Accepting payments for pipes & glassware: It’s getting better
The trend lately for the Glassware and pipe industry, at least in terms of their ability to accept credit cards online, appears to be trending positive. Pipe, grinder, and glassware websites can now be set up with solid, high-risk friendly payment gateways that are connected to reliable US-based merchant accounts.
We have solutions for pipe and glassware e-commerce websites that easily integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and nearly ALL high-risk friendly carts. This is because we are able to set you up with either Authorize.Net or NMI, depending on what is best for you, and can recommend a solid, affordable merchant account processor too.
The back story: Glassware, pipes, and payment gateways
Many years ago setting up a payment gateway for a pipe website was not more difficult than any other common high-risk industry. About 3 years ago, that all changed. Providers became ultra-restrictive and for a while, glassware sites had almost no legitimate way to accept payments online. In late 2015 things began to improve, but still, recommending a good payment gateway set-up with stable credit card processing for glassware merchants was really, really hard. Then, last year we were introduced to some new payment providers that offered merchant accounts for glassware, pipe, and hookah merchants who were looking to accept payments. That filled a void, but it was still hard. Setup was tougher than we originally thought for merchants, and shopping cart compatibility was even tougher.
In terms of glassware payments, the positive trend is continuing
The market is always changing, but as of now we can offer very widely compatible payment gateway options and integrate them with glassware friendly merchant accounts (through our vetted industry contacts.) Approvals are happening somewhat quickly, rates are reasonable for the industry and the trusted, vetted partners we are recommending have a long history in the business.
It is not as easy as setting up a simple low-risk retail store, and glass merchants should plan on making at least a couple of “processor friendly” tweaks to their websites and maybe even their social media. Still, it is way easier than it has been in quite a while for glass and pipe merchants to accept credit cards. Please note, glassware and vaporizers accounts are almost always not through the same provider, and references to anything illegal on social media or elsewhere is a dealbreaker for most processors.
Looking to sell pipes or glassware online? Reach out to us right away for fast advice!
Trying to accept payments for MMJ supply, grinder or stash boxes?
We have several great contacts that can offer low-cost stable merchant accounts for the MMJ packaging, supply, grinder, and stash box merchants and these processors integrate seamlessly with highly compatible gateways making shopping cart integration easy. Contact us for an introduction and payment gateway integration support.
Pipes or dispensary supplies? One size does not fit all. Not even close.
An important note, the processors that welcome glassware are generally different than the processors who support the MMJ packaging and supply industry. We still have great contacts that can offer low-cost stable merchant accounts for the MMJ packaging, supply, grinder, and stash box merchants and others that help glass pipe and water pipe merchants, but these are separate accounts. Merchants offering both are better served completely separating the processing and only sending each processor what they want. Having two separate URLs to make it clear to the processors that the campaigns are separate is often a good idea. We offer payment gateway options that allow you to manage multiple merchant accounts from the same gateway log-in, you can read more about it here.
Contact us anytime for the latest news on the industry and for processing and gateway recommendations for MMJ supply, or glassware.
What types of smoking accessories are folks selling online anyway?
Grinders, Hookahs, atomizers, coils, Artisan glassware, water bongs, rolling papers and more are all completely viable products to sell online. These days it shouldn’t be hard to find places to market your website that will allow what you are selling as long as your company does not imply any illicit drug references. First, off you should be able to find ad services that can selectively distribute your ads to websites that appeal to your demographic. Ad placement is still an important aspect of marketing, despite the overabundance of digital advertising.
Additionally, you can still show off your products on social media. Artisan glassware, for example, has a huge market right now, if you took a few pieces and made a video showcasing the nicer products, or even better, the process of how they are created, you can generate a great deal of attention on social media, and adding profanity filters can help you avoid customers and commenters using illicit references as well, to help keep your nose clean and avoid “guilt by association” issues. Find targeted promotions on social media that cater to your demographics by selecting interests, for example, the Grateful Dead, vinyl records, or adult swim television shows. The manner of how you select your demographic is ultimately more important than the specifics of your advertisement, as long as you are able to clearly show off what you sell, you should get a return, and at the moment many folks find it isn’t as expensive to advertise on social media as they first thought it might be. Certain platforms do prohibit certain items but with some patience, and some message board searches you should be able to promote your products.
Find the best method of reaching and catching the eye of those specifically interested in your products. With the growing market for this particular industry, the effort should be well worth it.
Contact us for more on how to get started.
Please note
We do not offer any recommendations for products that are not legal at the federal level. Medical marijuana itself, and THC paraphernalia are prohibited by all of our contacts. Also, merchants should take all steps necessary to ensure that they are in compliance with all local and federal rules in addition to any gateway or processing guidelines or terms provided by their vendors. If you are unsure about any compliance aspect of your business you should seek the counsel of a qualified attorney that understands both your industry and payment processing.