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February 17, 2014, 09:58:02 PM |
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See the post below for a list of businesses in the Seattle area that already accept Bitcoin.
Hey all,
So I have a goal in mind. I frequent a large number of small businesses. These include anything from Mom And Pop restaurants, bars, theaters, art galleries, among others. People have been said that brick and mortar businesses will be the last to adopt bitcoins, but I'm not so sure that is the case. In the case of bars, many nerds will come in, buy one beer or two, and then the merchant pays .35 and 3.5% on their transactions of perhaps $3-4. Micropayments are a reality in Brick and Mortar shops, and it may be a while before you see the Best Buy guy scanning your transaction QR while he marks off your receipt as you exit, but small businesses have *[nothing to lose] and everything to gain from adoption, ESEPCIALLY in my neighborhood.
Below I will outline the options and pros and cons with each of my selections.
Adoption Options: Reality vs. Choices
1) Square and Bitcoin: Here are a few things I have thought about in the ways of Merchant adoption. Many merchants are switching to Square, and for good reason, but the biggest reason other than being hip and cool is it adds to their bottom line. So we need to show these businesses how bitcoin can do just that, and even more so. I see many businesses being convinced that bitcoin could be even more beneficial to them as a medium where as even if they convert immediately to fiat, their merchant transaction fees will be even less than Square. And then perhaps eventually, they might just hold a few themselves.
Pros:
For merchants who already accept Square, we can get these businesses to use coinbase web app with little training and no additional overhead costs.
Cons:
Web App [ew] - no natiave app in apple products, and most square merchants have ipads (If someone can please clarify if the merchant services are fleshed out on the web UI, please post below, thanks!)
2) Nexus 7 or android tablet & Bitpay/Coinbase
Pros:
-Fully supported
-Easy to use
-No need to replace current POS system
Cons:
-Some overhead startup costs (Nexus 7 is about ~$200)
3) Revel and POS replacement systems that accept Bitcoin
Pros:
-Fully supported by Revel/Coinbase.
-Full integration with other payment methods (CC, Cash, etc.)
Cons:
-Revel charges $1500 to train resellers (ouch)
-Apple could ban Revel at any time and shut their asses down unles they remove bitcoin support (This is scary).
-Huge startup and overhead costs.
These options are what I was able to come up with, and what I think I've decided on is to stick with mostly option (1) and (2) if possible. If anyone has any advice, or suggestions please let me know. I'd love to hear strategies other people have used to get other merchants on board with this. My first couple places I am going to purchase a few Nexus' 7's and outfit them out of my own pocket, and see if I can work with some others with square to take that jump and get them signed up with a merchant services. I then want to get the folks in the area on board here to support these businesses for making that leap of faith, but also perhaps I'll post their social media handles, and the rest of you can thank them for being pioneers!
The below post will be a list of businesses in the Seattle area that accept Bitcoin, seperated by Goods/Services Type, Thanks! If you have any to add, please post them here, or if you have a list, post it here and I'll add it, thanks!!!!
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