Roadsmith
|
posted on March 18, 2002 11:06:25 AM
Hi there: I bought an item from the U.K. Auction says seller accepts Visa/MasterCard but he says he does not; the only pay option that both of us agree on is cash. Which mailing method would you use to increase the odds that the payment will get there?
I've sent cash before in just regular envelopes, airmail, no problem. Wondering if you have other suggestions. This is not a large amount of money, about $34.00 US.
|
katmommy
|
posted on March 18, 2002 11:08:08 AM
International MO? I wouldnt send cash overseas.
MEOW
|
mrfoxy76
|
posted on March 18, 2002 11:16:59 AM
i used to live in the UK and the mail is pretty quick and safe. if seller does not accept INTERNATIONAL MO which i think is a pain for the UK. just send the letter regular airmail i find they take less then the quote 7 days to get their.
GOOD LUCK
|
Roadsmith
|
posted on March 18, 2002 11:33:19 AM
Thanks for the advice; I'll send it regular airmail with DC if available.
Katmommy: You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get an international money order where I live! I'm in a small mountain town in So. Calif. The only bank here (our bank) doesn't do Internat. money orders. The banks in the nearest town, 25 miles away, only do them for their bank customers! Palm Springs is 40 miles the other direction, and it seems ridiculous to drive that far for a money order. I've had this problem before.
Question: I thought BidPay could make payments for me anywhere in the world, but when I went to their website's FAQ, the answer said the U.S. and Canada, with no mention of other countries. I am registered with them; did I go to the wrong page at their site??? Any advice on this?
|
mrfoxy76
|
posted on March 18, 2002 11:41:17 AM
yes bidpay is the BEST way to go however i think correct me if i am wrong the money order will be in USD? if so will cost alot to change in the UK
C2IT is probably the best easiest and cheapest way for both parties involved
|
KarenMx
|
posted on March 18, 2002 12:30:34 PM
>You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get an international money order where I
>live! I'm in a small mountain town in So. Calif.
USPS sells postal money orders valid in much of the rest of the world. They're pink; the fee is $3.25 or $3.50.
BidPay does send m/o to other countries; I've used them a couple times for purchases I made from Asia, but not Europe--I understand the fees charged to the end-user to cash them in parts of Europe are ridiculously high.
Karen
|
ahc3
|
posted on March 18, 2002 12:53:49 PM
If the auction says credit cards accepted and they are not, then I would back out of the auction as the seller as changed the TOS. I wouldn't send $34 cash to the UK, and international money orders are not a great idea since if they do not get there, you have to pay more money to check and see what happened to it.
|
mrfoxy76
|
posted on March 18, 2002 12:55:52 PM
ahc3 good idea was going to suggest same thing but figure u must really want the item if u r going to send cash for it?
|
ptimko
|
posted on March 18, 2002 02:16:55 PM
I've sent cash to the UK before with no problem. I just wrote a short letter stating what the payment was for (auction # and title). Used an envelope that wouldn't show the contents if held up to a light and dropped it in the mail for regular airmail rate. It arrived with no problem, I just told the seller when I had sent the payment and asked them to let me know when it arrived...
|
mommoo
|
posted on March 18, 2002 03:46:10 PM
I have read on other threads that you should put the money in aluminum foil and then fold paper around it and be sure to use a security envelope. I get lots of cash payments and have never had a problem. I also have sent cash overseas.
|
Roadsmith
|
posted on March 18, 2002 04:08:59 PM
Okay, folks. I'm back from our little post office in our little mountain town. This will be hard for city folk to understand, but this post office does NOT do international money orders . . . . but "sometimes we do one for El Salvador." Nowhere else. Duhh.
So I sent cash in alumninum foil, via airmail. And I'll hold my breath until I hear that it got there safely.
My next move is to talk with the Big Boss of the tiny bank here and get them to offer international money orders. Ain't this crazy?! You'd think they could make a little money on them, right??
|
Libra63
|
posted on March 18, 2002 04:15:27 PM
Roadsmith. I lived in a very little town in my earlier days and we didn't have much in the line of anything. lol So I know what you mean. People that live is a large city would never understand.
I wouldn't be afraid to send cash through the mail. I have a buyer in England and before PayPal went international she always sent cash and no little amounts either. It seems like that is the way she did all her business and a lot of the items she bought were for $200 - $300 dollars. I have also received cash from Spain and The Netherlands.
I used to be nervous but since those sales I wouldn't be anymore...
|
trai
|
posted on March 18, 2002 04:26:23 PM
"Okay, folks. I'm back from our little post office in our little mountain town. This will be hard for city folk to understand, but this post office does NOT do international money orders"
May I ask if this is a real post office or one of those drop off places?
If this is a real p.o. then I would raise some cain. Call your postmaster and complain.
You should be able to get the same type of service or product line at any post office!
This day and age there is no excuse for this kind of "hillbilly duh duh"
As far as your uk seller goes, I would ask why they have the visa m.c. in their auction and then do not accept it.
Was the auction in pounds or U.S. dollars?, If dollars then I would think that for them to convert is their problem, not yours.
|
professorhiggins
|
posted on March 18, 2002 04:30:41 PM
In fairness to the seller, he may not be trying to change the Auction terms.
It's possible that he accidently checked the Credit Card button for payment options and didn't realize it.
Now, if he wrote in his item description that he accepts credit cards, you could have a valid complaint.
|
Roadsmith
|
posted on March 18, 2002 08:36:44 PM
Trai: This is a full-service P.O. (except for the internat. money orders, LOL), just a handful of very nice, very friendly employees whom I do not want to alienate if I intend to keep shipping ebay boxes. They're about to get a new postmaster, so I'll wait and speak to her/him when that person is on board. I agree completely that they should be offering any service any other P.O. offers!
Professorhiggins: The Visa/MasterCard statement is in the payment options, not in the body of the description. I am figuring out, between the lines, that someone is launching these auctions for him since he's selling just a few things. I cautioned him today to straighten that out for future sellers and he says he will.
Yes, I really want this item; it's a Clarice-Cliff-like teapot and is charming and was a good price. I've just discovered the Clarice Cliff pottery site and wish I could afford more of the real thing. Gorgeous stuff. And the prices! So high!
|
KarenMx
|
posted on March 18, 2002 10:15:30 PM
>Okay, folks. I'm back from our little post office in our little mountain town. This
> be hard for city folk to understand, but this post office does NOT do international
>money orders . . . . but "sometimes we do one for El Salvador." Nowhere else. Duhh.
I also live in a small town. The first time I purchased an international money order from the post office, the clerk asked what country it was for. I told her Canada. She said they only had money orders for Mexico & Central America. I asked her why they'd only supply money orders for Spanish speaking countries (knowing full well that's what the local demand is) and I was ready to make a Royal Fuss when an authoritative voice from the back said "It's the same form.".
I have since sent USPS international money orders to six or seven countries, none of them Mexico or in Central America, with no reported problems--not even the one I sent to Lithuania, which at the time wasn't on the official list of countries accepting USPS m/o's, but that's what the seller wanted (I assume he was taking them elsewhere to cash).
Tell your clerks to guess again.
[ edited by KarenMx on Mar 18, 2002 10:19 PM ]
[ edited by KarenMx on Mar 18, 2002 11:30 PM ]
|
Roadsmith
|
posted on March 18, 2002 11:30:37 PM
Thanks, Karenmx! You've given me courage. I suppose it's possible the nice lady clerk doesn't know it's the same form?! Tomorrow I'll ask again, of another clerk, and see what answer I get. I just have not wanted to make waves; this is such a small town that the clerks would remember me - forever - as a complainer, I'm afraid. And the next nearest post office is a 50-mile round trip down a winding mountain road.
|
slabholder
|
posted on March 19, 2002 12:17:15 AM
I've received several cash payments via snail mail. Amounts ranged between $50 and $150 USD.
I personally wouldn't send cash thru the mail, too many things can go wrong and you might as well kiss your hard earned money goodbye.
slabholder
|
professorhiggins
|
posted on March 19, 2002 03:08:16 AM
As a side note, I had to refund a buyer from
Europe after the item became lost in the mail.
He didn't pay with paypal but with cash.
I refunded him with cash. Sent the money via
Global Priority and it arrived within 5 days.
He was very patient and understanding so I am inclined to think that he was being honest and not trying to pull one over on me.
|
evbay39
|
posted on March 19, 2002 03:48:20 AM
Hi
If a main office then they should know their own rules better.
YOu can buy an IMO in USD to send to the UK. Many banks will charge but if you tell the sender to try the UK ROund Table forum they will get advice on where to cash it for free.
Also,
http://www.usps.com/ibu/postalfin/info/faq/infopost.htm
Gives information on actually purchasing an MO in GBP (This is the link tot he USPS site so I don't think your PO can really argue to much if they don't know their own manual).
 )
|
pointy
|
posted on March 19, 2002 06:39:42 AM
If you really want to increase the odds that it will get there, send registered mail with delivery confirmation. My real advice though, as long as the seller has good feedback, is to stick $34 in a regular envelope and send it. Regular mail. To do or pay for anything else over $34 is a waste of time and/or money. The risk of non-delivery is miniscule, and if the seller intended to defraud you they could always claim that there was $1 in the envelope, no matter how it was sent.
|
trai
|
posted on March 19, 2002 11:01:48 AM
KarenMx
"I have since sent USPS international money orders to six or seven countries, none of them Mexico or in Central America, with no reported problems"
Bingo! Money orders do not have or say mexico, canada etc. They just state "international".
Roadsmith
Your post office people may be very nice, but someone has to kickstart them.
Just email your postmaster general. You should be able to find them in your next major hub.
Good luck.
|
stormypetr
|
posted on March 19, 2002 11:07:11 AM
I live in metro Atlanta and my local post office does not do international money orders. You don't have to be in a hick town. Our local post office is very large but you have to drive about 10-15 miles to get to the PO that does sell international money orders.
|
