Valuable Argentine Goods In Us (Peso Exchange Workaround)

[Davidglen77]

Davidglen, aren't PayPal payments on a local cc
1) subject to 15% let's-call-it-anything-but-a-tax?
2) subject to full govt scrutiny?

Yes, paypal payments would be subject to a 15% surcharge by the government, and that brings the rate to about $5,50:1, plus a 2% fee by paypal. That's why I suggested a rate of about 6:1.
In terms of full government scrutiny, I guess if you are audited you may have to explain if it's a really large purchase, however if it's done infrequently nothing will happen.
And it does work, I've tried it. You´ll need someone with a credit card drawn on an Argentine bank, and since the credit limit is calculated in pesos, for them to credit you any good sum of dollars they would need a fairly high limit in pesos. Figure at 6:1, for them to credit you $1000 U$D, with the PayPal surcharge they would eat up $6120 of their credit limit, just temporarily of course until they paid off the balance. And it must be done with a CREDIT CARD not a DEBIT CARD even if the debit card has a VISA emblem on it, it won't work.

 

[mrporoto]

Viagra is cheap here without having a script.

 

[jakeseifert]

Dear all,

I think I've decided against buying goods... it seemed like a good idea at first, but I'm afraid I'll get stuck with a bunch of Argentina-made junk... and it kind of seems to me that everything Argentina-made is junk.

The Paypal thing is an option, as I already have a Paypal account in the US, and I know someone with a credit limit that's pretty high. I'd only be worried about the tax liability issue. Is it really that big an issue given that I'd be screwing over the Argentine government and not the US one? I doubt the IRS cares much about Kristina's systematic effort to undermine the greenback.

 

[ElQueso]

...And it must be done with a CREDIT CARD not a DEBIT CARD even if the debit card has a VISA emblem on it, it won't work.

Is this something that only does not work with Paypal? I ask, because I've commented a few times when people have said that the debit card from a bank here doesn't work for online purchases or internationally, but there are two different debit cards that are given out here. The first one given upon opening an account does NOT work, true, but once one has progressed on to a checking account (which anyone who has a caja de ahorro can eventually get with good history, at least at Santander Rio) you get a real Visa debit card that does work for online and international purchases.