[CR]re: payments to UK

(Example: Production Builders:Frejus)

From: <"tom.ward@juno.com">
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2005 18:40:42 GMT
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]re: payments to UK

Louis Schulman writes:
>I have a question about making payment to UK sellers from the US who don't accept PayPal, personal checks or charges and require payment in pounds....

...The Post Office doesn't issue international money orders for the UK, or so they told me. My bank said they don't issue such things either. I am not sending cash. Western Union only issues money orders in dollars.

What does everyone do in this situation?

Louis Schulman Rainy Tampa, Florida USA<

Louis,

What about looking for a Florida branch of a British bank? I believe there is a fairly large UK expatriate community in Florida. For fun I sometimes pick up a copy of THE UNION JACK, a newspaper that serves the British abroad in the U.S.--and I know it has distribution to some extent across the U.S. as I've picked it up not only in NYC but also in my hometown of San Diego. Anyway, I seem to recall some Anglo entente (if you will) with Florida from my glances across the pages of the U.J., and that newspaper might provide leads if you can find a copy. I find it at a specialty foods shop here in Greenwich Village. Come to think of it, though, try a google search on "british bank florida" or some such.

I can tell you, however, that mailing cash has never been a problem for me, and having made about ten UK eBay purchases this way, I am not too troubled when PayPal is not an option. I send cash in a registered letter--usually smallish amounts, but I recently in fact sent 250 sterling to a dealer who was handling the consignment sale of a Hetchins (or is that an Hetchins? depends what you do w/your "aitches" perhaps). I suppose it's possible such "faith-based" payment methods may result in me getting burned someday, but so far my UK dealings have gone smoothly, have been a pleasure, and I've been very well treated, even in the absence of PayPal. The exchange rate at the moment is a bit rough, and the fee where I make currency exchange (in the shopping district of SoHo here in Manhattan) doesn't help--but it's all part of the wonder of a market economy, or so I reassure myself. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to buy British bikes and parts I would have had far less access to before the advent of the internet. I hope it's not (collectively) too much of a loss to the heritage there! But I give the bikes and parts a good home.

Best of luck, Louis, and let me know if you find a British bank somewhere in Florida that will help you. It seems likely to me.

Classic bicycle content: the Hetchins is a refinished Vade Mecum in orange with gold lining, 5-speed with early Huret changer (46 x 14 - 20), and mostly steel components, all period and very clean, including Dunlop Special Lightweight rims on low flange British Hubs (or are they Harden? I can't view the bike from here).

Too cold, too much salt on Manhattan streets at the moment, not to mention snow, for a ride--except for the hardiest commuters, and the food delivery guys and bike messengers, who get no relief.

Tom Ward
New York, NY