Should we take credit cards?

I would rather pay using EMT because I have the money ready to purchase the item from you. If you accepted credit cards than people "may" be spending money they havenet earned yet. You make less because you have to pay the CC company 3 or 4 percent.
 
I use credit card for everything online, until last year I paid his EMT because my CC had been compromised and I was waiting for a replacement. It was my first order with a sponsor who I had seen some issues with in the past, but I went ahead with it anyway. They shipped the wrong product, and wouldn’t ship a replacement until I returned it. They wouldn’t send a CP label and told me they would reimburse the shipping cost. After they got the wrong item back they did send the proper item, but ghosted me for a few weeks when I made multiple requests for the return shipping I paid for. They did eventually pay up, but took many emails and phone calls.

I will never pay EMT for online shipped items again. CC only for me.
 
srnm said:
I personally only pay with credit card as you have more protection when it comes to issues. I'm also a firm believer that you shouldn't use a credit card if you can't pay it off by the statement date... I would offer what some retailers do, take credit cards but If you pay by EMT you will receive a 3% discount.
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I offer my customers a 2% discount if they pay by EMT or cheque. I don’t sell guns but you get the point
 
MALAKA said:
As long as your employees don’t steal our CC info
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The little bit I have been around it, most employees never see any CC information - is the payment processor in India or Ireland or wherever that handles your payment - and it is the business that chooses who will be that service provider.

An exception might be if you phone them and read out your information to whomever answered the phone - I do not think on-line stuff is typically even handled in my country.
 
Janeau said:
It just show how little you know about cc fraud…
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I have had two VISA cards hacked - the bank came good both times to cover the dollars spent - but that got me interested in how that could happen - the cards were in my wallet at the time that the funds were being spent in Toronto or wherever. Turns out there can be "theft" - a payment processor employee actually used your information to incur costs (or sold the information to someone who used it to incur costs). Is also a "brute force" attack - so pick a random card number - then use computers to fly at it with bazillion passwords - occasionally (or at least often enough) get a "hit" - a "match" that allows a $2 charge to go through. Is wide open then to spend whatever to your limit using that information - makes sort of "joke" out of instructions to "sign" back of card - do not need the card to charge that account - just need the numbers, is all. But compare to old days when we paid with personal cheque - that usually included your home address (often your name and home phone number), your bank account number, your bank's transit number and a sample of your signature - that you handed over to a complete stranger (a clerk in a store) - what could go wrong with that??

If I was running a business (which I am not) that accepted credit cards, every customer would pay a bit more to cover the one or two losses that I would incur - those losses would NOT be coming out of my pocket.

The only way that I know to protect from unauthorized charges is to "lock out" your card via your bank - that means no one - not even you - can use that account until you unlock it - a royal PITA to remember to unlock it before a purchase and then to re-lock it afterward. Maybe there is a better way? Getting an email or text does not prevent a charge from having happened, although you might know about it before your paper statement shows up.
 
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Its more convenient for the customer, sure.

But the merchant fees can get ridiculous, and there's also a lot of credit card fraud.
It can be mitigated by shipping only to the PAL address but the risk is still there.
 
MlCE said:
Its more convenient for the customer, sure.

But the merchant fees can get ridiculous, and there's also a lot of credit card fraud.
It can be mitigated by shipping only to the PAL address but the risk is still there.
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So you would be prepared to provide your PAL in order to buy a scope with a credit card?? Reloading dies? Scope mount rings? A hunting parka?
 
So some benefit using a credit card, but who pays the 4% for that benefit? In a competitive business (like all of them), it is nice if the customer is given the choice between lower cost or more benefits. Having said that I've been lucky so far with EMT. But when I use EMT I usually check out the firm a little bit (at least a call and conversation with the owner).
 
I won't go as far as saying I would refuse to do business with a company that doesn't take credit cards, but if I have the option I would shop elsewhere. The benefits of a credit card are numerous. Consumer protection in case of fraud or poor business practices, easier recordkeeping, it makes budgeting easier because it gives you more time if you have an unplanned purchase spring up (statement period plus 21 day grace period), occasionally there will be promos for payment plans via the card. For example at the beginning of 2022 the owner of my LGS was retiring, and Scotiabank was offering 0% interest on their payment plans for 6 months. I bought a ton of GP11 ammo they had hidden away, financed it for free, and came out way ahead with minimal impact to my budget. And of course it is nice to get points or cash back which I get is built into the price. But at a lot of places that don't take CC the price isn't substantially different anyways. Canadian Tire is another good example. With their rewards program, and 24 month 0% payment plans, you can get some pretty good deals and then finance them and beat inflation, as long as you don't get too carried away.

If you know how to use them right they are a powerful tool. And before some of you go on a rant about how you should always have cash in hand, don't buy what you can't afford today, blah blah blah, sometimes if you really want something you need to jump on the opportunity. I always pay my statements in full on the due date, and have more than enough money to pay for everything I buy. That doesn't mean I want to dip into any savings buffers, and that I can't try to game the system a bit.
 
CC is the only way to pay for online. Many people have already pointed this out. You could offer 4% discount for cash (EMT)

This is a classic example........

I bought an expensive pistol from a sponsor about 3 years ago and it arrived defective.
They wanted me to go through the warranty process.
I said no way, I want a refund. They said no refunds on firearms.

I said you better read your VISA agreement....they gave me a refund, AND send me a return shipping label.

There's NO protection with EMT.
 
I had my CC compromised twice in a few months, not by this business. Sure there is some protection. But I just find it annoying to have to go thru the CC company and the wait to get a new card.
 
Potashminer said:
So you would be prepared to provide your PAL in order to buy a scope with a credit card?? Reloading dies? Scope mount rings? A hunting parka?
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I like how you go for the extreme scenario first and use that to prove a point.


I dont know if ever worked in retail or bought an expensive item, but stores can call the bank and compare the address on the credit card with the shipping address.
There's a metric ####ton of scammers out there that use stolen credit card info to buy items online and have it shipped to an untraceable address like a PO Box, and then the card will later bounce and the money taken back.

At which point the item and the buyer will be long gone.

They wouldn't use the stolen card to buy a small $100 item, they would go for bigger items to maximize the credit - so no - most small items like your reloading dies or scope mount rings, or parka isn't an issue.

And also no, you dont have to provide your PAL, they may ask for a picture of your drivers license too.
 
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