An unusual payment offer from central Asia

A native of Kazakhstan ran across my website this morning and wished to order the three e-books for $49. However, he disliked our arrangement to process credit cards through PayPal and asked if there was any other way to order.

I assured him that I take many orders by mail and it is even cheaper that way. He said, “No, that doesn't work well for me as I don't order anything via mail. It is quite unreliable in my part of the world and generally I don't write checks or use money orders.” Also, he wished to receive the three e-books as soon as possible.

“Allow me,” he wrote, “to offer you to buy anything from Amazon.com for the total amount of 50 dollars, and send to any person/address you provide at my own expense.”

As it happened, Jason, a friend of mine in Washington, needed a couple of those Door Security Bars from Trademark Global, so my Kazakhstan reader ordered them to be sent to Jason. Price was $19.90 each, with free shipping. The total came to $39.90—close enough to the $40 I charge for when an order for the three best-selling e-books is mailed in.

Lesson learned:

If you need to receive payment from someone in a hurry, but are not equipped to receive credit card payments, why not have this person order something you need from Amazon.com? After all, Amazon doesn’t just sell books—they sell most anything you might need.