Don't ever use Square payment processing ever again.

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CharlesT

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I recently sold a rifle on Gunbroker and used Square to accept payment for the rifle.

My funds had not been deposited into my account in 7 days.
I emailed them asking why and here is what they said...

Hi Charles,

I apologize for the delay in reaching out to you. There was some research I had to perform regarding your account. Everything appears in order however, the transaction you recently processed for the firearm sale on Gunbroker.com is the reason your account was suspended and referred to my desk. Section 6 of the Merchant User Agreement which prohibits Internet, mail, or telephone order transactions for firearms or weapons. Those types of sales put a stop to all deposits.

Because this transaction for $1625.00 was for a firearm that was sold when the card was not present, I need to ask you to agree to abide by the Agreement and no longer process transactions of this nature. All you will need to do is respond to this email agreeing to no longer process mail, telephone, or Internet transactions of this type using Square. You can use Square for any other type of transaction not listed in the section I referenced above.

To read more about the User Agreement, please see: https://squareup.com/legal/ua

Please respond before 4 pm PDT tomorrow (Friday) since I do not work weekends and would like to help you resolve this matter quickly. You can respond after that but I only check email once on Saturday and Sunday. I appreciate your patience and cooperation throughout this inquiry.

David
Square Account Services
Click to expand...

And the email I sent back

I do not understand why there is a restriction on a legitimate sale of an inanimate object. I think this is absolutely ridiculous.

I agree to not use Square for this type of sale ever again.
But I also agree to never use or recommend this service again.

I thank you for your time, and understanding.
Click to expand...

Here is their website
https://squareup.com/

Here is their Support Email
[email protected]

I will update when I get an answer back.
 
did you read their acceptable use policy when agreeing to the terms when signing up? Square, Stripe.com, etc...all have the same restrictions on firearm related transactions.
 
Screw them. They don't want your business, don't give it to them.

I am always annoyed when I see people talking about using "discrete Paypal" for gun-related transactions. They actively oppose your constitutional rights, yet you are willing to remain their customer and give them 3.5% or whatever on each transaction.
 
That is exactly how I feel.

I am going to go talk to some local banks tomorrow and see if I can set something up.
 
Bet you'll have no problem buying all the vulgar music glorying beating women and shooing up cops.
 
Try Leaders/Wells Fargo. I almost used quare from a recommendation until I realized they were charging multiple times what others charge. I tried going to Flagship Roampay but by the end of the application, the interest rate originally quoted and the monthly fees went way out of hand.
I will have my card read from Leaders in a couple days. $7 a month and the fees are reasonable, .35% debit card and 1.55% for a credit card.

http://www.leadersmerchantservices.com/lmsv4/index.php?lln=109

Not sure their stance on firearm transactions though. It only asks for the amount of money I'm accepting when I did a test run on the phone today. No place to put what I'm accepting the money for. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there. Until then, I will be saving quite a bit over Square's fees.
 
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Have you gotten your money from them yet? After you do I plan on sending them an email and give them a piece of my mind
 
Oh do it before :)
The more people tell them they are going to stop using them the more scared they will be.

I will update with what happens.
 
I don't mean to flame you, but they DO have a terms of service that you are SUPPOSED to read and agree to before signing up. Did you read the terms or just check off the I AGREE part? If you don't agree to a company's terms, don't sign up with them. We all know about Paypal so don't be surprised when they suspend an account for dealing in anything prohibited.

It's their ball so abide by their rules or play elsewhere. I have no problem using Square at gun shows and I always use a card present.
 
Looks like it is #23 in the list of things you can't do with the thing is right under the "Legal" tab as a user agreement.
By creating a Square Account, you also confirm that you will not accept payments in connection with the following businesses or business activities: (1) any illegal activity, (2) buyers or membership clubs, (3) credit counseling or repair agencies, (4) credit protection or identity theft protection services, (5) direct marketing or subscription offers or services, (6) infomercial sales, (7) internet/mail order/telephone order pharmacies or pharmacy referral services (where fulfillment of medication is performed with an internet or telephone consultation, absent a physical visit with a physician including re-importation of pharmaceuticals from foreign countries), (8) multi-level marketing businesses, (9) inbound or outbound telemarketers, (10) prepaid phone cards or phone services, (11) rebate based businesses, (12) up-sell merchants, (13) bill payment services, (14) betting, including lottery tickets, casino gaming chips, off-track betting, and wagers at races, (15) financial institutions offering manual or automated cash disbursements, (16) financial institutions offering merchandise and services, (17) sales of money-orders or foreign currency by non-financial institutions, (18) wire transfer money orders, (19) high-risk merchants, including telemarketing merchants, (20) service station merchants, (21) automated fuel dispensers, (22) adult entertainment oriented products or services (in any medium, e.g., internet, telephone or printed material), (23) internet/mail order/telephone order firearm or weapon sales, (24) internet/mail order/telephone order cigarette or tobacco sales, (25) drug paraphernalia, (26) occult materials, (27) hate products, (28) escort services, and (29) bankruptcy attorneys.

By accepting this Agreement you confirm that you will satisfy these requirements.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the heads up, yet another service to add to the list of who NOT to give my money to.
 
Hello,
We regret that you will not be using our services, but we’d like to clarify our policy on firearm sales. Due to federal and state regulations, we prohibit firearms and weapon sales when the transaction is not made in person. Mail order, phone, and internet sales of weapons, where the credit card number is manually-entered into Square, involve situations where we, and the weapons merchant, cannot confirm the identity of the buyer.
Our policy, however, does allow in-person transactions for firearms and other weapons when the credit card is swiped on our card reader. In addition, parts, ammunition, and other accessories are permissible for card-not-present transactions.
More information about Square’s Merchant User Agreement can be found here:
https://squareup.com/legal/merchant-ua
Section 6 provides additional details regarding prohibited businesses.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
All the best,
 
Mail order, phone, and internet sales of weapons, where the credit card number is manually-entered into Square, involve situations where we, and the weapons merchant, cannot confirm the identity of the buyer.
Our policy, however, does allow in-person transactions for firearms and other weapons when the credit card is swiped on our card reader.
Click to expand...

They're policy may have less to do with an anti-2A and more to do with cutting down on fraud issues they have to deal with. Guns are hot items for criminals so they have been known to use stolen credit card numbers to try to order online. My brother-in-law had his info stolen and the guy tried to order several guns from Bud's Gun Shop. Luckily someone caught it somewhere down the line. Long story short though, that can be quite a hassle for a company to deal with and they could be theoretically left holding the bill if such a transaction happened. It's certainly still an annoying policy.
 
Your fault, not Square

CharlesT I recently sold a rifle on Gunbroker and used Square to accept payment for the rifle.

My funds had not been deposited into my account in 7 days.
I emailed them asking why and here is what they said...
Click to expand...
So you deliberately violated their terms?:scrutiny:
Square has been AWESOME for gun dealers who do not or cannot afford the high volume credit card processors. It is simple, easy, and they are quick to deposit $$$ into my bank account. Several of my dealer friends dropped their cumbersome terminals and now use only Square.

They have ZERO problem with firearm sales done IN PERSON.

It is no secret that Square allows only "in person" firearm sales.
 
In Canada our laws are different.
They allow for direct sales of firearms between individuals and/or businesses.
I can buy a firearm from either an online dealer or an individual and have it shipped directly to my doorstep.
This is quite strange since we have such stringent gun control but that is the law.

The most effective way to pay for firearms is through EMT or Electronic Money Transfer.
Through my online banking website I input the email address of the person I'm sending the money to.
I generate a question which only the other party knows the answer to.
I provide the other party the answer which he or she will input to retrieve the funds.

In seconds I can send a payment regardless of the amount for a fee of $1.00.
The receiving party pays nothing.

I believe that there are US financial institutions that now offer this service.
 
YOU violated their terms and now you whine?
REALLY?
Our gun club uses them for buying targets, paying dues, buying shot, wads, primers, ammo, etc..... never had an issue
 
involve situations where we, and the weapons merchant, cannot confirm the identity of the buyer.
Click to expand...
apparently they are unaware that firearms have to be shipped to a dealer where a background check is done.
 
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