Card payments expose precious metal and coin dealers to more risk than ACH transactions.  ACH payments are superior to cards both for one-time high-ticket sales and recurring billing models.  And save you money on payment processing fees.

In uncertain economic times, precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are highly attractive to investors.  Precious metals in all forms, including coins & collectibles, are alternative investments used to guard against inflation and unpredictable financial markets.

The market demand for precious metals and coins is surging as the US experiences its greatest economic decline in history.  Investors want to buy from you.  Make it easy for your customers to pay you with ACH merchant accounts.  

Drawbacks of Card Payments for Precious Metal & Coin Dealers

Precious metals and coins frequently are high-ticket sales.  Some precious metal and coin dealers accept only one-time payments.  Others offer recurring billing models to make it convenient and affordable for buyers to pay in installments.

We provide both card and ACH merchant accounts.  And it is wise to accept as many payment methods as possible. The more way customers can buy from you, the more sales you make.

Still, card transactions have some real disadvantages compared to ACH payments. 

Card chargebacks are always an issue for high-ticket one-time sales or recurring billing models. Card payments can be charged back for up to 180 days after the transaction is completed for one-time sales. 

Recurring sales can be charged back up to 180 days, meaning that recurring monthly payments can be charged back for 6 months of recurring billing

Savvy consumers understand that calling the card issuing back and initiating a dispute often results in a decision in favor of the consumer.  After all, the consumer is the customer of the issuing bank, not the merchant.  Cards are highly profitable to banks.  Therefore, banks are financially motivated to side with customers to keep them using the cards for other purchases.

High ticket sales can be limited with card transactions.  Often, a card processor will set a limit on the amount of a high-ticket sale.  Monthly volumes may also be capped by card processors so you may not be able to get the processing capacity you need. 

Advantages of Card Payments for Precious Metal & Coin Dealers.

Saving money on payment processing reduces your cost of sales.  Processing rates for ACH are always less than card processing.  The reason is that ACH payments have no “interchange” like card payments do.  Therefore, rates for ACH are 50-80% less than card processing. 

It is much harder to chargeback an ACH transaction than a card payment.  Consumers must visit their bank, supply supporting documents, and make a case to their bank to refund the money debited from their bank account. 

Banks have little motivation to side with the customer because the money was already disbursed.  The bank has no profits at risk compared to card payments where the banks want to encourage buyers to continue to use the card. 

ACH payments are great for high value transactions.  High ticket amounts are perfectly fine for ACH.   And accounts seldom have caps on volumes. 

For recurring payments, ACH is superior to cards.  Bank accounts rarely change so recurring billing continues uninterrupted with no need to update payment data.

Compare this with cards.  Each year more than 20% of cards are reissued.  For a recurring billing transaction to approved, card data must be updated.  Despite your best efforts, you may not be able to obtain the updated information.  Meaning the recurring billing payment will decline, impacting your cash flow. 

ACH Credits

ACH debits let you deduct payments from bank accounts.  ACH credits give you the ability to electronically direct deposit funds to bank accounts.

ACH credits are a good solution for precious metal and coin dealers who buy from consumers or businesses.  Rather than issuing a paper check, ACH credits can used for direct deposit.

Benefits include Increased productivity, faster payouts and a competitive edge in the marketplace. 

Conclusion

ACH merchant accounts offer precious metal and coin dealers the following benefits over card payments. 

1. Save money on processing fees. Rates are 50-80% lower than card processing
2. High ticket sales are prefect for ACH payments. High ticket sales are always acceptable. No worries about exceeding card processing high ticket limits. 
3. ACH debits are extraordinary effective for recurring payments such as monthly metal buying plans, Bank accounts rarely change, ensuring that recurring payments continue without interruption.
4. ACH payments are far more difficult to chargeback than card transactions.
5. ACH gives customers another way to pay you. The more payment methods you accept, the more sales you make.
6. ACH credits are a highly efficient method of sending money to customers selling to you.

Interested in finding out more?  Contact info@NationalACH.com today.  Or call

866-ACH-7600