Method Of Payment

[Chaplin]

Once again, is it okay to ship new or used Brass via USPS?

Or is it in the best interest to us UPS Ground for Everything.
The only things I ever sold, shipped were rare merch, posters, art, etc. Always used USPS "Priority". Tracking, insured, piece of mind... Costly, for the love of God.
Thank You.

I have shipped brass via USPS recently with zero issues.

 

[V.Veritas]

A question for my American friends here:

Payment through:
- Cheques: As a European this is not practical (and I have never even had cheques... antiquated technology )
- Paypal: as it is not gun friendly, many sellers refuse this.
- Zelle: is only in the US
- Venmo: is only in the US
- Direct bank transfer I could do, but it seems that many US citizens are less comfortable with this.

--> What other options are there, and what would the typical seller on AH most prefer to do?

Cheers,

V.

I have noticed as well that personal cheques are not used nor accepted in European countries by the banks, unless they are business cheques.
I found that surprising, but once I've noticed that the European banks take a commission for any other form of payment it suddenly made sense. Cheque payments are free and represent a lost potential revenue.

I am banking in Canada and Europe and in my opinion the European banks have significant higher fees and banking restrictions. I believe Germany had just reduced the maximum allowable cash payment to 1,000 Euro.

However, my question is very similar with yours.
What forms of payment are accepted by a US business/ person from a Canadian customer?

A wire transfer would be the easiest for us. I have just sent such a payment to South Africa without any problem. Fun fact - the wire is free and limited to $2,000 CAD if it sent form a computer, but it can go up to $25,000 CAD if it's sent from a cellphone.

Any suggestions?
I'm planning to purchase an item from a reputable AH member and seeking a payment solution.
Thank you.

 

[VertigoBE]

I have noticed as well that personal cheques are not used nor accepted in European countries by the banks, unless they are business cheques.
I found that surprising, but once I've noticed that the European banks take a commission for any other form of payment it suddenly made sense. Cheque payments are free and represent a lost potential revenue.

I am banking in Canada and Europe and in my opinion the European banks have significant higher fees and banking restrictions. I believe Germany had just reduced the maximum allowable cash payment to 1,000 Euro.

However, my question is very similar with yours.
What forms of payment are accepted by a US business/ person from a Canadian customer?

A wire transfer would be the easiest for us. I have just sent such a payment to South Africa without any problem. Fun fact - the wire is free and limited to $2,000 CAD if it sent form a computer, but it can go up to $25,000 CAD if it's sent from a cellphone.

Any suggestions?
I'm planning to purchase an item from a reputable AH member and seeking a payment solution.
Thank you.

No suggestions from my side, I have not found any good alternatives.

And wire transfers actually do entail banking costs for me. Paypal-for-friends&family is still by far the easiest, cheapest and fastest way I have found. But not everyone in the US is onboard with that payment method unfortunately.

 

[rookhawk]

I have noticed as well that personal cheques are not used nor accepted in European countries by the banks, unless they are business cheques.
I found that surprising, but once I've noticed that the European banks take a commission for any other form of payment it suddenly made sense. Cheque payments are free and represent a lost potential revenue.

I am banking in Canada and Europe and in my opinion the European banks have significant higher fees and banking restrictions. I believe Germany had just reduced the maximum allowable cash payment to 1,000 Euro.

However, my question is very similar with yours.
What forms of payment are accepted by a US business/ person from a Canadian customer?

A wire transfer would be the easiest for us. I have just sent such a payment to South Africa without any problem. Fun fact - the wire is free and limited to $2,000 CAD if it sent form a computer, but it can go up to $25,000 CAD if it's sent from a cellphone.

Any suggestions?
I'm planning to purchase an item from a reputable AH member and seeking a payment solution.
Thank you.

You need to remember that two factors go into the price you pay on here: 1.) The risk, 2.) The category of surcharge/tax/loss-of-privacy.

Paypal F&F, Venmo, Zelle, and wire transfers eradicate seller risk. I like that as much as any logical person does. With the case of wire transfers, there is a surcharge of $35-$50 to receive the inbound wire, so naturally that is tacked on the price.

The second category is about privacy, avoiding taxation, or avoiding unnecessary scrutiny (e.g. an audit due to frequency of dollars coming and going, even if doing nothing wrong).

So the ultimate form of payment without risk and with utmost privacy is a pile of US dollars, cash, in my hand. That's from the seller's perspective.

As a buyer, the ultimate form of payment is the most encumbered, fraud resistant option possible. That would be a credit card or regular paypal transaction where the seller absorbs the surcharges that give me fraud insurance if the goods are not delivered.

As always, the worst financial instrument to receive is the one that gives the false sense of security and the illusion of security. Those would be cashiers checks and money orders, the easiest instruments to counterfeit.

 

[kfreeze]

This may be more properly switched to general Chat but since it deals with a recent sales scam (https://www.africahunting.com/threa...model-70-super-grade-30-06.62810/#post-772178) I'm posting it here for opinions. when I purchase something that was advertised on the internet I pay in one of two ways: if it is a company I'll use a credit card that I have through a local bank but most often, the sale is by an individual as on AH and i use a personal check. I find the personal check the most satisfactory. If it gets lost/stolen in the mail payment is easily stopped and if it is cashed, it will have the signature of the casher and I get the check back from the bank. the seller is protested because it is agreed that shipment of product is delayed until the funds have cleared, which anymore is in less than two days. I once tried to buy a filter for my Hasselblad camera (so long ago that it was pre-digital). The seller was in OZ and wanted certified funds. So I sent a cert ck. then the seller decided to keep the filter. to his/her credit she didn't try to cash the check but he/she didn't return it either, so I had to pay about half the amount of the check to the bank to stop payment. That was the last time I cent a cert ck.

What systems of payment have all of you found to yield satisfactory results when internet items offered by individuals are involved?

I use paypal and venmo. Or a post office money order. Everyone thinks that paypal friends and family are risky, but if you use it through your bank account, you can go to your bank and use them to dispute it as fraud and get the money back from paypal. Even with the "unprotected" forms with paypal and venmo. Just make sure that you use it through your bank account and not an account or credit from them on the "unprotected" money transfers.