Any advice on how to pay American man on eBay?

[Demented]

After following some advice on Mumsnet about bargain kids clothes on eBay I got all excited and logged onto eBay and bought something. The time was ticking and there was only 17 mins or so left on the item so I didn't pay too much attention to the payment procedure but noticed PayPal was mentioned so figured out this would be an easy enough way to pay for the items.

I won the items which was great and contacted the seller for a final price. I then registered with PayPal (took about an hour) and thought all I had to do was send him a credit card payment. It turns out he is not registered to accept credit card payments, only cash through PayPal. I cannot figure out how to send this cash, I have registered my bank account with PayPal but this does not seem to enable me to send cash. PayPal unfortunately seem to have a policy of sending automated e-mails in response to any queries so are not very helpful. I have more or less given up on PayPal unless anyone can help me with this.

The seller will also take payments through money order or cashier's cheque but I have been into my own bank who tell me that one of these methods will cost £10 and the other £25, this obviously takes the bargain element out of my purchase. I asked the bank about sending a personal cheque and they said that this would be possible but the seller would pay to have this cashed so I would probably have to pay him extra to cover this, no idea how much mind you.

Has anyone else paid for goods from America any other way than by credit card? I would be grateful for any help, I have not used eBay before this and do not want a black mark against my name the first time I use it.

TIA!

[Tissy]

Yes, I've sent cash to USA and Canada without any problem at all. The most important thing is to keep in contact with the seller and let them know exactly what's going on. I had some dollars left over from a trip, but you could buy some dollars from your bank for a small commission. If you send an ordinary cheque it will cost the seller about £5 to have it cashed over there, not worth it!

If this experience hasn't put you off altogether, then next time you go to Ebay, you can set it to search only for items located in the UK, so avoiding this problem.Also, look out for sellers that accept Ebay payments, they have to pay a fee for it, but it means that you can pay by credit/ debit card. I could never get my computer to work with Paypal, so have never bothered.

[Demented]

Thanks Tissy, I hadn't actually thought of sending real cash. I will pop into the Bank next time I am out and see what can be done. I think I will stick to British sellers in future I just didn't have time to think it through and I love a bargain so I got all excited!

[SofiaAmes]

demented, being american, I have an american checking account. I would be happy to write an american check in dollars for you (if the seller is willing to accept a personal check) if you want to send me an english check in return. In my experience with ebay, they will generally accept a personal check, but insist on waiting for it to clear before sending the goods. Did you doublecheck that they are willing to send the goods to the uk? And that it won't cost too much to send them...
ps what did you buy?

[Willow2]

sofiaames you are a real darling. By the way, how's it going, can you still move?

[Demented]

SofiaAmes that is a really kind offer but I have actually been and changed some Sterling to Dollars today there was no commission being charged so it was quite reasonable. Thank you so much I am very touched that you made the offer.

I have bought a cute pair of Osh Kosh dungarees and trousers for DS2. I have a bit of a thing for Osh Kosh dungarees having been given a couple of pairs for DS1, don't like the price tag mind you! The goods only cost $2.75 which I was delighted about but the shipping is $8.70, which I think is a bit much, all in all it is still a bargain but I will be more careful next time.

Thanks again to both of you, Tissy and SofiaAmes!