mystery of across border purchasing

[garyyoung]

i live in china but a friend in south africa wants me to buy and mail computer hardware for him. how do i go about it? he needs to send me the money but in south africa you can only buy dollars on proving that you have a passport to travel and a valid air ticket. If by debit card what is the procedure? i dont know how these things work. thank you

[marmalade]

Is your only bank account in China? Your friend should be able to deposit an international money transfer into your account (these work for money transfers between countries) via their own bank they just need to have all your bank details to do it. Alternatively if you have an international credit card e.g. visa your friend can depoist money onto your card if you give him your card details. Don't send dollars in cash through the post as you can easily lose them or they can be stolen, its not worth the risk.