charge deposit

[etrader]

Hi, a friend asked me this question:-

Is it OK to charge and take a deposit (around 40%)on goods ordered on the Internet before the goods are dispatched.

I am refering to the UK here, he wants to take a deposit and then wait for the goods to be delivered to him before they are dispatched to the customer - around an 8week wait.

cheers

[Corey Bryant]

He needs to contact his MAP. Usually the answer would be no - you are not supposed to charge the card until the item is shipped. But you can do a pre-auth, although that usually only lasts a few days, depending on the issuing bank

-Corey

[Philip_M]

There is nothing to prevent a deposit being taken if the customer agrees. If the customer does not agree in a case where the goods are being obtained or made specially for him then you can decline the order, and indeed would probably be wise to do so.

[aleatrix]

Yes, our merchant account allows us to take deposits or down payments on certain kinds of orders. The only orders I do this on are those where the item or items are not in stock ready to ship or when the item is custom made for a particular customer. I ask for half down and the balance before shipping and have never had a problem.