[Magic77]

I would like to ask USA owners of the Corda Headamp: What is the best way to order from Meier-Audio; Directly, PayPal, Credit Card?

Also; am I right that the price of the assembled Corda Headamp is $345 US Dollars, S&H included?

I'd just like to know other USA owner's experiences with ordering from Meier-Audio. Thanks.

 

[kelly]

It seems that Meier's partner adds a 6% surcharge for Paypal orders and this is the only way you can pay by credit card. I paid by c2it last time which deducted directly from my bank account--I'm not sure what the percentage he charges for that is, exactly. These are the only ways to order and get immediate shipping. Shipments seem to arrive here (I'm in Dallas, TX) in exactly 7 days after shipping.

You can send an international money order directly to Meier but getting that money order will cost you a few dollars too and you'll have to wait for it to arrive before he ships the amp.

I like Meier a lot and I'm a big fan of small business owners in general, but I do look forward to him getting enough business to justify an easier means of payment.

 

[elnero]

c2it???

 

[antness]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe the surcharge for using paypal is 2.9%. However, when businesses accept credit cards directly on their website, I believe there is almost always a transaction fee of about 2.5% charged to the vendor. In some cases, there is a flat fee as well, I think maybe with American Express.

If Meier were to accept credit cards this way, he'd just have to jack his prices up 3% to make up for the transaction fee. This is probably what any retail business does. Ever go to a store, try to use a credit card, and they ask you to pay extra? Didn't think so. If you're ever pissed off at a store - let's say Best Buy

- go there and keep buying a Pepsi with an American Express. They'll love you, I think they get charged $1.50 for the transaction and you pay 50 cents for the Pepsi

 

[dgs]

I sent him a money order--no problems at all. He notified me by email when he got it and when he sent the amp. Great product, great guy, and definitely worth the wait (IMO).

 

[kelly]

c2it is a strange little service that is like paypal. They also do international money orders and such so it is sometimes worth having an account with them.

Antness
I agree that it seems like it would be worth Meier's money to do that but since he's based in Germany the taxes and such might be more complicated. The 6% I think is paypal's 3% plus Meier's partner's 3% handling fee.

 

[FCJ]

c2it is a service like PayPal that is run by Citibank. You can either link your credit card or your bank account to the account. For my last Meier order (Beyer 831s), I used c2it. Using c2it, I believe, there was no additional fee.

Ordering from Meier is extremely easy. Jan responds super-quickly (even on the weekends!) and ships once he receives payment (in the US, you actually pay his US rep, Alex. This gets done through additional email contact with Alex). My experience on both orders (the Beyers and the Corda Amp) has been extremely positive. It's taken exactly two weeks, though, for the orders to reach me.

 

[kelly]

FCJ
Odd. There was a $5 fee when I used c2it but I didn't know if this was a flat fee or a percentage.

 

[Number9]

Jan is great to do business with.

I have paid by Money Order. Visa does not give me a great exchange rate, and being a preferred customer at my bank, I incur no charges for money orders.

Jan has even shipped prior to receiving my payment in the mail because he knows me as a repeat customer. Hats off to someone like that - someone who you can trust, and trusts you too!

In a small community like this, Jan would be toast if negative comments would appear. Word spreads fast. Jan seems to go out of his way to be accomodating.

Two weeks typical for receiving things from Germany.

 

[kelly]

Two weeks to Canada? Damn. You ought to move to a first world industrialized country.

Anyway, I agree. Whatever minor inconvenience the payment stuff is, Jan is always awesome to deal with.

 

[TripsRight]

Regarding my experience ordering an HA-1 from Jan in September, I paid by PayPal, and the surcharge was about 5% of the price. Shipping to the Washington, D.C., area took exactly 13 days.

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly FCJ Odd. There was a $5 fee when I used c2it but I didn't know if this was a flat fee or a percentage.

You may be right--I'd have to check. I also wonder if the fee is different if you use a credit card versus a bank account. In either case, the c2it fee is substantially lower than Paypal. Enough so that I opened up a c2it account just to order the Beyers.

Jan also shipped the Beyers to me before I sent payment to Alex because I was a repeat customer. He's a great guy and his service is superior.

 

[andrzejpw]

Question: doesn't paypal disallow charging for its services? I don't want Jan to get in trouble here. . .

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by andrzejpw Question: doesn't paypal disallow charging for its services? I don't want Jan to get in trouble here. . .

Andrze
I think its more a matte of being charged something no matter how Alex gets a payment to Jan for you.

FCJ
The $5 surcharge I'm referring to was what Alex asked me to add to my payment, not something c2it charged me.

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly FCJ The $5 surcharge I'm referring to was what Alex asked me to add to my payment, not something c2it charged me.

You're right, it's based on what Alex adds not c2it (although Alex adds it as a direct result of the fee he's charged).

Again, in either case c2it will result in a lower fee if you order from Jan than will PayPal.