Many people don't realize that it is quite easy to accept credit cards at craft shows and other events that may be outdoors or outside of the realm of an Internet or land line phone connection. There are cell phone credit card merchant accounts that allow you to process a credit card using your mobile phone. It is not as easy as simply swiping the card at an electronic credit card machine but the charge is processed instantly, in the exact same way as a swiped transaction.
Instructions
1. Sign up for a cell phone merchant account. (If your current credit card merchant service provider does not offer a cell phone based merchant account for accepting credit cards, see "Resources" below for a link to a well known cell phone merchant account program). When you receive the information about your new cell phone merchant service, read over the instructions thoroughly and print a copy for reference when you are selling at a craft show.
2. Purchase a manual credit card imprinting machine, credit card sales slips, and an imprinter plate (contains your information to be printed on each sales slip). The sales slips will be rectangular, long or short (but should be the same shape as the imprinter), and have several layers of regular and carbon copy paper.
3. Bring a fully charged cell phone with you to each craft show. Be sure that you program the merchant phone number into your phone for easy access and keep a piece of paper on your table that lists your merchant account number and instructions for accepting credit cards over the phone.
4. Put up a professional Visa/Mastercard/Discover/American Express logo sign at your table (as large as possible) to notify customers that you accept credit cards. The merchant service company will probably be able to provide you with this insignia.
5. When you get a customer's attention at the craft show, be sure to mention that you take credit and debit cards.
6. When you have a sale, total everything up and tell the customer the final total including tax. Then ask for the credit card and a state issued ID. Once you have verified that he is the actual owner of the credit card, call the credit card system for approval. After you get approval, start filling out a sales slip. Include the name of the product, price, total, and any applicable tax.
7. Put the credit card into the imprinter and the sales slip on top, and then swipe the handle back and forth to make an imprint of the credit card information. Have the customer sign the credit card sales slip and then give her a copy of the sales slip.
