[Olpc-sf] charging credit cards before shipment?

[Sarah Mei]

You're right, that rule applies to commercial transactions. But buying
an OLPC was a donation that happened to come with a free gift, much
like donating to a PBS station nets you a tote bag. Since it's not a
purchase, technically, the same rules don't apply.

My receipts and all the email communications I have from them are very
careful to call it a donation rather than a purchase, for this reason.
Of course, there might be loopholes, IANAL, consult your local
provider of jurisprudence, etc.

On Jan 24, 2008 3:20 PM, Kristian Erik Hermansen
<kristian.hermansen at gmail.com> wrote:
> I believed that it was illegal to charge credit cards unless you have
> actually shipped the product to the customer.  At least, in 2003 when
> I first built ZeroToys.com for a customer, that was the merchant
> account's policy.  We were not allowed to charge the customer's credit
> card until shipment.  Doing so would otherwise be against the law.
> Has anyone else heard this policy or can refute it?