Money Orders as Payment

[Xeon64]

My apologies to the buyer who contacted me first of all. I am asking because I have never used a money order and hardly know what they are. I am asking if anyone on here uses them as a form of payment when shipping items to buyers? I usually use paypal but a lot of people on here do not like paypal.

Thanks for any info.

 

[davidd]

Money orders are better than checks, because you have to put cash up front to the person creating the money order to get the piece of paper. Your bank is the easiest place to get one. But they can be faked, just like checks.

Some people, if taking money orders, insist on you using a USPS money order. Faking one of those is a federal offense. In theory, maybe that makes it safer?

I always say in adds that I require USPS money orders. Sometimes I'll take regular ones, depending on the person who wants to buy and their reputation.

 

[ozarkpugs]

My apologies to the buyer who contacted me first of all. I am asking because I have never used a money order and hardly know what they are. I am asking if anyone on here uses them as a form of payment when shipping items to buyers? I usually use paypal but a lot of people on here do not like paypal.

Thanks for any info.

I receive money orders regularly , you just take it to the bank and deposit like a check . Pay pal is convenient but anti gun and reportedly will hold up transfer funds if they find out it's a gun/ ammo transition .

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[DAVE_M]

I have no problem with money orders, but won't ship an item until the cash is in my hand or deposited.

 

[Xeon64]

Thanks All.

 

[flyboy]

I have recieved and sent usps money orders for sales and purchases many of times. In my opinion it is the safest method for both the seller and the buyer.

 

[JBP55]

I have recieved and sent usps money orders for sales and purchases many of times. In my opinion it is the safest method for both the seller and the buyer.

I agree and use same method.

 

[T-Rigger]

My apologies to the buyer who contacted me first of all. I am asking because I have never used a money order and hardly know what they are. I am asking if anyone on here uses them as a form of payment when shipping items to buyers? I usually use paypal but a lot of people on here do not like paypal.

Thanks for any info.

I am new to sales via Bayou Shooter. I'm not set up to receive credit card or paypal payments or any of the other online services. Also, just now learning how to ship and price the shipping, insurance - thanks to very helpful recent posts on B. S. MANY BELATED THANKS TO CONTRIBUTORS! My WTS post indicates FTF/Cash transaction, but receive inquiries from potential buyers that want items shipped. I quote via email or text, an itemized total cost and state that I will ship upon receipt of a Cashiers Check or USPS Money Order. Clearly state USPS money order. I don't trust convenience store money orders - although they're probably okay. As others have pointed out - USPS MO's can be deposited or cashed at your bank.

 

[TheWhiteHorse]

I personally only do cash. I would however consider crypto currency if someone had the ones I wanted.

 

[freedive10]

I use US Postal service Money Orders . Max on each order is $1k and its as good as cash. The seller can cash it at the post office or deposit into personal account and almost immediately clears.

 

[AustinBR]

I wouldn't take a money order, check, or cashier's check as payment for a transaction unless I trusted the other party a good bit. These paper items are so very easy to fake and the fakes look like real ones. Verifying them isn't always the easiest and holds up a transaction.

Digital payments (Venmo or PayPal) are preferred over Cash for me. Cash is next.

 

[Magdump]

I use US Postal service Money Orders . Max on each order is $1k and its as good as cash. The seller can cash it at the post office or deposit into personal account and almost immediately clears.

THIS!
It’s as good as a check from the US Treasury (think income tax return check).
It amazes me how someone can trust a gift card which you must go through the same process to acquire, but not trust a USPS money order. You hand over money, they enter a dollar amount and transfer it to a card in the way of data on a magnetic strip vs stamping the amount on a promissory note backed by the United States post office. Ever notice how some folks include the PAPER receipt with a gift card? What does that say about how much they trust the plastic over paper?
I’ve never heard of anyone faking a USPS money order. I’m assuming that’s because of the risk involved and the difficulty involved. If anyone can find an article or story about that happening please share.

 

[AustinBR]

THIS!
It’s as good as a check from the US Treasury (think income tax return check).
It amazes me how someone can trust a gift card which you must go through the same process to acquire, but not trust a USPS money order. You hand over money, they enter a dollar amount and transfer it to a card in the way of data on a magnetic strip vs stamping the amount on a promissory note backed by the United States post office. Ever notice how some folks include the PAPER receipt with a gift card? What does that say about how much they trust the plastic over paper?

I've seen some very, very high-quality fakes of Postal Money Orders. It's a lot harder to fake sending me money on PayPal or Venmo.

That being said, I've also seen some exceptionally high quality fake US Dollars that were only caught due to electronic bill-counter machines that banks use nowadays.

 

[ozarkpugs]

My bank does not trust usps money orders. They have you sign a statement verifying you have been advised the money will not be available for withdrawal or payment until the money order clears .

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[AustinBR]

My bank does not trust usps money orders. They have you sign a statement verifying you have been advised the money will not be available for withdrawal or payment until the money order clears .

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The reason for that is because they are very commonly faked. They just aren't used like they used to be and it's so easy to get/make a very high quality fake.

I worked as a personal banker throughout college and personally caught more than 20 different people trying to deposit fake postal money orders. The majority had no clue they were being scammed. The worst was a couple who came in to open a new account with me and presented the money orders as the initial deposit. They didn't realize that they tried this at a different branch in a different parish and we had notes linked to their SSN. They ended up getting arrested for this scheme of theirs.

Seriously, faking these things is easy. It's 2021 and getting paid electronically is so easy and it mitigates the risk of needing to carry cash and risk getting robbed.

 

[hunter5567]

I actually prefer Walmart money orders over USPS. Walmart is open a lot later and always has the cash on hand to cash it. I've taken USPS money orders to the post office and have been informed they did not have enough money in the till to cash the money order. Well, I don't have time to make a bunch of trips to the post office to get it cashed. I do deposit them in my bank account but will cash them to get the cash in hand before shipping something out. I've also used Zelle bank to bank transfer or walmart money gram. If it's not a USPS or walmart money order, I won't be shipping for at least 2 weeks until it clears.

 

[snipehunter7]

That being said, I've also seen some exceptionally high quality fake US Dollars that were only caught due to electronic bill-counter machines that banks use nowadays.

As our resident former bank employee, what is the likelihood of prop money making it into an ATM?

I sold a gun to a guy and got paid in all $20 notes. There were somewhere between 20 - 25 bills and this was was around 2017-2018. I looked at the cash and it was all good except for 1 bill that was a movie prop. I almost missed it. He claimed he got it from the ATM right before we met and immediately made it right.


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[AustinBR]

As our resident former bank employee, what is the likelihood of prop money making it into an ATM?

I sold a gun to a guy and got paid in all $20 notes. There were somewhere between 20 - 25 bills and this was was around 2017-2018. I looked at the cash and it was all good except for 1 bill that was a movie prop. I almost missed it. He claimed he got it from the ATM right before we met and immediately made it right.


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I'd say that it really just depends on the bank and the ATM.

The chances are slim, but it's not incomprehensible that it could go uncaught if someone was counting by hand and then throwing stacks into the ATM.

Not all electronic bill counters have anti-counterfeit tech built into them. If a teller (or someone accepting cash anywhere) isn't paying major attention to detail and is counting out 20's, it's very easy to miss it.

I'd say the most counterfeited bill I found was 5's as it's just a bill that most people don't pay attention to. 100's were few and far between as anyone accepting them pays more attention to them. I never saw any fake 50's or 2's.

If we found fake 1's they were almost always just movie prop money. The true fakes were mostly 5's, 10's, and 20's.

Also, the little pens that fast-food places use don't work very well against a good fake.

 

[Trailboss]

...
Digital payments (Venmo or PayPal) are preferred over Cash for me. Cash is next.

Venmo is owned by PayPal and both charge fees for goods and services.

 

[ozarkpugs]

Venmo is owned by PayPal and both charge fees for goods and services.

That is why we tell everyone send friends and family or they will pay the fee . I recently read there is a competitor to pay pal that is not pro gun . Does anyone know anything about it .

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