I'm in the process of opening my shop, and initially had difficulty finding a company to accept credit cards. I searched online for hours, tediously comparing and contrasting products, services and fees. There are so many expenses that come along with opening a shop (licenses, advertising, equipment, etc). Needed to keep my overhead down and make things as seamless as possible.
My three criteria for choosing the right company for card processing:
No binding contract - Verizon suckered me into signing a 2 year contract last year, but try to avoid it all costs.
iPad POS System - There are tons of different back office software options for inventory control, but wanted something that would be compatible with my card processing to use at the point of sale. Fortunately, there's some good options for the iPad and apparently it will alert me when a part needs to be restocked. Also purchased a stand and cash register for the iPad. I haven't used it yet, but seems great!
Low credit card fees - The company I went with gave me 2.00% fixed rate for all cards including Amex, which is far lower than any other quote I received. And no contract. Make sure you do your homework before signing on the dotted line.
Pleas share your experience dealing with card processors?
