# Square rate change



## Lin19687 (Sep 26, 2019)

If you use SQ for your cards there is a new change.

From 2.7% flat

NEW: 2.6% + 10 cents

starting 11-1-2019


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## jcandleattic (Sep 26, 2019)

Lin19687 said:


> NEW: 2.6% + 10 cents


+ 10 cents per $ or + 10 cents what? I'm sure I got the email or whatever, but haven't seen anything about this yet, so am curious and want to make sure I know what I'm being charged.


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## amd (Sep 26, 2019)

10c per transaction.


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## jcandleattic (Sep 26, 2019)

amd said:


> 10c per transaction.


haha that makes more sense. My brain is barely functioning today. 
Thank you for the clarification.


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## amd (Sep 26, 2019)

haha no prob. we seem to be following each other around today...


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## jcandleattic (Sep 26, 2019)

amd said:


> haha no prob. we seem to be following each other around today...


Great minds and all that I would guess... LOL


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## Lin19687 (Sep 26, 2019)

Sorry, busy at work and I wanted to get it out before I forget,  @amd  is correct.  The +0.10 is per transaction.
I only use CC if $25 or over


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## shunt2011 (Sep 26, 2019)

I’m going to start charging a dollar fee for anything under 20.00.


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## Lin19687 (Sep 27, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> I’m going to start charging a dollar fee for anything under 20.00.



I just tell them that it has to be the $25 or over due to the fees.  I am also going to be adding in the Tax on the CC payments.  Normally I just eat the tax and pay it myself at the end of the year just to keep the price simple and less change coins


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## shunt2011 (Sep 27, 2019)

@Lin19687   I do charge tax on CC purchases.


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## jcandleattic (Sep 27, 2019)

I charge tax on ALL sales (even $1 sales) however, I just have it built into the cost of my products.


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## amd (Sep 27, 2019)

Yep, I do like @jcandleattic. I had to raise my prices slightly mid year when I discovered that I need to pay a tourism tax for shows that I previously had not been factoring in.

I used to take card for any sale, but I am also going to start putting a minimum purchase for my upcoming shows.


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## jcandleattic (Sep 27, 2019)

I never really thought about putting a minimum on my charge sales, however, almost all of my sales are $25 or over due to my 4 for $xx deal.  

However, this year I will be offering smaller candles, and some handmade home sewn give bags as well for a little less, so it makes sense to put a minimum purchase price for card sales...


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## cerelife (Oct 3, 2019)

Personally, I'm just going to keep doing business as usual other than politely requesting cash for purchases under $20. As a small business owner I'm just not willing to lose a reasonable sale (say anything over $5) over a 10 cent fee. And honestly I don't think anyone has ever attempted to use a card for anything under $10 at a festival. So yeah...I'm going to make that sale! Turning down $4.77 because I don't like the extra 10 cent fee seems like a case of cutting off my nose to spite my face. Sure I could send the customer to the ATM to get cash, but will they return to my booth?
I always charge tax on card purchases anyway, and most of the festivals I attend don't allow vendors to charge a fee for card use.


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## shunt2011 (Oct 3, 2019)

Unfortunately, I've had folks charge for something as little as 3.00 for a lip balm or a soap saver.


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## amd (Oct 3, 2019)

Ohhh, shunt, that would suck! I have not run into that problem - usually if someone is going to run their card, they make it worth it... but different strokes for different folks. I think that case I would politely decline their sale or tell them there will be a fee even though I don't have anything posted. I just find it shocking when people go to shows with no.cash. I always take at least $40 cash for purchasing small items, and then if I find something big I expect the seller is able to take cards. Some people's children.


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## shunt2011 (Oct 3, 2019)

Nothing suprises me anymore.   I've had people come in with a 50.00 bill and want to buy one lip balm.   I've passed on that as well.  They just wanted change for other shopping.   I'm one of the first booths at one of my shows so get hit frequently asking for change.   Granted I always have plenty of change but I'm not breaking a 50.00 for 2 or 3 dollars.   Call me stubborn or bullheaded.  LOL


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## jcandleattic (Oct 3, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> I'm not breaking a 50.00 for 2 or 3 dollars. Call me stubborn or bullheaded.


You can call me stubborn and bullheaded too then, because I'm right there with you. 
I've had the same with $100 bill at 8am (first customer) buying a $5 candle. Umm, sorry that would leave me with absolutely no change for the next customers, so nope, I wouldn't do it. They walked away stating "well you just lost a sale" Okay, that's better than the 4-5 sales I'd lose by not having the correct change for other customers, so I'm okay with that...


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## cmzaha (Oct 3, 2019)

cerelife said:


> Personally, I'm just going to keep doing business as usual other than politely requesting cash for purchases under $20. As a small business owner I'm just not willing to lose a reasonable sale (say anything over $5) over a 10 cent fee. And honestly I don't think anyone has ever attempted to use a card for anything under $10 at a festival. So yeah...I'm going to make that sale! Turning down $4.77 because I don't like the extra 10 cent fee seems like a case of cutting off my nose to spite my face. Sure I could send the customer to the ATM to get cash, but will they return to my booth?
> I always charge tax on card purchases anyway, and most of the festivals I attend don't allow vendors to charge a fee for card use.


I will always do business the same as I do now. I charge tax but no card fee. L I sell rubber duckies for $2.00 and if a person wants one and either charge it or gives me a big bill I usually give them the duckie. It makes people happy. The $.15 fee still gives me a profit on the duckie, which I purchase for approx $.75. When customers ask if I charge a fee I inform them I do charge tax but no fee. Tax, everyone is used to but people hate the word fee and will at times walk away. I know as a buyer, I will walk away if I am told there is a card fee. Call me a  bad business person, but this is not a business for my full income. I am retired and it is something to do, plus make a little going out to eat money. As for breaking a large bill, I always have enough twenties that I can break big bills, so normally I will. It is what it is, sometimes customers have had no time to get to a bank or just forget to break the bill. Been there and done that myself. All, even dollar profit sales add up at the end of the day.


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## cerelife (Oct 4, 2019)

I'm right there with ya, cmzaha. This isn't my full income either and I don't think this makes us bad business people. We're just creating good karma.
And like you, I have no problem breaking big bills. I start out every festival with $200 in the till for this very reason. Sometimes people just don't think about this, particularly if they've never been vendors themselves.


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## Lin19687 (Oct 4, 2019)

I don't break bills that are $100.  Sorry, MOST people at least around here, carry that when they come to a FM or Fair.  I am not about to lose money on a fake bill and those pens don't always work.  I don't have time to fiddle with all that.  If I lose out on a $20 no biggie.
I will break a $50 if they are buying a couple bars and up, but not for a Lip Balm.
I have a ton of Till so it isn't like I Don't have the change, I just won't do it.  
If I lose a sale over it, so be it.  I had one person that wanted to do that, there was someone else in the tent looking and hears it all.  When I told them I can't, they were a slightly miffed but not mad.  The other customer was like, WOW Why would someone do that ?

I also DO NOT punch in numbers on a CC if the strip is not working.  Not playing the wheel of 'Is it stolen' since  you can get a replacement easily now a days


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## cmzaha (Oct 4, 2019)

cerelife said:


> I'm right there with ya, cmzaha. This isn't my full income either and I don't think this makes us bad business people. We're just creating good karma.
> And like you, I have no problem breaking big bills. I start out every festival with $200 in the till for this very reason. Sometimes people just don't think about this, particularly if they've never been vendors themselves.


 Yup! Most sellers would also be appalled at what I will give away. Recently I gave away a 10 oz jar of a Tea Tree salt charcoal scrub. Scrubs just do no sell for me and I gave it to a gal to try out. She was happy and it was one less I had to carry back and forth. I just told her if she loves it and needs more to just let me know and I will make it up for her.

I guess I have been fortunate that in my almost 10 yrs of markets, and I used to do 4-5 per week I have never had a bad bill large or small. Last year I did have my first theft, someone stole 7 of my foot bars.


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## cerelife (Oct 7, 2019)

Lin19687 said:


> I also DO NOT punch in numbers on a CC if the strip is not working.  Not playing the wheel of 'Is it stolen' since  you can get a replacement easily now a days


This is why I have the Square Chip Reader in addition to the magstripe reader. If neither of them work, then I ask for cash.



cmzaha said:


> Yup! Most sellers would also be appalled at what I will give away. Recently I gave away a 10 oz jar of a Tea Tree salt charcoal scrub. Scrubs just do no sell for me and I gave it to a gal to try out. She was happy and it was one less I had to carry back and forth. I just told her if she loves it and needs more to just let me know and I will make it up for her.


Again, I'm right there with you! It makes my husband crazy at how much I give away! If I have a customer who is counting their cash or checking their bank account balance to see if they can afford my products and then putting stuff back - I just give them the extra stuff. I'm a student of Ayurveda and I firmly believe that what we give to the world comes back to us. And my religious beliefs are the same - I will never grow poor by sharing my blessings with others. I have zero interest in being wealthy, I only strive for a happy, peaceful life


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## Lin19687 (Oct 7, 2019)

@cerelife I didn't get around to buying the chip reader this year.  Most of my people are cash I have found so I may just keep the free strip reader.  And honestly, if someone signs for charge without a pin then I don't see how 'more secure' it really is... unless you are also looking at a Drivers Lic too to verify signature.  That's just me, everyone has their own opinion.

Ditto on the freebees, I have also lowered a price for some people too when they are looking for extra money.  Or a teenager that ran over to their Folks and they said no.  I called a group of 4 girls, about 14 y/o, over when they did that and gave them each a bar of their choice.  They were so happy and that is all that mattered


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## shunt2011 (Oct 7, 2019)

I too have the chip reader.   I get some large credit card sales where I have my shows as I'm only there once or twice a year so they stock up.    I also give away things or will give discounts to large orders.    I especially cut the price for kids that are using their own money.


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## amd (Oct 7, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> Most sellers would also be appalled at what I will give away.


Not this one! I had a rather long discussion about shampoo bars with a gal at a show I did in August. She had bought 'hair soap' (lye based) from a local maker. She said she had tried it once and it fried her hair, but the maker reformulated with different oils so the customer was currently using new soap. I explained why lye soap is bad for hair, why my shampoo bars are true shampoo bars and my own experience using lye based 'hair soap'. The customer bought a bar of regular soap and a lip balm from me and said "well, now I have your information in case the shampoo bar doesn't work", and I grabbed one of my shampoo bars, put it in her bag and said "I can guarantee you're going to need to this. This one is on me." Yep, she emailed me a month later to let me know I was right, she went in for a haircut and the hairdresser was shocked at all the damage done in just 5-6 weeks of use (all that 'body' they claim to have is really just damaged hair). The customer had brought both soaps in to get the hairdresser's opinion and the hair dresser said [of course] that if the customer wouldn't use the expensive salon products, mine was the better to use. Totally worth the giveaway to get a customer a better option and the future sales. Kindness is always remembered.


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## ttc (Mar 27, 2021)

Lin19687 said:


> If you use SQ for your cards there is a new change.
> 
> From 2.7% flat
> 
> ...



can I ask what reader you are using at your shows? the chip reader or the mag strip? is there price difference for the two?


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## Lin19687 (Mar 27, 2021)

ttc said:


> can I ask what reader you are using at your shows? the chip reader or the mag strip? is there price difference for the two?


Mag strip, it was free and most of my stuff  is paid by cash.
This was posted back in Oct 2019 so I am sure everything might have changed.


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## ttc (Mar 28, 2021)

Thanks so much, Friday night markets are opening up in my area and I want to be prepared!


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## amd (Mar 29, 2021)

ttc said:


> can I ask what reader you are using at your shows? the chip reader or the mag strip? is there price difference for the two?


There's no fee difference between the chip reader and the mag strip. There is however a fee difference between manually entering the number and swiping/inserting it (manual being more expensive).


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## ttc (Mar 29, 2021)

amd said:


> There's no fee difference between the chip reader and the mag strip. There is however a fee difference between manually entering the number and swiping/inserting it (manual being more expensive).


Thanks so much, I have never done a market before I wan to be prepared. Do you think the chip is a quicker transaction? I feel that the mag strip can be temperamental sometimes.


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## amd (Mar 29, 2021)

I like the chip reader alot better. Depending on the wifi or data connection, it works very fast. Most customers are surprised how quickly it goes through. Plus bonus points for not having to handle other people's credit cards. I just set the chip reader in front of my checkout area for the customer to use. It's so easy that at my last market my 13 year old daughter was my checkout girl.


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## ttc (Mar 29, 2021)

Thank you! My husband will be my check out guy. I really appreciate your response!


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