mtlevy1 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Hello Community, What do you do to ensure you want have issues when working with unfamiliar international buyers? This is not a time payment situation (not sure that matters) on a low 4 figure sale 1. Does taking PP F&F make this riskier? 2. Does it help you feel better when they have a populated CAF? (It does for me) 3. Any known people I should avoid - in this case from Italy? Thanks! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 13 minutes ago, mtlevy1 said: Hello Community, What do you do to ensure you want have issues when working with unfamiliar international buyers? This is not a time payment situation (not sure that matters) on a low 4 figure sale 1. Does taking PP F&F make this riskier? 2. Does it help you feel better when they have a populated CAF? (It does for me) 3. Any known people I should avoid - in this case from Italy? Thanks! Mark I'll only comment on point 2. A well populated CAF does make me feel better. I think another collector/seller I dealt with along time ago said it best. You normally don't need to worry about someone with a big varied gallery. They know what they are doing. Malvin dichotomy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lb jefferies Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 14 minutes ago, mtlevy1 said: Hello Community, What do you do to ensure you want have issues when working with unfamiliar international buyers? This is not a time payment situation (not sure that matters) on a low 4 figure sale 1. Does taking PP F&F make this riskier? 2. Does it help you feel better when they have a populated CAF? (It does for me) 3. Any known people I should avoid - in this case from Italy? Thanks! Mark I would ask them if they have dealers/collectors stateside that could vouch for them. The Voord 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo M Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Itlaian collector here. If you email me privately this may be somebody I might know, or may ask around. Carlo The Voord and Twanj 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Re: PayPal Friends and Family If they are sending you money using that, they are giving up their ability to reclaim it. So, it's in the seller's favor. Pretty big act of trust on the buyer's part, I think. Re: CAF I would say that's an encouraging sign. Another would be participation in other comic forums, e.g., this page or some of the OA groups on Facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NelsonAI Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 1) Google is your friend. A person can't escape their universal bad reputation in this very small community of ours. 2) Just because they are members of CGC, it doesn't preclude them from being dirtbags and shysters. You've seen threads here before. Even before the pandemic, there are certain individuals I wouldn't go near. 3) References from people you already know and trust certainly helps vouching for them. 4) Having a large public CAF collection does help. I always get suspicious when I receive emails from anonymous lurkers. 5) there are specific countries that are known for fraud that I simply will not ship to under any circumstances. No need to name them all here. Good luck Marc. Cheers! N. John E. and Twanj 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timguerrero Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Problem is you loose Paypal coverage once you do a F&F and mailing art across the border should be properly insured to avoid any problems in case package is lost. There is a person from Italy who sells a lot of art and if it is the same person I'm thinking of I've done trades with him before and everything was silky smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pestonaccio Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 (edited) Italian collector here, just like Carlo. If you want send me his name privately, i might help you out. Luca Edited May 31, 2020 by pestonaccio Mistake John E. and The Voord 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonelyPost Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 As I am an international buyer, I would like to share my experience over the last 12+ years buying from the Boards. I offer references, either from past sellers or friends who familiar board members. Alternatively, I provide my office reference for them to call to validate (this would only be useful it the firm is a global firm and well established). Paypal F&F is not an option which is available in many countries in Asia (where I am based) due to banking regulations. I usually top up to cover the pp transaction fees. For big purchases and only with reputable sellers, bank transfers are much cheaper (around 5% to 8% if you include foreign exchange spread between PP and bank rates). However, bank transfers are extremely risky for the buyer as there is no protection once the money is remitted. Hence, this should only be done with reputable and well established sellers. Hope this is useful. timguerrero, alxjhnsn and John E. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
