ConsignCloud comes out-of-the box with a fully-integrated card processing solution, which is the best way to handle payments in — or out of — your store. In contrast with third-party solutions, our system is designed to reduce friction at the sales counter, save you money, and completely eliminate double data-entry. Read on to discover how it works, and how to get started.

The first step in getting your store ready to accept credit cards is to contact our payments partner, Gravity Payments, to set up a merchant account. Rates are negotiated based on what your business looks like, such as years in business, business type, and sales volume.

Once your merchant application is processed, Gravity will enter your integration information into ConsignCloud at Apps » ConsignCloud Register » Settings » Payments, and you'll be sent a terminal. This whole process generally takes just a little over a week.

ConsignCloud works with a variety of devices, including the Castle Vega 3000 (only $210), as well as the Clover Flex and Clover Mini. Once you've set up your merchant account with Gravity, they'll send you a terminal for your use — you can either buy this terminal outright, or rent it from them for a cheap monthly fee.

When you are ready to finalize a sale and want to accept a card, click on "Credit Card" in the payment dialog and select the terminal you want to process with (the software will remember your preference for future sales). ConsignCloud will say "Waiting for terminal", and your terminal should light up to take your card. If it doesn't, make sure the terminal is on and connected to your Wi-Fi network.

At this point, you'll just need to swipe, dip, or tap, and you're done!

In a pinch, you may have to enter a card manually. To do that, select "Enter Manually" from the terminal drop-down menu.

This will open the credit card payment interface. Just enter the customer's card number, expiration date, and CVV number.

After that, hit the "Pay" button, and you're done! Your transaction will immediately show up in your Gravity gateway, and the funds will reach your bank account within 2 business days.

If a sale with a credit card payment attached is voided (from the sale detail page), the card payment will be voided as well. The same goes for sales that are not finalized — if you swipe a card but don't complete the sale for whatever reason, that card payment will be voided. Be sure your sale is completely finalized before you let your customer go!

The big difference between using a fully integrated solution and something like Square (or any other third-party POS), is that third-party processing requires recording sales in two places, which can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. In contrast, letting ConsignCloud handle payment processing for you means better technical support, a smoother setup process, and fewer moving parts to distract you when processing sales — the most crucial part of your business.

Gravity Payments is an industry leader in payment processing, going all the way back to 2004. They offer amazing support, and solid technology, which helps us stay focused on investing in our platform, instead of dealing with the complexities of running a processing business.

It depends on a number of things — Gravity uses "interchange plus" pricing, where they transparently pass on what the card companies charge them, plus a little bit on top. What this means is that rates can be hard to predict since every merchant needs to go through Gravity's underwriting process before a quote can be created, based on business age, sales volume, and other factors. That said, card-present rates are competitive, and usually end up being less than what Square would charge you.

Easy! Just fill out Gravity's Merchant Application form, which you can find here. In most cases, a salesperson will get back to you within one business day.