How to choose a way to take payments at a market
What actually matters when you're picking a payment and sales tool as a food vendor.
Most payment tools were built for a shop with a counter, not a folding table at a market. Here's what to weigh before you pick one.
Fees on small tickets — A flat monthly fee or a high per-swipe minimum eats a $6 loaf alive. Look at what you keep on a single small sale, not the headline rate.
Works without a card reader — On market day you don't want one more thing to charge, carry, and lose. Taking payment on the phone you already have is one less point of failure.
Live inventory customers can see — If people can check what's left before they walk over, you sell more and answer fewer 'do you still have…' texts.
One record, not three — Cash, cards, and pre-orders should land in the same place, so you're not reconciling a notebook against an app at 9pm.
It tells you your next move — The tool should turn the sale into a decision — what to bake more of, what to stop, who to text back — not just a receipt.
Free to set up — you only pay once you make a sale.