Alaska specialty woods

[Tod Gilding]

Hi All, It seems that purchasing from Alaska Specialty woods just got a lot more complicated for us Down Under.
I have been trying to order spruce tops from Brent and been getting an AVS error , I contacted Brent and got this reply, ( I assume that AU does not support AVS ).

Trying to prevent credit card fraud, the credit card processor uses an AVS (address verification system). I see your in AU by your email address. You can use another payment sysyem like PayPal, but would need to add 3% because of the higher transaction fees PayPal charges. To do that, you would need to bu9ld the order as you have to the page where you enter your credit card number, copy and paste that to an email and sent to me, ND GO TO PAYPAL to send funds to this email address.. another option is to print out the order when you get to the last page and send it by post with a caashiers check for the total amount and no extra is needed for transaction fees.. AVS is either turned on or off, It is not supported by some countries banking systems. WE have been burned by unscrupulious people using someone elses card without authorization for several thousand dollars in just 3-4 transactions. Makes it a pain in the arse for the majority- who are honest.

[peter.coombe]

Internet credit card fraud has become such a problem that it is becoming increasingly difficult for merchants to protect themselves. When someone defrauds your credit card and your bank refunds the money, it is the merchant who ultimately pays for it. It is the merchant who bears the responsibility of ensuring every customer is legitimate, not the banks. The banks can certainly help a merchant check out a suspicious customer, but that is about as far as it goes. Something like 80% of credit card fraud is Internet based. I used to have a merchant facility, but it became a PITA to use for international customers because banks had implemented various blocks on international transactions to try and limit the fraudulent activity. It was taking several attempts and frustration at both ends to get the blocks removed and get a payment through. The main reason I had the merchant facility was to make international transactions easier, so I got rid of it and now use PayPal and just have to wear the fees. Alaska Specialty Woods are just trying to protect themselves against fraud, and if you had been stung by several thousand dollars by Internet fraudsters then you would do the same thing. There are various things a merchant can do to protect themselves, but usually they are manual processes that take time and effort. Looks like AVS is one way of fraud prevention for automated transactions, and it is unfortunate the Australian bank does not support it. One then should ask why not. If a merchant is using an automated credit card processing system, then they are pretty much at the mercy of the credit card processor who will implement their own fraud prevention. It is a PITA, but the fraudsters are the ones who are responsible for this, not the merchants.

[Tod Gilding]

Yes Unscrupulous people make it harder for the honest .

I just completed the transaction with Brent Through Paypal, it wasn't all that painful, and at the end of the day if Brent is being ripped off he could only pass the costs on and we would all pay more.
so for a little extra work and 3% I thought WTF.

[demonx]

If you're paying by Mastercard or Visa you will get charged a 3% international transaction fee anyway, so there is no difference.

[kiwigeo]

If you're paying by Mastercard or Visa you will get charged a 3% international transaction fee anyway, so there is no difference.

Paypal doesn't give you frequent flyer points. Sounds petty but my wife gets a trip home to Japan each year paid for by the points I earn buying wood. I also find Paypal a pain in the arse whenever I log in from a different IP. My account gets suspended until I contact them and go through a convoluted verification process....this is despite me having contacted them many times to explain that I frequently log in via a Singapore based satellite com system while at work.

[Ormsby Guitars]

I get FF point from PP. And I raise your wifes free jap trip with a USA return flight, and at least one perth to gold coast trip per year FF points are awesome, but obviously we pay for them in other ways... if you dont get your card payment in on time!

I convinced my real estate agent to let us buy our home via credit card. They agreed to go to $200k, but the fees worked out $300 more than the flights we would have earned, so didnt happen

[Kamusur]

As my late grandmother said "you don't owt for nowt" , so one way or the other we pay and dearly so for the cheating fraudsters and scammers that are out there

Steve

[simonm]

I get stuff from Madinter in Madrid. I have stopped using a CC there because the bank they use also puts you through some sort of (pain in the behind) verification system. I pay by bank transfer instead. I can do it online.