Alternatives to Paypal for US buyer.

[RameRetro]

Hello all.
I have been approached by a buyer in USA who has told me he wants to make payment for an item he has bought from me, but he doesn't have Paypal or PPPay. He has asked if he can pay by credit card. I have no means of accepting direct payment by credit card so I am not sure as to what to advise him. I am hoping that more seasoned international traders may be able to offer some pointers.
Thanks.

[HerMajesty]

It's not difficult to open a paypal account and he can pay via credit card through that.

A check would cost you money in conversion fees, and he probably doesn't have any UK postage stamps he could send you. I don't know about direct bank transfers...........I set up one between my US bank and one here, but it took visits to the bank and an act of congress to get it done.

[RameRetro]

It's not difficult to open a paypal account and he can pay via credit card through that.

A check would cost you money in conversion fees, and he probably doesn't have any UK postage stamps he could send you. I don't know about direct bank transfers...........I set up one between my US bank and one here, but it took visits to the bank and an act of congress to get it done.

Thanks for reply, which confirmed what I suspected. I will message him and advise him to set up a paypal account. The bank charges for processing an overseas cheque do not justify the value of the item to be honest, so I don't think that is an option. In this case though the buyer seems pretty adamant he wants to use a credit card.
Thanks again.

[tony41]

Direct Bank Transfer is almost always expensive, even within the EC. I believe that he can send a payment to you without having a Paypal account. He needs the email address linked to your Paypal account and I believe he can pay with a credit card.
In the final analysis, if he is not even prepared to pay you via Paypal even though he does not need an account you always have the option to cancel the sale. After all, you never gave credit cards as a payment in your listing.

[suesjools]

Agree with Her Majesty, Paypal is best in this situation, as it's free to set up a buyer account and only takes a few minutes, so not a big deal IMHO. I'd definitely be wary of checks from anyone I didn't know, though money orders might be OK, not sure if they'd be difficult to cash overseas though.

In the long run Paypal is probably the best bet. Also, if the buyer has a family member with an account, perhaps he could use theirs if he/she doesn't want to set up an account, (make sure you have address verification before shipping though).

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[RameRetro]

In the final analysis, if he is not even prepared to pay you via Paypal even though he does not need an account you always have the option to cancel the sale. After all, you never gave credit cards as a payment in your listing.

Very true. I think this is probably the direction of travel on this one!

[Anniemcc2]

Look at TransferWise.com - but depending on the amount involved, this may not be feasible.

[Skysteed]

To send a money order it has to be "INTERNATIONAL"
I don;t know how much checks cost but mine are free, no fee to me to use a check.
But with mailing charges going as high as they are I can see the auction business becoming more local than international.
Paypal is getting to expensive with their charges and I have stopped using it in cases under 30.00.
Yes my sales are crap, but it's my choice not to use it. I have to make a few cents on what I sell or it's just not worth selling on line.

[banrigh]

To send a money order it has to be "INTERNATIONAL"
I don;t know how much checks cost but mine are free, no fee to me to use a check.
But with mailing charges going as high as they are I can see the auction business becoming more local than international.
Paypal is getting to expensive with their charges and I have stopped using it in cases under 30.00.
Yes my sales are crap, but it's my choice not to use it. I have to make a few cents on what I sell or it's just not worth selling on line.

Yes, the only other option would be an International Money Order which can be purchased at most banks. The amount would have to be in your currency, not in US Dollars. The buyer would pay the conversion fee.

[JimmyCee]

When I purchased from a Japanese supplier who demanded pre payment, I sent an International Postal Money order.
This worked fine for both parties.