Buyer from Canada who doesn't have paypal

giagnm

O.G.
Feb 11, 2009
5,276
1
I had a buyer from Canada email me about purchasing a bag but not using paypal since they don't have it. They have zero feedback and my listing states no International shipping and paypal is required. I have not replied because I wanted to get advice here first. Could they pay with a money order? And if so, what type? And is there anything I need to know about shipping to Canada? Or should I just tell them no. Thanks for your help!
 
Well I'm in Canada and I have Paypal, so when they say "they" don't have it, it can't be Canada they are talking about, it must be them specifically. I don't understand not having Paypal, it took me about 1 minute to set it up for my first ebay purchase a few weeks ago which was for a US seller.

We have bank money orders here and postal money orders, but I don't know how that would work for you, both are very secure.

Insofar as shipping is concerned, Canada Post can be a bit slow as can customs. My order took about a week to clear everything and it was only valued at $21.00. If it's over $50 then customs will probably make them pay duties and taxes as you can't receive anything over $50 tax and duty free, even a gift. So expect the shipping part to be a bit slow.
 
Well I'm in Canada and I have Paypal, so when they say "they" don't have it, it can't be Canada they are talking about, it must be them specifically. I don't understand not having Paypal, it took me about 1 minute to set it up for my first ebay purchase a few weeks ago which was for a US seller.

We have bank money orders here and postal money orders, but I don't know how that would work for you, both are very secure.

Insofar as shipping is concerned, Canada Post can be a bit slow as can customs. My order took about a week to clear everything and it was only valued at $21.00. If it's over $50 then customs will probably make them pay duties and taxes as you can't receive anything over $50 tax and duty free, even a gift. So expect the shipping part to be a bit slow.

Chrissy, you are right, it's "they" singular. I don't understand why they don't have paypal and on top of that, there is another bag exactly like mine that is $70 cheaper. My item is $180 and I honestly don't want to deal with customs. I've never shipped internationally because of this. I'll just have to tell them no. Thanks for letting me know about customs in Canada.
 
Well you shouldn't have to deal with customs at all, insofar as I know, that is not your problem. Just as an FYI I think all you do is slap a green sticker on it with the value and your part is done. Then it's their problem, and if customs decides to charge them any taxes, it's totally out of your hands then - they will let them know upon pickup if there is a charge.

I guess the only way it becomes a pain for you is if they decide not to accept the package because they don't want to pay duties on it and then it gets sent back to you.

And no one should ever ask you to put a different value on an item other than what you have sold it for. If they do, tell them NO flat out, you should never have to do this!!

The last thing I want to do as a Canadian is talk you out of shipping to us, but on the other side of the coin, you should know the ins and outs. :smile:
 
Well you shouldn't have to deal with customs at all, insofar as I know, that is not your problem. Just as an FYI I think all you do is slap a green sticker on it with the value and your part is done. Then it's their problem, and if customs decides to charge them any taxes, it's totally out of your hands then - they will let them know upon pickup if there is a charge.

I guess the only way it becomes a pain for you is if they decide not to accept the package because they don't want to pay duties on it and then it gets sent back to you.

And no one should ever ask you to put a different value on an item other than what you have sold it for. If they do, tell them NO flat out, you should never have to do this!!

The last thing I want to do as a Canadian is talk you out of shipping to us, but on the other side of the coin, you should know the ins and outs. :smile:

My concern with shipping International is someone not getting their package when they feel they should have it. It took me years to get up the nerve to even sell on ebay. I would love to ship to Canada and was considering it but the seller didn't have paypal. If it's that easy then I will definitely try it. Thanks again, any info about shipping there helps.
 
Another Canadian chiming in here.
I would urge your buyer to set up a Paypal account, it will protect both them and you.
As far as actually shipping the item is concerned, I'm not sure if your buyer has purchased many items from the US so I would just let them know that they could incur a customs charge that would be beyond your control.
Good Luck
 
Shopalot: Thanks, I will tell her she really needs paypal if she wants protection for her purchases.

MMMSC: I also thought it was a red flag so I declined her request.

Pursewatch: Would I wait to ship to a Canadian (or even US) buyer after this cleared? Do they have any buyer protection with this form of payment?
 
Yeah, One time I had to walk a first time ebay buyer through setting up a paypal account...it was kind of frustrating because I had to wait for them to add CC etc, then the payment was held for 24 hours for PP to verify the CC...but in the end the buyer was super sweet and loved it!

You could pass on the purchase since it is time consuming to do this...other than that you could do money order...
 
Western union payments are instant and bank drafts are guaranteed funds...so either of those is safe for you. money orders are probably riskier for the buyer than for you...oh but if it is a bank draft then be sure to wait the 5 days (or however many days it will take for your financial institution) to clear the draft. There are fake drafts. The bank might deposit the amount into your account immediately but make sure to wait so that the draft doesn't come back as counterfeit. Then you can send out the item once the funds are cleared!

I live in Canada and shipping to the US can take some time depending on Customs...if its a high value item then it might take a bit longer...the buyer could get charged customs and duty fees but this is based on the country and this is the buyers responsibility. You could metion it just to be sure that they are ok with it.
 
Western union payments are instant and bank drafts are guaranteed funds...so either of those is safe for you. money orders are probably riskier for the buyer than for you...oh but if it is a bank draft then be sure to wait the 5 days (or however many days it will take for your financial institution) to clear the draft. There are fake drafts. The bank might deposit the amount into your account immediately but make sure to wait so that the draft doesn't come back as counterfeit. Then you can send out the item once the funds are cleared!

I live in Canada and shipping to the US can take some time depending on Customs...if its a high value item then it might take a bit longer...the buyer could get charged customs and duty fees but this is based on the country and this is the buyers responsibility. You could metion it just to be sure that they are ok with it.

Thanks pro_shopper, I did not know that bank drafts were safe.
 
I am in Canada and do have PayPal. However, many people I know feel uneasy about opening up any online money related serives because you have to provide your personal banking info, etc. if you want to withdraw the money. I completely understand those people as well. If she wants to pay you via Money Order/Bank Draft, it's perfectly safe. She is basically sending you cash that only YOU can deposit. I don't think there is a hold on those (I believe you just deposit them like cash) but could be wrong. I am sure your bank teller will be able to tell you. As for shipping, I find that shipping from US to Canada is much cheaper than shipping from Canada to US.:wacko: If I am not mistaken, USPS charges are based on weight where as CanadaPost charges are based on weight and size of the box.