Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics
We have this very handy feature on our credit card gateway, that sends us a message if the IP address (which indicates the geographic location of where the order was placed) does not agree with the shipping address. So we should be protected from the situation where someone is ordering from Nigeria, using a stolen credit card, and asking us to ship to someone in the US who will (foolishly!) then ship the goods overseas.
Yes, most international businesses have this as well. And it is aggravating for those of us who have to or desire to order from non-US companies. I purchase alot of English products and it is a huge pain because even though I may be using a non-US card with a UK shipping address they still won't accept it because my IP is in America. I can totally understand from the merchant's perspective the substantial need for this feature. It is just a shame that, again, some bad apples have to spoil it for the rest of us.
Good for you, though, for being willing to put in the extra time and effort (and expense) to deal with and ship to international customers! I've been keeping a little list of merchants (both quilting and otherwise) that are willing to work with those not in the US. I know it will come in handy when we finally make our move.