As far as I know we do not know money orders here in Belgium. But since a lot of people in the USA are asking to make money orders to me, I would like to know if it is possible in Belgium and how it works. Usually I use Paypal, but not all the people in the USA want to use it.
Thanks in advance
Please explain me 'money orders'
Most "money orders" in the US are purchased through the postal department. I doubt if this would be recognized by your Belgium bank. When I was in Germany 35 years ago any money from "home" had to come through American Express money orfers to get them cashed.
Paypal accounts can be set up to remove funds directly from one's bank so a credit card isn't necessary. Paypal doesn't charge anything for using an account this way.
Thank you for your answer.
I live in a very small village (105 inhabitants), the nearest bank is far away.
The problem is how to persuade people to use Paypal. I told them that there are no obligations. They only need to have a bankaccount or a creditcard.
Can you tell me why people only want to use money orders? I hope to learn to understand these people.
Jonna
Jonna,
The money orders that people purchase from the us post office actually have a stamp on them saying they cannot be cashed outside of the us. People tend not to notice this when they buy them, so if you do decide to accept money orders, you will want to instruct them to send you an international money order...not one of the regular us post office ones.
Thanks...Heather
Jonna.. heather is right, these folks need to get an international money order, and still not sure if your bank will take it or not. With the dollar going up and down between countries, you may not get exactly th eprice you want.
I noticed on your ad, that you have paypal listed. Don't be afraid to tell them you only do paypal. If they don't have a payapal account, most folks usually have a friend that will use thier paypal to get it for them.
Tell them to send you paypal, or maybe Heather knows for sure, you cn atell them to send you Americna dollars that you cnatake to the bank, but make sure you post , you will not be responible for lost dollars in the mail.
If they sending you money orders, I would suggest that you don't send thei rseeds out til you have that money order and make sure it an international one for your country , that your bank can cash.
Liek Heather said a lot of folks may make a mistake and send you US only ones and then you will be out money and seeds.
I know you want to please people, which is a good thing, but you have to protect yourself too.
Perhaps there are some other international folks that sell that can also help you .
I would have to agree with Startlight1153. Money orders, even when accepted, can take months to clear the bank internationally. If the person sending it, happens to report the money order as lost and has the bank cancel it, it will be months before you would ever know.
Even if the person doesn't have a paypal account, they can do a one-time payment with a credit card with paypal, without having to open a paypal account.
It's very easy for people to slip us cash in an envelope as well, so you'd be far better off not accepting money orders. You could just explain to the people inquiring that it takes months for them to clear the banks internationally, and you'd prefer to be able to send their seeds out right away, rather that wait for the funds to clear. People tend to think of money orders as guaranteed funds, so they may not understand those comments. Money orders can be cancelled and replaced, so there is always a risk to you, unless you hold their seeds for a few months to allow time for the funds to clear.
Whatever you decide, I would not accept Western Union payments or money orders. They are notorious for frauduent activity. I know the folks on Daves garden are honest people, but I suspect you are doing business with many different people outside of this forum.
Good luck :)
Thank you very much Heather and Starlight for your extended answers.
It's clear to me now. I will only accept Paypal.
Jonna
Jonna,
I think it is wise to accept Paypal only. Many people here don't even know about Paypal, however. It is more of a "computer thing" and a LOT of people still don't use computers--particularly elderly people. Also MANY people are just accustomed to using USPS money orders here----and don't want to change. Personally, I never used Paypal until I began to buy a few things on Ebay. Then, I pretty much HAD to use Paypal. I trust Paypal now. However, I have NEVER used it except for Ebay purchases. Even I would have to learn how to use it to purchase from others.
My advice : stick to Paypal.
Sugarcane52
Sugarcane52,
Using Paypal is very easy. Just sign in and everything will be clear. There are a few tabs ( as: 'send money' , 'request money', etc. )When I want to ask for money I just have to fill in the email address and the amount. I can add a personal message if I want. Paypall will send a money request to that person, explaining how to pay if one doesn't have Paypal.
It's really very easy. It is also very fast. If someone pays me now, I will be notified within an hour.
Jonna
Sugar.. It just like using paypal on ebay. If the folks don't have an automatic link to Paypal, they give you their paypal email addy and you just go to paypal , makign sure you on the real site, and hit the send tab and it asks for that persons email addy and how much you want to send.
I was asked to "verify" my Paypal account. Now they remove funds directly from my checking account when I confirm a payment. No credit card is necessary except as a backup in case my checking account is financially embarrassed.