IBAN

[cecilia]

One person living in Europe is interested in buying my CD but he doesn't want to use PayPal. He asked me about IBAN and with a bit of research I find that the US doesn't participate with IBAN.

So, my question is, how in the hell do people pay for something that is being shipped from the US??

And, don't say "cash" because I just don't want somebody losing their money that way.    ;-)

[nicholas]

VISA or Mastercard perhaps?

[cecilia]

he doesn't have a credit card

[Speelgoedmannetje]

cecilia wrote:

So, my question is, how in the hell do people pay for something that is being shipped from the US??

A rather strange question, Cecilia. :-?
I mean, perhaps it's the first time he buys something in the US. I have never used creditcard or paypal.
I have bought things from Vesalia using IBAN.
With my bank account, I got IBAN with it (as a service of my bank), and I can pay things via my internet bank account. So I got my money managed on one and the same place.

[countzero]

vesalia is germany, so IBAN is possible.

Personally, any method other than paypal brought me only pain and misery ...

[Tahoe]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
A rather strange question, Cecilia. :-?
I mean, perhaps it's the first time he buys something in the US. I have never used creditcard or paypal.
I have bought things from Vesalia using IBAN.
With my bank account, I got IBAN with it (as a service of my bank), and I can pay things via my internet bank account. So I got my money managed on one and the same place.

No; it's not a strange question at all.
IBAN (International Bank Account Number) en BIC (Bank Identifier Code) are account number used in Europe only.

If he/she wishes to pay you in the US he/she would either have to use Paypal (most convenient), or a Western Union money transfer. Bank transactions are possible, but are highly expensive and take long time. He would have to contact his local branch office for more info.

[cecilia]

thanks for the suggests folks.

this person is from Finland, btw. naturally, I have no clue as what is availble in that country. According to him he has no Western Union.

[Nataline]

Like Tahoe said, he really should check the specifics from his bank. In payments outside the EU IBAN and BIC/SWIFT are recommended if available, but not absolutely required.

Unlike Tahoe said, IBAN is EU only, but BIC/SWIFT is not.

Try searching for your bank's BIC here .

[nicholas]

cecilia wrote:
thanks for the suggests folks.

this person is from Finland, btw. naturally, I have no clue as what is availble in that country. According to him he has no Western Union.

Why doesn't he just send you a cheque, then once the funds have cleared into your bank account you can send the CD?

[cecilia]

it appears that SWIFT may be a potential solution as my bank seems to have SWIFT numbers - at least for some branches.

I'll report on the progress so that others having the same issue will have the benefit of my experience.

[odin]

SufiDhikr wrote:
Why doesn't he just send you a cheque, then once the funds have cleared into your bank account you can send the CD?

Quite a few countries in Europe phased cheques out ages ago or only allow usage of them at astronomical costs.

[cecilia]

Thanks for the help, folks!

SWIFT worked just fine!

I made another customer happy (not to mention myself)  :lol:

Tell, your friends! :banana:

[countzero]

just curious, did he tell you how much comission he payed for swift ?

[cecilia]

countzero wrote:
just curious, did he tell you how much comission he payed for swift ?

no, I didn't ask. But maybe it depends on the bank you use.

I'll ask around and see what i can find.

[whabang]

odin wrote:

SufiDhikr wrote:
Why doesn't he just send you a cheque, then once the funds have cleared into your bank account you can send the CD?

Quite a few countries in Europe phased cheques out ages ago or only allow usage of them at astronomical costs.

Hehe!
The last time I saw someone using a check was a couple of years ago. A foreign tourist, with kids, shopping in a grocery store. The first clerk refused to take her check, and politely asked her to put the wares back onto the shelves, and return when she had proper currency. After a few minutes of discussion, the manager entered the fray, insisting on that the store didn't accept checks. After another few minutes, an old lady in the staff pushes her way through the queue, muttering, pushing a ten-stroke key sequence on the POS computer, which then happily registered the check payment.
As it turned out, neither the first clerk, or the store manager, knew how to accept checks in their computerised POS system. :lol: