#1

Within the last two days I have had two money transfer accounts closed (Wise.com and Xe.com). The reasons are not specific, but the very long explanation from Xe.com did mention the possibility of money laundering as one of their reasons for closing accounts. The list they provided covers a vast number of reasons without specifically noting one or the other. And, apparently, there is no recourse and no one or no way to appeal. Wise was a bit more specific by noting their policy number that I believe has to do with the purchase of medicines. Wise has an appeals process, but so far it is cumbersome and may take months … LOL! What’s the precise problem? Well, the transation I attempted was with Niba Healthcare which uses the Kotak Mahindra Bank. Is money laundering suspected with Kotak Mahindra Bank or is there a problem purchasing from Niba or is it something else? I don’t know.

Finally, one other thought occurs to me: What if I was blackballed by the first company that closed my account meaning they told all the other money transfer companies not to deal with Jay! OH NO!!! I hope it’s not that! So, I guess this is a “be cautious” message because both closures were without warning or much explanation.

Has anyone else had this experience?

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#2

Wise did not close my account, but Xe did. I think it is a problem with this particular bank. I have not had this problem from other vendors using a different bank. I would suggest looking into an ACH transfer from your bank. It is absolutely the cheapest method, my bank, actually a credit union, does not charge me for this service. The only downside is that it takes a few days longer to clear. ACH is also the safest method because you are not exposed to anyone accessing your account or credit card.

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#3

Had the same thing happen with World Remit.

#4

As an alternative to Indiamart there are the big “one-stop” shops like Alldaychemist.com and Buy-pharma.md. They’ve both been around for decades.
I believe buy-pharma.md has the largest selection of non-scheduled pharmaceuticals on the web. They accept Mastercard and Bitcoin. After ordering you click a link from your email to chat with their billing team and verify. Alldaychemist no longer accepts credit cards, but allows Bitcoin.

One of the issues with Indiamart is that they sell some medications that are scheduled in the US. For example, some people might not be aware that most sleeping pills (like Ambien) are scheduled, and they place orders.

But the one-stop shops allow you to avoid the international wire transfers if you need to.

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#5

Except that it is more expensive and requires a prescription.

#6

I signed up with Wise to make payments to India and they refused to transfer money to a reputable seller (who I eventually bought from successfully). I believe they have red-flagged all health pharmacy companies, but they would neither confirm or deny it.
If you look at their reputation on Trustpilot.com it is quite bad. I did leave my negative factual review on that site. Wise has not closed my account yet, but I would be very wary of using them anymore.

1 Like
#7

You don’t need a prescription for either Buy-pharma.md or Alldaychemist. Alldaychemist has a field to provide such information, but it’s optional.

Whether it costs more depends on what you’re buying. Rapamycin itself can be found for less on Indiamart. But, for example, I buy Pimobendan for a dog. It’s substantially less on buy-pharma than anywhere on Indiamart.

#8

Thanks for the info

Both Buy-pharma.md and Alldaychemist are more expensive for the same brand of sirolimus that I am buying from India. However, it is a good alternative for those willing to pay a little more without the hassle of international money transfers.

Rapamycin from India is approx. .80$/1mg while Alldaychemist is 2.92$/1mg.
and they don’t have Jardience/empagliflozin at least not that I can find.

They actually do have a cheaper price than I am paying for the same brand of Acarbose that I am buying from India when you include the price for shipping from India.

Buy-pharma.md has Jardience/empagliflozin at a reasonable price, but still more expensive than India for the same brand.

I get Sildenafil a vastly cheaper from India. 600/50mg tablets for $55

Always good to price check for a particular medication.

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2 Likes
#9

Looks like Wise doesn’t allow transactions for pharmaceuticals, under 1.2.1.g. Seems they are just now finally checking and suspending accounts.

I haven’t tried to buy anything lately, so haven’t been impacted yet. I have been worried that something like this would happen.

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#10

Section 1.2.1.g is specific to the Wise Debit Card.

#11

I think it’s the opposite, it says that it does not apply to the debit card

The restrictions below do not apply to lawful transactions using the Wise Card. For more information on the acceptable use of the Wise Card, please see the Wise Card Supplement to the Customer Agreement.

#12

You’re right. I misread it.

#13

I’ve tried several vendors with Niba to no effect. I started using another pharmacy and am using Revolut. It has worked fine.

1 Like
#14

Were your accounts (wise for example) closed as a result of trying to use Niba Healthcare/Kotak bank? What is special about Niba that you chose to stick with it despite the transfer issues? There are so many vendors that have the same/similar pricing, why not just switch to a different vendor?

Just trying to figure out if Wise and others are locking accounts due to ordering pharmaceuticals, or if it is indeed just this vendor/bank.

#15

The accounts weren’t closed, my transfers just kept getting rejected. Wise rejected it, then Revolut rejected it. I contacted Niba and they said no one else was reporting it. So, I used Revolut with another pharmacy and it went through no problem. I just liked Niba and had ordered with them for quite some time, so I wanted to exhaust all options before switching to another vendor.

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#16

Having had the same problems I switched to using an ACH transfer from my bank. I really don’t see why people don’t use this method. The only drawback I see, and it is minor, is it takes from 3 to 5 working days. Actually, my bank is a credit union and they ask no questions about the transfer. In my opinion, this is the safest method as your name and transaction are not exposed to a third party and there is no credit card exposure. Has anyone else tried this method?

5 Likes
#17

My wife has worked for a bank for 20 years and deals with the ACH transfers all the time (she works in the data management side and monitors them). She doesn’t want me using it because she said (at least for overseas) it’s not as safe. It’s like any other information in that it’s vulnerable. I use Revolut because I can prepay the card and if someone hacks it there’s nothing to get. I may be overcautious in that regard, but “happy wife, happy life”.

3 Likes
#18

It’s odd to me that your wife would say that as all of the information I have indicate that ACH transfers are the safest.

“ACH payments go through a clearinghouse that enforces rules and regulations while keeping account numbers confidential. Because of this, ACH payments are more secure than other forms of payment. Paper checks that pass through multiple hands, clearly display bank details and are too often lost or stolen.”
What are the advantages of ACH payments and are they safe? - Melio Blog.

#19

My contact from IndiaMart allows me to use Paypal for a 10% surcharge.

2 Likes
#20

Brimstone, I don’t currently use ACH transfers from my bank account, but I did set up a secondary bank account with a small amount of funds that I replenish from time to time. The purpose of the small bank account is for transferring money into a money transfer account with Wells Fargo for overseas purchases. However, if I wanted to do ACH transfers I assume this small bank account alone would be vulnerable (not my larger bank account) if I used it for ACH transfers. Any thoughts on this?