Western Union Money Transfer - how much do they charge?

m33r4

sjbrun wrote: »

I used to buy from china a few years ago and I always paid by bank transfer.

Have you asked them to send a sample, so you can assess the quality and it shows they are likely not to mess you about with the bigger orders?

Most small companies will accept paypal but will charge a lot for it. If I were you, i'd ask for a sample first. If your in a rush for the product then I will pay using paypal and make the first order as small as you can to mitigte any risk. HSBC can do priority payment bank transfer for international transfers and this costs 16-30 pounds depending how your account is set up.

Do you know which courior they use? do they supply anyone else? If so can you ask them for a refrence?

Its best to be safe than sorry and make sure you cover yourself, however I think the first poster is jumping the gun saying its a scam when a lot of small businesses exporting products operate like this accepting wire transfers and weston union. If I were you i'd ask if they accept paypal for the first order and then bank transfer as its cheaper via bank transfer for larger amounts.

Courier he uses is DHL.

I am ordering sample sizes almost of just 1kg of each item - he is happy to send me this as long as I pay the courier costs.

As to checking his business address, I made a "fake/test" booking to get an item collected via TNT and his address in India has come up confirmed as the business he is selling under.

He has sent me photos of products that he sells already in India (not professional stock photos).

m33r4

soolin wrote: »

I still buy from China and the Far east and i agree that many reputable sellers will insist on bank transfers. However I will not risk my money dealing with them and personally unless I already had a very good working arrangement with the seller I would walk away.....

How do you make this "good working arrangement with the seller" being thousands of miles away?

Thanks.

m33r4

Addendum: seller has also offered to skype

paddyrg

Unfortunately it all comes down to trust.

What I would suggest is using a REPUTABLE escrow company (eg escrow.com), so both sides share the risk and trust, at least until you have built up some trust of your own. Escrow involves you lodging the cash with the escrow company, the vendor sending the goods, and when they arrive (or he can show the tracked package was signed for by you) the cash is released to them. It costs, but so does WU, and it is a LOT safer and more professional.

Are you certain there is no tax or duty on $400+ of stuff? Seems unlikely that it wouldn't get some sort of customs charge. Dutycalculator estimates that on vanilla BEANS (closest match) that $450 plus allowing an extra $80 for shipping and insurance, that you would pay £30-odd duty and £80-odd VAT. Who told you there was no tax to pay on import? The vendor?

soolin

m33r4 wrote: »

Yes I have. It's not a restricted food item. At the amount I am ordering (ie small) there is no tax payable.

On $446 of goods there is definitely duties and handling to be paid, if the seller told you there would not be then run a mile as it rather suggests he is a scammer

m33r4 wrote: »

How do you make this "good working arrangement with the seller" being thousands of miles away?

Thanks.

You'll find a lot of people who buy from abroad to resell have actually been there to visit the trade fairs and actually set up with a seller that they have actually visited and obtained full bank references for.

m33r4 wrote: »

Addendum: seller has also offered to skype

That is probably a bad sign actually as a business seller wouldn't have time to bother, if he was any good he would have found a dozen more buyers for his products by now as you are buying so little. It's the con men who have time to sit and reel in their victims.