Hi- Sorry, a little OT, but I know some of you might be able to help. I’m a seller trying to close a deal on-line. The buyer cannot (or will not) pay via Paypal (my preference). Instead he wants to send me a Postal Money Order. I’m not too familiar w/ this and want to avoid any scamming. Is there any reason not to accept this and/or how can I ensure it’s legit? Thanks.
The conditions of exclusively using PayPal for the online auction are in place for the protection of both the seller and the buyer. It assures both parties have been positively verified. If you decide to go around the security this provides and accept money orders, then make sure you have cash in hand before you ship your item. Hope this helps.
If the buyer wants to pay by money order have them send it first. Don’t send them the item they paid for until the MO has been cashed.
since they have to mail the money order, have them purchase a postal money order and send it in a postal envelope paid for at post office. after receiving the money order, take to post office to verify/cash it. could possibly do wal-mart money order also if convenient for both parties. make sure the money order is from a recognized source and not a store located in one area that you may not have that nobody has heard of. when i pay using money orders, i use strictly postal money orders from the post office.
For years and last week , I have used US Postal money orders to pay for items on ebay .
The seller can cash the US Postal MO very easy . Cash the MO , and send the product .
I am one who will NOT , use paypal .
Sellers are not supposed to advertise any thing but Paypal , but , I always email the seller and ask if they will take a MO , before I bid , so some sellers are missing out by not accepting Money Orders .
Many people do not trust PayPal and I don’t blame them. But if you are really interested in selling that item, you may not have much choice in accepting a Postal Money Order. I would suggest you find out what kind of Postal Money order your customer is talking about. If it a U. S. Postal Service Money Order, it should be fine but I have seen these faked too. I would check with the Post Office if you have any reason to suspect it.
That said, Ebay is really trying to grab control of all transactions, and thus get more of a share of the money on transactions that are made through it. Remember they own PayPal to so they not only get a listing fee and a percentage of the sale plus they now get a percentage of the payment as well. So in their small minds they get a better bottom line from not allowing other payment methods to be mentioned on their site.
As for security, what they tell you is hogwash The only security they are interested is yours but the fact that get something from all parts of the transaction. In other words they are interested in securing their cut of the deal.
If you want to sell soemthing you need to make it easy for the prospective customer to buy and that would include making it as easy as you can for your customer to pay for the purchase. BTW, don’t ship anything until you are sure that whatever payment you receive has cleared the bank.
Irv
I will not use pay chump…
I will send a USPS since its a very safe method…Not only for the seller but,the buyer as well…You see if a seller cashes a USPS MO and swears by the moon and stars above he never got the MO it can be trace by the USPS and if cashed the buyer will be notified with a copy…
I use Paypal alot, and yes I agree most of my money goes to fees, etc.
When I have a buyer pays with a money order, I make sure its a USPS (United States Postal Service) money order. I had a guy from NY send me a money order, and the bank about didn’t cash it. They also said if it comes back as a bad MO, I will have to pay it and a fine.
I know eBay doesn’t allow money orders anymore. Thats one bad thing. I tried to list it in my last auction, and they (eBay) took it out.
If I was you, USPS money order. Like others have said, its a safer bet.
I figured it was something along those lines. I figured they were getting a kickback or something from the Credit Card companies.
since ebaY change their doings, they took out the money order selection, but all the sellars tell me they CANNOT disallow money orders as a pay choice.
I have not tried or won an ebay item since their change but I may sometime try to if there’s something I want.
I usually ask fist if a sellar will accept an MO before bidding.
I think the settings allow “payment sent” options without going thru paypal, but I’ll find out.
But nope I dont like what ebay did.
USPS, Western Union and Wal Mart money orders are as good as cash in hand. The buyer CAN’T stop payment on them like a personnel check. I have done (as a buyer) about 50 transactions this way and NEVER had a seller hold the item until the money order cleared as they always do with a personnel check. Never had a problem.
Can’t speak for the convenient store money orders since I don’t use those. People forget that money orders used to be THE way to do business through the mail. Back in the day, hobby shops preferred money orders over any other form of mailed in payment.
If your banks does not allow you to deposit a money order, find a new bank because that’s just a bunch of B.S.!!
The problem with money orders (per my local bank) is that they are being forged in increasing numbers, as well as used by scammers (most often when they ask to send a money order or cashiers check for more than the amount of the sale, this is a big indicator its a bad deal).
When you get a forged or fake one, and you deposit it, it takes a few days to clear. To be safe, just don’t ship the item to the person on the other side until said money order has actually cleared your bank (although if it’s fake, you may find that you are responsible for any fees).
I sell a fair amount on eBay, and while I prefer paypal for it’s convenience (one word on their fees, just build them into your bottom price), I have and do accept cashiers checks or money orders from buyers, based on that criteria. I also depends on what you’re selling, I accepted one recently from a gentleman in Michigan who purchased a used Bachmann UP Consol with sound; It seemed unlikely that he would try to scam me for $70. Now were it a mutli hundred dollar item, well, that’s a different story.
Good luck.
said money order has actually cleared your bank (although if it’s fake, you may find that you are responsible for any fees).
Just like you or any business would be with a personal check that bounces.
just take the POSTAL NONEY ORDER to the post office, if its fake they will tell you…I don’t particularly like PayPal tired of giving them extra money…I send postal money orders alot and accept them…never had a problem…
The problem with money orders (per my local bank) is that they are being forged in increasing numbers, as well as used by scammers (most often when they ask to send a money order or cashiers check for more than the amount of the sale, this is a big indicator its a bad deal).
Its a Federal offence to forge a USPS mo.
Valuable information.
Not only do post offices issue money orders, so do all banks(at least in Canada) they are fast, efficient and safe, the bank issued MO’s are free on your account, Most sellers like them as they can be cashed immediately (the American check(cheque) cashing system has to be cleared through a central clearing house(that slows things down a bit)
I live in Canada and have to agree with others that a postal money order issued by either our postal service or the US Postal Service is a safe and efficent way to pay for purchases.e-Bay’s current policy( PAY Pal only) will come back to haunt them in the long run.You may have to wait a few extra days to receive payment for the item you are selling, but if a person asks you to accept a money order, you can well be insured that he or she is genuinely interested in making the purchase and if they are successful in winning the auction…they will send you payment.
You can always cash the money order first when you receive it prior to mailing them their purchase.This scheme by eBay is a rip off and I refuse to take part in it.For sellers who do not take money orders…I simply do not bid on their auctions. I have bought and sold hundreds of items on eBay…All transactions were by Money Order…US, Canadian and British. Never any problems with anybody.People in this hobby are genuine and honest. They tend to treat others as they would like to be treated themselves.They are out to purchase items that will enchance their layout or give them some enjoyment in having what you are ofering for sale. They are not out to rip you off by offering to pay you by a Money Order. Pass this post to all those Ebay sellers who insist on just acceptingPayPal. As always enjoy your layout.
PS…Purchasers who pay by money order sometimes pay a fee to purchase the money order, they are sending you…Another sign of their desire to see that you get paid in a fair and honest way…
A Postal Money Order or Bank Cashier’s Check is generally the safest way to go. For a USPS Money Order, the person has to pay cash at the Post Office for it; at the bank they have to pay cash or draw it out of their acct. at that bank. Yes they can be forged but so can $20 bills. In the long run it’s very safe to go with M.O.s or Cashier’s Checks.
In fact, many people insist on one of these when selling a big ticket item. PayPal can have some hassles. A friend was selling some pricey guitars on ebay and had a guy buy one, try it for a while, and then refuse to let the PayPal payment go thru to my friend, claiming there was something wrong with the guitar etc. (he really apparently just wanted to try that model guitar out for a while “free of charge”). There really wasn’t much my pal could do since until both sides are satisfied, PayPal won’t move the money. Since then he insists on a Cashier’s Check or Money Order, but will accept a personal check (but won’t send the item until the check clears the bank.)
Why not?
I have never had a bad transaction via PayPal and they got me my money back (fast and very simple) when one seller sent me a bogus item.
I totally agree. I have had 100% success with Paypal. And I also got my $$$ back ASAP when someone sent something broken. No MO or PC is that fast. It is only a matter of time before any transaction that goes thru Ebay will have to be paid with Paypal. If you try to use anything else you will be charged a fee. I look at it like this. If your auction stated that you take Paypal only, then they should have read your auction BEFORE bidding. If they still prefer to use a MO then report them to Ebay and leave negative feedback for them. If they are that stupid to think they can win an auction and pay with whatever they choose then it’s there fault.
Mike