Question
Hello,
I am currently involved in a transaction for merchandise that originated on ebay but has since moved off the radar. The seller has agreed to sell me an additional item that was not sold on a previous listing at a significant cost savings. Sounds good but he will only accept Western Union wire transfer to his home in Spain while I am in the US. I, having been scammed in the past by sellers on ebay and with paypal, am a little afraid to send that kind of money to another country instantly with no gaurantees. When questioned about safety and other options, seller becomes very upset as if I am questioning his integrity. Being a seller myself, I don't see questions as a problem.
Anyway does anyone have any advice?
Answer
Well I'm assuming paypal may not be an option in spain or at least they might not be able to withdraw the funds easily
May I suggest instead of a western union transfer to do a bank wire. I.e your account to his. At least that way you'll have record of the funds . you might have to pay $10 for the receiving fee on his end though. If he doesn't agree to that then I might question why. I mean he must have a bank account right?
Answer
I'm not sure what the difference between a wire and a transfer is. I have only dealt with paypal in the past.
Seller refuses to use Paypal due to sited previous problems with them. I am just worried that I will pay for the item, then not get anything and not be able to get my funds back because of the transfer and the fact he is not located in the United States. Does wither have better fraud security then the other or than paypal? Should I be worried or this something that everyone else sees?
Answer
It's my understanding that there is no recourse for recovery of funds after an international wire transfer. I would be interested in knowing for sure when you find out. If that is true then you only have his previous recorded feedback history to base your decision on whether to proceed or not.
I have heard of some scams perpetuated this way in only accepting wire transfers. Once again, no personal experience there either. Plus you always hear the horror stories and not about all the solid transactions.
We have been paid via wire transfer thru western union with no problem. Personally we have not paid via this method.
chloe
Answer
The reality is that no method of payment is really safe, except for payment by credit card where you can do a chargeback, if the seller is not legitimate. Even a check or money order will have cleared the banking system before you can reasonably expect to receive the merchandise so a stop payment is not possible.
Although legal recourse for non-receipt of merchandise is easier if the seller is in your own country, it assumes that the seller can be found. Scam artists tend to move around and use temporary addresses.
Answer
The seller finally responded to my requests for his ebay ID, he is currently not registered though previously he had a seller rating of 99.1. The rating is encouraging but the "not registered" is not. I am now leaning more towards not purchasing even though his price is low. Plus on viewing his history it seems he has 6 neg feedback in the last 6 months where in most the item was not recieved. Looks like it would be better to not deal off the ebay radar on this one.
Answer
Western Union wire transfers cannot be traced. They are often the method of preference for scammers. If you've ever read anything about Nigerian scams, they almost always ask for WU wire transfers. How good can a deal be if you fork out money and receive nothing in return. I wouldn't do it.
Answer
I've used direct wire transfer to my checking account for years. I've had buyers from Bulgaria, Australia, Taiwan, Brazil transfer money direct to my account. It literally takes overnight to receive it, and the next morning it was in my account.
My sales are several hundered dollars, so I just tagged on the $10 fee my bank charges for an incoming wire transfer. The buyer's bank charges them a fee also, but they pay for that themselves.
It is 100% safe!!
The only information they need is what's already printed on your checks. Simple as that. There's nothing they have that can risk your account. My bank said there's nothing the other party can do to take money out of my account! I have this in writing from my local Washingtom Mutual Bank.