Market Farming

["William McKay" <bmckay55 AT hotmail.com>]

I do on line credit cards and it is not cheap.  I did some serious shopping. 
 If doing internet credit cards expect to pay at least (at the very least) 
$20 per month total  for a gateway to a secure server and for a the 
priviledge of doing business with the company that processes your 
transactions;  also expect to pay 2.5% or more of each sale plus usually a 
small fee per sale .25-30 cents) with  a monthly minimum of $20-25 or so.  
If you are doing business on line, it is essential to have credit cards;  
for farmers markets, I do not suspect that anyone going there expects to wip 
out their visa card and have it accepted;  most business is cash or perhaps 
a check in the odd situation.

For what it is worth, credit cards are definitely essential.  When I started 
taking credit cards on line, sales went up by a factor of eight.  That is 
serious money.

Regards

Bill McKay in Eastern Massachusetts and Seeds from Italy, Distributor of 
Italian Vegetable Seeds from Franchi Sementi spa, Bergamo, Italy;  Seedsmen 
since 1783.


> Subject: credit cards
> From: "Hook Family" <guldann AT ix.netcom.com>
> Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 08:38:07 -0500
> X-Message-Number: 5
>
> Hi list, Do any of you take credit cards?  I don't think this is anything I
> will need soon but one does get to thinking.  One keeps hearing of internet
> opportunities, online ordering of veggies and than either pickup or
> delivery.  Credit cards would allow these transactions to go smoother.
> Anyone use or seen a farmer accept credit cards at a farmers market?
> Just something I was wondering about.  My CSA members pay in checks which 
> is
> ok since "I know where they live" :).  This summer is my first farmers
> market and I am considering cash only.  At my profit margin I don't need to
> be paying fees for bounced checks of strangers.
> Its winter just stressing the details :)  Beth


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.