Accepting bank transfer from overseas... safe?

soolin

duncan-biscuits wrote: »

I don't think any of these last few replies have anything at ALL to do with the question the person asked ,you are just making yourself come across as very malicious person, so if you have a problem with my posts or deletions, I suggest you contact the site owners and ask advice on it, and/or add me to your ignore list if my opinions affect you so much.

It isn't me though that is removing my posts , I have confidence in my responses and am happy to be quoted on them.

You obviously are not as you are as usual deleting them shortly after posting.

theonlywayisup

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Why would I need to ignore someone who posts and then deletes their posts?

All of my replies were in relation to the OP. Perhaps have a read back

The only ones which have strayed, are to answer your now deleted moans, like this one!

See, i don't need to ignore him!

paddyrg

OP, just be aware that taking payment outside of PayPal will mean you lose their arbitration/protection.

If it makes sense for the item to go to Italy, then it's up to you to assess whether it is a hacked bank account where a payment could be reversed, or stay within the 'safe' PayPal route. By 'makes sense', are we talking about something or price not available locally, a particular craft item for instance? Or are we talking random commodity, such as A4 paper? Something no honest person would think was a wise import! I only as I know I've seen several sellers refuse transactions from Nigeria and Italy, which suggests they have had poor experiences with those countries specifically

soolin

paddyrg wrote: »

OP, just be aware that taking payment outside of PayPal will mean you lose their arbitration/protection.

If it makes sense for the item to go to Italy, then it's up to you to assess whether it is a hacked bank account where a payment could be reversed, or stay within the 'safe' PayPal route. By 'makes sense', are we talking about something or price not available locally, a particular craft item for instance? Or are we talking random commodity, such as A4 paper? Something no honest person would think was a wise import! I only as I know I've seen several sellers refuse transactions from Nigeria and Italy, which suggests they have had poor experiences with those countries specifically

It's the other way round. OP is the seller, so has less protection with paypal as paypal will allow all sorts of chargebacks.

Once a bank transfer is cleared- and OP can talk to their bank as this is a foreign one to make sure it is the same as a UK one and cannot be recalled, then they are safe from a chargeback.

I do like paypal and am often accused of over defending it on here, but I think they are brainwashing sellers into believing it is completely safe for sellers, it is safe but defending claims can be problematic and long winded- and as many have seen involve long and frusttrating calls to CS to remind them of their own rules on seller protection. There is no arbitration on paypal- look again at the rules- buyer automatically wins all INRs SNADS and chargebacks and the seller needs to defend themselves using seller protection if applicable.

If bank transfers could be recalled can I please suggest those who believe that get over to the threads we have running about the bank transfer scams where people have no hope of getting their money back as they have paid a scammer that way.

Personally, I would not be shipping to Italy anyway unless I had a completely foolproof courier- regardless of how a buyer paid.

bxboards

paddyrg wrote: »

OP, just be aware that taking payment outside of PayPal will mean you lose their arbitration/protection.

Very poor advice here.

Only Paypal allows you to be scammed by 'item not received' scams, and allows reversals of transactions.

Paypal is the least safe way to be paid - it exposes you to credit card fraud to, via chargebacks.

Bank transfer is just about the safest way to be paid, and bank transfers from Europe just require the BIC / SWIFT numbers that appears on all UK current account bank statements already.

It worries me that so many people seem to think that Paypal 'protects' them, when the reality is only by taking Paypal are you exposing yourself to chargebacks and reversals. Bank transfers cannot be reversed, and cannot be charged back.

Paypal is much less safer than bank transfer, cash, or cheque (as long as you wait the full 6 days for certainty of clearance)

theonlywayisup

paddyrg,

As other's have explained, the protection from Paypal is for the buyer. The op here is the seller.

With Italy's dire postal service, Paypal for a seller would just be about the worst scenario.

soolin

OP, with apologies the thread may not flow properly as a user has a habit of posting and then deleting all their posts when they have time to reflect on them.

Hopefully the information you need is still obvious and the many deleted posts from last night have not confused matters.

paddyrg

Bank transfers can be reversed I assure you, for instance if they were made without the authority of the account owner. This is how the account flashing scans work. If a violated account is used for payment, a correction will usually be made.

As for eBay seller protection, I admit to having less direct experience but was going by what they say on the eBay site about seller protection

Eligibility Requirements
You must obtain proof of delivery that can be tracked online.
Seller Protection covers physical items only. Check that the item is eligible in the 'Transaction Details' in your PayPal account and in your confirmation email.
Eligible transactions between buyers and sellers in the UK, US and Canada qualify for Seller Protection. If you're selling on eBay, you can post to buyers in any of the 190 countries where PayPal is accepted and still be covered.
Only post to the buyer's address provided in the 'Transaction Details' and only accept payments in full from a single PayPal account.
If you deliver an item in person or post it in any other way that can't be tracked, you won't be covered.

I hadn't realised this was incorrect!

theonlywayisup

What you quote re seller protection above is correct, but you are missing the point.

If as a seller you accept Paypal, then you need to cover yourself. This includes sending the item tracked (Italy has a notoriously bad postal system, almost corrupt), tracking from Royal Mail is not guaranteed outside of the UK. The buyer has 60 days to file a INR or SNAD so the sellers funds will be held until the dispute is resolved, nearly always in the favour of the buyer. The buyer can chargeback the amount through paypal for up to 180 days in case of a problem, longer if they can show criminal activity (fraud).

So as a buyer Paypal is absolutely the best way forward, as a seller, if there is another option it is almost always safer.

This is a really helpful link on explaining how BACS works, if you read the piece on security you will see that payments can be refunded (not the same as recalled as the refund is made by the bank, not the receiving account holder) and the last sentence pretty much says it all.

http://www.payyourway.org.uk/payments-explained/Bacs/

Regardless of the type of electronic payment you enjoy the same level of protection. This means you would expect an immediate refund if you are an innocent victim of fraud. Your claim needs to be made within the 13 months of fraudulent transaction leaving your account. Payments require your authorisation in advance and your bank must tell you what information the payment will be processed on (e.g. account number and sort code). If you give the correct information and your payment goes astray your bank must make immediate efforts to trace the transaction and notify you of the outcome. In this case the transaction will be refunded. If you give incorrect information and the payment goes astray your bank must make ‘reasonable efforts’ to trace the transaction but may charge for doing so. However, they have no liability for getting the funds back.

Although that is putting the reader in the situation of sender of funds, it goes without saying as the receiver, the advice is the same.

martindow

Your bank or theirs may charge a fee if they pay a sterling amount in Italy. Within the EU it is best for your Italian buyer to pay the equivalent in local currency (Euros in this case) and neither of you should then have fees.