S3D R: paypal, bidpay, cards... from Europe

["Sergio Baldissara" <winter@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello!
some of you folks know me as a customer, because stereo supplies are hard to
find in Italy and cybermarket isn't yet well developed in Europe (I found
easier to get the Escher's stereos from Steve Berezin than having them sent
from the NL!).
Of course when  the seller from the US takes (debit) cards, the deal is easy
for me.
I found problems with sellers not taking cards (usually on eBay) until I
found www.bidpay.com
an online facility allowing to get money orders in the US & Canada. It costs
$2 more than a mail money order from Italy and I can pay it online by card.
The additional charge by the card company is absorbed by the change rate,
that's cheaper for cards than from the post office.
US and European mails don't cooperate, so a mail money order takes several
weeks to get destiny in the US. (Quite amazingly just 1 week to Japan!).
Bank money transfers are expensive (>$15) but not fast.  I don't know about
AmEx or Western Union wired transfers, because those facilities aren't
available from my town.
Italian bank money orders can't circulate outside ECE. I never tried to send
personal cheques drawn on my italian bank (I'm afraid they would be hard to
cash in he US) nor I would mail cash (my country's laws forbid it, I know
other people do but I'm scared).
Bidpay is ok to buy from the auctions, but I often meet (and loose)
interesting items in some NGs.
Paypal is'nt available from outside the US.
Can anybody provide me some other clues?
Sergio