iemanja - 2:48 pm on Aug 9, 2008 (gmt 0)

about the cargo company used:

I'm Filipino and the reason that Filipinos purchasing goods from the US are having these items sent over through cargo forwarders is because cargo to the Philippines - fondly called "balikbayan boxes" comes out way cheaper at between $50 to $90 measuring as big as 24"x18"x24" - this way, it comes out as consolidated shipment and these boxes normally get through customs without a problem (no import tax most of the time) unless it is packed full of electronic goods. not having to pay import taxes on the goods makes these cargo companies a popular delivery option even if you have to wait a few weeks for the item to arrive.

about using credit cards for electronics purchase:

maybe a little late in helping you with the situation but should anyone else encounter a purchase from the Philippines, there are legit purchases out there. my friend has purchased both his high-end camera and laptop online from u.s. online retailers and had them shipped in a similar manner - shipped to a u.s. friend or relative's address and let them ship it through a cargo forwarder. but then again, those retailers might have used credit card verification services.

about requiring documents:

yes, that might help and your customer might not mind it a bit if you asked him nicely about it and explained the situation. it may help you a little in terms of knowing that the customer's valid ID is consistent with credit card name and that the customer has possession of the credit card.

getting in contact with the credit card company:

emailing our local bank's customer service department would usually result in a reply a week late even when they say they will reply to your inquiry within 24 hours. so it won't help you in time.

as for verification, i wont be much help but this much i can tell you:

two of my siblings operate an online gift shop ( overseas customers - mostly u.s. residents sending items to Filipino beneficiaries ) and are just as annoyed when chargebacks happen. They use 2CO and CCNOW and both processors are able to verify local credit cards when within-the-country purchases are made. There are also U.S merchants who have had good experience with Philippine customers - they obviously have no problem verifying our Philippine issued credit cards. So you might want to do a little research on how they have verified and approved transactions made by foreign issued credit cards.