Garage sales are a great way to clean out your house while earning a bit of money. However, you may be missing out on a lot of profit if you’re only accepting cash. Many people only carry credit or debit cards nowadays, and unless you have an ATM sitting in your lawn, you’re going to miss out on some sales. Luckily, once you learn how to take credit cards at a garage sale, you’ll be able to increase sales and make your garage sale more convenient for shoppers.

Square

Square allows you to use your smartphone or tablet to accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express payments with ease. You even get a free Square magstripe reader when you sign up for a Square account, and this reader attaches to your device so that you can swipe the customer’s card for a smooth, quick transaction. One of the best parts about Square is that you see the money in your bank account on the next business day, ensuring you don’t have to wait long to get your money. Learn more about Square credit card processing from the company’s website.

There’s also a Square contactless reader and chip reader that you can get, which lets customers pay using their smartphones or with chip-protected cards.

You have two ways to accept payments: manually typing in the card number yourself, or using the reader to receive a payment. If you use the reader, you’re only charged a 2.75 percent fee, however, if you manually type in the card number, you’re charged a 3.50 percent fee, plus an additional 15 cent charge.

Paypal
Some people may not be comfortable with giving you their credit cards to swipe. Paypal is another way to accept credit card payments, and the company is highly reputable and well-known, so most people should feel comfortable using it. Paypal lets people add their credit or debit cards to their accounts, and then they can send money directly to your Paypal account. All you need to do is create an invoice for the products you’re selling, then send the customer the invoice. You could also give the customer your Paypal email and let them know how much money to send you. Paypal charges 2.9 percent and a 30 cent fee per transaction and the rest of the money is deposited into your account. Once the money is in your account, you can use it at online stores that accept Paypal, or you can withdraw the money to an attached bank account. If you don’t already have a Paypal account, you can create one from the company’s website.

Google Pay
It’s always good to have alternative methods of accepting credit card payments in case someone doesn’t use Paypal or is uncomfortable using Square. Google Pay lets you accept debit or credit card payments, provided that the customer also has a Google Pay account. You’re charged a 2.90 percent fee per transaction, and the rest of the money is deposited directly in your bank account. If you want to try this option, you can create a Google Wallet account today so that you can accept electronic payments at your upcoming garage sale.

Hopefully, these three methods have shown you how to take credit cards at a garage sale. Feel free to sign up with all three services, so you can increase the chances of making a sale. The services only charge you when you charge a credit card, so there’s no downside to having access to all three. Some people may be loyal to Paypal or Google Pay, and if you don’t have an account, you may miss out on a big sale.