Would it be a good idea to buy euros prior to our 2-week trip on EBAY so that we don't have to deal with it when we're jet-lagged?

Thanks for any suggestions!

No - unless they are giving them away

You really don't need to buy € anywhere. Just use your ATM card to get cash after you are in Europe. You have to wait for your luggage anyway - just take a few steps over to the nearest cash machine and - voila - you've got €.

janisj is correct, just get money when you are at your destination.

Absolutely not and you will not be <b>that</b> &quot;jetlagged.&quot;

Polite note: Europe, especially Western and some of Central Europe is more economically developed than most of the USA. Access to USA funds is simple and inexpensive. Major airports offer services of many kinds to arriving 'visitors'. Bring credit cards, debit cards and USA dollars! Europe welcomes USA tourists.

Unless your final destination's airport is a tiny rinky-dink thing (unlikely), it will have at least one ATM from which you can extract euros using your bank card (provided you have a 4 digit PIN). In the last 8 years, in all the trips I've made (and I fly somewhere at least once a month), there has ony been one situation where I couldn't find a working ATM at my destination airport. So, I lined up for a taxi and waited for one that took credit cards. Worst case scenario, ask your cab driver to stop at a bank machine en route.

If you really really need to have euros in hand before you touch down, change a small amount of currency at your departure airport. If your local airport is too small to have an F/X counter, you'll probably be connecting to another flight somewhere. Get euros at that airport.

The advice you have received is correct, however I always like to carry enough local currency for emergencies let's say about &euro;50 just in case !! Though ATM's are in abundance so you shouldn't have any problems unless the machine hates you and swallows your card.

What are EBAY doing exactly? I wouldn't get it from them, try a bank, or exchange at the airport as suggested that would be much less hastle and for a small amount, commission is not worth worrying about.


Good luck

Muck

I had to go and look at ebay for euros since you mentioned it and I think I have just found a new profession and witnessed the utmost in stupidity. Someone was trying to sell a &euro;100 bill for $164.90 (no bidders) and someone was selling &euro;80 of bills and people had bid it up to $130 which equals an exchange rate of $1.63...I'm going to start buying and selling euros to those idiots.

&gt;start buying and selling euros to those
Wow, thanks what a great idea!!! I have an &quot;endless&quot; supply of &euro;&euro;&euro;&euro;. $2 for 1&euro;, come on people they're cheap . (At least until the time, the USD crashes in a few weeks from now. Which is quite inevitable imho).

Hi C,

I see that there is currently an auction for 80E. Bid price is $130 + 2.5 S&amp;H.

Price at an ATM is about $107.

Price at an exchange bureau would be about $115.

What are they selling them for on QVC?

They probably won't ever sell them on QVC unless they can be worn or Joan Rivers develops a brand of Euro with her picture (pre-plastic surgery) on it.

I hate jet lag as much as anyone, but I have never been so jet lagged that I am incapable of using an ATM.

Buying currency on ebay? The mind boggles.

I assume most people buying euros on ebay just want a bancnote or 2. I don't think they are planning to go to europe with them. I could be wrong.

There is no &quot;yes&quot; or &quot;no&quot; response to the OP's question.

The correct response is &quot;how much&quot; and &quot;what is the seller's reputation?&quot;

Without these two pieces of information, any answer is as worthless as the question.

Well, there may be no definitive answer, Robespierre, but if someone is selling a lot of euros on ebay at a cost below ATM rates (the only reason anyone should want to buy them), how good could his reputation be? He'd have to be labeled as an IDIOT, wouldn't he?

I have read lots of kooky things here over time but this has to be one of the looniest ideas I have come across!
How would you even know they were real and not counterfeit? Why not get them in a bank at home if you are determined to have them in advance of arrival?
Just use the airport ATMs.

Idiots selling (and buying, for that matter) on eBay is not unknown. If the deal works for you, take it. If not, don't. But enough already with the &quot;one size fits all&quot; replies, okay?

If the seller charges a premium and the buyer is willing to pay it (for &quot;peace of mind&quot; or other arcane reason), it might be a good deal to that buyer.

There might be one or two travelers to whom this deal makes sense (no ATM card? no overseas withdrawals?)

What will they think of next! I didn't know you could buy Euros on e-bay. Trust me--you will not be that jet-lagged to stop at an ATM machine and take out some euros at your destination. We have never had trouble finding ATM machines even on our travels to Croatia and Slovenia.
After numerous trips to Europe, we always return with Euros and then have them to get started on our future trip.

I do recommend taking along a tweezers in the slight chance the ATM machine tries to &quot;eat&quot; your card. Happened to my husband on a business trip to Amsterdam. We also travel with at least 3 ATM cards--my husband, myself, and one of our teenage sons--in the event that someting happens to one of the cards.

We are in the habit of notifying our bank before we leave home that we will be withdrawing large amounts of cash abroad and it is legitimate. You may want to check on what the limit of your daily withdrawals is currently at and consider raising it while abroad. Happy travels!!