My accounts are CDN$, how do I order from BH?

[DocFrankenstein]

All of my accounts are in CANADIAN dollars.

I asked BH about this:

>
> Customer's Name: Andrew
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> I would like to purchase a few items from you. I am currently living
> in canada and I would like to know if you accept canadian currency
> payments directly.
>
> If not, what is the recommended procedure if all of my visa and
> checking accounts are in canadian currency. I will be heavily
> penalized by the bank system if I pay my order directly.
>
> Thank you very much.
>
> Andrew Vorobyov
>
=============== Reply Separator ===============

Dear Andrew

We deal only in US Dollars.

Please advise how we can be of further assistance.

Thank you for your patronage.

Sincerely,

Ralph Smith
B&H Photo Video Pro-Audio
420 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10001
http://www.bhphotovideo.com

Customer Service Department
ord-status@bhphotovideo.com
phone (800)221-5743 (212)239-7765
fax (800) 947-2215 or (212) 239-7548

If I just give my credit card # I'm gonna be fined real bad...

[aam1234]

If I just give my credit card # I'm gonna be fined real bad

Not sure I follow. Say the item is US$100, when buying with CC, you will be charged CAN$130.

[DocFrankenstein]

If I just give my credit card # I'm gonna be fined real bad

Not sure I follow. Say the item is US$100, when buying with CC, you will be charged CAN$130.
Ideally... :roll:

My bank will also use a different conversion factor, so I'll pay 140 AND they'll fine me 20 CAD cause this is a canadian currency account.

[Vinny454]

What kind of fines are you talking about?

I order from the US all the time with a CDN credit card. My card gets charged in US funds and Visa/MC charges the exchange rate based on the day the transacation is processed and I get the bill on the 15th.
No extra charges or fee's, just the exchange rate.

How are your Bank account and your CC connected? They are two seperate entities. Now the banks/Visa/MC etc use the Bank of Canada posted rates which are usually a few 10th's of a point different than a private exchange service, but that's it. I can't see how your Bank charges you a $20 fine for buying something with your CC in US funds.

Vince

[yallcome]

Same here in Europe. We buy all kinds of stuff with credit cards from ten or twelve currencies. No problems.

What kind of fines are you talking about?

I order from the US all the time with a CDN credit card. My card gets charged in US funds and Visa/MC charges the exchange rate based on the day the transacation is processed and I get the bill on the 15th.
No extra charges or fee's, just the exchange rate.

Vince

[DocFrankenstein]

Intresting...

I guess I'm gonna check that with my bank then :?

[Olegis]

No fines here either. I have ordered from various places (B&H, Adorama, Ebay), paid with my credit card and the transaction was automatically converted to $US. The store got the $US and I was charged in NIS (New Israeli Shekels).

[Perfect_10]

Andrew

I buy stuff all the time from the US using a Can CC (M/C, VISA, AMEX) .. all you pay is the currency exchange rate of the day .. and you will see the Can$ payment on your statement.
The only time this differs is if I pay thru PayPal .. their rates are slightly higher.

Just be warned that if you purchase stuff from US .. and they ship UPS, you will be dinged at the border with a handling charge (based on some % of total) + GST (and maybe PST). You have to factor all this in to be sure you're still getting a great deal.
Just my Can0.02cents

[robertwgross]

I order from the US all the time with a CDN credit card. My card gets charged in US funds and Visa/MC charges the exchange rate based on the day the transacation is processed and I get the bill on the 15th.
No extra charges or fee's, just the exchange rate.


This is normal. What they don't tell you is that many VISA banks can set their own exchange rates. The rates have to be very close to the actual exchange rate, but their rate always favors the bank. Also, the actual rates rise and fall with the international economy, and the banks can "pick the day rate" that suits them if they are rising and falling. All of this tends to be very small amounts of money, and amounts to less than 1% fluctuation on a purchase charge. The exception is if you are making the purchase in a third-world country where currency exchange rates fluctuate more wildly.

---Bob Gross---

[Sendide]

by the way, Canadian dollar is pretty high l;atgely , about 0.76 today, so it's time or never to swap your visa/whatever card :wink:
I never even thought about these little details. you jsut get your itme and pay (secure or paypall or directly with credit card online) no risk believe me. takes one minute, (B&H and adorama are the best us sellers I delt with in camera stuff so far).

[Persian-Rice]

Ya , I have never seen any fines..........................

Thank god my aunt is a bank manager, free cheques, amazing exchange rates, free bank account..............go find a relative that works in a a bank haha.................

If you want, send me a PM, and I can give you her number, you might want to talk to her , she might be able to help you out........... worth the try..................Pretty sure you aint getting anything free, but maybe some better rates or something or better damn cerdit card hah.

[steven]

Wow :shock:
all these people ordering US stuff from out of the country.
No wonder our trade deficit is sooo bad :oops:

[drisley]

My experience is the same as Vinny, and I use a crappy off brand card.
They charge the going exchange rate, plus a small 2% fee. That's still better than going to the bank and exhanging your money for american.

BTW, another option is to buy a US money order.
Canada Post gives great exchange rates on that, almost exactly the current exchange rate.

[DocFrankenstein]

from my contract:

Foreign currency conversion fee: (when a transaction on your Visa Account is not in Canadian dollars) 2.5% of the transaction amount.

[/quote]

[DocFrankenstein]

BTW, another option is to buy a US money order.
Canada Post gives great exchange rates on that, almost exactly the current exchange rate.
I don't what a money order is or how it works. :oops:

Can you please explain.

[Persian-Rice]

BTW, another option is to buy a US money order.
Canada Post gives great exchange rates on that, almost exactly the current exchange rate.
I don't what a money order is or how it works. :oops:

Can you please explain.

Think of it as a certified cheque.................. it's similiar.

You pretty much buy the money order. You give the bank X dollars, they give you a money order worth X dollars. That money order becomes cash............ on a slip of paper.

[Perfect_10]

BTW, another option is to buy a US money order.
Canada Post gives great exchange rates on that, almost exactly the current exchange rate.
I don't what a money order is or how it works. :oops:

Can you please explain.

Think of it as a certified cheque.................. it's similiar.

You pretty much buy the money order. You give the bank X dollars, they give you a money order worth X dollars. That money order becomes cash............ on a slip of paper.

:roll: Then you have to go to the mail-box, post it to the seller .. wait for your letter to be opened .. then the order can be processed. Not much good for those spur-of-the-moment purchases we make :lol: Just adds delay and frustration .. you bought it and you want it now :!: :!:

[DocFrankenstein]

:roll: Then you have to go to the mail-box, post it to the seller .. wait for your letter to be opened .. then the order can be processed. Not much good for those spur-of-the-moment purchases we make :lol: Just adds delay and frustration .. you bought it and you want it now :!: :!:
nah...

I have a logistical approach for the purchases. Careful planning and thinking is required, comparison of qualities and trying out different parts. (the salespeople hate me at henrys :wink: :lol: ) Then I decide that the recearch is completed and give myself 5 days to make sure. Only then I order.

So, I guess I may go with the money order. Cause I plan getting 50mm 1.4 and 500EX, which with shipping totals more than my 1 grand limit on the student visa.

[robertwgross]

So, I guess I may go with the money order. Cause I plan getting 50mm 1.4 and 500EX, which with shipping totals more than my 1 grand limit on the student visa.

Now you are back into the problem. If you purchase a money order in Canadian dollars and mail it to a US vendor, they will want US dollars instead. Maybe they are willing to do a currency conversion for you, and probably they won't.

What is a 500EX, anyway?

---Bob Gross---

[Persian-Rice]

Bob,

When you get a money order, you are allowed to ask for a US money order, hell if you want a money order in Yen they will give one to you.........They just use the going rate..........

[robertwgross]

When you get a money order, you are allowed to ask for a US money order, hell if you want a money order in Yen they will give one to you.........They just use the going rate..........

Around where I am, lots of money orders are sold (cheaply) at retail stores, but only in US dollars. If you go to a large bank, they will sell money orders in a few international currency types.

---Bob Gross---

[drisley]

Yup, I bought some lenses with a money order.
Just ask for a US money order, and they do the conversion.
I would go to Canada Post rather than the bank, as Canada Post gives you almost the exact current exchange rate. They also charge much less for the money order than banks, usually around $6.

[Vinny454]

[quote]from my contract:

Foreign currency conversion fee: (when a transaction on your Visa Account is not in Canadian dollars) 2.5% of the transaction amount.
You do realize that when you do any foreign currency exchange, that everyone charges a percentage over and above the posted exchange rate? If they didn't then they would be providing a free service. Everyone is around the 2-2.5% over and above. Except Canada Post. They charge less of a percentage but also hit you with service charge for buying it.

I would go to Canada Post rather than the bank, as Canada Post gives you almost the exact current exchange rate. They also charge much less for the money order than banks, usually around $4.

I haven't purchased a money order for about a year, but the last time I did get one from Canada Post, I paid a $6 CDN service charge for a $25 US money order. They told me that the cost was based on the amount of the money order.

Vince

[DocFrankenstein]

Doddammit :evil:

Looks like BH doesn't accept money orders :evil:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=getpage.jsp&A=getpage&Q=shop.jsp

Payment Methods

Credit Cards: We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover. We do not accept Diner's Club, and cannot accept check or COD orders via the web site at this time.

PayPal: We will only ship to a PayPal confirmed address and the shipping address on our website must match the PayPal confirmed address. We will accept PayPal for USA customers only, for International customers please select another payment method.

[drisley]

I haven't purchased a money order for about a year, but the last time I did get one from Canada Post, I paid a $6 CDN service charge for a $25 US money order. They told me that the cost was based on the amount of the money order.
Vince

Nope, I get money orders from Canada Post all the time. They charge a flat rate or $3 for a cdn money order, and $6 for a us money order.
The banks around here charge alot more than that, plus their exchange rate is much worse than what can post charged.

[drisley]

BH accepts money orders.
It says nothing about not accepting them.
Their website is just not set up to accept COD or cheques.

If you call their 1-800 number, tell them what you want, they will send you a quote to print out and send with your money order.
I've done it.

[Vinny454]

I haven't purchased a money order for about a year, but the last time I did get one from Canada Post, I paid a $6 CDN service charge for a $25 US money order. They told me that the cost was based on the amount of the money order.
Vince

Nope, I get money orders from Canada Post all the time. They charge a flat rate or $3 for a cdn money order, and $6 for a us money order.
The banks around here charge alot more than that, plus their exchange rate is much worse than what can post charged.

Well the $6 was right. Maybe I am thinking of the banks having the variable service charges.

Vince

[drisley]

More than likely.
The banks have ridiculous service charges.
That is why I would rather not deal with them.

[DocFrankenstein]

BH accepts money orders.
It says nothing about not accepting them.
Their website is just not set up to accept COD or cheques.

If you call their 1-800 number, tell them what you want, they will send you a quote to print out and send with your money order.
I've done it.
Thank you so much. Seems like a money order is my only option right now, cause I'd max out my Visa if I order directly.

[Vinny454]

You still have one other option if you don't want the hassels of a money order.

You said you have a $1000 limit on your student Visa. So overpay your Visa!

EX. You want to buy $1200 worth of equipment and you have a $1000 limit and we will assume no balance. Go to your bank and put $250 on Visa just to be sure. As soon as the payment is processed, you will effectively have a Visa with a $1250 limit (a $1000 limit plus a credit of $250).

When I went on my honey moon in FLA, I only had a $2500 limit and no balance. So I made a $2000 payment to MC and then paid for everything with it as I had $4500 to play with. I hate the hassels of travellers checks and certainly do not want to carry that kind of cash around.

Vince

[DocFrankenstein]

I see :shock:

Is there a book for a FOB to read about this kind of stuff?

[aam1234]

No wonder our trade deficit is sooo bad

Hi Steven. Actually that will improve US's trade deficit.

[Vinny454]

I see :shock:

Is there a book for a FOB to read about this kind of stuff?

I was actually told that by MC. I called them up 2 weeks before my honey moon and asked if I could have a higher limit because of the trip.
They said not that much of an increase at that time. I said I have the cash to pay it right away, but I didn't want to carry that much cash with me. So she told me to put my card into a negative balance (they owe me money basically). The nifty things you learn with a simple phone call and a friendly service rep :D .

BTW what does FOB stand for?

Vince

[DocFrankenstein]

Fresh Off the Boat :lol:

[aam1234]

Fresh Off the Boat

Ha ha, good one :lol:

FOB = Free On Board. It means you pay for the merchandise only not freight. In other words, shipping is free.

[Persian-Rice]

I was under the assuption FOB was Fresh Of Boat..............
Well atleast in Toronto it's the case, everyone here is a FOB............

[aam1234]

I was under the assuption FOB was Fresh Of Boat

Really! then what does "Fresh Of Boat" mean.

[Perfect_10]

something 'fishy' there :lol:

[aam1234]

ha ha Perfect_10. Our Canadian friends are pulling our legs.

In any case, the opposite of FOB is C&F (sometimes CIF)

C&F = Cost & Freight. Meaning the buyer will pay for both the merchandise AND freight.

CIF= Same as above, but the buyer will pay for Insurance too. Buyer pays everything.