Regional Support: Selling in Person (UK)

[Victor]

Learn more about selling in person and using the Shopify POS system while running your Shopify store in the UK.

This thread is part of the Regional Support threads offered for merchants in the United Kingdom. To see which other topics are available, you can visit the UK hub here.

The Shopify Point of Sale (POS) system is available for merchants in the United Kingdom to use.

Unifying your online and in-store selling has many advantages. It can help you save time by managing your inventory in a single place, and also create opportunities for more sales and re-engaging your customers, regardless of where they buy.

Shopify offers two POS app subscriptions to fit your business needs, and you will have the flexibility to decide which POS subscription works best for each of your locations. POS Pro offers the unique features you'll need to run a brick-and-mortar store, and is priced at $89 USD per month, per location. POS Lite is built for selling on-the-go at markets and fairs, and is included as standard with all Shopify subscriptions. We offer a features page that breaks down the features and functionalities of both options.

The Tap, Chip & Swipe Reader offered in the hardware store integrates with Shopify Payments, meaning you can use the gateway to process both online and in-person sales simultaneously. You can also use an external reader to process payments via a third-party gateway.

If you have a question or comment to make about selling in person with Shopify in the United Kingdom, please post it below.

[Victor]

Hi @linzal,

Yes, that is correct. The Wisepad 3 Reader is the only card reader we currently offer to UK merchants and it is only compatible with iOS devices, and not Android ones. 

You are still able to process payments using an external card reader that is compatible with your Android device and can mark it as a custom payment within Shopify POS. The order will be marked as paid within Shopify but the payment will be processed by the external reader, and details of the transaction will be accessible through your account with the payment provider who has provided the reader. Many payment processors will offer terminals for rent which might be the best option for you if you're only going to be accepting in-person payments on specific days.

[Wedevagency]

@Nashsxm Hey! Are you still looking for help with this?

[JohnFederkins]

Can I sell at UK markets and fairs with the Shopify POS app and card readers even though my account is based in the USA?

[Victor]

Hi @JohnFederkins,

Technically you can, yes, although the main issue you will run in to is that you can only charge in USD. You also will not be able to use our card readers when selling abroad in this instance.

Our recommendation would be to set up a new store specifically for selling in the UK, with your store address and location being set to one in the UK and your default currency to GBP. You'd then be able to use one of our UK card readers when selling there.

Alternatively, you could set up a custom payment method and use a third-party card reader to process in-person payments. The main advantage of this is that it would prevent you from having to set up a new store or make account-level changes. All of your reporting would remain in USD, but you could accept payments in GBP using the third-party reader.