Ways to receive payments $$

[AutumnCurl]

I am starting to charge for my photography and have a few bookings.

Besides sending a Paypal invoice requesting the money, what other options can i offer?

Is there a way to send a request via paypal that also gives the option of bank transfer?

obviously i can deal with cash and i already have my own invoicing system, separate from the paypal.

which ways do you customers prefer to pay?

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charge....autocorrect on the iPad...sigh

[fishographer]

I use the ATO's free book keeping software to do all my business's bookwork and GST reporting, they have a invoice generating section that you can put particular details on each invoice as defaults so it prints on every invoice, bank details for direct deposit ect.....its called E-Record but I am not sure its still available, I hate MYOB and E-Record is very simple to use and spits out everything my accountant needs at the end of the year.

My business also has a website and online store, I use a gateway company with the online store to be able to accept credit card payments online, its a pre requisite that the bank needs. The gateway company I use is called Eway and its deposits the payments straight into my account, once you are a client they have a free app available for iPhones and iPads that allows me to accept credit card transactions through them, when we do trade shows ect we just take the iPad and do all our credit card transactions instantly without needing a land line, eftpos machine or one of the old click clack paper machines.....smooth and swift. Costs us about $350 a year for the Eway account but obviously earns us quite a lot more than that.....not sure whether its worth it for you or not but its very handy and all you need is a mobile phone signal.

cheers
Jamie

[ricktas]

You can also just put your direct credit bank account details onto the invoice. I offer paypal and direct credit. As far as I have seen you canot use paypal for a direct credit option as then paypal would not get their commission.

[johndom]

I put bank details on the invoice, getting cheques is a rarity nowadays.

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day all

A word of caution regarding Paypal
They froze my account & it took 11 months to get it going again - upon a demand for additional identification to prove I was not a money launderer

Very Long Story - short version
my account reached a balance of $1000
I got a demand for full photo / passport ID to prove my identity
The claim was "that the demand was in accordance with Aust Govt guidelines for money laundering legislation"

I pointed out the big difference between a balance of $1000 vs a transaction of $10,000
I went to the ATO & federal Attorney Generals' depts - no help ... PayPal user contract states all issues will be dealt with in USA jurisdiction

To prove my ID they would only accept Centrelink or ATO or water/electricity documents less than 3 months okd and sent to my home address
Problem was I had sold my home address [moving interstate] and for the last 40years every document of importance went to a po box
Nothing whatever was accepted until I had a new address - even the contract to buy the new address was rejected

Until I started to receive water/electricity notices in my name & to the new address [not a po box] would they unfreeze the account

No apols were ever received - now I only get my monies via BSB xfr into my account - the BSB details being provided upon request & via email from me to the purchaser

Regards, Phil

[AutumnCurl]

Thanks guys

I have a great bookkeeping system set up and i currently am providing both bank transfer and paypal options, just wasnt sure if bank transfer was becoming an outdate thing as things seem to change so rapidly these days.

I am looking in to putting the cart option and gallery view on my website

i will have a look into the away as well.

phil, i will keep a watch out for paypal, as i would also have a similar problem as most everything is in my husbands name and due to us having multiply properties and renting it would most likely be a big mess as our mail goes to a few places ( sounds suss but its not lol we move around for hubby's work). Was it because you had reached $1000 in sales or because you had $1000 in the account? and was it a personal or business account?

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day ...

I really can't remember what sort of account it is ... I'm guessing it's an 'ordinary' account
As to the $1000 - we were taking deposits & full-payments for the next workshop in the series and the balance went over $1000 and 'B-A-N-G'

As other people also kept depositing the $$ amount doubled and stayed there, unobtainable for best part of a year
Needless to say we nowadays do not accept payments via PP but leave it on-site as 'plan-B' for those who insist - and we xfr any $$ within 24hrs of its deposit

Regards, Phil

[Adrian Fischer]

Didnt see it mentioned here but paypal now have a gizmo that plugs into your iphone (not sure about other phones) that allows you to swipe CC cards. Its limited release so far but looks interesting. Price wise Paypal is about on a par with banks for fees.

[Redgum]

PayPal has a benefit for your client in that they can use any number of methods to pay PayPal including credit cards (which means you don't need to set up credit card facilities with a bank). Although I have a corporate account with PayPal (and no problems over 6/7 years) it does allow me to deal with government departments who can use this facility for transactions under $5k. It in fact shortens the payment period from up to 60 days to immediate which helps the cash flow. It's also helpful if you're up country or overseas and your business/personal banking is online.

[ricktas]

The commonwealth bank have a phone (iOS and Android) App called Kaching. Kaching lets you pay people to their mobile phone/email address/facebook account and more. When you make a payment, the system contacts the recipient via the method you chose and asks them where they want the money placed. I reckon we will see the other financial institutions following suit fairly quickly and the whole payments system will change completely. I have been paid now via facebook and email from others using Kaching. CBA even have an offer on at present that if you make payments via Kaching (i think it is 2 payments per month), they waive the bank account fees on your main account for the month.

Things are changing rapidly.

[Redgum]

The CBA have always led the technology march. They were the first to have on-line banking by a long stretch. The trouble with instant payment is that it wipes "terms of trade" like 30 days as people expect instant gratification. I can see wedding photographers now collecting their payment as they walk out of the reception. Maybe they can use the same technology to transfer the wedding photos to the client - all done before the honeymoon.

[JM Tran]

The CBA have always led the technology march. They were the first to have on-line banking by a long stretch. The trouble with instant payment is that it wipes "terms of trade" like 30 days as people expect instant gratification. I can see wedding photographers now collecting their payment as they walk out of the reception. Maybe they can use the same technology to transfer the wedding photos to the client - all done before the honeymoon.

I usually have my photos to the client 4 days after the wedding, so half the time able to give it to them before the honeymoon

But in regards to payment, always bank account deposit/payment with details on the contract and invoice etc.