I accept Paypal (which allows them to pay by credit card among other things) - and checks posted directly to our bank account from clients with a good payment history on invoices over a certain amount.
I use Pay Pal too, but I'm annoyed at how long it takes to move money from my bank to my PayPal account or the other way around.. I think its time to find other options.
I'm moving to Google Checkout. The fees are lower and someone else on another business networking site whose business is to set up small biz's payment systems said that he recommends Google Checkout as the way to go over PayPal. I've signed up for it and sent myself an invoice to see what it was like. It provides a link that the client can click on to send payment. I'm not sure about how quickly you can get money transferred though.
I think I am also going to accept money orders / cashier's checks. Some people are 'old school' and prefer the paper method and I don't mind the mail thing. Also, cashier's checks and money orders are safer than a personal/business check because they had to give the cash up front to get the check so you know it's good. Nothing like taking a check to the bank, it bounces and you get stuck with a $30+ fee AND no money from the client. Burned.
Haven't you heard of Xoom yet? For me its much better than PayPal (sorry PayPal loyalists). Its cheaper and more trustworthy. You have an option to get it by Cash Pickup (from Xoom's bank partners) in your country, state, city; bank deposit (straight to your bank account and cash delivery (straight to your home).
Hope this info helped you guys! Any questions feel free to contact me!
Hi Sarah! I'm just going to add another idea to confuse you. Some people like Freshbooks. It's an online tool to track time, invoice clients, and accept payments. The downside is that it's only free for up to 3 clients, then for 3-25 clients it is $14/month.
That being said, I'm a big fan of anything FREE and have always used Paypal.
I currently accept PayPal and business checks. Personally, I would never accept a money order or cashiers check from someone I didn't personally know or have had previous business experience with. It is true that a business check can bounce, but you have recourse for collecting. All states have a bad check collection process, usually through the attorney general's office, and all banks require identification to even open a bank account and therefore they can usually be tracked back to the owner.
There are a lot of scams out there with money orders and cashiers checks. The forged money orders and cashiers checks look so real that most of the time the bank will actually accept the funds and then when they don't clear they will deduct the funds from your bank account. You have no recourse in collecting because there is no way to track the forged documents. The attorney generals office doesn't collect on money orders or cashiers checks.
And yes, checks can be forged too but you can always call the issuing bank to verify the document prior to sending it through your bank. They are still a lot safer than money orders or cashiers checks.
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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services
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