I just sold my kite to an international buyer and we decided to go with Bank transfer instead of Paypal.

Now, my question is, is it safe to provide my bank account to a stranger? Can they do something malicious to my account if they want?

How about fees? I think he/she will pay some fee on their side but does my bank deduct fees on my side as well just like paypal?

I've never done bank transfer with strangers before and it kind of makes me nervous...

caution is advised. call your bank alert them and tell them to call you to clear any and all transfers.

it is their job to watch your $

I'm curious if it was the person you're selling it to who asked you to do the bank transfer? Personally I wouldn't ever do a bank transfer. Paypal has their "Buyer/seller protection" which would make me feel a lot more comfy.

I checked the buyer on another forum and looks ok. He posted some recently, flies Flysurfer kites (that's what I am selling to him) and I was even able to check his website with kids pictures.

So, I am thinking there is no way my bank releases money without my authorization. Or does it sounds like "born to be a sucker"?

:P why no paypal? hahaha. Paypal's just as easy I just like to deal with something that gives me the warm fuzzy not something i'm stand-offish with. Especially with a kite that expensive!

I'm not too sure about the whole bank transfer process, but I believe it does take a few days for the transfer.
Western union is another option and its basically instant and neither of you need to give any real personal info. .. just wanted to give you another option

Maybe I should bite the bullet (fee) and go with PayPal. I did many Paypal transactions and didn't have any problems so far...

Thats what I would do. Once you toss out your bank info for that transfer, you never know whats gonna happen.

Thank you all, guys. I just got a reply back from the buyer saying he is willing to do paypal. I will pay for the fee but small amount for peace in mine. Thanks gain, guys. - Brian

just know this as a seller if you accept a paypal payment and ship to a unconfirmed address you are not protected at all. Unfortunately most international addresses are not confirmed.
Paypal is fine for protection if you are the buyer, but they care less about the seller.
UNCONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS = NO DEAL !!!

Quote:

Originally posted by DAKITEZ just know this as a seller if you accept a paypal payment and ship to a unconfirmed address you are not protected at all. Unfortunately most international addresses are not confirmed. Paypal is fine for protection if you are the buyer, but they care less about the seller. UNCONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS = NO DEAL !!!

I ran into the same situation selling a camera lens to a buyer in Italy. He payed paypal and everything but had a unconfirmed address. I was very hesitant about shipping a $1200 lens to Italy but thank god everything worked out for the best. You just have to feel the buyer out I guess.

He can buy a cashier's cheque at any bank in the world and send it to you via registered mail. If he tells the bank, he can pay a small extra fee to have the cheque insured.

That's what I did to get my blade from tridude. easiest for him.

Folks in asia move money about by bank transfer all the time. If there is no personal information involved. it is safe.

Ask your bank.

If folks on another forum say he is OK 99 % safe.

If he says yes to the cashier's cheque you can change your mind at the last minute and go with transfer with 99.99% safety.

all IMHO

Already a mute point since you decided to go the paypal route and I feel more comfortable using it myself, but you should be ok providing your routing # and account # (after all, that information is available on your personal checks). Domestically speaking, the banks will require more information than that if someone would try to redraw money from your account.

...Best to check with your bank for exact details, however.

Carefull with Paypal and overseas; their protection is only good in North America. Overseas, the customer could theoretically cancel the transaction after you ship.

I'll get a suspicious overseas order from time to time- something like 10 each of something expensive. And the funds show up in my merchant account. But I always refund it can cancel and no-one complains because they know I am on to them. If I were to ship, they would reverse the charge and the stuff ends up on Ebay and Paypal tells me there would be nothing they could do.

EDIT: This limitation of protection might be for merchants only. check with them for individuals

I ship overseas and to South America, but only when I am comfortable with the individual.

Ask your bank about transfers and security, since you are giving up your account number. I know that domestically it is real time and that the fees are paid by sender only.

I only do bank transfer with guys living in Quebec, then if a problem goes, we can still have a way to resolve because the Quebec law applies

for anything outside in rest of Canada, and the world, PAYPAL protects both parties.

what if a conflict happens, guy not happy, you are not happy after the transaction.... Paypal resolve it for you.

The other thing is to be cautious with fake certified check, especially for sale on ikitesurf. Lot of scammers there where they send you a bigger check, ask for a western union reimbursed, etc....

So is the SA2 15m baby going to find a new home ????
A+

Quote:

Originally posted by acampbell the funds show up in my merchant account.

So, if the funds already show up in your account, how can the buyer (scammer) withdraw it after they receive your merchant? Does paypal allow to do that?

If it's true, does that mean my buyer can take money out of my account back after receiving my kite?

Buzz, ye looks like my SA2 found a new home. Good bye SA2 and hello Pscycho4

all the buyer has to say is they didn't recieve the kite or someone used their paypal account without authorization and paypal will immediately pull the money from your account. Doesn't matter if you have a delivey confirmation , signature, etc. Like I said before paypal screws the seller.

I can tell you that PayPal doesn't always protect the buyer either. My business recently purchased what was supposed to be "detailed design drawings" from a company in Canada through eBay and PayPal. What we got was a Google search dump of other people's websites (in fact some of the stuff he sent was comical, including templates to his business card design). Since we only paid $30 I wrote it off to experience and gave the guy bad feedback. But when the guy had the nerve to complain to eBay that I hadn't paid him (even after I got an email thanking me for my prompt payment!) I decided to file a complaint with PayPal. PayPal dismissed it without ever contacting us for further info. If you read the rules, basically as long as the seller delivers -something- within the required time, he's in the clear. As I said, fortunately it was only $30, so no huge loss.

That's one of the reasons I prefer to sell to folks here and why that "good seller" list is so valuable. On that subject, thanks MacBoy!

Quote:

Originally posted by DAKITEZ all the buyer has to say is they didn't recieve the kite or someone used their paypal account without authorization and paypal will immediately pull the money from your account. Doesn't matter if you have a delivey confirmation , signature, etc. Like I said before paypal screws the seller.

that's scary....

Quote:

Originally posted by leebrianh Quote: Originally posted by acampbell the funds show up in my merchant account. So, if the funds already show up in your account, how can the buyer (scammer) withdraw it after they receive your merchant? Does paypal allow to do that? If it's true, does that mean my buyer can take money out of my account back after receiving my kite?

It's paypal that reverses the charge at the buyer's request. If I have already swept the funds from Paypal to my bank, they will debit my bank per their merchant agreement. Usually that is a good thing, since if I have to issue a legitimate refund and I don't have the funds in my Paypal account, they sweep it from my bank and save me the hassle of a manual transfer.

If the buyer is in North America, they will back me up on a bogus claim when I document the sale.

keep it in the good ole USA!

paypal is good for the buyer but not so much for the the seller.

paypal charges fees, 1.9% up to 3.5% + $0.30

honestly we deal with Bank Transfers quite frequently ...

when you hand out your bank information to a strange, they CAN NOT pull money from your account nor use your account.

How to protect yourself.

1. Only send out item after the wire / bank transfer had been confirmed (phone your bank or check your account) ... once a its come in, it cant go out again (thats how your protected)
2. Let your bank know you have a bank transfer coming
3. you only need to provide the buyer with Account No., Bank Code, Branch Code, and Bank Address.

Pros:
1. buyer has to bank transfer fee (anywhere from $10 to $30)
2. bank doesnt charge you fees

Cons:
1. can be as fast as 48hrs or as long as 7 days (bank depending)

hope this helps =)