Ebay Warning?

[Gene-r]

A bidder has just won an auction of mine. After sending him the invoice, I receive the following message from him via Ebay:

hi, can you send me your iban and bic code for transfering the money to your bankaccount

i dont have pay pal

best regards.

In short (and possibly broken English), he appears to be asking for my bank account details. Firstly, he should have read my terms & conditions and stuck by accepted payment methods, though in this case that is the least important thing.

I sent a mesasge of concern to Ebay, who advised lifting his contact details and phoning him (which I shall do tonight, providing he hasn't left a false number).

The member in question is jose50000_1. Has anyone else had any dealings with him? As you can imagine, my first impression of the mail was that it smacked of bank account fraud.

Oh - almost forgot to state where he was from................Belgium.

Gene

[Ged Parker]

I think you're right to be cautious Gene. What is it with Belgians . I'd insist he pays how you advertise or issue a non paying bidder alert and claim back my fees from ebay. You could always ask him to supply his bank details with a signed direct debit mandate so you can just draw the correct amount out of his account. He may see your point of view then.

[Gene-r]

I think you're right to be cautious Gene. What is it with Belgians . I'd insist he pays how you advertise or issue a non paying bidder alert and claim back my fees from ebay. You could always ask him to supply his bank details with a signed direct debit mandate so you can just draw the correct amount out of his account. He may see your point of view then.

Thanks Ged - some very good bits of advice there. I'd never thought about asking him for his details, so that's something I'll likely take up with him.

Will keep you all posted.

[Simsy]

Think this warrants a shout in main section Gene.

Moving to AATS.

[Guest Jean-Marc]

Paying with the IBAN/BIC is very safe but only works within the Euro zone

[Guest Dan]

i might be wrong gene but i think that only allows him to pay you. i don't think he can extract money from your account using that info. obviously, check with your bank but i believe that's the position.

[Paul McKay]

Hi Gene

I used this method before Xmas for some Reggae I sold into Europe. Safe and sound way to receive money but add £2 to cover the bank charges.

[Gene-r]

Hi Gene

I used this method before Xmas for some Reggae I sold into Europe. Safe and sound way to receive money but add £2 to cover the bank charges.

Thanks for the help Paul and Dan

I've mailed him back and asked him to stick to the terms and conditions of my ad, but I'll certainly keep this in mind as a possible option for future auctions.

Edited February 26, 2007 by Gene-R

[Gene-r]

Sorry - posted same post twice!

Edited February 26, 2007 by Gene-R

[Guest Fatius Bumius]

Hiya

Bank transfers are the safest pain free way to accept payments. No one can get into your bank account if you only give them your name as it appears on your account, account number and sort code. The moneys usually in your account within 3 days. I think all banks charge different for international bank transfers, wise to check first with your bank. The buyer can't get the money back either like they can when they file a claim with Pay Pal :-) EBay don't promote B.Transfers because they lose out on Pay Pal fees and it's not a safe way to pay if you are a buyer and have stumbled across a dodgy seller. There's no protection offered from EBay for buyers who pay this way.

If it's for a small amount, you could always ask your buyer to post you the equivalent in Euros, add 2 or 3 Euros on to cover the exchange rate and exchange the Euros at your post office. Only receive Euros in notes, no coins.

You don't have to go through with the sale if the buyer wants to pay by terms not stated in your auction, you can always file for your fees back and use the box which says Buyer wanted to pay using methods not acceptable.

[Gene-r]

Hiya

Bank transfers are the safest pain free way to accept payments. No one can get into your bank account if you only give them your name as it appears on your account, account number and sort code. The moneys usually in your account within 3 days. I think all banks charge different for international bank transfers, wise to check first with your bank. The buyer can't get the money back either like they can when they file a claim with Pay Pal :-) EBay don't promote B.Transfers because they lose out on Pay Pal fees and it's not a safe way to pay if you are a buyer and have stumbled across a dodgy seller. There's no protection offered from EBay for buyers who pay this way.

If it's for a small amount, you could always ask your buyer to post you the equivalent in Euros, add 2 or 3 Euros on to cover the exchange rate and exchange the Euros at your post office. Only receive Euros in notes, no coins.

You don't have to go through with the sale if the buyer wants to pay by terms not stated in your auction, you can always file for your fees back and use the box which says Buyer wanted to pay using methods not acceptable.

Cheers.......