Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Same sort of situation here in Australia, cheques (we use the proper English spelling) are a dying breed. Most people use EFTPOS (a direct debit to their bank account at the time of purchase), pay with credit cards, use automatic direct debits set up on their bank accounts, or use phone banking to pay bills. Most businesses now pay their creditors electronically as well. Writing cheques here can be fairly expensive because of government charges and taxes but paying electronically is much quicker and far more convenient anyway. One of the things I've found strange when visiting the US is that the country that invented credit cards and the internet still use cheques so much. Can't understand why. Cheers, Carl - Original Message - From: Cotty To: Pentax List Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 7:11 AM Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe I wish somebody would explain how it works in the EU. My US bank might charge something for depositing a Canadian check in Canadian dollars, but never for depositing a US check. Why are they charging for depositing a check in Euros? The same reason that my bank here in the UK charges me for depositing a cheque (as it is spelled here) made out in US dollars. Because there is admin in figuring out the exchange rate (with all necessary and unnecessary contributing factors) and then converting the amount and then getting the US bank on which the cheque is drawn to cough up. Costs time and money, and there is a charge (similar to yours). Strangely enough, we have cheques, but aside from eBay transactions, nobody here uses them. We normally pay for things with debit cards that transfer money from our 'current account' (your 'checking account') to the store. Or we use credit cards or AmEx. I pay all my monthly bills either by standing order (set amount each month from my current account) or by telephone banking (pressing keys on the phone to decide exact amounts going out of my account to preset recieving accounts like credit card bills and so on), or internet banking. Ten years ago we probably had (as a family) a cheque-book per month, at least. More recently, but before I met eBay, we got through maybe one a year! Post eBay, it's two a year, although I am using Paypal a lot. If I'm buying from abroad (USA usually) I now use Paypal. If not, I go to a travel agent and I get an AmEx International Money Order, which costs me, say, £10 on top of the, say, £100 I need to send. I then post the money order, which is made out in US bucks. Simple. Paypal is simpler but more expensive. No Euros here (yet). Cotty ___ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
My reason for not using a debit card rather than a check/cheque is simple: I take savings over convenience. My bank charges $1 or $2 to process a debit card charge, and nothing to process a check (beyond the cost of printing which works out to about $.10 per check.) start rant I don't know the exact amount of the charge because I only used the debit card a few times, when I first set up my account. I was so surprised to see the charges on my next statement, I destroyed the card. I could see paying a 1% fee, but a fixed charge of a $1-2 is just way over the top. A 20-40% charge on a $5 purchase!??!? continue rant It has always struck me as very odd that we bank customers are charged for those things which save banks money and reduce their workforce and increase their profit. Like Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) and debit cards in lie of checks. In a similar vein, in another life I play golf occasionally (never often enough). For most good courses close to a reasonable center of population, advance booking of a Start Time is essential. Over the last few years some courses have moved to on-line reservation systems. BUT they want to charge more. Excuse me?? You set up a system that eliminates many phone service charges, that drastically reduces the time your personnel work the phone trying to fit people into available time slots, that increases your throughput by making it more convenient for people to make the reservation, and then you want the customer to pay more?? The new classic oxymoron, giving serious challenge to military intelligence is business ethics. end rant Stan Carl Bowden [EMAIL PROTECTED] said Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe Same sort of situation here in Australia, cheques ... are a dying breed. ... One of the things I've found strange when visiting the US is that the country that invented credit cards and the internet still use cheques so much. Can't understand why. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
- Original Message - From: Carl Bowden Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe One of the things I've found strange when visiting the US is that the country that invented credit cards and the internet still use cheques so much. Can't understand why. I have a theory on this. In the USA, there is still a very high value placed on personal integrity, so it is fairly safe to accept a cheque from an American. Other societies, Canada being a prime example, have allowed this value to erode, with the consequence that accepting a cheque is an invitation to be out the face value on the cheque. The company I work for (Wal-Mart) no longer accepts cheques in Canada, I suspect because bounced cheques were cutting into the bottom line. William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Hi Stan ... Maybe you need a new bank g. My bank is pretty much the opposite. If I have a minimum average balance in the account, I'm reimbursed fees charged by foreign ATM machines, up to five transactions per month. There's no extra fee for using the debit card, which can also be used as a credit card, i.e., if a company doesn't take debit cards, it'll take mine as a credit card. When I use the card for credit purchases, such as when I buy photo gear on line from a store such as Peter's or KEH, I'm given a rebate of 1% ... over the course of a year that adds up, so I often use the card as a credit card when making purchases at the market, etc. However, there are no credit card fees as the money is still debited from my account, just as it were a regular debit card. The bank has an on line banking setup as well, and most of my bills are paid using that system - all utilities, house payments, payroll, etc. I'm at the point where I write but five or six checks per month, which is down substantially from the more than 100 I used to write just a few years ago. Some months there are no checks returned with my statement g. Stan Halpin wrote: My reason for not using a debit card rather than a check/cheque is simple: I take savings over convenience. My bank charges $1 or $2 to process a debit card charge, and nothing to process a check (beyond the cost of printing which works out to about $.10 per check.) start rant I don't know the exact amount of the charge because I only used the debit card a few times, when I first set up my account. I was so surprised to see the charges on my next statement, I destroyed the card. I could see paying a 1% fee, but a fixed charge of a $1-2 is just way over the top. A 20-40% charge on a $5 purchase!??!? -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/ http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/darkroom-rentals/index.html - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Shel said: From: Shel Belinkoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe Hi Stan ... Maybe you need a new bank g. . . . Stan Halpin wrote: My reason for not using a debit card rather than a check/cheque is simple: I take savings over convenience. My bank charges $1 or $2 to process a debit card charge, . . . Shel, the suggestion you and JoMac make is good. But at least for now I'll stick with the checks and occasional inconvenience rather than go to another back with freer use of debit cards. The deciding factor for me is that I strongly prefer a small local bank (owned by someone I know), rather than one of the mega-banks that is so busy dreaming up new ways to confuse the customer that they can't be bothered to actually deal with the customer. The disadvantage for the small bank is that they can't afford to provide the same services that the large ones do without some service charges, as they have to pay the larger ones to do processing work for them. My gripe is that the charge seems designed to provide an additional profit center. The owner may be a friend, but I don't agree with his business conduct in this case. stan - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
The bank I use is a local, family-owned bank. That's what makes it such a pleasure. It's not one of the big banks. Until recently they only had about five or six branches, but they've expanded as the communities they serve grew. Nonetheless, it's always service with a smile, and I can walk into any branch in my local area and be recognized and treated like a person, rather than a cipher. I grew up living across the street from the owner and president of our local bank. I recall my mom telling me to Walk up to the bank and ask Sidney to give you $. I'd go up to the bank, and Sidney would see to it that I'd get a sack full of cash ... no paper work, no forms to sign, no hassle. Naturally, I look for that type of service where I do my banking today. Stan Halpin wrote: Shel said: Shel, the suggestion you and JoMac make is good. But at least for now I'll stick with the checks and occasional inconvenience rather than go to another back with freer use of debit cards. The deciding factor for me is that I strongly prefer a small local bank (owned by someone I know), rather than one of the mega-banks that is so busy dreaming up new ways to confuse the customer that they can't be bothered to actually deal with the customer. The disadvantage for the small bank is that they can't afford to provide the same services that the large ones do without some service charges, as they have to pay the larger ones to do processing work for them. My gripe is that the charge seems designed to provide an additional profit center. The owner may be a friend, but I don't agree with his business conduct in this case. -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/ http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/darkroom-rentals/index.html - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Shel, Walk up to the bank and ask Sidney to give me a sack full of cash. I'll provide my shipping address. Thanks, Doug At 2:10 PM -08003/16/02, Shel Belinkoff wrote, or at least typed: The bank I use is a local, family-owned bank. That's what makes it such a pleasure. It's not one of the big banks. Until recently they only had about five or six branches, but they've expanded as the communities they serve grew. Nonetheless, it's always service with a smile, and I can walk into any branch in my local area and be recognized and treated like a person, rather than a cipher. I grew up living across the street from the owner and president of our local bank. I recall my mom telling me to Walk up to the bank and ask Sidney to give you $. I'd go up to the bank, and Sidney would see to it that I'd get a sack full of cash ... no paper work, no forms to sign, no hassle. Naturally, I look for that type of service where I do my banking today. -- Douglas Forrest Brewer Ashwood Lake Photography [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alphoto.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Well, I only write two checks a month, my rent and my auto insurance. Everybody else takes the debit card. I have noticed however, that people with credit card, don't seem to like the debit cards much. Afraid they will get them mixed up and overdraw the account maybe? Ciao, Graywolf http://pages.prodigy.net/graywolfphoto - Original Message - From: Carl Bowden [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 11:19 AM Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe Same sort of situation here in Australia, cheques (we use the proper English spelling) are a dying breed. Most people use EFTPOS (a direct debit to their bank account at the time of purchase), pay with credit cards, use automatic direct debits set up on their bank accounts, or use phone banking to pay bills. Most businesses now pay their creditors electronically as well. Writing cheques here can be fairly expensive because of government charges and taxes but paying electronically is much quicker and far more convenient anyway. One of the things I've found strange when visiting the US is that the country that invented credit cards and the internet still use cheques so much. Can't understand why. Cheers, Carl - Original Message - From: Cotty To: Pentax List Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 7:11 AM Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe I wish somebody would explain how it works in the EU. My US bank might charge something for depositing a Canadian check in Canadian dollars, but never for depositing a US check. Why are they charging for depositing a check in Euros? The same reason that my bank here in the UK charges me for depositing a cheque (as it is spelled here) made out in US dollars. Because there is admin in figuring out the exchange rate (with all necessary and unnecessary contributing factors) and then converting the amount and then getting the US bank on which the cheque is drawn to cough up. Costs time and money, and there is a charge (similar to yours). Strangely enough, we have cheques, but aside from eBay transactions, nobody here uses them. We normally pay for things with debit cards that transfer money from our 'current account' (your 'checking account') to the store. Or we use credit cards or AmEx. I pay all my monthly bills either by standing order (set amount each month from my current account) or by telephone banking (pressing keys on the phone to decide exact amounts going out of my account to preset recieving accounts like credit card bills and so on), or internet banking. Ten years ago we probably had (as a family) a cheque-book per month, at least. More recently, but before I met eBay, we got through maybe one a year! Post eBay, it's two a year, although I am using Paypal a lot. If I'm buying from abroad (USA usually) I now use Paypal. If not, I go to a travel agent and I get an AmEx International Money Order, which costs me, say, £10 on top of the, say, £100 I need to send. I then post the money order, which is made out in US bucks. Simple. Paypal is simpler but more expensive. No Euros here (yet). Cotty ___ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
You may be right. Saw on the news that recently an employee in US was dismissed after follow-up background check (many firms are (re)checking backgrounds after Sept 11) found record of a bounced-check -- as I remember, this happened a number of years ago. (anyone happen to remember the exact details?) Otis William Robb wrote: - Original Message - From: Carl Bowden Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe One of the things I've found strange when visiting the US is that the country that invented credit cards and the internet still use cheques so much. Can't understand why. I have a theory on this. In the USA, there is still a very high value placed on personal integrity, so it is fairly safe to accept a cheque from an American. Other societies, Canada being a prime example, have allowed this value to erode, with the consequence that accepting a cheque is an invitation to be out the face value on the cheque. The company I work for (Wal-Mart) no longer accepts cheques in Canada, I suspect because bounced cheques were cutting into the bottom line. William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
In a message dated 16-Mar-02 11:24:50 AM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My reason for not using a debit card rather than a check/cheque is simple: I take savings over convenience. My bank charges $1 or $2 to process a debit card charge, and nothing to process a check (beyond the cost of printing which works out to about $.10 per check.) start rant I don't know the exact amount of the charge because I only used the debit card a few times, when I first set up my account. I was so surprised to see the charges on my next statement, I destroyed the card. I could see paying a 1% fee, but a fixed charge of a $1-2 is just way over the top. A 20-40% charge on a $5 purchase!??!? Wow -- how weird. I use a debit card all the time, no extra charges to process. I wonder if it's because the accounts I'm using are in credit unions, not banks? ERNR My photographs hang on the virtual walls at http://members.aol.com/ernreed - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Wendy, I sure don't fathom the European banking system. Here in the US, we send you a check and in 2 or 3 days the amount is in your account. (There is a Federal Reserve banking system which 'clears' the checks between banks.) Everybody but the lowest income households have checking accounts. Everybody uses their checking accounts to pay the electricity, water, gas, phone, and other monthly bills. We just send off little bits of paper (checks). This works well because the checks cost us almost nothing...about $.25 each in printing costs to have your name and address plus bank account in magnetic ink on the check. And, people usually don't write checks they don't have money for in the bank. I wish somebody would explain how it works in the EU. My US bank might charge something for depositing a Canadian check in Canadian dollars, but never for depositing a US check. Why are they charging for depositing a check in Euros? Regards, Bob S. Wendy ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) writes: I just recently won an auction on ebay.de Sent the seller an international money order IN Euros. Royal Bank even stated it was to be drawn on their account in Frankfurt. Just heard back from the seller. His bank charged him 8.63 euros to cash it. What! What's even more annoying is that I have an account in the Netherlands IN Euros and I can't get any Euros out to give to him. Before the euro, I had Eurocheques that I could write in any european currency. Everything's going backwards! Progress? BAH! - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
It seems quite obvious to me; the common currency isn't where this fell down. It fell down because a cheque written in the Netherlands would need to be cleared by that bank; you couldn't draw that cheque immediately in Germany because it would have to be referred back to the country of origin. As Europe is not a one-nation Federal state, unlike the US, there isn't a central reserve bank that will clear cheques across national borders. It is very likely though that when all the nation states of Europe are using the Euro, national boundaries on money transfer will probably disappear. I must admit having never been charged to send a cheque in my life; I can't say I use them a lot but they've never cost anything. And where did this misspelling of the word cheque start? Surely check and cheque mean quite different things! Kev. - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 12:27 PM Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe Wendy, I sure don't fathom the European banking system. Here in the US, we send you a check and in 2 or 3 days the amount is in your account. (There is a Federal Reserve banking system which 'clears' the checks between banks.) Everybody but the lowest income households have checking accounts. Everybody uses their checking accounts to pay the electricity, water, gas, phone, and other monthly bills. We just send off little bits of paper (checks). This works well because the checks cost us almost nothing...about $.25 each in printing costs to have your name and address plus bank account in magnetic ink on the check. And, people usually don't write checks they don't have money for in the bank. I wish somebody would explain how it works in the EU. My US bank might charge something for depositing a Canadian check in Canadian dollars, but never for depositing a US check. Why are they charging for depositing a check in Euros? - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
RE: OT: eBay tale of woe
A similar incident happened to me. Won an auction for a camera in Germany. Spent $120 to bring a $75 to the US. Never again. Francis M. Alviar - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Hmmm. I've just wired over a grand ($1250) to Italy for a jobo ATL 3... (not bad for a $5k piece of kit) It's on it's way :) cost $25 for the wire, and he's said that the italian bank took nothing from their side... Gotta stop getting these deals! Oliver - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 2:00 PM Subject: RE: OT: eBay tale of woe A similar incident happened to me. Won an auction for a camera in Germany. Spent $120 to bring a $75 to the US. Never again. Francis M. Alviar - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
From where I'm at, if the UK joined the USA as the 51st State of the Union, I'd be one happy bunny. All those zillions of bargains to be had (photo, computer) and no import duty! I've recently spent loads on acquiring bits of a PowerBook, but roughly 2/3rds what it would have been here. Can --- worms. Cotty ___ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
From where I'm at, if the UK joined the USA as the 51st State of the Union, I'd be one happy bunny. All those zillions of bargains to be had (photo, computer) and no import duty! I've recently spent loads on acquiring bits of a PowerBook, but roughly 2/3rds what it would have been here. But we've already filled our quota of Apple Macs, Cotty. Sorry. Fred - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
It was $1000 for the processor , $250 for shipping! The old ebay auction ended well under the guy's $1k reserve, so I just offered him that, plus $250 shipping.. hopefully he spent the $250 properly :) I never realised the Lira was that bad off ! I had the seller remove the head and ship \ pack it separately, as I figure that the unit stands a better chance of getting here that way! - Original Message - From: Aaron Reynolds [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 4:14 PM Subject: Re: OT: eBay tale of woe On Friday, March 15, 2002, at 02:37 PM, Oliver Raymond wrote: Hmmm. I've just wired over a grand ($1250) to Italy for a jobo ATL 3... (not bad for a $5k piece of kit) It's on it's way :) Nice score. What did shipping cost you? We bought one for $5k...Canadian...used... -Aaron - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
I wish somebody would explain how it works in the EU. My US bank might charge something for depositing a Canadian check in Canadian dollars, but never for depositing a US check. Why are they charging for depositing a check in Euros? The same reason that my bank here in the UK charges me for depositing a cheque (as it is spelled here) made out in US dollars. Because there is admin in figuring out the exchange rate (with all necessary and unnecessary contributing factors) and then converting the amount and then getting the US bank on which the cheque is drawn to cough up. Costs time and money, and there is a charge (similar to yours). Strangely enough, we have cheques, but aside from eBay transactions, nobody here uses them. We normally pay for things with debit cards that transfer money from our 'current account' (your 'checking account') to the store. Or we use credit cards or AmEx. I pay all my monthly bills either by standing order (set amount each month from my current account) or by telephone banking (pressing keys on the phone to decide exact amounts going out of my account to preset recieving accounts like credit card bills and so on), or internet banking. Ten years ago we probably had (as a family) a cheque-book per month, at least. More recently, but before I met eBay, we got through maybe one a year! Post eBay, it's two a year, although I am using Paypal a lot. If I'm buying from abroad (USA usually) I now use Paypal. If not, I go to a travel agent and I get an AmEx International Money Order, which costs me, say, £10 on top of the, say, £100 I need to send. I then post the money order, which is made out in US bucks. Simple. Paypal is simpler but more expensive. No Euros here (yet). Cotty ___ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
Hi, perhaps you could get the US Govt. to apply to join the EC. --- Bob mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Thursday, March 14, 2002, 8:30:02 PM, you wrote: I think I outsmarted myself here. I found a lens on German eBay. The price was good, but the seller would ship to Germany only. So I contacted him. My German is no good (thru Babblefish translations), but on previous bids, many Germans spoke English. He did not, but allowed me to bid. So I won the auction. And now I asked to arrange payment. The seller sent me his account # and bank #, looking for a wire transfer(?). So I contacted my bank. After 36 hours of fooling around, I found my 'personal banker'. I sent her FAX instructions to wire him Euros. So she sent him Dollars, and charged me $35 for the transaction. When the wire arrived at his bank, it was $20 short (some mystery charge). And, they charged him another 13 Euros in fees. So I was 30 Euros short. I went to the American Express office. For another $31.27, I got 30 Euros to mail him. After postage, paying for this lens is going to cost me another $70 over my winning bid. So I will keep reminding myself, Don't bid unless it is a really good deal! Regards, Bob S. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
RE: OT: eBay tale of woe
Having been a banker, I can tell you, if someone asks for a Wire Transfer, unless it is for a large sum of money (i.e. $500 or more), don't bother sending it and just send an international money order in the funds that the person is requesting. Wire transfer fees are outrageous from the senders side, and, for most Canadian banks anyway, there is no guarantee that the funds will be received by the parties involved if you don't have a ton of information. Fees can be had from the receivers side as well. We used to charge $10 US for incoming Wire Transfers. It was, as you claim, that mystery charge known as a service charge. Basically just a fee drummed up to cover minor computer time and handling involved with receiving and verifying wire transfers. I agree with you though, Caveat Emptor when it comes to auctions and paying for them. Cheers, Dave mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
At 15:30 14/03/2002 -0500, you wrote: I think I outsmarted myself here. I found a lens on German eBay. The price was good, but the seller would ship to Germany only. As a regular Ebay-er, both as a buyer and seller I can only add the following points: When someone says they'll only accept bids from particular countries, don't try and bend the rules. People are nearly always willing to be accommodating and helpful, but sometimes you can try too hard. If you need to wire money, try using something like PayPal and use credit cards. I've bought numerous items from the US and personally I just send cash in a padded envelope (not recommended for expensive items!). Personally I find Ebay expensive for photographic items and I prefer to work with a reputable dealer. I must admit preferring to purchase equipment either new or ex-demo whenever possible, especially lenses. Kev. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
perhaps you could get the US Govt. to apply to join the EC. ...just as long as the US government then moved to Europe? g Fred - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: eBay tale of woe
At 16:22 14-3-2002 -0500, you wrote: tale about buying from german ebay I sent her FAX instructions to wire him Euros. So she sent him Dollars, and charged me $35 for the transaction. When the wire arrived at his bank, it was $20 short (some mystery charge). And, they charged him another 13 Euros in fees. So I was 30 Euros short. I went to the American Express office. For another $31.27, I got 30 Euros to mail him. After postage, paying for this lens is going to cost me another $70 over my winning bid. So I will keep reminding myself, Don't bid unless it is a really good deal! Regards, Bob S. I just recently won an auction on ebay.de Sent the seller an international money order IN Euros. Royal Bank even stated it was to be drawn on their account in Frankfurt. Just heard back from the seller. His bank charged him 8.63 euros to cash it. What! What's even more annoying is that I have an account in the Netherlands IN Euros and I can't get any Euros out to give to him. Before the euro, I had Eurocheques that I could write in any european currency. Everything's going backwards! Progress? BAH! W. (checking that this post is SUPPOSED to go to the list before sending it) --- Wendy Beard Ottawa, Canada mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] home page http://www.beard-redfern.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
