Help! Non-US Pricescopers - buying overseas

[Smo]

Hi everyone,

I was hoping to get some advice on purchasing from an overseas vendor. I was about to pull the trigger on my ering which I am buying from a jeweler based in NY. I live in Australia.

I had asked about paying via paypal and had confirmed with paypal what conditions needed to be met to be covered by their buyer protection policy (must have a listing on the website, must be finalised within 45 days and must be posted to you).

Unfortunately the jeweler advised me overnight that they can't accept payment via paypal as paypal required the funds to be held by them for 1 month and they will charge a 8% additional fee which they don't want to do.

This leaves me to pay via wire transfer which we are reluctant to do as we have no protection should something go wrong. This is a reputable jeweler and a large number of people here have bought from them but I don't feel comfortable paying by bank wire.

Can anyone reassure me or suggest an alternative payment method? I am really stuck here, I don't want anyone else to make my ering but don't want to pay via bank wire.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Who is the vendor?

 

[Smo]

Leon Mege (and to be clear I have no doubts about his reputation or conduct. This is purely my partner and I thinking with our lawyer hats on and knowing how things can go wrong)

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Ok, I haven't dealt with him but I have made wire transfers to BGD, IDJ and JBEG with no problems. My last purchase has gone awry and even though I paid with Paypal and the vendor has said as soon as the necklace has been returned he will refund me the money via Paypal, bank check, whatever way I please, in order to keep me happy.

Honestly, I have tried not to think about predicament I would be in if things went south and I wanted a refund but the vendor wasn't willing to give me one, which is probably not the answer you are looking for!
I think you may just need to have a little faith and trust that if you do need to get a refund that the vendor will honor it.

Do you have an ironclad return policy with this purchase? What exactly are you envisaging will go wrong?

Will he consider accepting a CC payment?

 

[Smo]

Thanks hawaiianorangetree, their policy states no returns on custom pieces, which is unfortunate because from reading WF's website they have a full 100% money back guarantee on all their products.

There isn't anything I am specifically worried about when buying from LM. I guess my concern is that I only ever pay for items bought overseas using paypal because I know if something goes wrong I am covered by their buyer protection policy.

LM's website says they only accept US credit cards but perhaps I will ask if they can make an exception and check with AMEX to see if they offer a similar form of buyer protection.

 

[cm366]

Smo, I'm in NSW and haven't had similar problems with US purchases using Paypal. I wonder if this is an example of LM's infamous attitude toward customer service? Paypal does charge fees, however, and if neither you nor the vendor is willing to pay them then that's a problem. I've used escrow.com for larger international transactions - they're very safe and charge smaller fees than Paypal. As HOT says, if you can, a credit card payment is much better protected and you can even get Flybuys! If you're really desperate to ensure a little extra safety, you could offer to offset the CC fees he'd have to pay.

Failing all three more-protected options, I'm afraid a wire transfer is probably the only option. Ultimately, you'd have to simply trust in the vendor's integrity. If you were open to other jewelers, Robinson Designer Jewelry in NZ has made a whole lot of people very happy, and while they're still technically international you'd have more options under Kiwi law.

 

[Smo]

Thanks cm366, I hadn't considered the escrow option but I suspect that LM won't go for it. They did explore the paypal option for me but I think the one month hold on funds was a deal breaker for them.

It is so frustrating. I think I am going to suggest the credit card option and see how it goes.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Thanks hawaiianorangetree, their policy states no returns on custom pieces, which is unfortunate because from reading WF's website they have a full 100% money back guarantee on all their products.

There isn't anything I am specifically worried about when buying from LM. I guess my concern is that I only ever pay for items bought overseas using paypal because I know if something goes wrong I am covered by their buyer protection policy.

LM's website says they only accept US credit cards but perhaps I will ask if they can make an exception and check with AMEX to see if they offer a similar form of buyer protection.

He isn't the only vendor with that policy and It doesn't really matter if you pay with wire transfer, bank cheque, PayPal or CC, because you can't return it anyway. That's not to say I don't think if something went wrong you would have no recourse. As I said before, the majority of vendors here want to make the customer happy and if something were to go wrong, I am sure they would be willing to fix the problem without having to get a buyer protection policy involved.

At the end of the day, I know exactly what trepidation you are feeling but please take comfort in the fact that there are many of us from AU who have made purchases with wire transfers before and we haven't had any issues (to my knowledge) that haven't been able to be resolved. Yes it is a risk, but it's an educated one IMO.

 

[chel180]

I don't have any new options for you that other posters haven't suggested but I would like to add my Aussie experience to give you a bit more comfort. I recently bought a diamond and high end hand forged setting from the states (not Leon though) and I paid by wire transfer for both, even tho they came from different vendors, without issue. I know buying remotely can be worrying and if something goes awry then its a major headache to fix, but those t&c's are standard for this type of thing.

 

[SB621]

Pretty much every vendor that does custom won't accept back the piece if you don't like it. So that is always the chance you take with going that route.

Have you thought about using Steven Kirsch in NYC? He used to work for Leon before he started his own busines and he is lovely to deal with. You might want to check him out as Leon might just be having a hissy fit with you.

In regards to the bank wire it really looks like this will be your only option so I think you need to get over the mental road block you have against it. The majority of vendors don't take credit card unless you pay the fees. In your case the additioanl 2-4% might be worth it for piece of mind. Regardless these people have been in business for a long time so I would trust that they would give you back your money if there were an issue. I don't like Leon but I don't think he is thief either.

 

[Smo]

Thank you everyone for your responses, I really appreciate the advice and reassurance.

Well, I paid via wire transfer today! I am still nervous about this method of payment but as Hawaiiorangetree said, it was an educated risk.

Just in LM's defence, Perry had advised me that Leon tried to make an exception for me to pay via paypal (and spoke to Paypal about it) but the one month hold on funds and 8% fee meant they couldn't make it work.

It is still frustrating that in 2013 there isn't a more affordable and protected option for purchasing expensive goods overseas!

Thank you again!

 

[arkieb1]

Hi did it all work out? Leon has LOTS of Australian customers so it should be fine and I have bought stuff wire transfer from Victor and the JBEG girls and never had any issues.