Help! Trying to pay for art commissioned in Italy

[dirtbiker]

OK, so our local bank wanted $50 for the international wire and 10% foreign transaction fee. Scratch that!

Master Card couldn't help me. It is entirely up to the merchant whether to accept the card.

The artist doesn't do paypal. I agree with everyone else that this is strange, but that's the way it goes.

So finally I called Penfed. They charge $30.00 for a wire, with no foreign transaction fee. I asked the merchant if they would reduce their price by 27 euros to compensate me for the wire fee, and they (reluctantly) agreed. So on Monday I'll work with Penfed to transfer the money.

Thanks, all!

Glad you got something figured out that worked for both parties. Please post pics of the aforementioned mirror!

 

[Bamaman]

This crowd is really getting spun up. How much money are we talking about here? One or two times a year we wire $Ks to pay a tour company in one country or another, many of them less solid than OECD members like Italy. Never once had a problem.

Also this is not some random request; it is coming from a company that the OP knows and it is an expected request. I don't think there is any trust issue here at all; it is simply an implementation detail to get them the dough.

Remember Thomas Cook--the largest travel source of them all?

I only deal with those that take credit cards for a reason. There are charge backs allowed under law with them when there are problems.

I'd see if Mastercard could perform a chargeback and back out on the deal.

 

[Aerides]

Remember Thomas Cook--the largest travel source of them all?

I only deal with those that take credit cards for a reason. There are charge backs allowed under law with them when there are problems.

I'd see if Mastercard could perform a chargeback and back out on the deal.

Per the OP: This merchant does take credit cards - took one in person for her deposit. He neglected to explain (or realize, perhaps) that he'd be unable to charge for the balance without the card being present. Not uncommon in Europe, especially if he is a small artisan type. Probably has no way to charge a credit card without swiping/chip/pin, etc.

OP doesn't want a chargeback, she wants her finished art, and looks like a good alternative payment solution has been found.

 

[Starsky]

Glad it all worked out. It is not uncommon for EU companies to request wire or bank transfers. Our credit cards are generally wildly anachronistic around the world and people usually look at them weirdly. You're fortunate compared to vacationing Europeans who would have to pay a lot more for the same thing.

Since you ordered it for international delivery, you will not be charged VAT, which would apply if you paid for it in Italy. You could file to get a VAT refund, but you'd typically have to pay the tax to the retailer and then file paperwork to get your money back.

This is a good reminder for travelers to save your receipts for large purchases in Europe and to file for the VAT refund when you depart. (It also occurs in non-EU countries too. Check the rules before you go. Every country is different.) The min. to file in Italy is about 155 Euro spent in one place at one time - food and lodging excepted. It's not hard to spend more than that in one place on shoes, clothes, and lots of other things; even some services qualify. The best place to ask is usually the airport, where they have an office to file the forms.

Italian VAT is 22% going up to 26.5% within the next couple of years. In France it can be as much as 33% on luxury goods. Yikes! That can really add up on a long vacation.