Square has advantages over PayPal. A big one is that Square automatically sweeps your money into your bank account every day. With PayPal, one must log in and manually move money to one’s checking account. I won’t go into a diatribe about PP which I find onerous and bureaucratic. I will just say I find Square’s customer service is superior and I wish it were an option.
Thanks for considering.
I never heard of them before. J
Hi Jean,
Square is very common. Have you ever gone in a coffee shop or micro-brewery and they swiped your credit card on their ipad? The swipe reader is free and plugs into the microphone jack of your smart phone or tablet. I think the charge $25 for a chip card reader. There is no monthly fee, just a transaction fee (same as PP) when you accept a sale. It’s wonderful for small businesses like artists.
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I am interested to know more about Square. Anyone else have experience?
Square gives you a free storefront, too. I use it to accept payments for artwork, workshops and deposits on commissioned paintings. Here’s what mine looks like –
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I have used both systems for a few years. I think the fees end up being about the same. PayPal has “verification” of customers. It also has a connection with USPS, so I can print shipping labels directly from my paypal acct and it is associated directly with each sale of artwork. I think you get a small discount with USPS too. I have never had a problem with PayPal, it has a long steady track record of customer service. Square has a slick interface that is appealing, and has worked fine with US customers, in my experience. I don’t know if Square has international service like PayPal does.
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wow did know they offered the store option, think I may have to check this out. Thanks os much for sharing Trish, and your site looks great.
Square is limited compared to PayPal in that it does not accept international payments. Further, Square only accepts credit card payments and doesn’t allow funding through a bank, as PayPal does. PayPal also provides closer integration, allowing DPW to control the transaction, including downloading the buyer’s information, while putting the funds directly in the artist’s account.
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Thanks, David, for taking the time to give me the scoop. Sounds like a lot of advantages.
I didn’t know this either!
Paypal and Square both have pros and cons. I got a Square because I occasionally have paintings in local shows that are in locations without wi-fi access. By plugging my Square chip card reader into my phone I can accept credit card payments from customers anywhere. It can be set up to automatically add tax, and refunds are easy (for example, I once charged an incorrect amount, so I just refunded the difference, and the Square transaction fee was removed for the refunded amount too). Check out which system is best for how YOU do business.
I use the Square Reader at Crafts Faires, both with my iPad and iPhone. The iPad needs a wi-fi connection. My iPhone works via my Verizon account. If you actually have the card in your hand the % the Square takes is pretty small and I get the payment in my bank the next day, If you don’t have the actual card and type in the #s say from an email messsage or over the phone, the % they take is much, much higher. I don’t know the actual % since I do not accept cards that way.
I would say at a crafts faire 40-50% or more of my sales are via the Square. It is really great. I know for sure I have lost sales until I was able to take credit cards. You can set the sales tax at what ever location you may be and it calculates everything for you. You can even set up you own list of items with prices, photos, etc and just click on the item . This is great if you have many of the same items. I sell origami cranes at a Sandhill Crane Festival.
The chip reader is still a problem sometimes if my customer does not have a chip card. Several times I have had to ask them for another card. So far so good. My sales have soared since I have the Square at Crafts Faires.
A couple of times I have had customers whip out their own cell phones, log onto their own PayPal account and send me $ on the spot. I check my own cell phone and get an email from PP saying I have $. Then we complete the sale. That works very well too if the customer can remember their log in info for their PP account.
One note about PP… if you have a customer who wants to pay that way, if you can have them send you $ ask them to do it via “Send Money Via Friends & Family”. That way YOU do not have any PP fee at all. The customer does, however. I have made sales this way via my website. Those PP fees are really high if for example you sell a painting for $300 +.
I hope my experience has helped.
Thank you, I’ve saved your post in my notes because at some point I had thought Spring but now idk…but I do plan on doing a few small shows in my daughter’s town- Charlotte NC. Good info!
I went to transfer my Paypal balance to my bank account and now they require you to get a PayPal prepaid credit card first. ARGHH!
They will put your balance on the credit card and then transfer to your bank from the credit card. Why can’t I transfer by ACH like I used to? The other option is to request a check in the mail, wait two weeks and pay a fee.
I just use the paypal debit card and spend what is in there. It’s immediate (once you have the debit card, not prepaid card), and I spend money everyday.
Unless they made a change since I had the paypal debit card…
Thanks for your reply, Sunny. I run all my income through my bank account for bookkeeping purposes. I was frustrated because transfer to my bank account was not an option as it had been in the past. I ended up calling PayPal and it was sorted out. Crisis averted. Off to paint now. :^)
Pay pal has very good customer support, I have called them on numerous occasions, I don’t even try to send an email describing any problem I am having with paypal. It’s usually something complicated. I do partial refunds occasionally with PayPal, (for giving customers back their shipping fee) and it always says it’s refunding all the fees. It itemizes the fees when you make the refund, showing that they are refunding their fee. It seems like there is a perception that PayPal is not great, but I have been very happy with them in all situations. Also I transfer money directly from my PayPal acct to my bank acct with no problem.
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I also use Square for studio sales, etc. I have the chip reader, love that thing. It’s so fast and easy. I also set up an iPad for square sales. They are great for that.
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