Ladies and Gentlemen
I have been active on the Internet since 1996, buying many tens of thousands of dollars worth of assorted merchandise in those 15 years. For many of us with niche interests, the Internet provided a global solution to the age-old problem of local unavailability of certain goods. Books, for example, by obscure authors, became easily and commonly available to us from foreign suppliers.
The advent of Paypal and a global payments system was a boon, as it made e-commerce - no matter where in the world one's computer, physical address or bank account were located - a practical possibility and viable method of shopping online.
However, some e-tailers will only accept credit cards issued by banks based in their countries. This, apparently, has something to do with auto-verification systems and security protocols not being set up to handle 'foreign' cards (ie: credit and debit cards issued by non-US banks or those with a non-US billing address).
Which isn't an issue for me - as long as that e-tailer provides and ALTERNATIVE payment method, such as Paypal.
I recently tried to order from a well-respected supplier, whose owner seems very highly thought of on this forum, only to be told that he cannot accept non-US cards and has no alternative payment channel. This was a great shame, as I wished to do business based on his reputation, pricing and goods on offer.
Sadly, I had to look elsewhere. Again, this isn't an issue - I don't lose out, but it does mean that I am restricted in my choice of suppliers and would ask, reasonably, that all e-tailers consider an alternative payment mechanism for their 'foreign' customers.
Thanks for listening
I have been active on the Internet since 1996, buying many tens of thousands of dollars worth of assorted merchandise in those 15 years. For many of us with niche interests, the Internet provided a global solution to the age-old problem of local unavailability of certain goods. Books, for example, by obscure authors, became easily and commonly available to us from foreign suppliers.
The advent of Paypal and a global payments system was a boon, as it made e-commerce - no matter where in the world one's computer, physical address or bank account were located - a practical possibility and viable method of shopping online.
However, some e-tailers will only accept credit cards issued by banks based in their countries. This, apparently, has something to do with auto-verification systems and security protocols not being set up to handle 'foreign' cards (ie: credit and debit cards issued by non-US banks or those with a non-US billing address).
Which isn't an issue for me - as long as that e-tailer provides and ALTERNATIVE payment method, such as Paypal.
I recently tried to order from a well-respected supplier, whose owner seems very highly thought of on this forum, only to be told that he cannot accept non-US cards and has no alternative payment channel. This was a great shame, as I wished to do business based on his reputation, pricing and goods on offer.
Sadly, I had to look elsewhere. Again, this isn't an issue - I don't lose out, but it does mean that I am restricted in my choice of suppliers and would ask, reasonably, that all e-tailers consider an alternative payment mechanism for their 'foreign' customers.
Thanks for listening
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