amber
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posted on April 11, 2006 07:16:25 PM new
My daughter called tonight to ask my advice. She won an auction from a French seller, he doesn't take Paypal. She purchased an International money order in Euros, and she got an email today to say "her check" is no good, and asking her to pay directly into a bank account. I told her to write and explain that it is a money order, and she has already paid for it. A real problem with language of course. Any advice?
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sparkz
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posted on April 11, 2006 07:27:06 PM new
I have a VERY appropriate response to give to him, but I don't want to start an international escargot incident tonight.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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moonchild77
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posted on April 11, 2006 07:27:50 PM new
HI,
I`m a Frenchy, 
well not really but a french specking Canadian.
Try copying and pasting this to the seller..
Bonjour.
je vous envoie cette meesage par l`etremise de une traducteur,
La cheque en question , es Pas un Cheque, mais un Madat de poste( argent), Il devraitetre encaisable n`importe ou car jai le payercomptant en euros, est ce que tu peur reverifier ca pour moi.
Un grande merci.
This is the tranlation 4 U.
Hi,
I am sending you this message through a translation, the check you where sent is not a check but a money order casable anywhere, as its has been paid for ineuro cash, please double check with you bank that youcan cash it and get back to me
Thank you.
Hope that helps Crystal :>
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sthoemke
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posted on April 11, 2006 07:46:16 PM new
Was it a postal money order? If so, she should be able to cash it at any French post office.
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agitprop
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posted on April 11, 2006 08:25:58 PM new
amber,
Have your daughter check with her copy that it's payable on a French bank? If not - the French seller will face a hefty bill from her bank or rather the French correspondent bank to encash the money order or bank draft. (Most USA banks are useless at international payments except for the few truly international ones like Citibank or Bank of America.)
I make payments to France several times a year and know the problems your daughter faces. France still uses those paper thingies called checks unlike the rest of Europe which long ago embraced electronic payments. Also international bank transfers are free in most of the EU if done electronically... Let me know if you need any info.
Home of the best eBay auction fee & PayPal calculators: http://auctionfeecalculator.com
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amber
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posted on April 12, 2006 04:50:22 AM new
Thanks for the advice everyone. I have sent her the translation I forgot to mention that we live in Canada. The money order was purchased at the Post Office, she was told it was okay for France. She is concerned that he thinks it is a check, and will just get rid of it, then she will have no recourse.
The bid was over $100, and she paid for airmail shipping because it's for her husband's birthday on the 24th, they both turn 30 on that day (born an hour apart), so she is disappointed now that it won't arrive in time.
I have sent her the translation Crystal, thanks, I hope that helps.
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hwahwa
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posted on April 12, 2006 05:41:16 AM new
Agit is right,if it is not drawn on a French bank,you French seller could face some problem,his bank may be able to collect the money but with extra fee.
Try the French post office and see if they can do something.
Another place to buy foreign currency and money order is Thomas Cook travel agency,you can find them in large cities and airports around the world,Amex office is also a good place to buy foreign draft,currencies etc.
It has to do with bank to bank clearance,I would send a Japanese yen draft to my Japanese supplier drawn on Toyko branch of Bank of America and they still have to pay their Japanese bank a fee to cash it.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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amber
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posted on April 12, 2006 12:00:49 PM new
This is the actual email from the seller. Can anyone translate???
hello i received your cheque but not accepted too many expenses i had indicate regler by credit transfer to you iban biro cannot give me your address that i you reference your cheque thank you here numbers:fr76 1027 8084 0000 0367 2350 226
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sthoemke
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posted on April 12, 2006 01:41:57 PM new
They don't want to take a check due to bank fees. They want a wire transfer direct to their bank account, which is a common method of payment for European sellers.
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agitprop
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posted on April 12, 2006 02:15:26 PM new
The French IBAN she gave is invalid:
FR76 1027 8084 0000 0367 2350 226
Also Postal Money Orders must always be negotiated at a Post Office to obtain full value. Banks in both the USA and France will always charge a clearance fee for all the paperwork and risk involved.
hwahwa wrote: It has to do with bank to bank clearance,I would send a Japanese yen draft to my Japanese supplier drawn on Toyko branch of Bank of America and they still have to pay their Japanese bank a fee to cash it.
Not always correct. In any case they could send an OL or one of the new intake of salariman to obtain full value at the Tokyo offices of BoA in the Minami Aoyama twin towers.
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hwahwa
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posted on April 12, 2006 03:08:39 PM new
Agit,'thats a thought,send one of the salaried men to the Tokyo branch of Bank of America to cash the draft!!
Unfortunately,it would cost more as labor is expensive in Japan.
Even in this country,wholesaler will tell their retail customers-we cant ship USPS,we have to ship Fed Exp or UPS as our employees are not paid to stand in line at the post office !!
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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hwahwa
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posted on April 12, 2006 03:13:21 PM new
Amber,
Your daughter learned a lesson in Intl Finance,dont bid on any item offered by any exotic overseas seller no matter how tempting it is ,until she finds out how to pay the seller first.
Has she figure what kind of customs duty she may have to pay?I understand Canadian customs do levy duty on imports??
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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agitprop
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posted on April 12, 2006 03:40:46 PM new
hwahwa believes: Unfortunately,it would cost more as labor is expensive in Japan.
Chuckle. Wrong. New hires in Japan are dirt cheap and anyway you can cancel their contract during the first six months with no penalty. They get all the sh*tty jobs to test their resolve - much like those idiots on that TV show "The Apprentice".
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hwahwa
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posted on April 12, 2006 05:32:11 PM new
what is dirt cheap in Japan?
Kids who stay with mom and dad,and the house is worth 1 billion yen and they are not selling.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
[ edited by hwahwa on Apr 12, 2006 05:33 PM ]
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glassgrl
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posted on April 12, 2006 05:42:45 PM new
Gosh it must be nice to know everything!
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amber
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posted on April 12, 2006 07:12:26 PM new
hwahwa, yes, she does know how much import duty costs, she often buys from the US. This is her first time buying from France however, it will probably be her last!
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sparkz
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posted on April 12, 2006 07:27:24 PM new
Surprise hubby with a trip to France on the 23rd. He can pick it up in person the next day. Keep him in Paris for a week or so. That's one birthday he'll never forget.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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amber
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posted on April 12, 2006 08:23:54 PM new
sparkz:They just got married a few months ago, hasn't been long since their honeymoon!
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hwahwa
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posted on April 13, 2006 06:34:30 AM new
Labor of newbies may be cheap in Japan,but going from Kyoto to Tokyo to cash a draft drawn on Toyko branch of Bank of America makes no sense .
The point is why cant the Kyoto branch of a national Japanese bank accept a Yen draft drawn on Toyko branch of a foreign bank without charging a fee??
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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amber
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posted on April 13, 2006 07:53:57 AM new
I just got this message from my daughter, can anyone give me advice for her.
Hi Mom,
I still don’t know what an IBAN number is…d’oh. I’m not sure what to do at this point. He has sent me the numbers again and said I have to do a credit transfer to his account. I told him that once I receive my money order back I will try and do a wire transfer to his account.
This is quite frustrating and scary…I want my money back!!
agitprop: How do you know that the numbers he gave are invalid? Is it possible to look them up? What is an IBAN number?
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pelorus
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posted on April 13, 2006 10:01:48 AM new
Re the invalid IBAN number: The number may be valid but the name on the account also must match exactly. So make sure you have the exact name attached to the account. Otherwise you get the generic invalid number message. I just went through this.
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hwahwa
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posted on April 13, 2006 11:30:39 AM new
Here is the website=
http://www.natwest.com/commercial02.asp?id=COMMERCIAL/INTERNATIONAL/IBAN.
I am afraid it is for members of the Euro Union.
Your daughter should get her postal order back first and then figure what is the best way to send him the money??
I am afraid the cheapest way is Paypal,not wiretransfer.
This French seller does not realise Canada is not part of the Euro union.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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agitprop
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posted on April 13, 2006 02:53:35 PM new
hwahwa wrote: The point is why cant the Kyoto branch of a national Japanese bank accept a Yen draft drawn on Toyko branch of a foreign bank without charging a fee??
They may or may not charge a fee depending on your bank volume with the Japanese bank. Note that checks and drafts are rare in Japan since they went to electronic payments in the 1970s. Also you neglected to mention Kyoto earlier, and it's spelt Tokyo NOT Toyko.
hwahwa wrote: This French seller does not realise Canada is not part of the Euro union.
Yes , they probably thought that since Saint Pierre and Miquelon are part of the EU that the rest of Canada was as well
Chuckle. You might be surprised to learn that foreigners especially Europeans have a better grasp of geography than you.
[ edited by agitprop on Apr 13, 2006 02:58 PM ]
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agitprop
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posted on April 13, 2006 03:03:59 PM new
Amber wrote: I still don’t know what an IBAN number is…d’oh. I’m not sure what to do at this point. He has sent me the numbers again and said I have to do a credit transfer to his account. I told him that once I receive my money order back I will try and do a wire transfer to his account.
Ask him to first take the money order to his local La Poste France and see if they can cash it without charge. If it's a proper Postal Money Order in Euros it will work.
agitprop: How do you know that the numbers he gave are invalid? Is it possible to look them up? What is an IBAN number?
See here: IBANs explained Note that to make a transfer you need both the BIC and IBAN. You can verify and decode any valid IBAN using the form. Hope this helps.
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hwahwa
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posted on April 13, 2006 05:23:05 PM new
You are right,Japanese use wiretransfer more so than drafts or checks in business and it is Tokyo not Toyko.
And they frown on credit card transactions.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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amber
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posted on April 13, 2006 06:12:44 PM new
Thank you everyone for your help. I'll let you know the outcome.
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