Craft Show Credit Card Processing

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Art & Craft Show Credit Card Processing

for Crafts Business Video 11 (see below the article version)

What we all have in common..

Art & Craft Show Credit Card Processing We know that many of the festival and fair attendees walk among our booths with limited cash in their pockets. We also know they often scout the venue location and other vendors before returning to our booth for a purchase.

And how many of these people do you think spend their cash on food items while they explored the event? So now you have a family of four at your booth, each juggling a four-dollar soda and seven-dollar hotdog, and you are presented with a Visa card… what do you say?

If you have a product that you sell for cash only, and your sales don’t suffer as a result of not accepting credit cards, you are in the lucky minority. For the rest of us, we may like to accept credit cards, but there may be a number of things standing in our way:

We don't understand the process
The portable nature of our business & the related expense of complex equipment
The seasonal nature of our business vs. yearly contracts and maintenance fees
High transaction fees digging into our profits
The variety of credit card processing options available & determining which is appropriate.

What does it take to get a Merchant Account?

Accepting credit cards is easier today that it every has been. In general, the following is all you'll need to get going with a Merchant Account:

18 years of age or older
Have a US checking account
Good credit sure helps when you need low rates, but there are programs available to those with less than stellar credit.

Generally, this process takes anywhere from one to three days. It's quick, easy, and frankly, qualifying should be the least worrisome detail. Be more concerned with picking the right company, payment solution, and account structure.

Portable Credit Card Payment Solutions

The advantages and disadvantages of Credit Card Processing solutions and equipment vary widely. The options listed below are common solutions for Arts & Craft show vendors:

Wireless Credit Card Machines
Portable Store & Forward devices
Manual imprinters and slips, aka “Knuckle Busters”
Mobile Phone Processing

Mobile Payment Systems: A Merchant Guide to Mobile Payment Solutions goes into the specifics about each category as is good site to get you up to speed.

We are Seasonal Merchants!

Many of us consider the monthly fees associated with accepting credit cards just part of our overhead. But as with any responsible business owner, we have to juggle the cost of these fees with the benefit in extra sales as a result of accepting credit cards. We can do this two ways:

Sign a yearly contract, with low monthly fees, and low transaction fees. The discount associated has to compensate you for the months that your business isn’t active.
Opt for a seasonal merchant account, with perhaps a higher transaction cost. The premium, if any, must be offset by the benefit of accepting credit cards.

Both approaches are entirely valid, however, this is where many of us end up getting into a little trouble choosing an appropriate Merchant Processor. Here are some tips that might save you a good deal of money and frustration.

Understand the marketing practices the Credit Card Processing industry uses, how rate structures are manipulated, etc. A good place to start is by reviewing the material at Credit Card Processing Practices
Talk to your booth neighbors and ask them about their success, or horror stories with their Merchant Processor.
Consult with a Merchant Processor who actually supports our seasonal and mobile processing needs. You’ll know pretty quickly if the rep on the other end of the line knows our business or not.
Do your research! If you do this right, it should feel like a partnership that enhances your business. If you do it wrong, it could be a long term, money sucking, and aggravating lesson.

Crafts Business Video 11 of 20 answers the frequently asked question: "Do I have to accept credit cards?" from the Series: "The 10 Most Asked Questions About Selling Crafts and the 10 Questions You Should Be Asking" Sign Up Here to Get the Entire Craft Business Video Series

Craft Business Video 12 answers the question you should be asking: "How many different payment options can I offer?" Video 12 of 20 in the Series:

Got a Minute to Laugh? Check Out These Funny Credit Card Videos

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