Help ordering from Volks International?

So I tried to purchase the Miku happi from Volks International website. My debit card doesn't seem to work with their system, and when I tried using a credit card, it also said it didn't go through... however, we received a text 10-15 minutes later asking us to authorize the purchase, since it was in a foreign country. At that point, however, the Volks website had already decided the card wouldn't work. We ended up canceling the payment, since I wasn't sure if Volks would actually send me anything.

 

At the time, I just gave up because I figured the happi would be sold out. However, it's still in stock, and I'd like to be able to order from the international site in the future anyways, since their prices tend to be a bit lower. Does anyone know how to get around this issue? If we confirm the order with the bank even after Volks has rejected the card and asked for a different payment method, will Volks get that? Is there some way to authorize the purchase in advance? It's actually my parents' credit card, so I really don't want to mess anything up for them.

Have you tried a different browser? Someone suggested that to me before when my card wouldnt go through via the browser I was using but the same card worked when I tried paying on explorer.

Generally speaking, when you tell the bank to authorize the purchase it just removes a block from the account, and doesn't actually make a payment unless you resubmit. Generally you want to authorize because otherwise the bank will flag it as a fraudulent transaction and assume your card has been stolen or otherwise compromised and you may be unable to use the card for anything.

 

The card I use is sometimes rejected once for this reason; I then approve and have to resubmit on the Volks site to have it actually go through.

Things are going to vary a bit from bank to bank, and you may just need to work with customer service at your bank to setup any verification methods they use to authenticate purchases. Not all banks offer that service, so it's going to depend on your card. All I can really offer is some general advice.

 

If the transaction is declined due to suspicious use of the card usually all you need to do is contact the bank and tell them the purchase is legit. Sometimes they contact you immediately themselves. Then just go through the process for the the transaction again and you should be fine.

 

You can also call most banks ahead of time and tell them you are going to use your card internationally. Use outside your home country is usually an automatic red flag, so it's best to let them know before hand about international use. Especially for purchases as big as a limited DD. You may also find that if you use it for a transaction in Japan, and then try to use it in your home country a short time later your card will get locked. They call that condition "impossible travel" i.e. you can't be in both the US and Japan without 14 or so hours of travel time in between.

 

It can also help to setup two-factor authentication on your online banking and credit cards if they offer the services. Some banks will text you a one time use pin code that you enter into the Volks Credit card verification step to authenticate the card. If your bank offers that service then not having it setup may cause the authentication part of the CC processing to fail automatically. However passing the authentication part doesn't mean the bank won't see the overseas transaction as suspicious and decline it.

 

When I paid for Altria:

 

1) I entered the card, and got passed on to the authentication step.

 

2) My bank sent me a text with a one time use code, which I put into the authentication site.

 

3) The transaction got declined due to suspicious use of the card, and the bank sent me a text asking for confirmation of the attempt to use the card.

 

4) I confirmed the original transaction with the bank, and and then had to repeat steps one and two again to pay for her. Everything worked fine at that point, but it was a pain to go through it all twice.

 

5) 10 minutes later I tried to use the card at Starbucks, and it got locked due to "impossible travel."

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like the best way to deal with it is to either contact them in advance (which may or may not work) or just redo the order after authorizing it.