This is a guest post by Molly Reynolds from Vape Payment Insider. As always, the opinions expressed in guest posts are those of the author. Want in on the guest post action? Drop me a line.
Now may be the perfect time to open a vape shop, or launch a vape web store. The vape and e-cig industry is red hot. According to Wells Fargo Securities, vape and electronic cigarettes are now a $1 billion industry, and growing.
[Tweet “be prepared to find a reliable merchant service provider #VapeBiz”]
For many people, opening a vape business is the perfect combination of their personal lifestyle and entrepreneurial dreams. This, of course, also creates jobs for many Americans and strengthens our economy. Not to mention the fact that vaping is actually helping people stop tobacco. Seems like banks would want to jump on that bandwagon, yes?
No.
Many vape business owners can’t get a merchant account – even if they have been loyal customers of a given bank. Platforms like Paypal and Square are freezing vape merchant accounts with little or no warning, leaving business owners in the lurch – having to deal with angry customers. It seems that vape businesses are getting the cold shoulder from everyone. WHY? Because the industry is considered “high risk.”
So where do you go to accept credit cards? Do not go to providers like PayPal or Square. These PSPs (payment service providers) promise a fast and easy way to accept credit cards, but pay attention to the fine print of their Terms & Conditions. Every one of these services prohibits sales of tobacco related products. Yes, we know that true vaping doesn’t contain tobacco, but the PSPs don’t care. They can and do shut down merchant accounts with no warning, freezing cash assets for months at a time. You’ll literally risk going out of business.
The real solution is to find a reputable merchant service provider that not only specializes in high risk industries, but specifically in vape. These are some key recommendations:
Search Google for providers that specialize in vape merchant accounts. But do not just rely on what you read online. Call them and make sure they are legitimate and can answer all of your questions.- If any merchant service provider requires you to sign a long-term contract, run, don’t walk, away. You should only accept an agreement that is month-to-month, with no early termination fees or cancelation hassles.
- Submit all required paperwork that the service provider requires in a timely manner. A legitimate provider will be able to review and approve a new merchant account within 2 business days. If it takes longer, move on.
- Obtain the right merchant account for your business. For retail shops, this would be a “card present” account, with a lower discount rate. For online stores you’ll need a “card not present” account, which tells the payment processors to expect a high volume of transactions where the card is not present. Otherwise you run the risk of an audit from the processing bank.
Armed with this knowledge you’ll be prepared to find a reliable merchant service provider for your new vape business. Good luck!
By: Total-Apps
Total-Apps is a leading authority of advanced payment processing technologies and services. The company specializes in providing vape businesses with reliable merchant accounts. The professionals at Total-Apps pride themselves on being active members of the vaping community and staying on the forefront of the industry to effectively support their vape clients in growing successful businesses.
