Assuming you were purchasing something from overseas, and Paypal wasn't an option, which would you prefer:

1) western union wire transfer (costs like $27)
2) wire transfer from your bank (costs like $35)
3) mail a check
4) mail a money order

quote:

3) mail a check
4) mail a money order

I don't think those are possible for overseas orders. Maybe an international money order???

Wire transfers are probably the best, but it is such a shame that our financial institutions charge so much for them.

I buy the occasional box from German sellers, but am also lucky enough to have a brother and aunt living over there who are able to do cheap bank transfers for me after I send them the $$$ via paypal. Many German sellers only want bank transfers and will only ship within Germany. Bro will even organize the shipping for me if needed... Lucky for me, he's a bit of a gearhead, too.

quote:

Originally posted by JT:

quote:

3) mail a check
4) mail a money order

I don't think those are possible for overseas orders.

Well maybe not a check, but couldn't you just go to a bank, convert the money, write out a money order and then mail it?

Theres a few methods that you can use, but it depends on the country the other person is in.

I remember in the old days (well, late 80s) of buying stuff from overseas, like demo tapes and band t-shirts and such, you'd send concealed cash in the post. This was made safe by sending it inside an audio cassette case with a blank tape in it with the cash wrapped in carbon paper inside it.

Then you'd write 'Audio Tape - Do NOT XRay" on the package and even if they did, they still wouldn't see the cash as the carbon paper is impervious to x-rays. In this day and age you'd probably get pulled up for some sort of terrorist activity though, but back then it ensured you could safely send money to any country on the planet and it'd get there.

But I digress.. I'm not sure why ebay swear off those Western Union transfer things as they've been around for eons and seem to be a tried and tested way of transferring money, maybe it's cause they can't make any profit out of it? Wouldn't suriprise me in the least.

I guess it depends on the amount and where too. No point doing a bank transfer for less than a couple of hundred dollars, unless the buyer will agree to pay the transaction costs.

The IMO (International Money Order) route is probably the safest as it needs to be authorised by the sender and the receiver and are non-transferable (from memory). They cost about AUD$25 here, but offer a good amount of insurance and the only real trade off is that you have to wait for it to arrive by a regular mail carrier. Your post office should have all the information you need about IMO's, probably a bit cheaper in the U.S. too.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, good luck Reli!



Rock On.

Before I signed up for Paypal, I did all of my international eBay buys with "alternative" forms of payment. From the U.S., international postal money orders (pink ones, available at the post office) are only good for a few countries, like Canada and Japan. They have some sort of agreement with us. You need to specify when you buy one where it's going to be sent.

For places like the UK and Europe, there is some complicated process available, where you apply for one at the post office and wait, but even then I don't think folks in those locations have an easy time cashing it.

I've done bank transfers, but they're very expensive and most of our local bank branches don't even do them anymore. You have to go to the "main branch" downtown.

Believe it or not, I've had success sending cash via Registered Mail. Registration places the envelope "under lock and key" (used mostly for sending important documents) and keeps track of it until it reaches its destination. I usually stick a return receipt to it, so I get a card back telling me it's been delivered. I've never insured it, because that tells postal employees that there's money inside. But I've sent dozens of them to places like Australia and the UK, and not one of them has failed to arrive. Of course, as they say in commericals for investment funds, "Past performance does not guarantee success of your future investments."

You've hit on an important dilemma. It's one of the reasons Paypal has been so successful.

Interesting options --- I agree that sending cash would be the way to go, assuming it's only $100 or less.......But it seems like I'd want something more secure for anything over that amount. These postal money orders, what would be the advantage over a bank transfer? Just lower cost?

I've never "applied" for an International Postal Money Order for Australia or Europe (but I've used tons of the pink ones for Canada and Japan), although I seem to remember there being a long wait before I'd receive it. Ask next time you're at the USPS. See if you're as discouraged by the procedure as I was. Plus, of course, make sure your seller has a way to cash it.

If you can do a bank transfer for cheap, that might be the way to go. I think it's pretty fail-safe, since the foreign account holder is the only one who can access it. My problem with these was how much my bank charged.

I've sent more than $100 by Registered Mail without incident. No promises, though.

These days, I don't think eBay insures any payment except ones made through Paypal. If the seller doesn't send the goods, you're on your own, whether or not you can show that the seller received your payment. Nowadays, as far as I know, eBay only insures Paypal.