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Posted by kiwiroo1212 on 19-Dec-2008 12:37 Report
help how much does a bank cheque cost to send?

Hi everyone..Okay just wanted to ask how much does it cost to send a bank cheque..Am i right in thinking its around $20+??

I ask as i have had a buyer( a newbie) tell me they have just sent me a cheque off today but i have a feeling its a personal cheque not a bank one- it wouldnt  be worth it on what they have purchased if thats the price they cost.

What do i do? I have emailed for confirmation and am waiting to hear back from them but if its a personal one what happens i dont and never would accept a personal cheque from someone one i didnt know for fear of it bouncing.

Your thoughts and ideas please on how to handle this situation-If it is a personal cheque do i send it back to them or rip it up or what?

Thank you
Kiwi
 
Replied by lifemagician on 19-Dec-2008 12:45 (Ref 1541759) Report

As far as I know, it costs 55cents to send the cheque.... have no idea how much it costs to buy it at the bank.

However, if you receive a personal cheque, just send it back as not acceptable... your terms are clear... just stick to them.

BTW... are you aware that bank cheques can bounce as well.   It is possible to put a stop on a bank cheque

Lifey who would not accept bank cheques either
Replied by legsinau on 19-Dec-2008 12:45 (Ref 1541761) Report
Hi Kiwi, I don't think it's quite that much...........I would say about $10
Replied by blacknwhite on 19-Dec-2008 12:51 (Ref 1541771) Report
ANZ charge $10 for a bank cheque.
Problem with accepting a personal cheque is that if it bounches your bank will charge you a dishonour fee which could be anything from $15 - $20. I'm loathe to accept personal cheques, in fact I would'nt accept a personal cheque.

Did you tick in your sale ad that you would accept a personal cheque in the payment options?
Replied by nonswimmingturtle on 19-Dec-2008 12:52 (Ref 1541772) Report
If your TOS clearly say NO personal cheques than you can send it back, and email them through the Oztion system only and let them know that,  I have it in my TOS no cheques and received one with the story that it was their only methiod of payment, credit cards stolen, etc, etc.......stupedly enough, I deposited the cheque and it bounced, I got lunbered with a fee of (at that time) $9.00. I think it is a lot more now, and the  sender also cops a fee as well,  needless to say they wouldnt pay my fee.

Dont take the risk.......not worth the hassles. Not when they can go to any bank and deposit money to your account



.
Replied by wordz3175 on 19-Dec-2008 12:53 (Ref 1541773) Report
If it is a personal cheque,you have a couple of options.a) Bank the cheque and wait until it clears before you send the purchased item(unless of course your bank charges you to cash a cheque).b) you do a mutual cancellation,if they do not want to pay any other way.Personal I can not see what is wrong with a personal cheque,I would just not send anyone anything until it had cleared into my bank account.However if your TOS states no personal cheques then you have every right to refuse to accept it.
EDIT- I have never been charged to either write a cheque against my bank account or to deposit one into my account from someone else.
Replied by agk2000 on 19-Dec-2008 13:17 (Ref 1541802) Report
I have accepted personal cheques even though its not listed as an accepted method of payment. However, I do not post purchase till the cheque clears.
Replied by lifemagician on 19-Dec-2008 13:42 (Ref 1541831) Report

wordz3175 the biggest problem with personal cheques (and bank cheques for that matter) is when they bounce, for any reason what-so-ever.   I know my bank charges somewhere between $35 and $50 for a cheque which was deposited into my account, and subsequently dishonoured.

A cost I cannot afford.
Replied by wundergurl on 19-Dec-2008 13:43 (Ref 1541832) Report
 
Replied by musk on 19-Dec-2008 13:44 (Ref 1541835) Report
 I do not offer cheques as an option of payment either  for the same reason. I was warned about bouncing cheques fees!
BUT I would check their feedback and if it is very good I would trust them. Is it worth losing a sale over?  If it is then fine but if they have little or no feedback why not ask them to deposit straight into your account at their nearest branch. I have had to send personal cheques myself in the past ( but I always check with the seller first and always say you are welcome to wait till it clears) when I have bought things as I had no other way of paying as yes our bank cheques are $10 a pop. Then I realised I could deposit straight into their bank account by going to a branch of the same bank (assuming they are with a big bank as I have branches of most near me).
This is why I offer buyers the option of paying by stamps for amounts upto $10 as it saves them fees and I can reuse the stamps for postage of other items. A money order fee is over $3 so its not worth it on a item only selling for a few dollars either. I personally would rather have the sale and work out a better way they can pay for it.
Also you may discover all is OK and they can get free bank cheques from their account eg if they are a pensioner.
Replied by lifemagician on 19-Dec-2008 13:54 (Ref 1541849) Report

wundergurl that is something which I am not going to post on a public forum, especially not on an auction site.

I was astounded to learn it during my short period of employment with my bank.   But those in the know will use it to rip you off.

Most - though not all - banks will not clear funds from bank cheques instantly.
Replied by wundergurl on 19-Dec-2008 14:07 (Ref 1541858) Report
I removed it as I gues you know something I dont whats wrong with what I wrote? Im lost on that one
Replied by issabella10 on 19-Dec-2008 14:12 (Ref 1541863) Report
Interestingly enough , just today I received communication from NAB to changes within their policies , under Bank Cheques I found this

 Bank Cheque Policies 7.1.12 ( only showing relevant parts off)

" Bank Cheques are cheques instructing payment from the Bank itself rather then from a customers account. "

they can be cancelled if;

"(f) the Bank has not received payment or value for the issue of the Bank Cheque."

"Bank Cheques can be cancelled and should not be regarded as being equivalent to cash."

a bit of useless info is NAB the worst Bank for changing their Policies all the time ? I don't get anything like this from another Bank yet NAB make at least several changes a year  .
Replied by platypuscrafts on 19-Dec-2008 14:40 (Ref 1541879) Report
I had a buyer, no communication until a NPB dispute then claimed they had paid. My terms are Internet bank deposit, Paymate or money order and no payment appeared by the time the dispute time was up so I closed and left appropriate feedback. Then a personal cheque turned up and postmarked the day after they said they had already paid. I emailed them to say it was not an acceptable payment method to me and that I had ripped it up and they could cancel their end if they wanted to.

Cheques are too risky and can cost you heaps if they bounce. There are plenty of safer ways for buyers to pay...and they agree to buy on your terms so they shouldn't make their own terms to suit themselves and expect the seller to agree. I have been stung by dishonour fees from buyers before and its no fun. I am more than happy to work out a solution with a buyer if they communicate but I don't think its fair for them to decide to change the TOS without mutual agreement.

In your situation the cheque may be okay and its your choice whether you take the risk or not but it would be a real dampner on Christmas if it bounces and you get hit with a fee.
Replied by kiwiroo1212 on 19-Dec-2008 15:11 (Ref 1541906) Report

Thank you everyone.

I didnt know (silly me) that bank cheques could bounce as well Im going to revise my listings now.

Thanks again to everyone that's posted..fingers crossed it gets sorted..:-)

Merry Christmas to you all

Kiwi
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