Paying for $US item

[dannat (Daniel)]

Does anyone know if we can send money orders to the US?

Or do US postal offer COD?

I am wanting to import a secondhand tak ocular from US, and the seller does not have paypal - does anyone know of another way

I have already had one tak le slip thru my hands - hopefully I don't have to make it two out of two

thanks daniel

[Kokatha man]

Well Daniel, I'm sure there are cheaper ways, but the Western Unoin money transfers are one method. Unfortunately, they choose an exchange rate below the daily one and take a cut there, as well as for the service - but if it isn't a great sum then it'd be ok most probably; the service itself is good and they have places all over the US.

Cheers, Darryl.

[tnbk00 (Daniel)]

Some internet banking (I use westpac) allows international transfers however be careful as you can get charged fees by any banks that it traverses to get to its destination.

[koputai (Jason)]

I've used Western Union before and it was all painless, as long as you are sure about the recipient, as once you've paid, your money is gone.
The US has to be one of the hardest countries to exchange funds with.
Of course, you could just put greenbacks in an envelope and post it.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Cerberus]

greenbacks? yeah but there's no way to prove you sent it!
some payment methods are easier to confirm, or leave a paper trail to follow in case of problems, goes without saying, you have to trust seller before using the old ways

[Ian Robinson]

PayPal
Visa Card (use a fax)
Master Card (use a fax)
Cashiers Cheque from a bank for big items (I've sent over $6000 AUD to buy an expensive item in the USA from a reputable vendor , sent it by insured registered EMS post and told them it was on it's way).

PayPal is your best bet. If it don't show up, you have coverage. Visa and Master Cards are OK to , but you will likely wear a fee (used to be 4%) for the privilege.

DON"T DO THE EXCHANGE BY EMAIL or ELECTRONICALLY (except PayPal) .... too risky.

If they seller wants Western Unoin money transfers or other unsecure means of payment .... don't deal with them unless YOU KNOW YOU CAN TRUST THEM (ie a major or very well known vendor or retailor).
Some of the bigger better quality stuff on Ebay and similar auction sites are fraudulent and do not exist. I think the term used is SPOOF.


The post office can do money transfers too. (International Money Order). Not sure how secure they are or if recoverable if things go wrong and the vendor is fraudulent.

[Cerberus]

yeah for smaller less valuable items i go for paypal, but for expensive purchases i would use an established escrow service, whatever you feel comfortable with

[skwinty (Steve)]

When I bought my kit from overseas , I used my credit card via the dealers website. I have done few transactions mostly with the united states and have had no problems. When I purchased my QHY guide camera from Australia I used a forex bank transfer as the dealer does not accept credit cards due to the charges.
It cost me ZAR 180 for a ZAR 2335 transaction. Not too bad in my opinion.

[tims]

I use http://www.ozforex.com.au to transfer money bank to bank. They offer better exchange rates than the banks and only charge a $15 fee. Unfortunately the amount transferred has to be a minimum A$2000, so obviously for larger purchases only .

[rogerg (Roger)]

I usually use Pay-Pal or built in website carts.

However right now I have to pay someone by money order or the like and I'm confused It seems all money orders from AU to US go through Western Union. I see on their website that I can do an electronic transfer to "anyone". How does that compare to a Money Order that I think I need to go to Australia Post to get??? With regard to the recipient, which is a trusted person, all I have is the person's name and address - no bank account details.

Thanks for any help!

[dannat (Daniel)]

I agree I usually use paypal, but it is a private sale and the vendor does not have paypal - might check if I can generate a private money order.

[Kokatha man]

Originally Posted by rogerg

I usually use Pay-Pal or built in website carts.

However right now I have to pay someone by money order or the like and I'm confused It seems all money orders from AU to US go through Western Union. I see on their website that I can do an electronic transfer to "anyone". How does that compare to a Money Order that I think I need to go to Australia Post to get??? With regard to the recipient, which is a trusted person, all I have is the person's name and address - no bank account details.

Thanks for any help!

Hi - I used Western Union to pay for my Round Table from Brian Reed in the US - the local Aust Post branches all handle WU transactions. I did an electronic transfer that was no difference in costs than what my bank would've charged (the all-up costs, that is) and there is some sort of "security" process you can enact with these. (WU)

Can't remember, but AP and the WU form will explain: something about the transfer number and you emailing/phoning the receiver with this - they also need ID at the WU depot they collect the money from.

Cheers, Darryl.