On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 20:37:39 GMT, wrote:

On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 19:48:23 GMT, smithfarms pure kona
wrote:


I sell all my coffee mail order and use a national merchant card
service. There is nothing that says you cannot charge before the
product is sent, ostensibly to be sure the card is good and not
being
used from a place near the graveyard in Nigeria. I ran that card
through my system after I seriously got that as a shipping address
for
an order and of course, the card was bogus.

--And to be fair, I do know some people who do not send until the
charge has gone through.

As a former poster said, I personally do not charge until the
product
is in the mail, sometimes even days later cuz I am the whole
office
staff. I hate to say this out loud and test the karma, but we have
never been ripped off, thank you universe.

with aloha,
Cea
smithfarms.com
Farmers of 100% Kona Coffee
& other Great Stuff

As far as I am aware, all of the major credit card companies have a
system where the merchant can verify credit, and reserve a reasonable
amount to cover anticipated charges yet to be made. This isn't some
"hidden" feature.

BB

Yes, you are correct. My card company has authorize as an option.
But you have to fill it all out and unless you are suspicious as I was
with the Nigeria order, it is extra work to an office staff of one
persong, because when you actually charge the card you have to be
careful to only do the step after authorize.

OT--I am a little wary of my merchant service, with my dubious
electrical connection because two times in the last 5 years, the
electricity has apparently wavered and I have double charged my
customers and didn't know it. Oh well, once I am in that charge card
software, I want to do it once only. FYI I live at the end of an
electricity line in a very rural area.

aloha,
Cea
smithfarms.com
Farmers of 100% Kona Coffee
& other Great Stuff