PayPal is a button, not a banking relationship.
PayPal earned its place online, and plenty of customers like paying with it. As the backbone of a real business's payments, it carries convenience pricing and platform-style account risk.
Compare against my real numbersWhere PayPal / Venmo shines
Customer familiarity
The button converts online because buyers trust it. Keeping it as one option among several is often smart.
Instant setup
Like all instant platforms, you're selling in minutes.
Where the broker wins
Real pricing structure
Flat convenience rates bundle hefty margin. A merchant account prices your actual volume and card mix, and our programs can remove the cost from your side entirely.
Account stability
PayPal's algorithmic holds and freezes are infamous precisely because there's no underwriter who knows you. Merchant accounts establish you up front.
A counter-grade setup
Real terminals, real POS options, receipts and reporting built for a business, not a marketplace seller.
Local support
A Federal Way phone number instead of a resolution center.
Keep the button if your customers love it. Build the business on a real account.
Fair questions
Should I remove PayPal entirely?
Usually no. Keep it as a checkout option where it converts; just stop running your core volume through convenience pricing.
Is Venmo for business different?
Same family, same structure: instant, convenient, platform-priced, algorithm-managed. Fine as an option, risky as a backbone.
What about PayPal Zettle for in-person?
It's the same flat-rate model in terminal form. In-person volume deserves card-present pricing, which is precisely what a merchant account gives you.
How fast can a real merchant account be live?
Days. Underwriting is the step platforms skip, and it's also why the account doesn't freeze later.