posted on April 4, 2001 03:16:03 PM new
Hi, I have a customer from Canada who won an auction over a month ago. He promised me he would be sending me a money order the following day. It never came, I emailed him several times and received no response.
I finally filed for my NBP alert, and still received no response until today - exactly 10 days after I filed for my NPB alert.
Today he emails me this:
I just received a call from customs and i am not allowed to send cash to you, i am going to the bank today and getting a money order for the amount. i am very sorry for the delay however i still very much want your XXXXXXXX. you can visit my web site at XXXXXXXXXXXX and that might answer any concerns you may have.
Since when is it illegal to send cash from Canada to the US? Is this true? Because I've had several buyers from Canada who sent me cash payments before.
And BTW - his website did not answer ANY questions I would have about his very delayed payment!
posted on April 4, 2001 03:21:10 PM new
It's not. I don't have a credit card and I send US cash to sellers all the time. I have paid for dozens of auctions this way and nothing has ever been lost or stolen. It's not a recommended thing to do that's all.
The only auctions I can't win are the BIN ones because of ebays stupid rule that I have to have a credit card to do this!
posted on April 4, 2001 03:57:24 PM new
Do not be so sure that it is not illegal. Until quite recently it was illegal to send US cash abroad because of counterfeiting and the fact that foreigners were not as familiar with our bills as we were.
Nevertheless people sent cash and took their chances. If you got causght it was just a slap on the wrist and a no-no you bad girl.
Perhaps Canada is having this same problem and this person has a business. Can't take chances making Customs mad if you have a business.
posted on April 4, 2001 04:30:59 PM new
Well, last week I had a shipping question to New Zealand and Canada. I spent quite a bit of time on the USPS website and down at my local PO trying to figure out all the do's and don't. There are a LOT!!!! Each country has it's own rules/regs. You must not only follow US rules/regs but the country you are sending to. I have yet to find a country that does not have cash, coins and jewelry on their restricted list.
Many people just ignore the "restrictions" and never have a problem (so my local clerks told me) but if an item is on the restricted list and you do not follow the "how-to" and "don't do's" you run the risk of having the item confiscated at the border. They won't send it back and they won't forward it on. You may not even be told that it has happened! So those of you who have lost shipments to Canada or elsewhere may have had the customs people open your package up and if you didn't dot your i's and cross your t's or wrap it a certain way or send it a certain way, you just lost it!
edited due to multiple tipos!!!
[ edited by sulyn1950 on Apr 4, 2001 04:34 PM ]
posted on April 4, 2001 04:56:51 PM newI have yet to find a country that does not have cash, coins and jewelry on their restricted list.
I buy and sell coins, and have dealt with people in over a dozen countries all around the world. I have sent and received cash, sent and received coins, and had no problems with confiscated packages. None of the people I've dealt with have ever mentioned having that problem, either.
I never thought it was that big a deal- maybe we're just lucky?
Canada Post & the USPS may have restrictions as far as insurance on the above items, but I doubt you'll find any laws stating that you cannot ship these items to or from your country?
Let me know when & if you find these laws, I'd be most interested in reading them.
ubb boo-boo
[ edited by reddeer on Apr 4, 2001 06:16 PM ]
posted on April 4, 2001 06:51:19 PM new
I have been sending cash to the US since I was a child. I have never heard that it was illegal.
On one occasion crossing into the US I was questioned if I was carrying more than $10,000 on me. On one occasion returning into Canada the US Customs had the road blocked and they asked if we had more than $10,000 cash on us. I quickly said "No" each time.
But it was such a temptation to say "Just a moment, let me check my purse."
posted on April 4, 2001 07:40:00 PM newReddeer-I didn't say illegal, I said restricted. This means as to the method you can ship the item to that country. If you check under restrictions, you will find currency, coins and jewelry are listed as restricted (for CANADA) meaning they MUST be sent a specific way. If you do NOT follow these guidelines, your items CAN be confiscated at the border. Again, you may be lucky and have 1000 items go through without incident, but the RULES/REGS are in place that could cost you the item.
Since, deciding to sell internationally, I have spent lots of time poking around that site. I don't care what country I punch in, I have yet to find one where those items mentioned above are not listed under restricted. In the case of jewelry, which is what I ship, it says for every country I have checked that the item MUST BE SENT REGISTERED and/or INSURED and in some case by a SPECIFIC METHOD.
When I asked the postal clerks what would happen if I didn't, I was told the item WOULD be confiscated IF it were opened at the border and I had not sent it properly.
Now, I for one do not intend to find out by trial and error if that is the case. Instead, I just ship it the way I am instructed to ship it for the country I am shipping it to and I don't have to worry about it al all. My ads clearly state that the item will be sent to meet ALL postal regulations and that greatly impacts the shipping cost and if they want to know what it will cost, they need to email.
Restrictions for Canada
Coins; banknotes; currency notes; securities payable to bearer; traveler's checks; gold, silver, platinum, manufactured or not; jewelry; and other valuable articles may be sent only in registered letter packages.
Exceptions:
Coins sent to or from collectors or dealers may be mailed in ordinary (uninsured) parcels. Jewelry and precious stones may be sent via GPL Air Courier (Premium) service to Canada subject to indemnity limits indicated in section 626.31.
Edited to ad the above which is directly off the USPS International Postage Calculator page for Candada. Bolding is added.
posted on April 4, 2001 08:18:30 PM new
Well, since he is so delinquent in sending payment, I told him that if he still wants this item I will need a Bidpay payment within the next couple of days. I'm not falling for his "the MO is in the mail" line again.
He responded with:
It is against the law to send cash to the u.s. this is the first time that i have been caught I want to send a money order down, why do i have to go to bidpay to pay for this item
So I explained to him that I need a Bidpay pmnt because I have already waited over 30 days for his payment. I explained to him that my auctions state payment is due within 10 days and I gave him extra time (a LOT of extra time) because he was in Canada.
He responded:
Fine, do whatever you want i am prepared to send it to you tomorrow but if you want to sell it to someone else go ahead
posted on April 4, 2001 09:20:19 PM newWhen I asked the postal clerks what would happen if I didn't, I was told the item WOULD be confiscated IF it were opened at the border and I had not sent it properly.
Oh, and since when do the weenies at the PO's decide what the US/Canada Customs agents will do if an item is sent via a method that does not correspond with the official Postal rules & regs?
Instead of relying on some bogus B.S. from your local PO clerks, click on the link I provided, open up the PDF document & read up.
Canada Customs will only confiscate prohibited or controlled goods. Not only that, but if the parcel has both non prohibited AND prohibited goods inside, they will ONLY remove the prohibited items & will then reseal the parcel & send it on its way.
Just in case you missed it the first time, here it is again.
posted on April 4, 2001 09:43:50 PM new
Red-deer ... Exactly. I have sent cash to the US without problem. I have a friend who buys scads of jewelry on eBay and has never had anything confiscated or had it sent by anything other than regular mail.
posted on April 4, 2001 09:58:46 PM new
The reason that the USPS makes these kinds of statements has to do with insurance claims, and it has nothing to do with the Customs rules & regs. Canada Post does the same thing. On the back of every Canada Post insurance Receipt, it states the following:
............................................
"Coins,jewelery,manufactured precious metals,precious stones,cancelled or uncancelled postage stamps are not insurable and must be sent with the Security Registered service"
Insurance is not available when using Security Registered or Priority Courier as these services already provide indemnity, subject to limitations.
.............................................
So if you want to make sure your items are covered in case of loss or damage Sulyn, then yes it would be wise to listen to your local PO clerks.
BUT, you can relax about worrying over the Customs agents seizing your baubles if they are sent via any other method, as they could honestly care less.
posted on April 5, 2001 10:28:04 AM new
In Canada I am unable to deposit more than $10,000 in cash into my bank account without completing a declaration of source of funds.
It was the US Customs that asked if I was carrying that amount of cash on me. I guess it may have something to do with money laundering laws? I don't know for sure.
posted on April 5, 2001 10:39:55 AM new
Shaani, thats exactly what it is about.
Currency laws have been in place down here for many years. I cannot buy anything with cash over $10,000.
Canada has only recently adopted limited cash tracking. For instance it is much harder to open a bank account in Canada. SIN is required. This never used to be the case.
In one of my former lives I learned that the soft spot of drug trafficing is the cash. Just imagine what a million $ looks like or how do you spend it without drawing attention to yourself.
Many of my leads came over the phone from people reporting that "friends" just had too much cash. Just think what x-wives said!!!
posted on April 5, 2001 11:08:20 AM new
And now I understand that some of the money laundering is done this way? They buy piddly ebay purchases and send payment by green money orders to Canada.
