Guys, I need some enlightment please.

Since I started the Braziliam Bladesmiths website most of the knives I sell are offered in the consignment system. It is good for me, and good for the makers.

When the costumer starts sending e-mails about a knife we discuss payment and prices, shipping options and prices, and if we come to a deal I change the status of the knife to payment pendant and wait for the money to arrive.

Once the money arrives I proceed with shipping as soon as possible and usualy I shipp two working days after the money is cleared.

Now, I have been having problems with one costumer in Europe. He is a regular costumer who buys and re-sells to his mates in Europe. He usualy don't bargain and is really nice. But his payments take much more time than usual.

Three times I had held knives for him because his bank has messed up the wire transfer and sent my money to another country (last time it was South Africa, and it took me almost three months to be paid).

He also buys in a regular basis directly from some of the makers, and they all said they have had the same problems with him.

Last time it was an expensive knife the maker made available for a very good price because a situation came up and he needed to make some quick cash. The costumer comes and asks me for a reservation, saying he would be wiring the money in two days.

After seven days, no sign of the money, and the maker calls me. I have to contact the costumer in Europe and ask for the money until the end of the week or I will have to sell the knife to someone else (yes, there was another great costumer on the line waiting to see if the payment would not be delivered in order to snatch the blade). I also asked him how he felt about an agreement to give every costumer a seven days reserve time. If the money isn't here in seven days, the knife would be back online to sell (special requests would be negociated individualy).

Now the guy gets really angry and says he need AT LEAST ten days to complete a wire transfer and that "...I will not work with tight schedules at my age any way" (his words).

Last night I called some of the makers that he buys from and some of the makers on our team and none of them thinks that there is need of ten days to deliver a payment, nor that seven days is not a generous offer.

Now... since I haven't been selling much to Europe, I wanted to ask you how do you guys would manage this kind of situation. The makers have a very good point: if they sell a knife, they count that money on their personal expenses schedule. They all have bills to pay and mouths to feed so and none of those can wait untill the costumer manages to (or decides to) pay for his order. On the other hand this guy is a good costumer, buys a lot and usulay does not argue about prices, and our policy is to always try our best to costumer's satisfaction.

So... what do you think about it?

All imputs are greatly apreciated.

Thank you very much.

In the United States most small banks do not directly handle international wire transfers. as a bank customer you arrange a wire transfer with your personal bank,your bank then transfers the money to a larger bank to actually process the international wire transfer. this process has a work time of 4 to 10 days until the wire transfer is completed and the money has been delivered to your account and cleared. if the bank screws up,i t takes much longer. hopes this helps you.

Thanks for the info. We use Bank of America and Washington Mutual. With the Bank of America we receive wire transfers within hours. Washington Mutual is mostly used to withdraw money from our Paypal account, with wich this costumer refuses to work with.

It's a kind of dificult situation isn't it?

Hi Jeff.

If bank transfers are causing you problems, why not just say that because of past problems, bank transfers are no longer acceptable for over sea customers......suggest credit card, paypal or some other method....or..stipullate that the knife is not 'sold' until the balance is in your bank account..and that after 10 days the knife is open market again.


Kevin.

Bank transfers can take a lot of extra time to get set up, mainly because the buyer has to personally visit the bank during banking hours. This is awkward for most working people.

The upside is that bank transfers are the most secure method of international payment. If you need the security the only thing to do is to set a maximum waiting period and live with it.

I prefer credit cards but my card issuer will not stand behind credit cards taken over the phone from some countries if there is a problem.

I am sure that the makers you represent appreciate that the occasional delayed sale is worth the security of payment.

I routinely run into the same problem. My fix is to ask the buyer to purchase an international money order in my currency and send it via AirMail. The funds are certified and AirMail only takes 3-4 days from pretty much anywhere in the world right to my door.

hth,

mark h

I'd suggest you accept payments by Western Union Money Transfer, that is if it's available in your country. In my country, the charge is actually cheaper than a bank transfer, but if it's a large amount that you're receiving, it might be cheaper to do a bank transfer. The charge is paid by the sender and the receiver receives the exact amount sent, and can be claimed in your local currency (converted using their current exchange rate) or in the original currency. I'd suggest you ask around at your local branch as I'm not sure if it's the same there. Western Union has branches worldwide so I think it'll be a viable option for you.

But the reason I suggested this is once your buyer pays for it at a Western union near him, within minutes you can already claim the payment at a western union near you. At least this way, you won't be waiting a long time for the payment.