Guest Sopowerclean Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Is anyone using Paypal to process credit cards. I have a new wireless internet service good throughout my area and thought of using Paypal to process credit cards to give people another option at paying. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated. Thank you Lawrence Carter Southern Power Clean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Celeste 341 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Lawrence, I've been deluged with emails from Paypal recently about someone trying to use my account so they need me to resend my credit card info. I'm fairly sure it's not paypal sending them since I've deactivated the account. It may be a viable option to offer, however, I'd check very closely into their policies on what information they get from you, ie, bank account numbers! Just a thought, albeit not a really good one. Celeste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RyanH 14 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Celeste, That's a scam that's been around for quite awhile. Ignore it and don't send them anything. Lawrence, I used to use Paypal to pay for things online and a friend used them to receive payments. I've hinted at one of my clients to check them out for their business as an alternative to credit cards depending upon the situations involved. I know that people who accept Paypal attach an additional 3% fee to the cost of the purchase, so I assume they charge that as a fee like credit cards do. Yes, you do have to give them bank account information and personal info same as you would if you opened a new card or bank account, but I've never had any problem with them. They work it as a direct deposit to your account when someone pays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Celeste 341 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Celeste,That's a scam that's been around for quite awhile. Ignore it and don't send them anything. I figured as much so I have not sent anything to them, nor have I reactivated my account (which is a pain in the butt since I am an E-Bay addict). It just rattles my cage that it can appear so legit. Lawrence, didn't mean to rain on your parade :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Musgraves 240 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 You can use them, i have in the past. I do not like the fees. you pay 1.90 per transactions. I just phone the card or text it to my office. We have incripted software for the card numbers we have stored for regular billing. I like taking credit cards, more and more customers want to use them. BIG PLUS. Dont be affraid of paypal. the olny thing i'm affraid of are the fees. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RyanH 14 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Giving the customer the option of using a credit card will almost always guarantee they will want additional "upsells." The fast food industry has seen this and it has been very profitable for them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CCPC 26 Report post Posted December 1, 2004 I buy and sell antiques and collectibles on the side and have made hundreds of transactions through paypal and have never had a problem. legitimate companies will never email you and ask for your personal information. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
david1969 14 Report post Posted January 11, 2006 First off, hello all...I'm a brand new member. I want to use PayPal for my pressure washing business, but I don't have a computer to take with me. The only one I have is here at home. Can I call someone (secretary- trusted employee at my business) and have them enter the customers' cc info as I read it off to them? I looked at the paypal site earlier today and from what I saw, it seemed like they require the payee to have an email account as well. That's great for emailing the customer a receipt-invoice once I get in that night, but if they don't have email/computer, are they out as far as being able to accept their CC thru paypal? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve r 14 Report post Posted January 11, 2006 I dont use paypal .but i except credit cards .5% of my business is by credit card.it gives you more options for payment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLD 14 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 I accept CCards for my online biz via a typical account. I use that same account for PW'ing. I also accept PayPal payments for customers who write and ask, but I do not offer it as an option on my site. I DO offer it as an option for items listed on my ebay store. That said, I take about 10 paypal payments a month for over 3 years and have had no problems with them. The have my bank account info on file and I can sweep payments into my checking account or I can pay with paypal and they will fund it from cash on hand, then pull from bank and/or CCard. If PayPal allows you to offer an option that brings in additional business don't be afraid of it. And as for the 3%: The best CC account will cost you ~1.65%. The worst ~2.65% Most all have $50-60/mo (~$2000 sales) minimum. I pay 2.02% with a $55 mininum. If you are doing one here, one there, transactions then 3% may be your cheapest alternative for CC processing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 249 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 The only problem is one of convenience. The customer has to setup a PayPal account. What if they don't own a computer, use the internet or trust sending their personal info over the internet? As a consumer I would be a little put off. Just take my credit card, swipe it or do whatever you have to with it and hand it back to me and we're done. This past season about five customers wanted to use a credit card. I offered them the PayPal option and they all declined. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Celeste 341 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 Contrary to my post above (11/04), we began offering Pay Pal as a means to accept credit card payments and it has worked well for us. Yes the customer is required to have email and set up an account, we've run into customers that do have to go through the process to set it up but it's never been a deterrent. In my research for credit card companies, I found PayPal to be very competitive with the other rates I was quoted, I don't have to get a machine or worry that I ever had a credit card or account number. I let PayPal worry with the security issues. I also like the way that it gives us another "bank account" to use....when you receive money from PayPal, you can leave it there, earn cash back on purchases on the card they will issue you. We use it for ordering chems, stains, etc... online. Celeste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevinw 14 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 I started taking credit cards about 3 years ago, it's made a big difference and now about 75% of my business is credit cards. I've never used paypal, and really don't know anything about them other than that's what you find on ebay. When I started, I called my bank and asked them for a recommendation. They offered to process my cards for a fee, and gave me the name of a broker that could set me up to process cards directly. I started with the broker (better pricing structure) and, as the volume grew, I realized how much I was paying in service fees and discount fees...too much. So, I called each company (Amex, Visa/MC, and Discover) and told them they were charging me too much. If they didn't give me a better price, I was going to change service providers. They ALL gave me a better price!..much better! Amex is pretty snobbish, harder to work with but they will work with you if you keep on them (I threatened to stop taking AMEX and they decided to cooperate). Discover folded like a blanket, and Visa/Mastercard was in the middle somewhere. My customers prefer to use cards for mileage points, no interest financing, etc. End result for me is an easier sale because the customer has more options. If you use Quickbooks, they have a pretty good program for processing Visa/MC and they're also flexible on pricing. If you're just getting started with cards, you'll have to bite the bullet until you build a history/volume record, then you can negotiate. Kevin Whitley Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bforbis 14 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 I have been looking at the CC acceptance but have not b/c of the cost. Although not sure about total of costs. What is the expected for set up and processing payments? Do you work with your bank or direct with the CC company? Do you pass the expense of processing directly to customer (hiden or upfront)? Thanks Brent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PWkid 79 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 I use paypal on my website for another option of payment.Most of my business is checks and cash.I couldn't justify buying or renting a portable processor and pay a monthly fee.I chose the paypal route and for the amount of transactions I have it works awesome.Your customers don't have to set-up account now,They do have to have e-mail but if they don't I just use my email acct and send them the receipt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 249 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 Mel, there might be a difference betwen offering PayPal as a sideline and accepting credit cards as an advertised form of payment that would more than justify the costs. The areas I target usually have the cash for restoration but there are lesser areas in my market that need service and I am sure credit card financing would bring up the tally of calls in those areas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevinw 14 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 What is the expected for set up and processing payments? There weren't any set up costs with the broker I used. Many of the companies will waive the set up costs to get you going. Do you work with your bank or direct with the CC company? I work with a merchant services company, they process the transactions on the cards. Do you pass the expense of processing directly to customer (hiden or upfront)? The agreement you sign states you won't charge more for credit card transactions. The average fee is less than 1.5% for me, so I just build it into the pricing. Kevin Whitley Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Celeste 341 Report post Posted January 12, 2006 I use paypal on my website for another option of payment.Most of my business is checks and cash.I couldn't justify buying or renting a portable processor and pay a monthly fee.I chose the paypal route and for the amount of transactions I have it works awesome.Your customers don't have to set-up account now,They do have to have e-mail but if they don't I just use my email acct and send them the receipt. There you go.....that's where we were when we went to PayPal. We tried going with regular companies but the set up fees were stupid, the monthly minimums I could not justify and I absolutely was NOT going to pay a $5K deposit to cover my customers transactions. PayPal was easy, free, no minimums, 2.9% + .30 transaction fee. We've also earned enough cash back using our card to replace a good portion of what we paid to them in percentages. Celeste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Degraffreed 21 Report post Posted January 14, 2006 I decided to add a wireless credit card machine to my biz last year and the sales went up 30-50%. I leased the nurit 8000 mobile credit card machine and I love it. My customers seem to agree with any upsell once I inform them that I do take credit and debit cards. Nice addition to the biz. Will be relocating to Indiana soon. Anyone looking for stain? I have about 95 gallons of Wooddefender fence stain. (Sierra and Rustic Oak). Do not want to haul all that stain up North. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted January 14, 2006 We take credit cards and are very glad we made decision to do it. It has made quite a difference to our bottom line. Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Orr 206 Report post Posted January 14, 2006 I have accepted PayPal since I started (6 yrs) and added "regular" credit cards a few years ago. I never had too many ask if I accept cc's, but enough that didn't have - or want - PayPal accounts to justify a merchant account. After looking around, I had decided I couldn't afford to offer cc processing...until my bank offered it. I pay about $28/month, which allows about $500 of charges before the fees start to kick in. There is no monthly limit, no equipment and no software rental. I call an 800# from my cell (or any) phone and get authorization on the spot. Money is in my account within a day or 2. The name of the company is Heartland Payment Systems. If anyone would like a name/number, let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 249 Report post Posted January 14, 2006 There you go.....that's where we were when we went to PayPal. We tried going with regular companies but the set up fees were stupid, the monthly minimums I could not justify and I absolutely was NOT going to pay a $5K deposit to cover my customers transactions. PayPal was easy, free, no minimums, 2.9% + .30 transaction fee. We've also earned enough cash back using our card to replace a good portion of what we paid to them in percentages.Celeste Wow, no wonder you didn't want to accept CC's. What bank/processing company wanted all of that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Celeste 341 Report post Posted January 14, 2006 Quickbooks. Our bank wanted our to have something about our HOUSE involved. It got to be so much, PayPal was just easier! Celeste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smokey51 14 Report post Posted January 15, 2006 For those of you who do take credit cards, have you had any problems with chargebacks initiated by the customer? I would hate to do a large job, get paid by credit card, spend the money, and then have the customer dispute the charges for some reason ( I think they have 30 days to do this). And the bad part about it, the customer usually wins in these situations. Smokey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mountain View 14 Report post Posted February 5, 2006 Do you have to have any kind of equipment with you, i.e. portable scanner etc.? I think Nextel has a cell phone/card scanner unit on the market. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
