PayPal/eBay: Foreign Transaction Fee: UPDATED
BAJJERFAN
Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭✭
Is a unmentioned FTF sufficient reason to cancel an eBay transaction or return the item? I have an eBay item arriving today. At the time of purchase or eBay/PP checkout, there was no mention that there would be a Foreign transaction fee if a CC was used to fund the purchase. I only found out because it shows on my CC statement. It's less than $2, but it still peeves me. I'm tempted to mention it in feedback.
Updated in last post.
theknowitalltroll;
1
Comments
If the foreign transaction fee is charged by the Credit Card Company the seller is not at fault. Many Credit Card Companies charge them; find one that doesn't.
This fee is charged by your credit card; it is not charged by either PayPal or ebay. Some credit cards will give you the opportunity to use them without being charged this fee, but they normally require you to pay a yearly maintenance fee of upwards of $75 per year.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
100% not the seller's fault. Why mention it on their feedback? Sounds like it is your credit card company doing this.
And making a thread over a $2 fee?
Why wouldn't it be the seller's fault? He is obviously using a foreign bank account to receive the money. I've done hundreds of CC transactions and never had FTF. It's not the amount of the fee so much as the fact it was unexpected. People have started threads over issues a LOT more lame than this.
You agreeded in all that boiler plate when you got that card.
ALL capital one cards are FTF free. I have one capital one card just for that reason
let it slide
I'm not complaining about the CC company, duh. There is nothing in the eBay listing to suggest that the money will go to a foreign bank account. Out of the hundreds of eBay transactions I've done, I've never had a FTF from one until now.
So if I go to my local gas station and use my CC, I shouldn't be pissed if a FTF shows up on my card statement? Really?
If this is from a seller with a US based account I can understand your position. If the seller's account is in another country then it's your bad! for not knowing. So was your purchase from a US based account?????
AFAIK know it is. It said the item was in Oregon.
If the listing states the seller is based in the U.S., I can certainly see why the buyer would have a valid gripe. If the seller was based in another country, then there is no valid complaint. So if the seller states he/she is based in Oregon, there is no valid reason they should be using a foreign terminal for CC transactions, or at the very least not stating as much up front.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
The listing said the item was in the U. S. and was shipped from Oregon. I have no way of knowing from the listing if the seller is based here.
while i am not going to suggest what you should do, i also am not a fan of sellers that claim to be here but find out a product/money etc are heading directly out of the country. i live here, i like it here, so i want to support here and search my buying by sellers located within the USA. even if the money heads out afterwards, i want it to land here first. also, if an item gets shipped from overseas and i'm not expecting the wait, i am usually not pleased.
it has only happened a couple of times but it is somewhat fraudulent to elecit sales in this manner, if it was done intentionally, imo.
if the seller is not forthright, letting others know, could be beneficial and unfortunately the only really effective way is via feedback. perhaps a neutral in lieu of a neg? perhaps contact seller to see what they say/do before making a final decision?
did/will the item ship from the USA? you should be able to see it from the pp trans? or does the buyer not see the same info as the seller? it has been a while and i don't recall what a buyer sees in a pp trans.
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Unusual. Never happened to me and I'd mention it to the seller before mentioning it in their feedback. Give them a chance to explain.
P.S. I recently cancelled an ebay purchase because the seller would not combine shipping as they advertised. It was a $2 issue as well brought up over principle.
The item arrived today. Came from Oregon. The seller also has more than 100 FB all positive.
I'd be pissed too, not so much about the $2 but about the unexpected added cost to the transaction that doesn't seem justified.
You poor little thing all this over 2 bucks bc u paid w a cc? Do u think this stuff off the bay is free?
Meh, it's not the 2 bux as much as the unexpected fee. I'd be a lot unhappier if it was 20 times that. I'm usually pretty generous with eBay sellers, but I'd neg your ass in a heartbeat for it.
How would he even know. That's not his responsibility to worry how u pay. Did his listing say foreign country. What a petty reason Neg somebody. Perhaps he uses foreign acct bc he defaulted on all his cc lol.
Sounds like it's y cc co doing this anyway.
No his listing said the item was in the U. S. I would never expect to get hit with a foreign transaction fee buying from a seller who is supposedly in the U. S. I never said I would neg him.
I was unhappy because I had zero warning that a fee would be imposed and was not given an opportunity to pay in a different manner. I posted it mainly because it's one of those just when you think you've seen it all you haven't seen it all situations. I already have more credit cards than I can practically use so I'm not likely to add another to my collection on the chance I might save a couple bux on foreign transaction fees in the next 10 years.
Why does that matter? Had I known I could have paid from a linked checking account. FWIW I've bought cheap items from sellers in Hong Kong or China and never got whacked with a fee.
Received the following email from PayPal.
Dear xxxxx yyyyy
"Due to a technical issue, your credit card may have been charged in a different currency from 11/1/2016-11/10/2016. We apologize for any inconvenience. The good news is that this issue has been resolved and future transactions will process correctly.
For transactions during the impacted timeframe, you’ll be refunded any currency conversion loss and any credit card associated fees. Fees for currency conversions will be refunded to your PayPal account balance. If your card issuer charged additional fees, we’ll reimburse those fees. Contact us at 888-221-1161 and we’ll be happy to take care of that for you.
We pride ourselves on our safety, security and trustworthiness, and our team has extra safeguards to help make sure this issue doesn’t happen again. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience or difficulties this issue may have caused you.
If you have any questions, please contact us by using the Help & Contact link on any PayPal page.
Thanks for your understanding. We appreciate your business."
My advice is to buy from me. That will solve two problems.
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@BAJJERFAN
I don't think a 2 dollar fee is trivial if it is going to occur on a regular basis.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
SOUNDS LIKE ISSUE RESOLVED
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Did you neg him?
Hopefully not
Doesn't seem like it will.
No i didn't. I left him positive FB.
So let me get this straight - there was a processing error at PayPal. But before you figured that out, you went postal on the seller? Did you try to contact him/her, contact eBay or contact PayPal?
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
I didn't go postal on the seller. There was no difference in the amount paid thru PP so there was no reason to contact them. Also there is nothing against a PP member having a linked foreign bank account and I doubt PP would have told me if he did. I had an email exchange with the seller. He never did acknowledge or deny having a Brazilian bank account. All I wanted to do was inform him that IF he had a foreign bank account some of his bidders might be assessed unexpected fees. The fees were assessed by my CC Company and weren't disputable. I was just ready to let it go at that point. After I got the email from PP, I messaged him a copy with an apology. And left good feedback. I never did plan to neg him.
Just when you think smoeone like PP won't find another way to screw smoething up, they do.
Of course there was a reason to contact ALL of them - you were charged an FTF in a USD denominated transaction with a US seller. First thought is somebody screwed up the coding, not somebody ripped me off...
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
I wasn't suggesting that someone was trying to rip me off since the seller didn't get the fee. Other posters to the thread said it wasn't a PP or eBay issue so that's another reason that I didn't contact them. Funny thing is that I get email alerts from B of A when my CC is used online, etc. but I never got an alert that it was used outside the U. S. but still assessed a fee for that.