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For single payments (freelance stuff or whatever), Western Union ( http://www.westernunion.com/ http://www.westernunion.com/ ) might be the way to go. I receiv
by GFischer 16y ago
For single payments (freelance stuff or whatever), Western Union ( http://www.westernunion.com/ http://www.westernunion.com/ ) might be the way to go.
I received money via WU for about a decade with zero problems.
But for online shopping, I don't have an alternative.
- auxbuss 16y agoWestern Union is very expensive, especially when currency exchange is involved. Maybe once a year I accept a payment from some part of the World where this is the buyer's only option. WU usually eats my margin, but I feel a little better for getting stuff out to where it otherwise wouldn't.
- 2arrs2ells 16y agoI feel like WU has also been tainted by their frequent use by the 419 scammers.
- rmc 16y agoWestern Union is aimed at transfering money, not buying/selling goods. I had to transfer money to someone with WU and had to ring them up to verify it. They explicitly asked on the phone if I was sending money in exchange for goods, and that they don't support that, and you shouldn't use WU for that. This is would scare off most customers and is not a good business idea.
- GFischer 16y agoI think those kind of checks are country-specific... I always received money here in Uruguay (from Austria and Canada) and nobody called the senders (family members or friends of family). Still, you're right... Wikipedia says: "Western Union advises its customers not to send money to someone that they have never met in person."