I've been buying a few coins from European dealers lately and I'm still having a hard time deciding what is the fastest and most cost effecient way to pay in Euros. I do not have a "international" bank in my area and have used in the past my Mastercard (with a 3.5% surcharge), Travelers checks in Euros (with a outrageous bank charge), and one firm let me send US $$. Any help would be greatly appreciated
When I have used my Visa or Mastercard in Japan and in Europe the exchange rate has always been more favorable than I could have gotten at my hotel, or any local bank. They have generally used the million-dollar bank-to-bank rate with a very small surcharge. The best solution I've found, when the seller doesn't take Paypal or credit cards directly, is to have a friend in Europe pay by check or bank transfer, and sending him the price in Euros through Paypal.
The best way is to pay via credit card - I know 3.5% sounds a lot but either ways, all other transactions besides cold hard cash does have their own transaction fees. I mean, unless you do a transaction over 10,000USD+ easily, other payment methods seem to be a lot more expensive. And there is a reason why credit card companies survive so strongly... because no other methods can really beat their competitiveness... I guess what Roy said would be the most ideal solution.
