posted on June 28, 2005 08:13:23 AM new
Well... this is interesting... I accept just checks and money orders for my payment methods. It is reflected as such in the payment section of my auction listings. Well... it's not uncommon for an international bidder to ask if they can pay by Bank transfer (which I don't accept). I just assumed they were asking because it was their preferred method. Well... apparently, it might be because EBAY is prompting them to pay that way!!
According to a recent bidder from Germany:
******
Using the ebay link to process the payment, I get the
following site: (link to the auction he won). Right behind the green hook it says: " Zahlen Sie bitte an den
Verkäufer US $24,98 per Überweisung. " which means a bank to bank transfer.
*******
VERY interesting that eBay would be telling this bidder to send payment as a bank-to-bank transfer. Maybe this explains some of the previous bank transfer requests as well. I'm not pleased with eBay at all about this. Just wondering what your thoughts are... so I thought I'd share this post here. Let me know what you think!
posted on June 28, 2005 08:21:38 AM new
I wouldn't want to accept a bank transfer for a $24.98 item. I set $500 as my minimum, as there's a $10 fee.
You also have to be careful what is charged by a third bank, usually referred to as a "correspondent" bank. For example, guy buys a guitar from me for $1700. Pays his bank $1700 plus a $5 fee; I receive $1675 less a $10 fee = $1665. The culprit is the correspondent bank that took out $25 for its efforts.
In Europe, bank to bank transfers are common and charged reasonably. There's really no reason it should involve a charge, and if so, it should be on the order of $1 - $5 (something like an ATM fee). But US banking is relatively backwards, and loves to make believe that a b-to-b transfer is a big deal.
posted on June 28, 2005 08:46:46 AM new
there is a lady from New Zealand ,i dont remember her posting ID,she is the one who has bank accounts in diff countries and accepted local currencies such as yen,euro ect,and her customers pay her thru bank to bank transfer.
Bank to bank transfer is not wire transfer going thru say the SWIFT system,it is their version of our ACH-automated clearing house when you do online banking and instruct your bank to pay someone with their name and bank name and account number.
ACH would not work between a foreign bank and a US bank.
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Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
posted on June 28, 2005 12:15:48 PM new
Bank transfers in Europe are free and one of the most common forms of payment. The reason that statement is in the winners statement is that that winning notices are not individualized to the sellers home site but rather to the site that the bidder bid from. Your bidder bid from the German site and therefor receives the standardized German notice. Does no good to be upset with ebay... it's simply one of the idiosyncrasies of international selling.
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No, I'm saying -- I'm merely -- I'm saying what I'm saying. I don't know why I'm always having people say, are you trying to say -- you know what you can do if you want to know what I'm saying is listen to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is what I said ...
posted on June 28, 2005 12:27:27 PM new
Thanks for all your responses. I meant to add that the bidder will be sending payment by one of my accepted methods... so there's no real problem here... I'm just irritated that eBay would tell the bidder to pay by Bank Transfer.
Fenix... you don't think I should be upset with eBay? I understand that bank-to-bank transfers are common in Europe... but, I would imagine that not everyone over there uses them either. No standardized email from eBay should mention ANY payment method... unless it is specified by the seller. eBay does own the German site as well, doesn't it? Shouldn't it make sure that their international sites interface nicely with the main US site? If they can tell German bidders to send payment by Bank Transfer... what's to stop them from telling French bidders to send payment by Paypal? Why do I even mark my accepted payment methods on eBay's system if even eBay's not going to follow them? It just really bothers me that eBay would do something like this (especially without me even knowing about it!).
posted on June 28, 2005 01:06:00 PM new
EA - No - I don't think you should be upset with ebay. You have decided that you want to sell on global basis utuilizing a forum which enables that. It is not their responsibility to readjust each of their sites to you. You have to be a bit pliable and realize that the world does not surround any single individual and that when you decide to do business in other markets you nedd to be aware of the normal practices of that market.
::Shouldn't it make sure that their international sites interface nicely with the main US site?::
Why - is the US site the center of the world? You made a decision to make your auction viasable to German sellers. Do you bare no responsibilty in knowing the market?
If you want things to be exactly as you want them to be with zero variation then you should be using your own vehicle. You are riding in someone elses car. You may be able to suggest directions but you don't get control of the wheel.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
No, I'm saying -- I'm merely -- I'm saying what I'm saying. I don't know why I'm always having people say, are you trying to say -- you know what you can do if you want to know what I'm saying is listen to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is what I said ...
posted on June 28, 2005 04:08:22 PM neweauctionmgnt,
There is a well known (at least by Intl sellers) bug in the eBay interface that translates checks and money orders (on English language eBay sites) into Überweisung on the German language sites (.de, .at and .ch).
You can get around it by specifying in your listing that all bank fees including intermediary ones to be paid for by sender. Mind you good banks don't charge the receiver any fees as they make good money off the currency conversion spread
posted on June 28, 2005 05:00:37 PM new
agitprop,
it would not work using bank to bank transfer between a german bank and an american bank.
and how much can a bank earn on the spread for 24.99??????
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
