IDM Mailing Archive

Wanted your opinions on this topic how to buy music from private parties overseas.... I recently ask Tim Koch (from Oz) for his Gescom CDrs he offered. He said it'd be $US24. Fine. I go to the USPS and they tell me they don't have any international money orders for Australia. I think, hmmm, should I just send the bills? Prolly too risky. Should I just send him a cheque, no his bank prolly wont accept it. Then I think, OK, I will just go to some currency joint and BUY the Australian equivalent to $24US. this is gonna cost me an extra $4-5 the guy on the phone told me. Wiring the money would be about the same shit no? So what do you guys normally do? I know if it were a store on-line, I'd just supply a CC #, but this is some private party. see you, g

On 19 Sep 97, Gilbert ViDela wrote

quoted 3 lines Wiring the money would be about the same shit no? So what do you

> Wiring the money would be about the same shit no? So what do you > guys normally do? I know if it were a store on-line, I'd just > supply a CC #, but this is some private party.

[ Re-quoting this short section of a very pertinent posting. ] My problem is very similar: Here I am in South Africa, about *as* far away as I could be from everywhere else... and stuck with very high CD prices (on average a new CD from a store translates to roughly US$25) and lack of choice and availability. I have previously responded to private advertisers, arrived at a mutually acceptable price and then sat stumped in trying to get money over to them. Our country has strict currency control policies in place, making it virtually impossible to send payment out to anybody anywhere. Credit cards work well, because it's a private transaction that only the bank holding the a/c is aware of, and unless the figures are very high, they let this pass (I once got a mouthfull from someone at the for-ex counter when I queried my balance "This is illegal, you know"). BUT credit cards - as you stated above, are only accepted by companies, not individuals. Buying an international money order costs more than the face value covering one CD. Buying traveller's cheques is impossible unless you are a bona fide traveller and have a valid ticket and passport to prove it. Mainly I have resorted to bartering and tape-swops ... Not ideal, I know. Any other bright ideas - anyone ? I * "Incomplete without surface noise" - Autechre

quoted 2 lines So what do you guys normally do? I know if it were a store on-line,

> So what do you guys normally do? I know if it were a store on-line, > I'd just supply a CC #, but this is some private party.

I've stopped sending cash except in the most insignificant amounts, since it does seem to get "lost" from time to time. Mostly I send international cheques, bought from Ruesch International (1-800-424-2923). They can do any denomination -- you call them with an amount, currency, and payee; they tell you how much it amounts to in $USD; you send them a check for that amount plus a $2 fee; they send you back the cheque. No problems with that yet. I actually do business with one guy in New Zealand who happily takes standard checks drawn on my boring old US credit union account, which is the best deal of all if you can get it. :-) -- ::: Lazlo (lazlo@swcp.com; http://www.swcp.com/lazlo) ::: Internet Music Wantlists: http://www.swcp.com/lazlo/Wantlists

quoted 13 lines Wanted your opinions on this topic how to buy music from private

>Wanted your opinions on this topic how to buy music from private >parties overseas.... > >I recently ask Tim Koch (from Oz) for his Gescom CDrs he offered. >He said it'd be $US24. Fine. I go to the USPS and they tell me they >don't have any international money orders for Australia. I think, >hmmm, should I just send the bills? Prolly too risky. Should I just >send him a cheque, no his bank prolly wont accept it. Then I think, >OK, I will just go to some currency joint and BUY the Australian >equivalent to $24US. this is gonna cost me an extra $4-5 the guy on >the phone told me. Wiring the money would be about the same shit no? >So what do you guys normally do? I know if it were a store on-line, >I'd just supply a CC #, but this is some private party.

3 ways: 1. just send the cash & include it in a cheap little birthday card that you have lying around, in the birthday card's envelope too. 2. send the cash normally but register the envelope w/ the post office (they make sure it gets to the destination & ask to get it signed from the recipient).. this costs like $4 more tho. 3. send the cash in a cassette tape or something lighter that people won't suspect contains cash. i usually do #1. hope that helps. !06719580652436120012856018461286120! !................#christopher graves! !#grav.of.krac5..#colongibs.jujubomb! !23092857234905876096242765026054037!

quoted 7 lines 1. just send the cash & include it in a cheap little birthday card

>> 1. just send the cash & include it in a cheap little birthday card >> that you have lying around, in the birthday card's envelope too. > >Nice try... but none of this actually helps if you are trying to send >*foreign currency*. > >[ sigh ]

Nice try... but you don't actually help by saying something like that or in *that tone*. I think the guy originally wanted to be able send his cash and the conversion might occur on the other end... even if it's *foreign currency* why can he not convert it to that & then send it this way? [ sigh ] !06719580652436120012856018461286120! !................#christopher graves! !#grav.of.krac5..#colongibs.jujubomb! !23092857234905876096242765026054037!

On 26 Sep 97, chris r graves wrote:

quoted 2 lines Nice try... but you don't actually help by saying something like

> Nice try... but you don't actually help by saying something like > that or in *that tone*.

APOLOGIES if my *tone* offended anybody. YOU try living in South Africa - with _strict_ currency exchange control policies in place, and try to order music from anywhere in the world (which is simply not available here and up for sale elsewhere for less than average shop prices locally).

quoted 1 line [ sigh ]

> [ sigh ]

I'm just pretty frustrated by having (hopelessly) explored various methods.

quoted 1 line !06719580652436120012856018461286120!

> !06719580652436120012856018461286120!

Sorry, but is there some hidden meaning in this? I * "Incomplete without surface noise" - Autechre