Tag: taking credit card payments

But I just want to sell a few books … my experience with PayPal Here and sales tax

Author Jane_SteenGuest Post
by Jane Steen

I never intended to get into the business of selling books directly to the public. Yes, the profit margin’s higher — $2 to $3 more per book than selling online or through a bookstore. But a sale online comes with a hike in my sales rank, and vendors take care of sales taxes and shipping — so why should I bother?

But I started getting invited to local events, accompanied by: “And we’d love it if you could bring books to sell.” Fine, I can do that, I thought. What would I need? A receipt book, some method for keeping records, a means of taking credit card payments, and … oh heck. I’m going to have to charge sales tax. I’m an Illinois resident, and in Illinois, there’s no lower limit under which you’re free to sell merchandise without charging sales tax. You’re required to charge it whether you sell goods as a professional or a hobbyist. Continue reading “But I just want to sell a few books … my experience with PayPal Here and sales tax”

Selling Books with a Mobile Card Reader

author credit card sales money-256319_640I was at a book festival recently and sat next to a man who had one of those little credit card readers on his smart phone. He said he got it after he’d been at another festival where a potential customer had only credit cards with which to pay, no cash or checks. While I’ve found that most folks who come to festivals are prepared with cash, some with checks, I realized it would be uncomfortable to have to turn away a customer because I couldn’t take their payment. I decided to research the card reader options and thought I’d share. Continue reading “Selling Books with a Mobile Card Reader”