2-steps to get a text when someone from Trade Me pays you

Trade Me

Providing awesome customer service to buyers on Trade Me involves being super responsive. One way to help with this is to set up a text that’s sent to you by your bank when a buyer pays you so you know you can ship an item. Follow the two easy steps below to do that – they should work with all banks.

1) Set up a separate bank account for Trade Me payments to go into.

You should be able to do this through your bank’s online banking.

Keep in mind you don’t have control over how money is deposited into your account and in-branch or manual deposits might cost you – consider using an online savings account to avoid fees. Generally banks will stop buyers from depositing to online savings accounts in a branch, and electronic deposits are free.

Giving out your main account to Trade Me buyers might mean you’re charged transaction fees if they deposit at a branch.

2) Set up a text alert through online banking.

Set up a text to be sent to you when your balance goes over $0 on this account or a deposit is made to it that’s greater than $1.

Text alerts are generally free, but a minority of banks charge per text sent to you. As an alternative, email alerts are almost always free.

ASB text alert set up
Westpac text alert set up
BNZ text alert set up

2.1) Reset the alert.

If your alert relies on a balance increase, transfer the money out of the Trade Me account after you’ve received it.

This post contains personal opinions and advice of a general nature which are not intended to reflect the position of any organisation I am related to. No responsibility is taken for any loss suffered by following it.

Eftpos Terms and Conditions

Credit cards

BNZ specifies an interesting use for your Eftpos card PIN that’s not permitted in their newest card terms and conditions – using it for the lock code on your phone.

1.5 PIN selection
… Your PIN should not be used for any other purpose including your lock/unlock code for your mobile phone.

In the new card letter they also make an interesting comparison of PINs to electronic signatures. But I think their next sentence shows why this is a potentially confusing example to give:

“When selecting a PIN please remember that this is your electronic signature. You must not keep a written record of your PIN, give your PIN to any other person or select a PIN that can be readily associated with you such as birth dates, addresses, parts of telephone numbers, car registrations, sequential numbers (eg 1234, 9999) or any other easily found personal information.”

Signatures are often written down, given away and are made up of personal information. Perhaps there is a better comparison available?

Image credit: Andres Rueda

Follow Up: ASB Tertiary Accounts

Last month I posted about what I hate about banks. I mentioned ASB was trying to convert me to a tertiary account. Here’s some clarification around that, courtesy of ASB:

  • Tertiary accounts are available to anyone going past normal schooling to study, regardless of whether they are over 18.
  • Headstart (youth) and the Tertiary account have the same fees – both have no transaction fees.ASB's fee table
  • When you turn 19 a Headstart account migrates to a Streamline account that has more fees. The reason for the campaign is to direct students to a Tertiary account if they’re eligible for one.

Damien Leng, Head of Transactions says “We try to outline the full services of the tertiary account so that you know these are available to you when you are 18” and “I think we could be clearer with what is available to under and over 18’s”, which is great.