posted on October 5, 2007 05:04:13 PM
Sorry I believe that I have asked this question before but I cann't find my file with my favorites bits of wisdom from vendio. I think my kid has been on my computer tinkering with it again.
anyway, I won't take Paypal any longer for non-US sales. What can you accept that won't bite you down the road from European countries or Japan.
Any help is greatly appreciated!!
TIA
Mama
posted on October 5, 2007 05:13:51 PM
1) INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MONEY ORDERS...(you take to PO & they will cash it FREE, so, you INSTANTANEOUSLY know if it is BOGUS or GOOD)
2) Western Union Money Transfer
3) Direct BANK-to-BANK transfer (watch out for YOUR bank's fees for RECEIVING funds -- some are HEFTY)
posted on October 6, 2007 06:59:49 AM
BidPay works well for us, and it is now easier for the buyer also. They must have a Visa or Mastercard.
Regarding wire transfers, your bank's fee is likely to be $8-15. The one to worry about is a "correspondent bank" which can sometimes get in the middle of the transaction (i.e., it is not the buyer's bank either) and charge $25.
I don't accept wire transfers for amounts less than $1000.
Have you read BidPay's TOS recently? Amongst the legalese are some "interesting" tidbits, such as:
5. Seller understands and agrees that BidPay shall be entitled to debit funds from Seller’s Bank Account
in the event of a cancelled order, a refund, for Disqualified Chargebacks, or other reasonable circumstances warranting any such debit. Seller hereby authorizes BidPay to initiate debit entries to Seller’s Bank Account on file with BidPay and to debit the same to such account. Seller acknowledges that the origination of ACH transactions to Seller’s Bank Account must comply with applicable U.S. laws. This authority shall remain in full force and effect until BidPay receives written notification from Seller of Seller’s revocation in such time and manner as to allow BidPay reasonable opportunity to act on it. Seller understands that Seller has the right to stop payment of a debit entry by notification to BidPay prior to charging the account and further that Seller has the right to have the amount of an erroneous debit immediately credited to Seller’s Bank Account by BidPay. If an ACH debit is returned due to a changed account number and Seller failed to notify BidPay of such change within ten (10) days of such change, Seller understands and agrees that BidPay will charge Seller a twenty-five dollar (US $25.00) fee for each such returned ACH debit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event Seller revokes BidPay’s authority to initiate debit entries and debit Seller’s Bank Account, BidPay shall be entitled to terminate Seller’s User Account immediately.
g. Delivery Confirmation Program.
BidPay shall be entitled to place Seller in the Delivery Confirmation Program at anytime with written notice to Seller by e-mail. Terms of the Delivery Confirmation Program are as follows:
1. BidPay shall be entitled to place Seller in the Delivery Confirmation Program at BidPay’s sole discretion if BidPay reasonably believes that Seller poses, or that Seller Transactions pose, levels of risk that exceed BidPay’s internally established thresholds for acceptable risk levels, generally or with respect to Seller specifically. Factors that may cause BidPay to place Seller in the Delivery Confirmation Program include, without limitation, declining feedback trends, Buyer complaints, types of products offered and sold by Seller, and short history of Seller Transactions.
2. Once placed in the Delivery Confirmation Program, Seller must provide to BidPay a legitimate delivery confirmation tracking number for each completed auction order within ten (10) days of the final approval of the auction order showing the merchandise is en route to the intended addressee. The delivery confirmation tracking information will then be reviewed by BidPay to confirm the validity of the number provided. If Seller fails to provide valid proof of delivery confirmation tracking, BidPay will send e-mail notification of Seller’s failure to comply with the requirement (“Suspension Notice”), and Seller’s account will be suspended until Seller provides a valid delivery confirmation tracking number. If Seller fails to provide a valid delivery confirmation tracking number within three (3) days of the Suspension Notice, Seller’s account will be deactivated permanently. Any additional occurrences of Seller’s failure to comply with the delivery confirmation requirements will also result in immediate and permanent deactivation of Seller’s account.
3. BidPay may remove Seller from the Delivery Confirmation Program at BidPay’s sole and absolute discretion
Neither of those clauses has been an issue with us. Delivery confirmation, if invoked by BidPay, would not be a hardship for us, as we already send delivery confirmation for each shipment to the buyer; we would have to enter it in BidPay also (perhaps an extra 30 seconds).
Regarding the conditions for debits from our account; I imagine that most merchant account agreements probably have similar language.
All in all, while I much prefer a MO to BidPay, it is a fact that many of our buyers don't want to be inconvenienced. BidPay allows them to stay in their chairs and pay us.
posted on October 7, 2007 08:54:45 AM
I think Tom is more concerned with intl shipments without delivery confirmation.
Also Bidpay is rather vague on trackable delivery confirmation,what about registered mail,what about Priority mail with customs form which is trackable but does not explicitly say it has been delivered to the shipping address.
The old BIDPAY if I remember treats every charge transaction as a cash advance,the buyer is using his credit card to get a cash advance ,so there is no need to worry about chargback on item not described or received,as the customer is getting cash in the form of a Western Union money order .
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Lets all stop whining !
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posted on October 7, 2007 03:21:11 PM
Back to the original subject, if you have bank accounts outside the USA then bank-to-bank transfers is a standard payment method both domestically and internationally. In most countries electronic or online banking long ago led to the demise of checks and most paper-based payments (excluding cash). No need for non-bank electronic payment services as banks handle all these services and accounts are usually government guaranteed. Of course you always need to check the seller/buyer's feedback and length of time on eBay to assess the risk (rather than relying on third parties like PayPal to protect you).
Our European Union and Swiss customers usually pay by BIC + IBAN transfer in Euros into our main bank account in Europe; we have a separate UK account for British customers. Takes between one hour and three business days for most transfers which now include the customer's name and address plus optional space for eBay transaction details. Most transfers are free of charge on both ends. Unfortunately for USA sellers, International Postal Money Orders are a relic of the distant past and now no longer widely available, though International Giro payments are available in some countries. MoneyBookers is another option for non-reversible electronic payments which can be transferred to a USA bank account or credited to a USA-issued credit/debit card.
Our Japanese customers normally pay direct into our Japanese bank account; same goes for Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese customers with payments into local bank accounts. Takes usually a few hours for the credit to be shown and includes sender's name plus optional reference number. Costs sender around ¥130 or free depending on which banking group they deal with. Seller's in the USA can request Japanese buyers obtain a US$ International Postal Money Orders (kokusai yubin kawase ) - available at larger Japanese post offices. Any US Post Office will cash them for free (but banks may charge a fee) provided they have enough cash on hand.
We don't repatriate the funds directly, rather we use them to fund stock purchases for hard-to-obtain items to be resold here in Australia/NZ at a small 200-500% markup (to cover expenses). Any excess goes into our global vacation/retirement fund...
posted on October 7, 2007 07:27:32 PM
Agitprop,
for an astute person such as yourself,when are you going to wake up and realise most of us DO NOT HAVE BANK ACCOUNT OUTSIDE USA??
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Lets all stop whining !
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posted on October 8, 2007 07:58:01 PM
Sorry wahwah if I offended your USA-centric world view, but many non-USAians read these postings. I was merely explaining the safest, cheapest and simplest method of selling internationally. No chargebacks and no payment reversals and widely accepted in most countries (USA excluded). Most young Aussie and Kiwis have overseas bank accounts from the time they did their (almost compulsory) OE (overseas experience - usually two years working in Europe)...
posted on October 8, 2007 08:28:34 PM
While munching on spicey bar-b-qued Wallaby Wings, me best mate Ralphie notes the following:
As Rolf Harris used to sing:
"Tie me bank accounts down, clown... Tie me bank accounts down!"
AuctionChex is a service that allows your customers to send them payment through a variety of methods (including Paypal!) which they convert to US dollars, and then send you a check in US dollars drawn on a US bank. I've been using this service ever since Bidpay changed their service model... and have been VERY pleased.
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posted on October 9, 2007 11:46:45 AM
agitprop - how were you able to open the bank accounts in various countries, without residency? In the past, I have tried without much success.
Further, I've had the same difficulty with domain names.
posted on October 9, 2007 03:18:36 PM
kozersky wrote: ...how were you able to open the bank accounts in various countries, without residency? In the past, I have tried without much success...
Bill,
You can open a bank account in many countries without being a resident. You usually need to provide a copy of your Passport ID page and a recent statement from a bank and utility as proof of name and address. Such documents often need to be certified as true copies by a local court, recognised financial intermediary, bank or public notary. I opened bank accounts in the UK and Europe (post 9/11 after anti-money laundering regulations were tightened) by internet/mail without problem. Some global banks like HSBC or CitiBank can help with establishing accounts at foreign branches of their banks. Shop around as some there are some decent banks out there that offer exceptional service and have no account fees or excessive service charges. many international banks only require a minimal balance to open an account and are happy to send you yearly statements free of charge. The most important thing in an international bank is online access in English or a second language you understand, otherwise you have to wait a week or so for confirmation of incoming transactions.
I'd forget about opening a bank account in Germany or Japan unless you are resident or have good connections in the banking sector. You can open an account in Austria much easier and they have much better banking secrecy laws than Germany.
"childrens do learn"
