercard which is very limiting.

Otherwise - you can use paypal, but I think that means setting up a whole ecommerce website to do this, and that is a lot of work and offering discounts on pieces would be difficult.

What I would ideally like is something like izettle that you can just use on the PC - the card reader isn't really that important as people could just use his laptop to enter their credit card info.

Do you know of any solutions?

Thanks

Jambo · 27 Oct 2012 at 01:40

Just get a chip and pin PDQ machine and a bank merchant account.

Online terminals on a PC are generally for card not present transactions. I'm not sure if you are even allowed to use it for card present.

spoffle · 27 Oct 2012 at 01:53

MrMoonX · 27 Oct 2012 at 07:08

wallofsound said:
Hi all,

My farther in law is thinking of opening a small art gallery and we're trying to think of ways that he can take card payments.

There is izettle - https://www.izettle.com/ which looks amazing, but only takes mastercard which is very limiting.

Otherwise - you can use paypal, but I think that means setting up a whole ecommerce website to do this, and that is a lot of work and offering discounts on pieces would be difficult.

What I would ideally like is something like izettle that you can just use on the PC - the card reader isn't really that important as people could just use his laptop to enter their credit card info.

Do you know of any solutions?

Thanks

no one is going to enter their card details into a PC in a shop, it just smells scam, just get a card reader

Destination · 27 Oct 2012 at 07:40

Its 2.75% on transactions using the card reader.

Why not just get a proper machine from his bank, it'll be around the same % and will be able to accept all cards using a proper chip and pin device?

Spangles · 27 Oct 2012 at 07:54

spoffle said:

The way he looks so smug! Haha! What a fool!

=XDC=FluphyBunny · 27 Oct 2012 at 09:36

As said a card reader from the bank. The % will depend on what the the bank offers you its not set plus whatever they charge for rental of the machine per month. It will allow you to take all major cards (the likes of american rip off express is likely not included) but visa/master card and debit cards will be covered.

It looks more professional plus if you use a computer or other such service designed for customer not present you will almost certainly have no fraud protection as such.

malfunkshun · 27 Oct 2012 at 10:59

Don't go to the bank, they are too expensive (not always but if they are cheaper it is usually for a fixed period), do get a card terminal. There are many merchants, watch the figures. Some appear cheap but dial out to a relatively expensive number per transaction.

=XDC=FluphyBunny · 27 Oct 2012 at 15:16

Even the card machines not directly from a bank are still associated with them, but yes definitely shop around as there can be a big difference between providers.

Ours only dials out when you take an end of shift so one dial out for as many as you take. Terminal rent and percentages on credit cards and set rates on debit cards ten to be the main concern.

K.C. Leblanc · 27 Oct 2012 at 15:30

Have a dig about on;

http://ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/

There's probably a thread of two.

Trifid · 27 Oct 2012 at 15:55

wallofsound said:
the card reader isn't really that important as people could just use his laptop to enter their credit card info.

I doubt many people will be willing to do that. I certainly wouldn't.

Get a PD machine like this: http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/business/campaign/pa/save/?WT.mc_id=pasme1008

sniffy · 27 Oct 2012 at 17:01

wallofsound said:
the card reader isn't really that important as people could just use his laptop to enter their credit card info.

There's absolutely no way I would enter my card details into some shop computer.

blade007 · 27 Oct 2012 at 17:47

The one that people know and trust is the card machine.

You can get a PayPal virtual terminal, but if it was me I would expect an art gallery to be serious about money and invest a little in a card machine.