You may be missing the real value of accepting credit cards, customers will tend to have more work done, when they find out you accept them. it can increase you business, and your income.
Amen. There's no doubt that having the ability to accept credit cards will put you in a much more strategic position to get customers to go ahead with extras. Not to mention, your money is 95% safe. The other 5% is usually just little garbage like when the wife approved a few more bucks to replace some dimmers and husband comes home furious because he could "have done that himself" and challenges the charges. Even in those instances, they rarely ever win their challenge against your charges. I set up my credit card services through BJ's Wholesale Club about ten years ago and have been very happy with their contracted provider, Chase Merchant Services. The money is in our account within 48 hours and the fees are nickels and dimes compared to the added revenue that you can generate. It's well worth it.
PayPal's fees are a bit higher, but they are also a very reputable processing agency that requires very little out of pocket expense. I believe that they require that you deposit a token amount of money in your account to cover reversals for the first few months, but after that, it's just a matter of paying percentages. If you have them transfer funds to your bank account, it is practically free. If you want them to send you a check, it costs a couple of dollars more on a per-payout basis.