Cash may be king but, in this day and age, it’s becoming more and more rare to receive payment that way. That said, what form(s) of payment should you accept and how?
It has been proven that people tend to spend more when they use a debit or credit card so taking these types of payments are essential when running a business, no matter what kind of business it is. If you participate in bazaars or public events, it’s crucial that you accept credit card payments. Luckily, there are several ways you can go about it.
Process Credit Card Payments Through Avon (or Your Direct Sales Company)
If you are an Avon rep, you get free credit card processing through the rep website at youravon.com (“YA”) – whenever I need to run a credit card, I do my best to run it through YA as it makes the most sense to retain every single penny.
PRO TIP: If you accept payment by American Express, you will need the FOUR DIGIT CID/CVV code on the FRONT of the card rather than the three digit code on the back of it to process that payment!
Sign Up for Square
Sometimes it’s just not a good option to use YA to process credit cards, like when processing payments during a bazaar. In that case, I use Square. The beautiful thing about Square is that when someone utilizes your referral link, they’ll receive free processing on up to $1,000.00 in sales and you get to choose your reward: (1) Receive free processing on up to $1000 in sales over the next 180 days on all card transactions; or, (2) Receive $20 off Square Contactless + Chip Reader. Win-win!
Accept Payment Through PayPal
PayPal is widely known, utilized and trusted. It protects both the buyer and the seller. Plus most people have it. There are various fees depending on which payment method is utilized and which option is selected to send payment through. I don’t use PayPal all that often and prefer virtually all other methods over it.
Process Payments for FREE through Apps like Venmo, Cash or Facebook Messenger
There are several apps out there that work similarly to PayPal, but they don’t have fees associated with any transactions. The most widely utilized apps are Venmo, Cash and Facebook Messenger. Simply create an account, connect your bank account and you can send or receive payment. It’s easy, quick and a very popular form of payment.
Transfer Funds Directly from Their Bank to Yours
Some banks allow their members to transfer funds for free to other folks using a cell number and/or an email address. Some banks will only do so between members of that bank, but several others will allow transferring of funds between members and nonmembers alike. The drawback with this method is that there is usually a setup process for the receiver and it’s sometimes a bit on the brutal side.
Only Accept Checks from Customers You Know Personally
I still accept checks from my local customers that I know. While a bit more labor intensive to remotely deposit, I actually don’t mind receiving payment by check. There are no fees attached to them unless they bounce, which has never actually happened to me from an Avon customer! On the flip side, there’s no way I will accept a check from someone I don’t already know or have built a level of trust up with.
Money Order or Cashier’s Check
BE CAREFUL when accepting money orders or cashier’s checks. Many scammers utilize these two methods (along with payment by check) to pull one over on unsuspecting vendors. I have never received payment in either of these two methods and I don’t suspect I ever will unless it’s from an already trusted source. Why purchase a money order or cashier’s check when you could just pay in cash? Fishy…
And that covers it! Did I leave something off of the list? Let me know in the comments below!
Hopelessly Heather 