Paying eBay Germany

Hi
I'm having trouble paying for a part I purchased on eBay Germany and I'm hoping someone here can help me understand how to pay him. It turns out the seller doesn't accept PayPal and wants a wire. That's not ideal, but the seller has a long eBay history with reasonable feedback. And since it's only about US$200, I'm ok with that. But, he hasn't given me the necessary info to send him the money. Something is getting lost in translation. Anybody have any advice ? Here is his last eBay message to me:

hallo,
ich habe kein paypal.
die bankdaten habe ihnen mitgeteilt ( IBAN und BIC )

gruß
stefanie

To send an international wire you'll need a SWIFT code and account number, but the costs of doing so will be high unless you are a member of a private bank or otherwise get free wires. Unless that is the case I would recommend something like Western Union or even sending a check drawn on a US back and just telling them not to send until the check clears.

Here's Google Translate telling me how to say that you need a SWIFT code and account number (as well as name and address) in German.

Ich bin glücklich, einen Draht zu schicken, aber ich brauche Ihre Swift-Code und Kontonummer (sowie Name ihre Bank, ihre Name und Adresse), um Geld in dieser Weise zu senden.

Disclaimer: it's been years since I lived in Germany and adjectival agreement was never my strong suit.

David said:

Here is his last eBay message to me:

hallo,
ich habe kein paypal.
die bankdaten habe ihnen mitgeteilt ( IBAN und BIC )

gruß
stefanie

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Stefanie is telling you that she gave you the IBAN (= International Bank Account Number) and the BIC (= Bank Identifier Code), so you should have it.
Your bank will need these numbers to execute the transfer.

When you go to the Pay Now (jetzt bezahlen) on your eBay account, it should open a screen with the IBAN and BIC numbers as well as real name and address of the seller.

Be ready to pay $25 to $50 in bank fees and be ready for Stefanie to get back to you saying that she did not get the full 200 Euros because any intermediate bank as well as Stefanie's bank will deduct a fee from the amount transferred.

If you really trust Stefanie, consider sending cash (Euros). It's cheaper, but if you do not trust Stefanie or the mail service, it can be very expensive !

Hope this helps.

Last time I did a transfer I used Xoom. Don't tell them you are buying something, tell them it's money for a friend or family member. Also look into Xendpay, similar service but one may be better than the other now since it's been a while since I used either. You'll need seller's email and bank info.

I've used xoom.com. Very inexpensive and convenient.

Thanks guys. I had to look closer to find his IBAN and BIC on eBay.

Luis A. said:

I've used xoom.com. Very inexpensive and convenient.

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For those who send money abroad to pay for stuff:

TransferWise saves you about 4% over Xoom

https://transferwise.com/us