Author Topic: Accepting credit cards  (Read 4311 times)

Steve

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Accepting credit cards
« on: April 18, 2008, 05:06:30 PM »
Right now for my business i only accept cash and checks from customers for payments. I use quickbooks to keep track of everything, but i have a pirated version. I could pay for it and have credit cards done through them, but theres fee's, minimum's, etc i dont feel like dealing with. Do you guys know of the best way to accept credit cards? Really the only thing i can think of is paypal. Like on the invoice i would need to write the full information from the card (like any other business) and then later do it online myself through the paypal portal. And if they dont like me noting the card info, then they cant use a CC imo.

What do you guys think?
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

micah

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2008, 05:15:10 PM »
that would be an easy way to do it.

plus, if you use something like freshbooks for your invoicing and time management, you can integrate the paypal gateway into your online invoices and the customers can make their payments online.
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Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2008, 05:19:52 PM »
I'll take a look at the link. When i was still in NJ it wasnt this busy (picking up VERY quickly) so it wasnt a big issue but now i need to find a solution. Thanks
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

ober

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2008, 06:05:29 PM »
Another solid vote for freshbooks... I've been juggling with the free account for a while and I'm going to have to bump up to the next level now.

Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2008, 06:22:05 PM »
I plan to register for it tonight and check it out. Is it worth the cost? I'm assuming what i need will require a paid membership, not a free one. I dont mind paying for it if i get my money's worth out of it (since it seems fairly priced) since the business can justify it. In NJ i had a few regular clients and i would get a new one here or there. Good for maybe a few hundred a month. But since i have been here im working PT doing the pool thing and FT doing my company thing. I have 8 jobs lined up next week. The other benifit here is i can actually charge decent money. In NJ getting more then 15/20 an hour was like pulling teeth because everyone thinks they are a computer tech and undersells you. Here im getting 50.00 just to show up (80 for off-hours) and 50.00 an hour with a one hour minimum. 75 an hour during off hours.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2008, 07:20:15 PM »
FB seems pretty nice, i like it so far. Heres a question though. Invoices look nice, and i would like to use them, but i cant print a blank one. For example i would know the customer information going in, i can even enter the invoice number and date. But i dont know what the full amount of the charges will be, since i wont know how many hours to charge until im done. I could write it in like i do now, but the total and everything wont have a blank spot to write. I think i need to use word and just make my own invoices, and then enter them in FB later and just not email them out. Also not sure how im going to do customer copies. Everything till this point has been "off the books" kind of thing, but im going legit so i have alot of open holes to fill.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2008, 07:21:08 PM »
FB is a nice invoicing option if i choose to bill them. right now its payment due on completion, but maybe it will be easier to just bill via email or mail and not worry about anything.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

ober

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2008, 08:34:42 PM »
All my clients have been online so I do my billing and they login and view and accept.  I'm not sure how you'd manage an "on site" billing thing with freshbooks.  I think freshbooks is more for a freelance developer type than a computer repair type.

Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2008, 09:49:42 PM »
Thats what im thinking. I'm thinking the best bet might be to make and print my own invoices, and just make up two. one for me one for them, and then when i need to process CC's i can do it myself with paypal. Now i didnt register the business with the state yet, so i think im going to handle the tax this way. charge it, obviously, and then when i deposit money into the business account, i will just slide the amount of the tax to a specific savings account and leave it sit there. So if the invoice is 510.00 and the tax was the 10.00, i just deposit it and move 10.00 over to the savings account. This way it can build interest over the year, and then i can just pay the taxes at the end of the year right? seems too sneaky to be legal.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

micah

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2008, 07:18:40 AM »
you may have to make the tax payments in quarterly installments or something but otherwise I think that sounds fine.

what type of business are you doing? I've never had to collect sales tax because "computer services" aren't taxable in my state, Connecticut.
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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2008, 10:57:48 AM »
I'm assuming they are taxable because i cant find anything to the contrary for Florida. The company is Computer Medic, its my computer repair/building/wedoitall/etc company. I had it going in NJ but it was like a hobby, down here its becoming more and more of its own monster so i figured i had better make it legit if im going to do it full time.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

micah

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2008, 11:18:15 AM »
I should edit my previous statement to say that, "online computer services" are not taxable in CT.  that includes ISP, data storage (including web hosting), and "online software" ie web development.

I would think labor on fixing computers is probably taxable. I'd check with your DRS.  I'm sure they have a website.
"I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man.  I use it to look at pictures of cats and get in arguments with strangers."

Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #12 on: April 21, 2008, 01:24:38 PM »
DRS? I googled it and got doctors lol
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

micah

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2008, 01:41:55 PM »
my bad, in Connecticut, DRS = Department of Revenue Services.
In Florida, DOR = Department Of Revenue.
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Steve

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Re: Accepting credit cards
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2008, 01:47:12 PM »
Apparently Florida has alot of dance dance revolution fans lol. Thanks for the link, i will look into it in a few im actually on the phone with a potential client right now =]

Edit: This should help me alot.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?