# Credit Cards



## Bigmoose (Feb 28, 2009)

I am thinking of taking credit cards at the craft shows I do this year.  Can anyone who has accepted them give me some thoughts as to is it worth it?  I am guessing yes because it seems so many live by thier debit cards these days.  Also do you think customers spend a little more when they use plastic?

I did 3 craft shows last year that cost me $45, $40, and $20 to get into.  I am thinking of one this year that is $180.  Big crowds and a good reputation with this show.  Is this too much for a soap vendor?

Bruce


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## Lindy (Feb 28, 2009)

I can tell you that for me to get a 3 day kiosk in a shopping mall costs me $180 for the 3 days max.  Most of them only charge me about 150 so I would have trouble spending 180 for a one day show.  However now I'm going to qualify that Statement with "since I don't know what kind of traffic you would get at that show I can't say if it's too high or not".

As far as credit cards go - because I want to keep my costs down as much as possible I am not getting a merchant credit card at this point.  What I am going to do is carry a small computer with me that will allow people to log onto Paypal and pay me that way - or pre-order and pick it up at the booth.  This lets people use their credit card and since I already have Paypal in place I can do it that way.  At least that's the theory - I'll see how that works....


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## IanT (Feb 28, 2009)

well let us know!


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## Bigmoose (Feb 28, 2009)

The show is a 2 day show.  I purchased a craft show book for the state I am in and this show is rated pretty good.  150 slots and they said only 1 other soaper, so far.  I am suprised that a kiosk is that cheap.  A friend of mine told me his daughter who sold flavored popcorn in one was paying $1500 a month for it.  Hmmm, I guess it is supply and demand for the area.  This show is March 28 & 29.

I have checked with my local bank and 1 other for taking credit cards.  My bank is a pinch more but because they are here in town I was thinking of going with them.  I can have a seasonal account where I pay $10 a month for the months I use it and $0 for the months I don't.  Also would have to pay 2% or another $10, whichever is more.  I would then call them in when I get home.

Of the 3 shows I did last year the one I paid $20 for I did great at and was my best so far.  Good luck to the both of you.

Bruce


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## IanT (Feb 28, 2009)

Bigmoose said:
			
		

> The show is a 2 day show.  I purchased a craft show book for the state I am in and this show is rated pretty good.  150 slots and they said only 1 other soaper, so far.  I am suprised that a kiosk is that cheap.  A friend of mine told me his daughter who sold flavored popcorn in one was paying $1500 a month for it.  Hmmm, I guess it is supply and demand for the area.  This show is March 28 & 29.
> 
> I have checked with my local bank and 1 other for taking credit cards.  My bank is a pinch more but because they are here in town I was thinking of going with them.  I can have a seasonal account where I pay $10 a month for the months I use it and $0 for the months I don't.  Also would have to pay 2% or another $10, whichever is more.  I would then call them in when I get home.
> 
> ...




hehe thank you! im nowhere near doing shows yet... (i wish!) ... SOOOON ENOUGH. for now im collecting info... foreeeeeeeever collecting info!


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## Bigmoose (Mar 1, 2009)

We all should be forever collecting info.  The day we think we know it all is the day we start moving backwards.  This reminds me of a sign that my ex boss had hanging in his office.  It read " I strive to learn more and more about less and less till someday I know everything about nothing at all."  With him it made sense.

Bruce


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## Tabitha (Mar 1, 2009)

The more a show costs, the more they spend on ads(in theory), the more they spend on ads, the more people who show up, the more people who show up the higher your sales will be (in theory).

I can tell you, when I do a $40.00ish shows I make $150.00 bucks average. When I do a $150.00ish show I make $600.00 average.

I quit doing shows 3 years ago, but that held true then. It only makes sense, if your spot cost 20-40 dollars they are not socking a bunch of money into ads. If they charge 120-159 they had beter be advetsing good or no one would ever book a spot again.

Are most of the vendors returning vendors? That is a good indicator.


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## Tabitha (Mar 1, 2009)

Also.... something to think about... sales are higher at shows than at shops or malls.

This is why.

People at a shows have the sense of urgency. They either buy that day or they don't get the item cause the show is over & the vendors moved on. At a shop or mall the customer will generally say "I'll be back on payday" or "I'll  be back & get that for Mother's day" or I'll check & see what Suzie's fav scents is" and forget about it & don't return.

I run into that at my consignment shop. People want to know why they don't sell well like they do in a 1 day show. It's lack of urgency.


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## Tabitha (Mar 1, 2009)

Another thing about shows... most people show up w/ cash in hand, the cash they set aside for the show, maybe $40.00. If you accept CC your sales will be higher for certain & it will allow people to make larger purchases. It is worth the extra expense IMHO!

You can use propay.com

That is who I used when I did shows. It is for low dollar processing, up to a certain dollar amount per month. You can phone the info in to them on the spot or jot it all down on a pad & enter it into your computer when you get hom e from the show. You do not need signatures just like you don't need signatures when it's a phone order or a puter order.

I do not know whta their policies are like now, fees, maximums, etc but i would check into it.


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## Bigmoose (Mar 2, 2009)

I made some sales projections for credit cards and ran them thru 3 different services and looked at the bottom line.  After that my choice was easy.  I will report back in early April to let you know how this expensive show went.  I will include pictures as well as I have some different ideas to try.  Thank you much Lindy, Ian, and Tabitha.  I respect all your suggestions very much.  Thanks for taking the time to offer your input.

Bruce


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## Bigmoose (Mar 30, 2009)

Well that $180 show is over.  Day 1 was ok as we (my wife and I) sold around $380.  Day 2 was not so good doing around $170.  The crowds were not what we expected.  Doing shows is fun but I did learn some lessons on this one.  As for the credit cards we took 6 of them with an average charge of $17.80 per charge.  One customer charged a $2.25 item.  I will set a minium charge from now on.  Still love doing them and have a few leads that could turn into something and make it all worth while.  The suprise selling item was Pachouli body spray.  Sold out day 1.  I made more at night and sold out on day 2 as well.  Go figure.

Well here are some pic's of my set up.

Left table





Center table




Right table




The whole run





As always I would love to hear your suggestions.  I asked for it so lets hear it.

Bruce


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## Tabitha (Mar 30, 2009)

Oh wow! Everything looks nice & bright against the black! 

I would like to see some sort of a backdrop, they can be hard to handle though.



> I will set a minium charge from now on.


FYI: It's actually against the law to set a minimum. It's called fee avaoidance. The way the CC company sees it is, the smaller sales balance out the larger sales. It's like if you wanted to buy something on ebay but made conact w/ the buyer & asked them to sell it to you straight out to avoid the ebay fee. The CC company is bringing you biz so you are not permitted to refuse their customers for not meeting minimums.


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## pinkduchon (Apr 1, 2009)

Bruce, your stuff looks great! And you have variety. Great job.


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## topcat (Apr 1, 2009)

Excellent display Bruce!  You have inspired me for a new market I am going to try.  I have been to one market with my soaps, setting up a small table at my parents jewellery booth.  I am now booked to attend a smallish market in a higher socio-economic area that attracts lots of tourists and wasn't really sure just how to set up to draw people in....your display is so eye catching with the bright, bold labels on black background - love it!

Tanya


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## Lindy (Apr 1, 2009)

Fantastic display!!!!!!!  I love how the black shows off your product - it's no wonder you did so well!

********************************

*ETA*  Do you feel accepting credit cards was an advantage for you?  Since this post started I've been looking into options and the easiest one for me personally is the Virtual Terminal through PayPal for $35.00 a month.  I'm not going to start up with it just yet because I haven't lost any sales due to no credit cards being accepted yet - but I can see how it could be an advantage come the fall for my Christmas sales.....

So please share your thoughts on this too....

Cheers
Lindy


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## Bigmoose (Apr 2, 2009)

I do think accepting credit cards is worth it.  I agree with you Lindy that around Christmas time it will almost be a must.  I purchased an imprinter ( a knuckle buster ) on Ebay for about $20 including shipping and a custom metal plate.  The dealer was Mr. Imprinter.  There are a ton of CC processing plans out there and they structure them in a number of ways.  I had offers from 4 different companies and they were all different fees and such.  I made a guess to how many charges I would do in a month and what the average size of a charge would be.  I ran those numbers thru all plans and it picked a winner for me.  I choose the premium plan at propay.com  If I start doing a ton of charges I will switch to my local bank.  One thing to look for is will your plan give you a way you can call in with your cell phone on the spot to check and see if the card is good on a large purchase.  Some say call them in when you get home at night and that could mean using thier terminal on your home phone line.  I don't have a home phone line.  If I remember right you have a laptop with internet at the mall and if so you could do propay's basic plan and run them thru as you accept them.

Bruce


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## rszuba (Apr 2, 2009)

your set up looks great. good for you with your success. do you mind if i ask what show you did for the 2 day. i know that you are on the west side of the state,correct? i am in brighton. are you doing vermontville?

i have been asked if i accept credit cards a couple of times, i'm not quite there yet.

renee


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## Bigmoose (Apr 2, 2009)

Hi Renee,   Yes I am on the west side of the state, in GR.  The show I did was the Spring into Wings show at Wings stadium in Kzoo.  I just looked at the info on Vermontville show, I will not be doing that show.  I like the fact that there is not much going on that weekend, and it is not too far from home, and booth fees are low.  I don't like that it is a 3 day show and last years attendance was 3000.  I would guess that Saturday would be busy and the other 2 days on the slow side.

This Saturday in a mall in GR they are having a craft show.  Only $25 and less than 3 miles away.  The bad news is I get one table, a 6' table and that is it.  I am not going to put everything out there.  Slow selling stuff will not go there with me.  If you do any shows on this side of the state let me know.

Bruce


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## rszuba (Apr 2, 2009)

have a prosperous weekend. and i will be sure and let ya know if i get that way(someday i really want to go to the holland tullip fest- i know that is past you).

this weekend i will venture up to davison for their craft show, just to check it out.
renee


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## I love soap! (Apr 2, 2009)

Bigmoose said:
			
		

> We all should be forever collecting info.  The day we think we know it all is the day we start moving backwards.  This reminds me of a sign that my ex boss had hanging in his office.  It read " I strive to learn more and more about less and less till someday I know everything about nothing at all."  With him it made sense.
> 
> Bruce



yes we could read 24/7 all our lives and we would have only scratched the surface.

Most carry credit cards. I mean i have 20 credit cards and use them all regularly.        Just kidding, i don't have any credit cards. Just one lone debit card


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## Lindy (Apr 2, 2009)

I just went back to the Propay.com site and unfortunately for me you have to have a US based account which of course I don't.  I'm not ready yet to move into credit cards so I have time to keep researching this.

Thank you so much for sharing!

*****

ETA - I just found Propay Canada (http://www.propay.ca) and I'll be calling them tomorrow for pricing since I am having trouble accessing that part of their website.


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## Gracie (Apr 5, 2009)

Your display is awesome!!!

I think accepting debit/visa/mc is a must, imo.  Our sales have increased 25% since we started.  We rent the equipment, and it pays for itself.  We have a wireless terminal we used at shows, no electricity required.


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## honor435 (Apr 8, 2009)

Bruce 
looks good, wow, you have a lot of stuff. I only make soap, for now. I noticed most of your soaps are brown, are they the natural ones? I think women esp. like to have some pretty/good smelling soaps just for setting out? Do you have a web page, i want some beer shampoo.
Kim


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## Bigmoose (Apr 8, 2009)

Hi Kim,   The reason so many of my soaps are brown is because they are beer soaps.  My buisness is Homebrew Soaps.  Shampoos is by far where I get most of my repeat buisness.  That and lotions.  I have a Etsy store you can get to by clicking on the www tab at the bottom of this post.  Looking at my 3 table setup the 2nd table is all beer soaps and shampoos.  I have too much of a selection right now.  I plan on dropping some of the slower sellers to try and make life a little easier.  I use the same FO in all my beer soaps and shampoos.  And against my wifes better thoughts I made a lotion with that scent and call it beer lotion.  I make sure everyone knows it has no beer in it but women are buying it and I think it is for themselves, and not for that special someone in thier life.

Have a great day!

Bruce


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## scentforyou (May 4, 2009)

*credit card machine increased my sales*

I have found that the credit card machine has increased my sales. When you are a vendor at these large festivals most vendors don't have credit card machines and most of the customers will spend all of their cash and have to pass up things they really want. Also If a customer only has $20 cash left and they want $40 of product they can hold on to their cash and use their credit or debit card. I found that people tend to spend more when they are using their card. 

Sam's Club and Quick Books have really good rates for credit card processing for your actual terminal, virtual terminal or processing on your website.


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## TurbidBlue (May 7, 2009)

I have been eyballing ProPay for a while now. I'd like to start accepting credit cards for my Fall shows this year. I can't tell you how many sales I have lost due to only taking cash!  :shock:  

I've heard lots of good things about ProPay....but nothing negative.....absolutly nothing. Which makes me a bit skeptical. Has anyone had any negative expeirences with ProPay?

Thanks!
~Becky


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## Deda (May 7, 2009)

Nope, I use it. I love it.

I got a little baby knuckle buster through ProPay. Only issue I ever had was DH not getting the correct info (CCV, Zip Code and phone number), that was human error, not ProPay.

I think it pays for itself in increased sales.


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## rupertspal42 (May 12, 2009)

So i've been readin what ya'll have been talking about and went on to ebay and found this lil guy Manual Credit Card Imprinter Kit And I have been reading up on this propay thing... my mom says I should stay away from credit cards because it can become a huge hassell.. but I use my card 100% of the time because I hate to deal with cash.. and I know a lot of people are like that.. i'm thinking it would be a good idea to do something like this... but i'm afraid that something might go wrong with the whole credit card situation.. so what do you guys think.. could there seriously be that chance?  I plan on having each person sign a log book already when they pay for something, yes it's a hassell but that way I can keep track of A.) how much I got B.) who bought it because if they bought a lot maybe the next time they'll show up and C.) if I do credit cards I want to have a zip and email address along with the amount


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## theoldecrone (Jun 17, 2009)

Bigmoose said:
			
		

> I do think accepting credit cards is worth it.



It is absolutely worth it.  There is a company online:

http://merchantwarehouse.com/

that I'm looking into when my current contract runs out in November. I'm excited, because MW is cheaper than my current plan, and they also have an iPhone app! I can input the customer info on my iPhone, and the card is processed right there. Can't wait for that!

That said, my knucklebuster has worked fine. It's a pain to bring all those slips home and call them all in, but in the end, it's only about 10-15 minutes worth of work. I've only had 2 or 3 cards declined, and I always just called the cardholder and worked it out. No big deal. Part of the process.


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## theoldecrone (Jun 17, 2009)

Lindy said:
			
		

> *ETA*  Do you feel accepting credit cards was an advantage for you?  Since this post started I've been looking into options and the easiest one for me personally is the Virtual Terminal through PayPal for $35.00 a month.



In my research, that is expensive. I would look into other options. Your bank, for starters, isn't always the most expensive place. Sometimes you can get a merchant account for "a season." Mine goes for 6 months of the year. It's very reasonably priced -- $15/month, or less than that. * needs to go look *


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## Deb (Jul 29, 2009)

Lindy said:
			
		

> I can tell you that for me to get a 3 day kiosk in a shopping mall costs me $180 for the 3 days max.  Most of them only charge me about 150 so I would have trouble spending 180 for a one day show.  However now I'm going to qualify that Statement with "since I don't know what kind of traffic you would get at that show I can't say if it's too high or not".
> 
> As far as credit cards go - because I want to keep my costs down as much as possible I am not getting a merchant credit card at this point.  What I am going to do is carry a small computer with me that will allow people to log onto Paypal and pay me that way - or pre-order and pick it up at the booth.  This lets people use their credit card and since I already have Paypal in place I can do it that way.  At least that's the theory - I'll see how that works....



That is an absolutely brilliant idea and i'm going to see if I can borrow it if you don't mind. Thank you!


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