My ideas regarding CREDIT CARDS....grrrrrrr
Someone e-mailed me a little while back and said..."you would do more business if you would take credit cards." I understand how it has become the norm to pay for things with a card and nobody gives it a second thought these days. What those companies are doing is wrong....and I don't understand how it became OK for them to do things the way they do.
I go out....find a deal and pay for it with MY MONEY....I then pay overhead to be in business to be able to sell my item...I put a price on my item and work my tail off to promote it so MAYBE I will get more than I paid and enough to cover overhead and make a little extra to keep this ball rolling.
Then here comes the credit card idea....
I don't want you to pay ME for this item I am selling.....NOOOOOOooo....pay THAT GUY over there....I will get my money eventually (whenever they get around to putting it in whatever bank account I feel like keeping a close eye on in hopes the balance is correct if you can keep up with the crazy system they have.) AND....I want to get less money than I would if you had just paid me without using a credit card. I want to actually ADVERTISE for this company who gets to charge ME for letting people pay them and not me!!!! Its just nuts when you think about it.
We have it available at the store...because its like taking people's pacifiers away when you don't take cards.....but I would like to know....
Who started this idea where a credit card company gets to charge us to give them money and advertise for them???? What makes that acceptable and WHY....dear lord....can't I charge THEM for this? That seems more like it should be done.
I go out....find a deal and pay for it with MY MONEY....I then pay overhead to be in business to be able to sell my item...I put a price on my item and work my tail off to promote it so MAYBE I will get more than I paid and enough to cover overhead and make a little extra to keep this ball rolling.
Then here comes the credit card idea....
I don't want you to pay ME for this item I am selling.....NOOOOOOooo....pay THAT GUY over there....I will get my money eventually (whenever they get around to putting it in whatever bank account I feel like keeping a close eye on in hopes the balance is correct if you can keep up with the crazy system they have.) AND....I want to get less money than I would if you had just paid me without using a credit card. I want to actually ADVERTISE for this company who gets to charge ME for letting people pay them and not me!!!! Its just nuts when you think about it.
We have it available at the store...because its like taking people's pacifiers away when you don't take cards.....but I would like to know....
Who started this idea where a credit card company gets to charge us to give them money and advertise for them???? What makes that acceptable and WHY....dear lord....can't I charge THEM for this? That seems more like it should be done.
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You are gonna freak straight out when you find out about this new thing called a wheel. Damn staright. Credit cards is a convenense for the buyer, but most sellers dont care ab out us stupid old buyers. Skippy! 0 -
DAMN STRAIGHT! [}:)] 0 -
I imagine they charge because it is their system that enables you through your merchant account to increase your sales volume, by taking credit cards.
Face it,.......many today live in constant debt, and you can get a sale on CC, that the person does not have the funds for in cash, or their checking account.
I have no choice but to take them, in my business!
Also, remember, they are paying you after the transaction,........and taking the chance of not being able to collect!
I have never waited over 3 days, for a transfer in my account. Maybe you have the wrong merchant account, if what you say about waiting "forever", is true![;)]0 -
Its not really the credit card companies, its the damn services that people have in between. They are a joke, and you get a call about once a week saying I can do better then what you currently getting. More headaches then what its worth. 0 -
LF -
love 'em or hate 'em,...this economy is driven by Visa and Mastercard. They people who want to pay you by CC may or may not have the $$$ to buy that gun, but the CC gives them the instant gratifcation that is soooo pervasive in our society today. Never mind it's at a steep interest rate, and some will never pay off their balance.
And Visa and MC knows it, and THAT'S why you pay their percentage.0 -
Another thought...do you take personal checks at your store??
I would rather take a CC and pay the 4%, than take a personal check and get stiffed by a NSF check returned from the bank0 -
Most gunstores I deal with, add the fee they pay to the credit card companies to the the price they charge. I have always felt that if you are going to take credit cards and you have that fee figured in to the price, you should offer a discount for cash. I have started buying things with a Discover card to get the 1% kickback. Why not. 0 -
It is actually against the credit card agreements to charge an additional cost for credit cards. If someone complains, you can lose your account.
It must be done through a cash discount, if you are going to charge different prices.0 -
Its one of those things I have been avoiding. I hate those things. The store account is difficult to keep up with. The transactions usually go in within a couple of days...but I can't keep up with the fees and monthly charges sometimes. Christmas is a bear...but it gets dealt with day to day.
It wasn't something I would even concider a little while back....because the internet transactions were only a couple each week. Now it can be 10 or 15 guns a week. I don't so much mind people who I have done business with and we have some kind of relationship with already. But.....some guy being able to tell his credit card company to give him his money back and them just not paying me in the end is another worry I have regarding these things.
Stink Foot....how on earth do you see with your head stuck up there? If I cared any more about my buyers I would have to drive over and wash their cars! I go to great lengths to be fair....PENNY AUCTION NO RESERVE....fair shipping fees....detailed photos....e-mails answered twice or three times a day....packages packed well enough to ship using monkeys to transport.....items shipped out the SAME DAY that I recieve payment and FFL. What the heck more can I do!!!!0 -
In 8 years of taking cards,.......I have yet to have the first chargeback. 0 -
I think I have 6 or 7.
I use 0.
If cash or debit card doesn't do the trick, I don't bother.
[8D]0 -
Are you a high volume seller? I used to fret and worry about my feedback....but I have come to realize that eventually SOMEONE will be a problem with the number of sales I do. I just don't know if I can deal with the "problem" guys when it comes to money. 0 -
Locust,.......I guess you are referring to me! No,.......I don't do cards here on GB. I only used it for about 11 transactions, and have one gun on now.
I am an air conditioning contractor, and I do between 60 to 200 plus CC transactions per month, depending on the time of the year. They range from 75 bucks to over 5K, on average.0 -
Zipper,........I don't get it, but to each there own!
I use "dividend" cards, and made over 1200 bucks,....in CASH, last year from them.
One must be a very disciplined person of course. I have never paid a dime in interest,.........pay em off in full every month!0 -
Marc....I was just wondering if you had a long run accepting cards selling on line. The store is different, person to person transactions seem to just work out better when dealing with cards. I have had a couple sales on line that I KNOW would be issues if they had been paid for using credit cards.....both are Colts...go figure! In all I would say 1 out of 100 people are going to have "issues" and I would like to know what taking credit cards can run into ahead of time. 0 -
quote:pay em off in full every month!
... and there's the KEY! I ran a $5K tab once and refused
to ever get in that position again - and I haven't. Instead
of paying them off - unfortunately - I let the spinning
wheel spin. Much easier for ME to go the debit/cash way.
... it's just a 'Me thing.'[:D]0 -
From a Buyer's perspective having to go to the bank, draw out the appropriate amount of cash (sometimes substantial for firearms), go get a Postal Money Order if that's the stated payment method, and then fill out the MO and mail it is a time consuming hassle and the main reason I avoid some auctions unless they accept personal checks (I don't mind the wait for them to clear). I know this is a bad word on Gunbroker, but that's the beauty of PayPal for non-gun items, I can pay on-line directly out of my bank account and get the item quickly. Some creative person should create the same type of payment service for gun auctions. 0 -
Yes Locust,.......my sales are all face to face transactions. A lot are when I replace an entire system, and the people just don't have 5K at hand right at the time, their system goes out.
Still, a lot of them are strangers to me, so I guess the constant is,.......how honest the buyer is, and the reputation of the merchant.
I know many in my trade that have all kinds of issues with chargebacks, but they also have complaints with the BBB, and with the licensing authorities.
I have never had any in 15 years of business,.........started CC's about 8 years ago.
You could be right though,..........maybe the online thing is different somehow.[;)]
Also a chargeback is not an immediate loss of your sale,......they attempt to "mediate", the situation, and if you are in the right, and have lived up to your "agreement", the cardholder is just SOL.
I do believe that possibly there are more "undesirables", in the onlune game though.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Locust Fork
Stink Foot....how on earth do you see with your head stuck up there?
Why maam I reckon I have made you upset which I kind of meant to do[}:)][:X]But dont fall to my level you are to nice a lady for that. Damn straight![8D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by zipperzap
quote:pay em off in full every month!
... and there's the KEY! I ran a $5K tab once and refused
to ever get in that position again - and I haven't. Instead
of paying them off - unfortunately - I let the spinning
wheel spin. Much easier for ME to go the debit/cash way.
... it's just a 'Me thing.'[:D]
Hey Zipper,......I understand totally, as I have known many folks that got themselves into far worse situations than you related.
I just have always been one of those folks that can keep track of what I am spending, and don't use plastic, like it is free money,.........It is NOT, as you found out.
If I had a situation like you ran into,......I would be doing the same as you now!
Your other avatar was better! Bring it back!![;)]0 -
Well, the $5K wasn't good/bad - BUT - it was certainly an indicator.
I've got friends who are running $40/$50K+ tabs. Doesn't bother
them a wit. Would be just another irritation to me ... and why live
like that when you don't have t, eh?[8D]0 -
Stink....I just read your comment as a bit of an insult. Like I don't go out of my way to make my customers happy....when I really do. Accepting credit cards or not does not make a person a good seller. Just like having more cup holders does not make you a better driver. I'm fine with one or two cup holders...just like certified checks or money orders. Why I need 8 cup holders is beyond me....certified checks, money orders, debit cards, credit cards, bank trasfers, travelor's checks, denar's, chickens....its too much! 0 -
Just think of the time to pay off 40 to 50k, and what the 40 to 50k actually ends up costing!
I wouldn't be able to sleep at night that way!
If I can't afford something,.......I save up, until I can.
Strange way of looking at things nowadays![8D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Locust Fork
Stink....
Maybe I should have thought the screen name thing out a little better is what Im thinking.0 -
Stink Foot is fine....its silly and silly is good with us high strung folk! You should keep it.....but if you are thinking of changing it I would do it before your post count gets any higher. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Locust Fork
Stink Foot is fine....its silly and silly is good with us high strung folk! You should keep it.....
Maama told me to always mind the ladies so I keep it. One of my friends calls me that anyway![:I]0 -
Don't believe I want to know why![xx(] 0 -
I've sent personal checks for internet purchases several times, even when the buyer doesn't list personal check as a payment option. It just takes longer for the buyer to be confident the check has cleared before they mail the goods. No problem to me. I understand and expect it. I can also understand why a person doesn't want to take credit card for internet purchases. It's not like your operating a web store.
So LF, does your store accept credit cards and you don't for internet transactions?
Hey LF, I understand if you don't want to for personal and privacy reasons, but how about a picture of the store besides that back room with the vomit color walls and disgusting carpet.0 -
If the guy who owns the gun shop a half a block from my office took credit cards, he'd have a whole bunch more of my business.
But since he doesn't, I've saved a bundle of debt.
So I hope he never changes.
'Cuz I'd have to take a second and third job just to pay off my credit cards.0 -
Capt...its like I am a split person. One is the store. I go in, retail full out with all of the craziness it entails. Then you have a completely seperate thing with the internet. They even have two seperate FFLs. It took about a year to get used to running things like I am. I see guns every day and say to myself....."that would do GREAT on line!" but you can't do that.. it would shut the store down if I just put it on line like that.
While at the same time....I worry when I don't have ANYTHING going on line. (crazy ain't it) So, it works out that I keep everything I can for the store....STORE GETS DIBBS!!! If it sits for a bit I will put it on line...OR if it is a bit high and I know it will do better by putting it on line that is the way it goes.
Its not easy to keep the two in mind while dealing with what comes along. I will try to remember to take some pics of the store. Usually I am nearly attacked by everything going on when I get there...so I keep forgetting but I have been meaning to take pics for a while.0
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