Is accepting a western union payment from out of the country safe?. never tried it.

[jeepin]

I have a guy in another country that wants to buy a knife I have and he wants to pay with western union.
I have heard about western union but I havent used it, and am unsure of how it works. He said he would assume all risks if the knife didnt make it there.
What do you all think?.

 

[Marko3]

Recieving money is not a problem as long as you wait before you send..It is sending money when things could go bad.

 

[Jaxx]

I have accepted an international Western Union MO payable in US Dollars before from a Buyer in Australia. While hammering out the terms, I did let him know that it would have to clear into my account before I would ship the knife. He agreed, it arrived by mail about a week later, and took about 3-4 days to clear. I shipped the knife as soon as it did, and all worked out fine.

ETA: Be sure to specify that if by MO, it must be an international MO, and in your currency of choice. Also, keep the Buyer updated as to the progress. The Buyer in my situation was pleased to be made aware of receipt of the MO, when it cleared and when the knife shipped (with tracking/insurance info provided).

 

[jeepin]

Edited.

Thanks for the help..

 

[braillediver]

and took about 3-4 days to clear.

? Money Orders can "Bounce" weeks later.

The only way to safely cash and clear a check or money order is to take it to a Check Cashing Store and pay the fees. The verify funds in advance of cashing it and it's not connected to your bank account.


Are you talking about a Western Union Payment you go pick up at Western Union or a Western Union Money Order?

 

[jeepin]

? Money Orders can "Bounce" weeks later.

The only way to safely cash and clear a check or money order is to take it to a Check Cashing Store and pay the fees. The verify funds in advance of cashing it and it's not connected to your bank account.


Are you talking about a Western Union Payment you go pick up at Western Union or a Western Union Money Order?

The guy didnt say, but I decided against it anyway..

 

[김원진]

I wouldn't have accepted. Any international purchases i've done when sending money, was either by credit card or paypal. When sending money to friends to help with certain things, i just do a wire transfer(not difficult at all).

So when people start throwing out some random method ways of paying, i'd rather not take the chance.

There are some good people out there, but by majority i feel there are more bad ones.

 

[THG]

Well, Jaxx had a good experience, but just for the reference, here is Craigslist's warning:

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

 

[Jaxx]

Well, Jaxx had a good experience, but just for the reference, here is Craigslist's warning:


http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

Not sure if it makes a difference, but in my case it was a WU Intl. money order mailed to me, not a wire transfer. Guess I did get lucky...didn't know they could "bounce" weeks after money was paid up front to receive the actual MO to mail out. Now I'm curious if WU keeps an accessible "hot list" of stolen/counterfeit MO's like the USPS does and if their MO's can be verified before deposit by the recipient without having to go to a check cashing store. They have to have a system...right?

I probably should have mentioned that the Buyer was known on the forums, and had no negative feedback in the GB&U (no iTrader then)...which I did search for first before discussing terms of the deal.

 

[cnas122]

Kind of off-topic, but because of the problems that can be inherent with an international transaction, I've chosen not to sell to an international buyer unless I already know the buyer personally, or I have close friends who 100% vouch for that person and have done business with them in the past. Not saying all international buyers are bad, but it's just my preference to minimize my own risk.

 

[The Deacon]

Well, Jaxx had a good experience, but just for the reference, here is Craigslist's warning:

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

That warning is about SENDING money via WU to someone you don't know and/or trust implicitly. RECEIVING money via WU wire is perfectly safe for the recipient, although it does involve going to a WU agent. But that's generally not too much of a problem as many supermarkets, K-Mart, and other stores are WU agents. Sender tells you the money has been sent and gives you his contact info and a WU number, you simply go to the nearest agent fill out a form showing the number, amount, sender and your name and addy. WU agent gives you a check and, assuming it's not for thousands of dollars, asks if you want them to cash it for you. No way that can go south for you, unless you send the goods before you get the money. Money orders, WU or postal, are a bit more risky as they can be stolen or counterfeit. But even there, if the PO or WU cashes one for you, you're safe to ship.

For some folks overseas, and even folks here who rely on public computers or less than secure networks, WU is the safest and easiest way to send money.

EDITED TO ADD: And, unlike PayPal, WU is non-judgmental as to what's being paid for and, even better, the buyer pays the fees, so if they send you $200 you receive the full $200.