posted on June 30, 2004 10:21:26 AM new
I've been using BidPay for some time with international customers to receive money and to avoid chargebacks. The problem is that BidPay is set up only to move money for auction sales and not for direct purchases and I am selling a lot of things outside eBay. What I have been doing is using unsold item #s to receive money for something totally different and lately all of these transactions get denied by BidPay (looks like now they are looking at winning prices and shipping costs to match the amount the buyer is sending). Western Union wire transfer fees freak customers out so I need a new solution. I only want to use money orders as they will avoid chargebacks. Any ideas what to do?
posted on June 30, 2004 11:36:41 AM new
Get a merchant account. In the long run it is going to be the easiest measure for you and your customers can send you payments without paying the high Bidpay fees.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on June 30, 2004 12:01:01 PM new
bidpay.com changed it's name to auctionpayments.com. I use them for my international bidders. I use Western Union wire transfer for the rest of the international transactions. They go to a local western union office, give them the money. I get an email saying it is there and a transaction number. I then truck down to the local western union office and pick up the money. Really easy. I haven't had any complaints about their fees.
I did, however, have a fraudulent bidder who only wanted to use paypal with a stolen credit card. Found out it was all a scam. What tipped me off was he would only use papal and he refused to wire the money from his home in malaysia.
posted on June 30, 2004 12:06:57 PM new
Paloma - if you read the original post you will see that the OP is looking for a solution to non-auction international sales and that they are already using BidPay for their auctions.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on June 30, 2004 12:50:08 PM new
Thomas cook is a travel agency , they are worldwide and sell foreign currencies and wiretransfer money in multi currencies.
you must bring cash to buy foreign currencies ,wire money etc.
if your bidder has a branch in his city,this is one option,however there are fees involved.
American express is another option.
japanese and canadian bidders can go to their post office and buy you a us dollar money order.
there is a service called CCNOW and the fee is 15%,dont know if it is still around.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on June 30, 2004 05:57:57 PM newvectorlaptop, wrote:
What I have been doing is using unsold item #s to receive money for something totally different and lately all of these transactions get denied by BidPay (looks like now they are looking at winning prices and shipping costs to match the amount the buyer is sending)
This is a great way to get your WU Auction Payments account flagged for attempted fraud.
Moving on, I'd recommend you get a good bank that is comfortable handling international transactions and has corresponding low fees. Or, get a merchant account with AVS so you can verify international addresses and reduce fraudulent chargebacks. Alternative solution is to open bank accounts in foreign markets you do regular business with as almost all deposits are free, as are most accounts held with non-US banks.
posted on June 30, 2004 06:37:49 PM new
agit,
getting a good bank on her end is not solving her bidder's problem of finding a cheap way to send her money,they dont like auctionpayment because of its fee,she does not like paypal because of chargeback.
it is not feasible to go all over the world opening bank accounts in every country as we dont have enough volume to justify that.
as for getting a merchant account which can verify intl AVS,it will only be UK addresses.
Unless she accepts AMEX ,then she can call amex office and ask them to verify the name and add of the cardholder.
I dont know what she sells,i have no problem accepting paypal payments from overseas buyers.
You wannna make money,you have to take some risk,no risk,no reward.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on June 30, 2004 07:17:50 PM new
If the OP offers low cost (to buyer) methods of payment then they'll attract more customers and bids. 100% of our sales are international so we provide local payment options for customers as these are safe, free and quick. (We do around $3000/month in sales.) Of course overseas bank accounts aren't useful for hobbyist sellers or those of a xenophobic nature.
AVS is available in other markets depending on your CC gateway. WorldPay offers AVS in most markets and excellent fraud screening... but is not aimed at hobbyist sellers. PayPal is probably a better option but lacks proper fraud protection.
posted on June 30, 2004 07:43:20 PM new
If she has a merchant account and ask for CVV code from her foreign buyers,this should compensate for the lack of AVS.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
