sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

I have bought hundreds of parts over forty years using cash, with personal cheques, with a pay-ya-later handshake, with money orders, with bank drafts and with etransfers. I have used Paypay a few times but it wasn't for me. I get it that some of you love this method.

In the swap meet area, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed some NOS dash knobs that appealed to me. Price - $50. I thought what the heck - let's do it.
I contacted the seller who graciously agreed to hold these for me until I snail-mailed the money, plus an estimated $18 for return ground mail service of this mini-box of parts. (well less than a pound of weight, including packing, I'm very sure).

Now, it's important for me to disclosure that I'm from that far off, unknown, mis-understood and foreign ice-laden land of Canada. But, we do have banks and credit unions that safely store whatever money we don't blow on vintage auto parts. I went there, perhaps slightly embarrassed, to tell the cute teller that I just blew $68 on a set of Ford dash knobs. (I assured her they'd be beautiful).

Not that you should care, but here's the math for me buying from out-of-country: note that our currency is worth less than the USD
After exchange the $68 converts to $86.06
My own stingy bank charges me $15 to prepare a certified bank draft, which means they essentially hold the money in limbo, and guarantee it remains available until it gets deposited at the recipient's' bank.

I wanted the knobs. After buying an envelope, adding postage, the bank gouge, paying for the parts, and the return mailing gouge, I now have about one hour of time and $102.56 into parts from someone I will never meet in person, but deep-down believe exists.

This morning, I get a Fordbarn message back from the kind seller, owner of good parts. He's taken my certified bank draft to his bank. They advise him that they would have to send "it out for COLLECTION" which would cost $75. SEVENTY-FIVE FRIGGIN dollars. I've bought parts from U.S. suppliers dozens of times and never heard such garbage. But, it gets even better....

The good and honest seller, recognizing that this fee is not warranted, "told them to forget it". The bank then proceeds to DISCARD the guaranteed funds bank draft. This now means my financial institution, who has been been holding my funds somewhere in imaginary cyberspace, cannot give me my money back.

UNLESS: of course, I pay a fee. That fee - $12.00. So, I get no dash knobs but i have paid $27 in bank fees, through no fault of me or the seller.

I'm guess I'm done with buying parts out of country, unless it's at Hershey or Portland, with cash.

Hope this story helps someone else, whether you're from Sweden, Russia, New Zealand, Canada or elsewhere.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Wow.
I got nothing to offer up. That sucks.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

That's why I use PayPal, yes they have fees but none of the bank drama. Works well for me from way Down-under in New Zealand i.e. nowhere near Australia :D

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Sorry to hear about this mess. It has always sent me over the edge to have to pay to get to your own money!

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Get a different bank

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

.


This sadly is life in the north.
It makes me wonder why US sellers on that epay site offer FREE! shipping in the lower 48 but Force their friendly northern neighbors to cough up US 14$ to put a intake decal into an envelope and place a 50 cent stamp on it.
One intake decal, $3.95
One shipping $14
===========------------
Total US $ for decal $17.95

Convert to Cdn $ = $23.40

That seems Real fair to me for a 2" water slide decal



I know, it's because they have to cover the Free shipping part for lower 48 customers.
so they make it up somewhere else...

I mean I love the USA and am of American Heritage and am a PATRIOT.

..But no, 23$ cdn for a decal is not gauging when you receive an envelope with postage on it that isn't a $14 US stamp.










rant off

.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

that's not the problem

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Like "jetmek" says....."Get a different bank!" How true! There are banks, and then, there are BANKS! I had the good fortune, well over forty years ago, to begin doing business with a Credit Union located on the premises of my employment at the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center. Through all those years going back to 1978, there have only been two wonderful lady managers. Although I'm now retired, we still do business there. For as long as I can remember, I've been able to walk into the manager's office, sit down and shoot the bull about each of our's children, or spouses, or whatever! Those two ladies have bent-over backwards for me for over four decades. Heck, I haven't paid any monthly banking fees at that place in over thirty years. About four times now, I've called the current lady manager from the Chevy House, wanting to know if I could pick-up a new Z-28, or a new pick-up, or a Tahoe, TODAY. She has always replied...."Get me a figure, I'll draft them, and we can fill out the paperwork when you come back to work next week. I cherish my particular bank situation. And I DO realize just how important a GREAT banking institution can be when you need it! There are still a few left out there. DD

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Ron,

We run into cross-border financial glitches periodically with the V8 Club's membership dues payments and this $75 fee and a 45 day delay is relatively new and seemingly imposed only by some smaller U.S. banks. In other words the need to use a different bank is on the seller's end of the transaction, not on your end as long as what you obtained from your bank was in U.S. funds, not Canadian dollars. The Club uses three different U.S. national banks and none of them impose either a fee nor a delay in clearing checks and money orders from the major Canadian banks (CIBC, TD Canada Trust, BNS, or BMO.) as all are associate members of the U.S. Federal Reserve check clearing system.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

DavidG, you nailed it. As I've done literally dozens of times before, I sent the seller a U.S. funds bank draft. At the risk of being repetitious, these are guaranteed fund's to the seller and his bank. The $75 "collection fee" is absolutely bogus. To have a bank employee simply "discard" this "money order", with or without the permission of the person who sold me the dash knob set, is beyond bizarre. To put in bluntly, I got screwed.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Been there done that. I only use a credit card or Pay Pal on U.S. transactions. The fees are to high but I have some protection on a bad deal. If the seller can not do the deal with those two methods of payment I move on.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Shylock is alive and well.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

Could not agree more. As I've gotten older and now that I'm retired I've come to realize that all one has worked for all through life boils down to: (My words) "It's all about your money and who gets to keep it". One must be very careful.

Re: sometimes all we can do is laugh!
 

You sure did. Seems that all the small banks are gone, bought up by the slightly larger banks, which are bought up by the next larger banks, etc. until there are nothing but mega banks left. and in the words of Ernestine the telephone operator, "We don't care, we don't have to".
There's precious little to be made off interest these days, so the banks are inflating every fee as far as it will go to keep them fat and happy.