Opinion: Money sent thru Western Union

[vricardo]

Hi, I'd like to know your opinion on other ways to pay for stuff besides Paypal. How does Western Union work? Is it safe/reliable?
Thanks,

[RodKnock]

Western is NOT a recommended payment method for buyers per eBay. Here's a link:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/payment-ov.html#bankwire

Rodney

[vricardo]

Thanks, but I'm not talking about Ebay. I'm talking about items I'm selling here for example. As I can't accept Paypal, I was wondering if there were other safe (for both parties) methods of payment. All the help/opinions are welcome!

Cheers,

[hdavis]

Vasco, in my experience wire transfers work very well, except for small ticket items

[RodKnock]

If I were the buyer and buying something from someone on this board, then I would send a cashier's check via FedEx or US Mail certified mail with return receipt. Then hope for the best. Rodney

[larwik]

Well...RodKnock...we're talking overseas payments here and I agree with Vasco....it is a very good question....A US check (in US $)deposited in a bank overseas will probably take several weeks to clear...because the American Banks are not yet capable(or interested) in issuing a check in a forreign currency i.e Euro's..(at least not Bank of America) in addition the exchange rate "penalty" and additional "service-fees" will probably "eat up" a considerable chunk of the money for the seller and quiet a delay for you the buyer to receive the goods....PayPal is indeed very "slick" and convenient,
however,I do not know the limitations on annual transfers.

In another thread I asked the same thing and someone suggested :Wells-Fargo...are they any better?..if so I'll use them next time...
Vasco and I will solve our business with a mutual associate in Europe,but if you don't know anybody it can be difficult at best...
If anyone has a good method please let us know...Thanks / Lars...

[RodKnock]

Lars & Vasco, my apologies. I was not paying attention to the fact that it was an overseas payment. Payment between buyer and seller is an excellent question. I'm not sure about the overseas issue, but www.escrow.com is another serivce that's recommended by eBay.

Good luck with the sale guys. Rodney

[Milou]

I've made lots of payments through Western Union from Swtizerland to America and never had a problem. By this I mean that the buyer always sent the item after receiving the funds.

There is a risk involved if you don't know the buyer and it's really up to you to judge whether you want to take it or not (obviously it really depends on the amounts involved), but the actual swstem of Western Union is efficient, fast, and easy.

[EARLY911ZOO]

Indeed Western Union is a safe way to send money but offers no recourse to sender/buyer if seller at the other end refuses to complete transaction, doesnt send goods or sends bogus/replica/damaged/lost goods.
Paypal does hold members responsible and offers assistance in claims.

I have not lost to shady or irresponsible sellers by using Paypal to pay.

One seller sold me new alternator fan and housing assembly, package weighed over 20 lbs and he simply dropped it in a cheap box wrapped in 2 layers of silk paper(claimed his wife packed it) well you know the story...it arrived fan blade chipped housing cracked! GD shame was only $150BIN...but Paypal refunded.


....another loss.. rare heads...seller didnt have tracking info or nothing...Paypal votes to refund me!

So only if you can trust the other end to not mess up or scam you...Western Union although costly is to that extent secure to send!!

Here's a tip, when dealing with a seller or buyer you are unsure of,

set up a unique auction on Ebay just for the transaction you wish to achieve

A)as a seller you can create an auction directed specifically towards your buyer
with a no reserve $2 auction where he bids what you want for your item and you end the auction to sell to the current high bidder.
B) have him pay through Paypal and both of you can sleep at night.

Other than that I dont know of any other ways to date
Anybody else found a safe route???

[vricardo]

Ok guys, thanks for the opinions. Paypal is the best method, by far I agree. But assuming the person you're buying from has a good reputation (and you trust him/her), the bad packing problems are usually safegarded by the shipping ensurance, right?