Has anyone actually tried to send money via International Money Order (mentioned on the order forms) rather than cash? If so, and it was successful, are they available from the Post Office?
I've sent an IMO (not in ninjutsu) for my TKD black belt grading to the ITF and it was from my local bank
Thanks for the info on getting IMO's at banks. Now what I need to know is if the Bujinkan hombu office will accept these still or just return it.
Yes, I've done that twice now. I got them from my US post office and sent them. However, if anything on it is illegible or otherwise incorrect, the Japanese bank will not cash them and honbu will have to return it to you. So just be careful and get it right and you'll be fine.
Just out of curiosity... what sort of fee's are your American banks charging you to send money in this form?
International money orders are purchased through the post office, not a bank, in the US. So no bank fees. I think for a $200 order I only paid a couple dollars. Aric
Worth noting the Kyojutsu of fees when sending money in different currencies, it is not the fee that is the issue but the underlying exchange rate given... that is where the bank makes their profit.
In most cases, the post office doesn't charge a commission and uses the published "market rate." Of course there's always some profit built in- it's a service, after all. http://www.postoffice.co.uk/travel/travel-money/travel-money-tips/exchange-rate-calculator On the receiver's end, it will need to be cashed out for yen, which means the bank will collect a commission for conversion. This is why it's a nice idea to "round up" and pad a couple dollars to cover the likely fees.
Interesting. Yes I seem to remember money orders from the post office when I lived in the US. Here in Hong Kong they're generally not used.... come to think of it they're not even available... most people use a wire transfer or telephone transfer of sorts. Lacking that they go Western Union. All of which charge a fee. Anywho... thanks for the response.