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> It's so easy. No setting up shit like iDeal or Stripe.. While true, the friction with iDeal or Stripe is a lot lower than with bank-transfers. I've helped s

by berkes 5y ago

> It's so easy. No setting up shit like iDeal or Stripe.. While true, the friction with iDeal or Stripe is a lot lower than with bank-transfers. I've helped set up such payment systems (backends): the rate of non-paying (send reminders, etc) is far higher with bank-transfers than with iDeal. So much, that for many freelancers who send just a few dozens of invoices per year, it pays off (pun intended) to include an iDeal QR code and link in that invoice. People are so much more likely to click and link and pay than when they have to type over payment details. The latter often ends on the "TODO pile" the former is often payed within minutes after emailing. (Do note that in Western-Europe it is common business(to-business) practice to send an invoice after the goods or services are delivered. This invoice acts as a payment-request.)

kuschku 5y ago
Most banking apps support SEPA QR codes as well, specifying a receiver, amount, and subject line. Which makes payment super easy. If I’m sharing a bill with friends, I’ll just generate the QR codes, the friends scan them, click pay, verify with biometrics, and are done. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPC_QR_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPC_QR_code
rambambram 5y ago
Oh definitely, it's not for every use case. If one just shuffles boxes through (roughly speaking) and competes on price, an automated system with all the well-known payment providers is better. If you want to go bare bones, spend as little money as possible (on fees, setup costs and setup time, brain cycles) then I just want everybody to know that - at least in Europe - that's possible. Even with only a personal bank account (and some good bookkeeping, that is)! > that for many freelancers who send just a few dozens of invoices per year Let me be clear I'm not talking about invoices from freelancers who already did the work, I'm talking real webshop stuff (you buy and pay for goods and/or digital services on the spot). The only 'problem' is that you have to wait one or two days (and three when there's a weekend) before you can start fullfilling an order. That's not for every use case, but definitely can work for a lot of use cases I think.
- berkes 5y ago
  Thanks for detailing. As always in IT, the actual, practical use-case is what makes the difference :). And yes! I've set-up webshops that work exactly this way: both B2C, and B2B. I even encounter them regularly in NL, where iDeal is the norm and dead-easy to implement: e.g. yesterday when ordering special seeds for coming years vegetable-garden: "Please email us the product-numbers and quantities, the bank-account from where you send the money and your postal address" Having no PSP is always easier than the easiest PSP. Having no webshop is always easier than the simplest webshop. Apparently such businesses can get away with it. Or, more in y-combinator-speak: by far the leanest webshop is a simple email-inbox.

by berkes 5y ago

kuschku 5y ago

Most banking apps support SEPA QR codes as well, specifying a receiver, amount, and subject line. Which makes payment super easy. If I’m sharing a bill with friends, I’ll just generate the QR codes, the friends scan them, click pay, verify with biometrics, and are done. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPC_QR_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPC_QR_code

rambambram 5y ago

Oh definitely, it's not for every use case. If one just shuffles boxes through (roughly speaking) and competes on price, an automated system with all the well-known payment providers is better. If you want to go bare bones, spend as little money as possible (on fees, setup costs and setup time, brain cycles) then I just want everybody to know that - at least in Europe - that's possible. Even with only a personal bank account (and some good bookkeeping, that is)! > that for many freelancers who send just a few dozens of invoices per year Let me be clear I'm not talking about invoices from freelancers who already did the work, I'm talking real webshop stuff (you buy and pay for goods and/or digital services on the spot). The only 'problem' is that you have to wait one or two days (and three when there's a weekend) before you can start fullfilling an order. That's not for every use case, but definitely can work for a lot of use cases I think.

berkes 5y ago
Thanks for detailing. As always in IT, the actual, practical use-case is what makes the difference :). And yes! I've set-up webshops that work exactly this way: both B2C, and B2B. I even encounter them regularly in NL, where iDeal is the norm and dead-easy to implement: e.g. yesterday when ordering special seeds for coming years vegetable-garden: "Please email us the product-numbers and quantities, the bank-account from where you send the money and your postal address" Having no PSP is always easier than the easiest PSP. Having no webshop is always easier than the simplest webshop. Apparently such businesses can get away with it. Or, more in y-combinator-speak: by far the leanest webshop is a simple email-inbox.