Can extranjeros open a Mercado Pago account

[TAJ]

To register for a Mercado Pago account it seems you need a DNI. Does anyone know of any other way to create an account as a foreigner without a DNI?

 

[Ries]

Nope. Not until you get a DNI.

 

[Rich One]

Perhap, use a MP account from a friend, then arrange delivery near you and pay cash at Pago Facil. Precaria will do.

 

[steveinbsas]

Perhap, use a MP account from a friend, then arrange delivery near you and pay cash at Pago Facil. Precaria will do.

Based on personal experience, the "friend" with a Mercado Libre account should be able to have any items you buy sent directly to you (in your name and to your address), provided they enter your information when they make the purchase, which as Rich indicates, you can pay for in cash at Pago Facil.

When accepting the package, even if you don't have a DNI or a precaria, you should be able to show your passport to the driver and sign for the delivery, Same goes if the friend indicates (at the time of the purchase) that you will pick up a package in person at a surcusal of OCA, Andriani, Correo Argentino, etc. One of my neighbors has had several packages sent to my house (in my name) and there has never been a problem.

 

[steveinbsas]

Addtional info:

If you do not pay for the item(s) within the allowed time period the "sale" will be cancelled and the purchase will have to be repeated.

There is also the possibility that another individual could buy the item, paying for it immediately on line, thereby nullifying your ability to pay.

If the item is not picked up within the allowed time at a surcusal (30 days for OCA, 5 days for Correo Argentina) the item will be returned and the payment will be immediatley credited to the friend's Mercado Pago account...no questions asked. It is also possible to simply refuse to acept the deliver and a full refund (including shipping costs) will promptly be credited to the friend's Mercado Pago account.

If it is necessary to return the item (for any reason), the friend would have to intitiate a reclamo (easy to do online) and, once accepted by Mercado Libre, a shipping label would have to be printed. The item would have to be repackaged and taken (almost always to a sucursal of Corro Argentina) to be returned to the seller...at no cost to the buyer if the original shipment was made using Mercado Envios!

It is very easy to download the shipping label to a cell phone. The friend could do this and send it to the buyer by WhatsApp. The buyer could go to almost any kiosko with a printer and a WhatsApp number to have the label printed. That's what I always do, as I don't have a printer.

Full credit will be made to the buyer's Mercado Pago account as soon as it is entered into the system (almost always within an hour) at the post office.

The friend would then have those funds in their account which could be applied toward future purchases if desired.

In the past ten years I have made a number of reclamos (about 30 out of over 1000 purchases) using Mercado Libre and every one of thm has been approved (decided in my favor) by Mercado Libre.

I have never been stuck with an item that was damaged during the shipment or an item (new or used) that did not live up to my expectations.

If an item is damaged during the shipping it will be necessary to submit photos when making the reclamo. When I receive a package that has fragile items, any apparent damage or appears to be "insufficiently" wrapped, I take photos of the package (including a close up of the shipping label) before I begin to unwrap the package. On several occasions I am sure this made my reclamo "unquestionable" as the photos spoke for theselves.

PS: As alwyas, I hope other members with additional information will add to what I have posted.

 

[jblaze5779]

You can't do anything online here without a DNI

 

[carride]

To register for a Mercado Pago account it seems you need a DNI. Does anyone know of any other way to create an account as a foreigner without a DNI?

There are some online sites who sell online without using MercadoLibre or their hosted platform at MercadoShops. Either completely independent, or more common are those using the TiendaNube platform. I have found that these independent sites have the ability to change the billing country, and when you do you can enter another ID such as a passport (which is never verified except for delivery, if even)

When you pay, you can use your USA CC and take the exchange rate hit not being blue, or an option for Efectivo via PagoFacil. Some sites may process directly through some independent payment platform, though many will only using MercadoPago for payment processing; choose this and finally choose efectivo and then PagoFacil or RapiPago... then go to one of these offices with the barcode number they give to pay in cash (as @steveinbsas and @Rich One explain above). Before I had my DNI this is what I did sometimes.

It will take some googling for the product you want to find from an independent. A search using the NOT parameter in google which is the dash “-” will help to not give results from mercado libre. Example “-site:mercadolibre cafe granos” shows me sites, the first being https://revcoffeeroasters.com/ I tested here though failed to complete the final step, maybe because my MercadoPago cookies are in my browser.

Every site will be different. you may be able to email them asking them to generate a PagilFacil transaction without MercadoPago in the middle. Last option will be able to do a bank transfer to their CVU. Either asking a friend to transfer for you, or do it at the sellers banks ATM-like machines that only do deposits, which I did once as a tourist 15 years ago to pay my rent.

Google search options explained : https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433?hl=en

 

[carride]

Forgive me, I got ahead of myself, mixing up mercadolibre with mercadoPago. Regardless my answer does include how to make some payments without a MercadoPago account. I clarify further, that even if someone asks you to pay using MercadoPago, you do not always need to have a MercadoPago account. For business type transactions, and perhaps more, when they give you a MercadoPago link or similar. In these cases MecadoPago acts only as a clearing house ACH, accepting many methods of payment, including a foreign credit card, and also those other efectivo and CVU/CBU bank transfer which both can be completed with cash at a PagoFacil Office. Without a DNI. CBU/CVUTransfer using PagoFacil has a small % fee.

So ignore my answers if one reason you want a MercadoPago account is to keep a saldo balance to make payments similar to how you might with PayPal or Venmo balances In the USA. Though if you need to make a payment with or without MercadoPago as the ACH, there are options.

 

[TAJ]

Thanks all, it's what I presumed.

 

[TAJ]

So ignore my answers if one reason you want a MercadoPago account is to keep a saldo balance to make payments similar to how you might with PayPal or Venmo balances In the USA. Though if you need to make a payment with or without MercadoPago as the ACH, there are options.

This is exactly what I am trying to do.
Ordering via Mercado Libre isn't the issue, I was looking for a way to pay for things without needing to go out with stacks of cash, or resorting to a US credit/debit card which is absurd.
Are you saying there is a way to load up cash and pay for things without having an account?