Etsy have just launched a card reader to enable Etsy Merchants to accept payments anywhere that they have a mobile phone signal.
Unlike the PayPal Here card reader, The Sell on Etsy card reader is free, if you qualify Etsy will simply mail you a card reader at no charge. Not only that but with charges of 2.75% per swipe (or 3% + $0.25 if you manually enter the card number), the 3.5% Etsy transaction fee does not apply for in-person sales.
Etsy say that 90% of all retail purchases are still made offline and many of their sellers sell in channels other than their online Etsy shop – 35% of Etsy sellers sell at craft fairs.
Sales through the Etsy reader are tied to the seller’s Etsy account, stock in their Etsy shop is depleted and buyers paying through the Etsy reader for in-person transactions can even leave feedback on Etsy for their offline purchases.
This is pretty neat, having integrated inventory for off line purchases makes using the Etsy card reader more attractive than PayPal or other competitors. That also means that Etsy can capture fees for non-cash sales made at craft fairs, farmers markets, car boots, fetes… anywhere that their sellers are trading. It also incidentally means that PayPal or competitors will lose out on those fees.
Currently the Etsy card reader is only available within the US, but they’re evaluating the feasibility of launching it to other territories such as the UK.
3 Responses
The picture shows a magstripe only reader which will be a lot cheaper for them to make than a chip and pin reader.
It’s the US. They’ve not realised chip and pin has been invented yet…