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by Loughla 1030 days ago
I purchase, restore, and sometimes sell old woodworking machinery as a side gig to subsidize my own purchase of woodworking equipment for my shop.

I have had multiple cash transactions above $3,000 every year that I've done this. Not to avoid taxes, not to keep them off the books, but because one of the parties has either the unwillingness or inability to take electronic payments. Elderly people, those located in rural or otherwise isolated areas, those with a natural distrust of government for whatever reason, or those with a distrust of banks in general. These are all valid use cases.

This law would make it nearly impossible for me to do what I do (on the side).

3 comments

Yea, assuming you're in the USA, I don't think a similar restriction would be workable here in America. Too many people are unbanked or for other reasons transact mostly in cash. And even for those who do have bank accounts, we don't have the nice, bank-based money transfer solutions that are commonplace in the rest of the developed world--we're stuck with shit-tier solutions like Zelle and Venmo and PayPal.

I wouldn't say I routinely do large (>$3000) cash transactions, but I do them often enough that I guess I'd be a criminal in the Netherlands.

> we're stuck with shit-tier solutions like Zelle and Venmo and PayPal.

Hopefully not for too much longer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedNow

A mechanic we used before moving had a strict no checks policy. He had a bad check for the repair of a church bus, from a church, framed in a fancy gold-painted frame, with "IN GOD WE TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH" below it.
But that's because you still use checks over there :)
A stolen credit card isn't any different.
Considering that the last time one of my CC numbers was stolen, it was used to pay for air conditioning service, I'm sure that is also a concern for tradespeople!
No pin? No 3d secure?
In the US? Nope.
You are paying a mechanic face to face with a stolen credit card? Man, this whole string of posts has become utterly farcical. <Adjusts tin foil hat>
I’m confused. You’re under the impression people don’t use stolen cards face to face? The sibling commented about AC service being charged to his stolen card. A credit card is easier to use than a bad check. I’ve never seen anyone take a check without ID.
Yeah, apparently people do that. I write "ASK FOR ID" in the signature area on my credit cards, and have never once been asked for ID, so it's at least been my personal experience that no one really looks at a credit card when handed one. Perhaps it's a totally unique and isolated experience :P
It’s unwillingness, not inability.