Square Register just said NO to Ammunition and Parts

Uberdillo · May 10, 2013

Since I recently became aware of inexpensive, mobile credit card readers, I noticed that at the last gunshow a large number of vendors use Square Register for their sales. I can only imagine how many merchants in their online directory come up when you look for the words "ammo" or "ammunition." They seemed to be the go-to option since Paypal has been sporadically enforcing their no firearm related sales policy and locking people's accounts along with funds. Square apparently just updated their user agreement from prohibiting:

(23) internet/mail order/telephone order firearm or weapon sales

Old: <broken link removed>

to

(23) sales of (i) firearms, firearm parts or hardware, and ammunition; or (ii) weapons and other devices designed to cause physical injury

New: https://squareup.com/legal/seller-agreement

Seems like they'd rather be the preferred method for small restaurants.

bzltyr · May 10, 2013

dont let them know what is being sold. Say its tree hugger flowers.

Cremator75 · May 10, 2013

+1
Be nondescript on your receipt and explain that to the buyer. It will be a non issue like PayPal.

Mark W. · May 10, 2013

true they aren't a bar code reader. They just read the buyers card and debt the account that much moving the money minus their cut to the sellers account.

I use my Paypal Debt card all the time to buy firearms and gun stuff. It has a Mastercard symbol on it so it has to be accepted for anything a Mastercard is. Says what I am buying and from who right on the receipt and my account summary.

Uberdillo · May 10, 2013

Sounds like business as usual then. Maybe I've just read too much internet rumor of lockouts from transactions on Ebay and Gunbroker.

Redcap · May 10, 2013

Never tell these places exactly what you sell. It is none of their business.

Stomper · May 11, 2013

Tell them you are selling hairy sacks, and that you'd be happy to send them a sample they that could take a smell of.

nick1980 · May 11, 2013

I buy gun parts on ebay and only use paypal. you can buy barrels, mags etc...

Nick Burkhardt · May 12, 2013

Or try Easy mobile credit card processing - Intuit GoPayment

Will_Power · May 13, 2013

From another forum about this same issue:

I am a manager for First Data. The processor of Square, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Paypal, etc.... The reason why that happens is because Square (along with some other merchant services) do not offer PCI compliance. Needed for your protection (as a merchant) from chargebacks and disputes. I give my small gun shops on a similar phone swiper (or terminal of any kind) at a rate of 1.75% (compared to Square's 2.75% and Paypal's ~3.50%) plus my PCI compliance fee of $9.95. A small price to pay to keep a legitimate business going the way it should. And your insurance that we can protect you from illegitimate chargebacks.

Source.

Read further in that thread at R/Guns and it seems that the real culprit here isn't the evil, anti-gun Square, but rather all the panic buyers who have had second thoughts and caused a big spike in chargebacks.

soyeah · May 13, 2013

Will_Power said:
From another forum about this same issue:

Source.

Read further in that thread at R/Guns and it seems that the real culprit here isn't the evil, anti-gun Square, but rather all the panic buyers who have had second thoughts and caused a big spike in chargebacks.

I have no idea what's going on with Square and any policy changes they did or didn't make, but let's not get some mumbo jumbo about PCI compliance or per-swipe rates mixed up with concerns about what a payment processor says is an acceptable item to purchase. PCI compliance is an industry regulation. Prohibiting the sale of specific items is a bank/retailer/processor policy issue.

Services from companies like Square are required to be PCI compliant, so any argument that they are NOT compliant is bunk. (And PCI compliance doesn't allow/disallow the purchase of specific items.) I really don't know what's happening with this whole Square issue, but it's worth noting that the e-mail address offered by the "manager for First Data" in the above link does not actually go to First Data. Their people use an "@firstdata.com" address, and this person used an "@firstdataisc.com" address. Somewhere in the thread there may be grains of truth here and there, but there's also a lot of garbage clouding the picture.