Website Payments.

[Lucie]

Thanks for the heads up

[LydiaNiz]

should have the reader by the end of next week, so will let you know how I get on.
Will also have a referral link (if it's any good) meanign you get the reader for £39.99 instead of £59.99 if you fancy trying it.
All info here, application took about 5 mins, customer service good too (rang to ask some questions).
Apparently all billing (2.75% per transaction) is taken out around 18th of the month, and cash takes 4 working days to hit your account.
There is an option of paying £12 a month and paying no transaction fees, but depends on your sale valume.
www.worldpayzinc.com
ETA: Peter, I'm also looking forward to the inevitable moment the wi-fi drops out at my studio in the middle of a market. I'm priming my swear-jar.

[Lucie]

Hi Lydia, That would be really great if you could let me know. Thanks for the info & the link
I'm still rebuilding my site at the moment, so i'll hang on Thanks again. x

[Patstone]

I use Elavon, and have found them very good and easy to talk to if you have a problem. The machine I have, is one where you have to put the card in, I can only use it in the presence of a customer is what I am trying to say. It has definately enabled me to take more sales, as people just dont carry much cash around now. You have to have a merchant account before they will set it up, we went to Santander as they give you a free account for the first year. The card machine we went for was £99 which you could pay for in monthly installments, and after the £99 is paid the machine is yours. Not sure exactly what the processing fee is, but its not much. The only downfall is that you cant take over the phone payments, which would be useful.

No, I don't sell from my studio, I just work there (I rent the smallest house in the world and there is nowhere I could safely work here).
I'd be interested in worldpay's fees, and also if anyone has any experience with elavon or iZettle for card payments

[Patstone]

That is the same with my card machine, I had a pay as you go orange sim, but it just wouldnt work consistently in one of our regular craft shows, so changed to 02 and didn't have a problem.

Nope, just be aware that it needs to be checked & double-checked - and if you're in an area with no phone or wifi coverage you're pretty much stuffed.

[Lucie]

I only work from my studio & never meet my customers (all done online or over the phone), so I only need to be able to take over the phone payments.
It would be great if I could find a way of taking them via my website to, but from what Ive read, that would definitely involve some kind of monthly payment plan
I'm hoping the phone signal should be OK as I'm not taking it around to different places.

[Gemsetterchris]

If you have to pay a monthly fee, so be it..just split & bury the cost across your items..It's all tax deductable expense.
Or as I used to do, had my account number onsite or given via email..all customers did was do a transfer to it.

[art925]

If you have to pay a monthly fee, so be it..just split & bury the cost across your items..It's all tax deductable expense.
Or as I used to do, had my account number onsite or given via email..all customers did was do a transfer to it.

This is what I do Chris; I process the order and email out the invoice to be paid prior to postage, the invoice contains my bank details and they use the invoice number as reference for the bank payment. Even at an art fair, when a customer has insufficient cash, I take their details, provide them my bank details and when the transfer is complete, I post the item.

[Lucie]

It's a fair point - I think i'll wait to see how Lydia gets on with Worldpay Zinc (just the telephone payments) first. I already pay out £10 a month on hosting and £30 on my "address", so i'm trying to stop the monthly payments getting out of hand.

[LydiaNiz]

well new posh phone is here, and now chip and pin is here.
All really stupidly easy to set up.
Works great, even in my house which has the worst signal strength ever.
The customer not present payment couldn't be simpler (you do it online, just enter their details and card number and amount - they can choose to have receipt by email or sms).
Payment takes 4 working days to go into your account, billing takes place around the 18th of the month.
I am really, really pleased. Looking forward to the end of the month when I've got an open studio to see if the chip and pin makes a difference to people purchasing!