[meteorite-list] Best ways to send payments from Canada to Morocco

[Brian Cox]

Hello Melanie and list,

In regards to your question of sending payments to Morocco, I have to ask a 
couple of questions and others also mentioned they weren't clear on your 
question since you didn't seem to be including shipping costs. I'd like to 
help you out and I mean this in the most thoughtful and kindest way 
possible, so please don't take it negatively or have any anger towards me. 
Make sure you include shipping costs when you were determining the total 
amount of the payment you need to send to the seller and then send a check 
and then say you couldn't afford the FedEx shipping costs if that is what 
you agreed to buy from the seller? You have said this in the past about not 
having money to pay for something or to pay for the shipping costs. It's 
good to ask for help if you are not experienced in sending payments outside 
of Canada beyond Paypal. This sounds like you decided to send a check for 
the meteorites and then were going to decide about a payment for the 
"shipping" as a separate payment or to pay for shipping later on. Is this 
why you stated you couldn't afford the FedEx shipping costs after you had 
sent your personal Canadian paper check? This doesn't sound right why you 
wouldn't determine the full amount due to the seller for the items with 
shipping and or insurance and then send one payment and later decide you 
couldn't afford the shipping costs they gave you.

Also, you stated you sent a "Paper Check" which, as I am thinking is a 
"personal check" from your personal Canadian bank account by what you wrote. 
I'm confused to why would you think that a personal check from your Canadian 
bank account would be "valid" as you say, to a dealer in Morocco, which I am 
sure it is valid in Canada and you have money in your account, but most 
likely would not be accepted in Morocco or any other country? You don't 
often hear of dealers in Asia, Africa, Europe or for the most part any 
dealers in the U.S.  or anywhere in North or South America or Australia that 
would accept a personal Paper check from a bank in a different country, 
although it may happen. A check from a Canadian bank account or from a U.S. 
bank account or any personal paper check from any other country most likely 
won't be accepted unless they verified with their bank first that they could 
accept that check. An example would be if there was Citibank in Canada and 
then Citibank in the U.S. would accept that check or Citibank in England, 
etc. .I'm sure if the check was from a bank that had a branch in that 
country that it would be accepted, but it usually creates a hassle and is 
time consuming to stand in line or through an ATM.  As several members 
mentioned bank wire is the safest and then probably FedEx payment, but 
sending a paper check or money order isn't a good idea as Gary mentioned.

I would like to offer a friendly suggestion to help you out. Please make 
sure you discuss all the facts and figures with any dealer/collector 
anywhere in the world before closing a deal. Remember you are entering a 
contract with this dealer, whether it is on ebay or through their website or 
through correspondence with the dealer. On ebay this is stated as you are 
entering a contract so be mindful of this. You need to finalize all costs. 
You need to get the full amount that you owe in writing, email, etc. for the 
meteorites and any insurance and shipping and then you need to first discuss 
the method of payment to that dealer before you send any payment. I think 
your first mistake here was that it sounds as if you didn't determine the 
full costs of the meteorites with shipping, then you didn't ask the seller 
if he or she would accept a "Personal Paper Check from another country. I 
think you will have much better luck and increase good relations with 
dealers through online sales, ebay and through the different meteorite lists 
you if you slow down and get the facts before making purchases and payments.

As you have written on your posts the equivalent of The Tom Hanks character 
from the Forest Gump movie, "Life is like a box of chocolates."    You need 
to stop and think that your eyes are bigger than your stomach and stop and 
think of what you are wanting to bid on or buy first and how to pay for it. 
There is an old saying in America that you may or may not know in Canada. 
"Your eyes are bigger than your stomach" which roughly means you saw the 
food on the menu and you ordered all that looked good to eat, but your 
stomach wasn't big enough to eat it all and you became very full before you 
could finish the meal.  This is the same as the child that fills their plate 
up and can't eat it all at home. This also goes along with shopping at the 
store when you are hungry and buying too much, as in buying more goodies 
than you needed. In this case looking at meteorites you want to buy and then 
not carefully researching making a payment and then feeling full of 
frustration and aggravation at how to make the payment or what road to go 
down. I truly hope this helps in the future.

Have a great day!

Brian

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Best ways to send payments from Canada to Morocco



Hi list,

Please help - I mailed a payment to a Moroccan dealer for a lot of 
chondrites via a paper check, he got it today, but he told me that the banks 
over there don't recognize it even though it is completely valid. I can't 
afford the shipping costs through FedEx for the lot I want - which will be 
over $200 CND... so what other less expensive options do you suggest?

Thank you in advance

-----------
Melanie
IMCA: 2975
eBay: metmel2775
Known on SkyRock Cafe as SpaceCollector09