International Buyer and IBAN Payment?

[Lulabel27]

I've had a buyer from Portugal pay me by bank transfer after I went to great trouble to get an IBAN number for them (they were insisting to pay this way). I was expecting £20.01 for the item and the postage but I've only received £17.55.

I expect to pay 3.4%+20p if payment is by paypal and I accept this part and parcel of eBay and selling, but this seems a big fee for a bank transfer. Would I be within my rights to refund them and cancel the order? I have written to them and asked them if they have transferred the correct amount.

Thanks in advance.

yes you are within your rights to cancel if they haven't paid you the right amount.

Thanks fergoose. I've just rung my bank who have confirmed they've taken no fee and that they've transferred 20 euros. I'll await my buyers response!

This may be the buyer or the bank being cheeky. When you transfer money internationally, there are fees to pay. When you make an international transaction, the person making the transfer should specify if the fees are to be paid from the senders account or the receiving account.

I used to live abroad, and sometimes had to make transfers between my foreign and UK accounts, always opting to pay the fees from my sending account so that I knew the right amount would end up in my UK account. Frequently I would be charged for receiving as well, and ended up going overdrawn because of it. I closed my HSBC account in the end as I was sick of them double charging me.