Square: Accepting Credit Cards On The Go

I do a lot of sales on Craigslist.  I am pretty fussy to make sure that I am not ripped off and my families safety is my #1 concern!  But, I have been successfully selling through Craigslist for about 4 years.  I hope to do a blog post on that soon but the site is always changing so I'm trying to figure out a short post that will be applicable no matter what changes Craigslist makes.  

About a year ago, my husband came home with a Square.  This would allow me to take credit card payments from my home!  The Square plugs into a cellular phone and has a swipe area to scan a credit card.  The equipment is free but there is a small fee for each transaction (2.75% at the time of this blog entry posting).  You simply contact the company to set up an account and have them send you the Square.  You attach a bank account that you would like the money to be sent to.  You also need to load the program onto your cell phone.  I hate new technology but I have to admit - every step of this was really easy!!!

I LOVE the idea of any individual being able to take credit cards as payment for something!!!  The uses for this can be endless!  However, I would be a little hesitant about the idea if it was my credit card being used.  People come up with the strangest ways to commit fraud!  And since this is technology that many are not yet familiar with - there may be some hesitation...

I never did set this up for Craigslist sales.  I figured that I would add the fee to the sale price if someone needed it.  But, I have had awesome luck with only accepting cash - so far.  

I did find a great use for my Square.  Girl Scout Cookie booth sales!!!  My daughters troop participated in the main booth day for the girl scout troops in our area.  I simply set up the account to send the money to the troops bank account.  Then I was able to scan cards!  No more excuses of not having cash!  The girl scout council in our area also had an arrangement to have the fees waived for that day - so no reduced profit for the troop!!!  FYI - If you do this, check with your council on the steps and account numbers that have to be attached to the square to make this work.