Paying at sword shows.

[Chinook]

Hello All, While attending a sword show what is a popular alternative for paying for a big ticket item other than cash? I do not really like the idea of walking around with four to seven thousand USD in my pocket. Thanks, Mark P.

[Mark]

Mark

 

Many people use traveler's checks, they used to be quite common when there were more international buyers at the shows. If the seller knows you a personal check might be ok, but that varies with sellers. The shows are usually in nice (safe) hotels and have security so if you stay at the hotel you can use their safe deposit boxes as well. Some dealers accept charge cards but at present only a small percentage.

 

mark

[watsonmil]

Dear Mark,

It's been a few years since I attended a sword show, ... and I like you have no desire to carry around several thousand dollars in cash. I always carried a couple of hundred in cash, ... and the balance in Travellers Cheques. I actually had a dealer who demanded " cash " ... and I could not convince him that Travellers Cheques were the same as cash. Fortunately a couple of other dealers came to my aid and assured the HillBilly dealer that Travellers Cheques were the same as cash !

... Ron Watson

[Stephen]

Hillbilly dealer...thats a knee slapper, yehaw.

I have a solution, book me a flight and hotel room at said show and ill make sure your money is safe, ill even drive you around the city of show. so there you have it your own personal body guard/chauffeur.

[Alex A]

Put a small deposit down, paypal the rest, then get the item posted back to you.

 

Alex.

[Chinook]

Stephen, I can see that a man of your talents could come in useful. If I could afford it I would like to light up

San Francisco with you this August; It would be fun. Thanks for all the advise. I think I will bring cash, travelers checks and my paypal account. Thanks, Mark P.

[Brian]

At Vegas, when I bought the kozuka from Mike, I just logged into Paypal on my cell and paid right there. Isn't that the easiest nowdays with no risk?

 

Brian

[Grey Doffin]

Except to the dealer who gets nicked 4%.

Grey

[Jean]

Grey, taking into account that most payments are made through paypal, nothing prevents the seller to add 4% to the selling price.

[SwordGuyJoe]

There are also numerous options for a dealer to use a "free" service to accept cards from their android or OS cell phones. Free meaning they'll send you the reader for free but the standard 2.5%+ applies.

[Adrian]

About Paypal, the 3.9% fee applies ony to certain international transactions. (doesn't matter if the buyer and seller are in the same room, it matters in which countries the accounts are registered).

For example, the Germans pay a fee of 1.9% plus a 0.35 euro flat fee for all EU transactions (they were VERY reluctant to accept Paypal, even on ebay, guess it paid out for them)

Within the US the fee is 2.9% plus $0.30 USD . When a US seller gets money from a non US account it's 3.9% + $0.30 USD (and it getts smaller past 3000$/month )

The French pay 3,4 % + 0,25 € for all EU transactions. (not sure if this is just for personal transfers or also for purchases, maybe Jean can tell us all the details).

 

And so on. TBH I find these differences in fees (from country to country) to be an absolutelly disgusting business practice. Basically they are squeezing more money exactly from the people who accepted paypal easily and made possible it's developpement.

[Stephen]

TBH I find these differences in fees (from country to country) to be an absolutelly disgusting business practice. Basically they are squeezing more money exactly from the people who accepted paypal easily and made possible it's developpement.

 

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