online brokers for international shares

[jg8512]

thanks BeeBop
Interactive Brokers (IB) definitely look a lot cheaper.

re: service levels. Yesterday I asked the same question of both Internaxx and IB. It was a genuine question - whether they allowed trading of all AIM shares. I have some niche little holdings and I'd like to be able to add / sell them when I move brokers.
I got a very fast response from Internaxx - yes. I also emailed a third player - Hargreaves Lansdown - who replied within a couple of hours. But 24 hours later, I'm still waiting for IB to reply.

So I think my decision is coming down (perhaps unsurprisingly) to better service vs lower prices. I must be a tight-arse as I'm leaning toward IB (assuming they can trade all AIM).

[BeeBop]

thanks BeeBop
Interactive Brokers (IB) definitely look a lot cheaper.

re: service levels. Yesterday I asked the same question of both Internaxx and IB. It was a genuine question - whether they allowed trading of all AIM shares. I have some niche little holdings and I'd like to be able to add / sell them when I move brokers.
I got a very fast response from Internaxx - yes. I also emailed a third player - Hargreaves Lansdown - who replied within a couple of hours. But 24 hours later, I'm still waiting for IB to reply.

So I think my decision is coming down (perhaps unsurprisingly) to better service vs lower prices. I must be a tight-arse as I'm leaning toward IB (assuming they can trade all AIM).

FWIW - I do quite a few AIM listed shares and have had no problems with Internal...although, I find it better to by 'at market' as some take days to fill due to low liquidity (e.g. EMR that struggles to trade some days as a lot of the shares are owner held). Had an issue buying SLI (standard life property investment trust) on the LSE three weeks ago, so phoned internaxx. There was a website problem so they filled it for me at their cost (i.e. paid online brokerage)...had a pleasant chat about life also!

Sometimes being a tightarse helps you focus on every cent - even if the cost is not material. However, recently, I have loosened my tightness somewhat to get better quality e.g choice of airline and flight times!

Best of investing to you.