Dr. Pomade Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I need some guidance. I want to buy a dog, but the dog's in Sao Paolo, Brazil. I told the lady I could pay her for the dog using PayPal. She emails me back and asks if, instead, I could send her the money by way of a "wire transfer" or "western union." She says she prefers the latter methods because, with PayPal, she has to pay a "high fee" and there is a "delay" in getting her account to clear. I've used PayPal a total of one time. I was comfortable using it. Not really sure what she's griping out, but, given what this dog is selling for, I imagine she might get dinged a bit by PayPal in transfer fees or whatever. My real concern is paying with a "wire transfer" or "western union." I've never used either. (My assumption is that Western Union isa company that does wire transfers, but she worded it as though they are two separate things. However, she is in Brazil, so the confusion may be attributable to language barriers.) Anyway, does any of this sound scandalous? Is she trying to scam me? How secure are wire transfers? Does using a wire transfer offer me any type of security, if, say, she decides not to send me the dog? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desperado Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 John, I don't believe that with wire transfer that you can do much if she doen't send the dog, especially since it's overseas. CAll Western Union and verify that, but I believe that's the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowsnake Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I purchased, or so i thought, some drag radials off ebay using the same method b/c the guy said his account was fucked. but turns out 2 weeks after sendiong him the money his ebay account was closed b/c he was a fake. So from my experiences i'd say only do paypal b/c if something happens then ebay is responsible and they get your money back. just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Red Evo Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I would not do it especially from Brazil. I don't believe you have any protection, its pretty much just mailing cash. Is it a dog you can't find in the states anywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted June 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Yeah, it's just a female teacup Yorkshire Terrier - they're everywhere. However, my g/f really wants this fucking dog (and maybe only because it's in fucking Brazil), and her birthday is coming up, so, you do the math. Keep the responses coming please. Thanks for the responses thus far. It's starting to sound more and more shady to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaTS1200 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 On Ebay, Western Union usually equals scam. Be careful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted June 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Just to clarify, I'm not buying the dog through Ebay. She's a private seller, and we found her on a website where people put their dogs up for sale. Not sure if that will mean anything, but I just wanted to clarify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboTank Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 tell her your booking a flight to her house...see what she says... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensan Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Ask her if you can use a third party agent. It isn't uncommon to do. The third party will hold the money until you receive your goods, and they can be located in Brazil. The lady with the dog can choose the agency and you will verify they are acceptable. Failure to agree to this, or any option other than Western Union means it is not worth your time. Good luck. Don't wire any money to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 i think paypal sometimes has buyer protection so if its a scam, you can get your $ back...or i thought a while ago (dont know about now) paypal had escrow services, which like stated above, 3rd party holds the $ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 I feel very wary for you.. Sounds scammish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rperry74 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Sounds like scam, but I am an asshole and would make her pay the fee, not your problem. If she really wants to get paid, she will be on the up and up and do whatever makes you comfortable. And this must be one friggin expensive dog if shes worried about a 3% ding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grease monkey Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 scam, just buy her a damn dog from this country, btw, theres a whole shit ton of strange parasites and infectious disease that animals get in 3rd world places like that. So you REALLY don't want to be improting a dog from anywhere. seroiusly, thats really a pretty common dog, and you should have absolutely no problem locating one here, in THIS country. oh and anytime your thinking about buying anything from over seas, and they even ask about a "wire transfer", it's a scam. period. Don't waste your money dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Total Sign Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Is turd ferguson involved? If I remember right, paypal is 3% fee for up to 10k. Ask if she will let you pay for the extra 3%, and you will wait the 4 days it takes to get to her account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Originally posted by Dr. Z06: Yeah, it's just a female teacup Yorkshire Terrier - they're everywhere. However, my g/f really wants this fucking dog (and maybe only because it's in fucking Brazil), and her birthday is coming up, so, you do the math. Keep the responses coming please. Thanks for the responses thus far. It's starting to sound more and more shady to me...PM, my mom breeds some dogs, and one of her friends is a breeder. Also they Bark like crazy, and they have tearing proublems. As for te question at hand, I would not wire anything, no insurence really, and being in brazil, it could be fun to track someone like that down. And women and their wants. tongue.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted June 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Got some more information on this subject, and I thought it would pertinent to share. First, going with Eli's line of reasoning, I found a website called PuppyEscrow - they essentially handle the transactions for stuff like this. She said she'd be agreeable to using this. Here's a link to the site, in case you are curious: http://www.puppyescrow.com/how-it-works.asp It seems like it's fairly legit. It offers me, as the buyer, an opportunity to inspect the pet prior to releasing my money, and my money doesn't get transferred until after (1) I get the dog and (2) I approve of it. Downside is that I'd have to pay a couple of bucks to PuppyEscrow.com for use of their services. Upside is that it seems much less scamish to me since she agreed to use it and that it seemingly offers me a whole lot more protection from fraud. Second, I asked the lady for some references. She gave me two: someone in Washington State, and someone in San Diego. I plan on calling them today. Sure, that too could be a scam (for all I know it could be her cousin in Washington and her aunt in San Diego), but, at least its seemingly a step in the right direction. Thanks for the input thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 When you wire xfer you do it from your bank. You get her routing number and account number and your bank does it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensan Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Originally posted by rarest truck on CR: ...in 3rd world places like that... According to the CIA World Factbook Brazil has the ninth largest economy in the world at purchasing power parity in 2004. Brazil has a diversified middle income economy with wide variations in levels of development. The Cardoso administration has introduced to Congress a series of constitutional reform proposals to replace a state-dominated economy with a market-oriented one and to restructure all levels of government on a sound fiscal basis. Congress has approved several amendments to open the economy to greater private sector participation, including foreign investors. By the end of last year, Brazil's privatization program, which included the sale of steel and telecommunications firms, had generated proceeds of more than $90 billion. Hardly a third world country. ...oh and anytime your thinking about buying anything from over seas... Brazil isn't overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Red Evo Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Are you paying in USD's? The currency in Brazil is crap (1 USD is 2.4 their's) so the dog should cost hardly anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemosley01 Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 John, sounds like a scam to me. There other problem that you may have is shipping a dog from out-of-country into the country. Animal imports are pretty strictly controlled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted June 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Originally posted by Rally Red Evo: Are you paying in USD's? The currency in Brazil is crap (1 USD is 2.4 their's) so the dog should cost hardly anything.Ha, I hadn't thought of that. My assumption is that I'd be paying her in USD, not in Brazilian currency (whatever that is). Originally posted by Larry: There other problem that you may have is shipping a dog from out-of-country into the country. Animal imports are pretty strictly controlled.Really? Can you say anymore on this? The PuppyEscrow site said that they handle international transactions, which gave me the impression that shipping a dog into or out of the country wasn't that big a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Man, if you even try to fly across state lines you have to have vet records that prove the dog has had all its shots and what not. What i dont understand is WHY you cant get from a reputable breeder here in Ohio and save yourself ALL of this hassle. Why not take your girlfriend to see a breed who has pups and let her fall in love with one of the pups that is HERE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted June 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Well, even if I don't get this dog and get a dog from, say, Columbus, I'd still want to learn as much about this process - wire transfers, PuppyEscrow, international shipping of dogs, etc. - that I can. And please don't insult my intelligence by pointing out that I can get a dog from Columbus or any other number of places that aren't Brazil. I know this. I didn't ask for help finding a dog, I asked for guidance on how to handle this particular situation, which just happens to involve a dog in Brazil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excell Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Originally posted by Dr. Z06: a female teacup Yorkshire Terrier Everyone is thinking it, I'm gonna say it: graemlins/lol.gif Still have much respect for ya, Doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwilli1647545487 Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Just take my dog. He is better anyway. "red rocket red rocket!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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