It’s been a while since I ventured out into the wilds of the internet to do some shopping, but there are things I need to buy for Christmas. Apparently there have been some changes out there.
For starters, a lot of more of those little US stores have started shopping overseas. Yay, they have finally recognised that the rest of the world exists (and more importantly some countries still have spending habits).
Sadly most of them use PayPal for their credit card transactions. GRRRRR. I realise now, most of my online ordering has been through places like Amazon and major (and not so major magazine sites) which all have fairly sophisticated pay processes in place. PayPal and I – not friends. For starters my main mailing address is a GPO Box- for a few reasons, including a lack of trust in the ability of our local (franchised) post office in the last place we lived, the fact that we do keep moving and the painfulness of doing postal redirects. Oh, and the fact that a GPO box is more secure.
PayPal does not accept PO boxes as valid mailing addresses! WHY? No idea, although a colleague of mine pointed out that it may be a result of anti-money laundering/counter terrorism financing laws. (it could be, this sounds very much like a genius restriction from the regulators- people with no idea how the real world works) Still trying to come to terms with the fact that my bank(s) accept the risk, but not Pay Pal. I gather this is a bit of US thing, because another vendor is refusing to send me shoes to a PO box. Hmm guess I will have to go pay actual retail for them then, I am not impressed by the home delivery is more secure waffle, when I am more than aware that it isn’t. And the PO box address- not sure how secure that is when it is very easy to feed a fake address of 123 fake street into the computer, and have it be accepted.
Still, it is frustrating that a major provider of a needed service on the net is so limited in how it approaches the options,and it is a little late to get a start up going. Anyway, once I get the things I ordered (both retailers are delivering to the PO box) I think I am going to make it a policy not to shop with providers who don’t offer an alternative to PayPal- even ebay is required to do so- they got in a major fight with the regulator over trying to restrict customers to paypal in Australia a few years ago- yay for the ACCC.
I should add that my alternate options to PO box delivery are limited- my family also has po boxes, my work office moves in less than two weeks (the other option) and my husband’s work is not really an option unless I want to order it delivered in his name (and isn’t that a bigger securty risk name not matching on CCard and delivery name?)
