about payments to german sellers

[madluke]

hi lads


i just got myself leather armrest of german ebay. (for 30 euros)) ) the problem is seller does not have paypal account. whats best and cheapest way to pay for it?

 

[auroan]

To be honest, I wouldn't pay for anything without paypal from ebay. It takes minutes to setup an account. You have no other buyer protection if you do it any other way (paypal's protection is poor, but better than nothing)

 

[Khufu]

If you have online banking you can send the money direct using the details such as BIC and IBAN which the seller should supply you with.

As said, its a risky business unless you really trust the other party. I have done it twice without any problems but that could just have been luck.

 

[unkle]

hi lads


i just got myself leather armrest of german ebay. (for 30 euros)) ) the problem is seller does not have paypal account. whats best and cheapest way to pay for it?

Paypal isnt very popular in Germany because its loads easier and free to do bank transfers over there (for German residents). If you do a foreign currency transfer, there will probably be a fee and commission to pay. Probably best way is to order some Euros through your bank which will probably be commission free and then send them via Recorded Airmail Delivery. It will probably be a lot easier than getting the seller to open an account/pay fees for accepting your payment.

Funny thing is I thought it was mandatory to accept Paypal as a way of payment though?

 

[Keeno]

Western Union?

Still the problem with lack of any form of protection once the money has been sent.

 

[Broken Byzan]

Bank transfer i have used but Natwest charge a £15 fee to do it. You need the IBAN and BIC codes to do it.

So far i have not had any trouble with it, i have also noticed a lot more Ebay.de seller accepting paypal. As i am sure they are supposed to as per user agreement like we are over here.

 

[Staz]

You can't force someone to use Paypal no.

 

[unkle]

You can't force someone to use Paypal no.

You can on www.ebay.co.uk .

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html

"eBay wants to ensure that the marketplace offers buyers safe, appropriate and convenient payment choices for the marketplace. eBay requires all sellers listing on eBay.co.uk to offer payments through PayPal"

Not sure if ebay.de has the same rules.

 

[Staz]

I find that quite surprising. They've basically forced themselves into a monopoly!

 

[unkle]

I find that quite surprising. They've basically forced themselves into a monopoly!

Yeah its been that way for a while, it started that if you were a seller and had a low transaction history you had to offer it as a way of protecting buyers then they just sneaked it in sometime last year I think.

So basically youre getting charged twice by the same company.

B@stards!

 

[madluke]

but is paypal bad solution? i think is very very good and easy to use even for me foreigner:d

 

[unkle]

but is paypal bad solution? i think is very very good and easy to use even for me foreigner:d

LOL nothing to do with being a 'jonny foreigner'

Just that in Germany there isnt really a credit card culture, VISA and American Express are rarely accepted so Im unsure whether its mandatory for Ebay.de users to use Paypal, would be interesting to hear from any German based AS.net members if it is or not.

And yes, Paypal is a bad solution in my opinion when its forced upon someone who is selling.

 

[Staz]

Agreed. It's a good method of paying for things safely but it shouldn't be forced on a seller, especially as their fees are so high. If you're a company selling through eBay you may have a credit card machine that you want people to pay through but many buyers may want to pay through paypal as it's quicker and easier. The seller then loses profit because of the eBay policy.

 

[Cockney Boy]

I recently purchased an item from germany, and the seler did not have paypal, i offered to pay with a bank transfer, but when i found ot Lloyds Bank wanted £30.00 to do it, i told the bank and the ebay seller to do one.

Not paid for the item, no doubt i will get bad feedback, but who cares when i saved a £30.00 bill