why do most sellers insist on money orders?

What can bug my last nerve is "Conus only."
Alot of people don't want to deal with border customs however when I make a deal with anyone I assume complete ownership when it hits the mail. I wouldn't buy/trade anything that was illegal in the first place just to make my life easier.

The border doesn't act on my say nor on the sellers, it's just a problem. I knew full well that the package would have to cross and be inspected most the time so i do consider it my risk and wouldn't bother the seller with the problem.
In the end that's not up to me and the seller can decide what ever they wish.

but yea, MO's take waaaaaay to long.
 
paypal rocks! Their fees are too high BUT, it's that instant gratification factor! Money immediately. Being able to transfer money to your bank without leaving your home. It's totally convenient. Postal money orders are always good fo me as well.
 
i prefer cash, MO from whoever, or a check if i know ya.

dont do paypal, dont like the politics they support, also had it for a while and they kept messing up on billing/etc, canceled it and wont ever get it again. the fees are too high anyway imho, and the folks who own it are aswipes .

if cash or MO isnt good enough, WTF??
 
Paypal is great if all is going well on both sides.
If you run into trouble, they run the other way as far as helping you.
A couple of years ago, I won an auction on Ebay for a 1 Oz. Gold eagle.
Sent the money.
The clown (with an excellent rep) had absconded with about 10K via paypal.

I do not know if their policy has changed, but then Paypal would not do anything to help (within one week of the auction close).
FBI got involved a year later.

I would rather take/send a check than deal with paypal.
 
I do not see why the post office is more reliable than the average citizen. In addition, it is difficult for me to get to the post office. I also have heard of too many difficulties with Paypal when things go wrong. I am not a seller, but as a buyer, I will only use personal checks. If the seller doesn't know me, I have no trouble if he wants to wait until the check clears.
 
Bastid said:
Paypal is great if all is going well on both sides.
If you run into trouble, they run the other way as far as helping you.
A couple of years ago, I won an auction on Ebay for a 1 Oz. Gold eagle.
Sent the money.
The clown (with an excellent rep) had absconded with about 10K via paypal.

I do not know if their policy has changed, but then Paypal would not do anything to help (within one week of the auction close).
FBI got involved a year later.

I would rather take/send a check than deal with paypal.
Click to expand...

jesus..
did you recover any of the money?
$10k, i think i would have driven to wherever he was and picked it up in person, or used an escrow service.
 
Postal M/O are a pain in the ass to get for me.Long lines.Hate it.Sometimes won't buy something because of it.If they wont take my check to hell with em.Keep your merchandise.

Randy
 
BH,
He got about 10k in total from multiple auctions. He got a little less than 300 from me.
 
nifrand said:
Postal M/O are a pain in the ass to get for me.Long lines.Hate it.Sometimes won't buy something because of it.If they wont take my check to hell with em.Keep your merchandise.

Randy
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Randy.
If you don't like using the PMO, then just don't buy the merchandise. I, for one, have passed up sales for this reason. The latest of which is still not sold. I'd have bought it in a flash with Paypal. Now it's up for trade, in another thread, and still no takers. So, Who Looses?? Not ME!! I bought something else!
The PO, around here has terribly long lines and is pretty far for me to drive.
It seems that the ones who like these PMO's are the sellers, who only consider their own convenience and safety. I'd like to see them a little more flexible, even if it's not PayPal.
I guess, if you're not comfortable with the terms, just don't buy!
 
Blackhearted said:
my point all along has been this:
in most transactions, the buyer is the one taking by far most of the risk - and the first risk. sure if you know someone and have dealt with them before this is never an issue. but if its a total stranger, then you are in essence sending them the money and hoping you get the knife in the mail a week later.
Click to expand...

I don't see how the buyer is taking more risk than the seller. Have you ever sold anything online? Both sides require trust. Besides, I don't know of a single business in America that will let you take something without payment or promise of payment.

My SOP is that I will ship after I receive a MO. I usually hold the money order for a period of time stated at the outset to allow the person time to see if it is as described. Note, I didn't say whether they liked it or not, they should know that before they buy. If they want to window shop or kick tires, they should go through normal retail channels. If they feel the item isn't as I describe I have them ship the item back and I mail the MO back after I get the item. All of this is based on a situation where I don't know the person. If it is a person that has a established presence here and a good reputation I will ship immediately. I still prefer a MO though, because I know plenty of honest people that can't manage their finances.

If I made more money in life I would probably be a lot more laid back with this stuff, but I can't really afford to get burned. Therefore I cover my butt, and if people don't want to buy from me then that is fine.
 
bigdog said:
I have to agree with Randy.
If you don't like using the PMO, then just don't buy the merchandise. I, for one, have passed up sales for this reason. The latest of which is still not sold. I'd have bought it in a flash with Paypal. Now it's up for trade, in another thread, and still no takers. So, Who Looses?? Not ME!! I bought something else!
The PO, around here has terribly long lines and is pretty far for me to drive.
It seems that the ones who like these PMO's are the sellers, who only consider their own convenience and safety. I'd like to see them a little more flexible, even if it's not PayPal.
I guess, if you're not comfortable with the terms, just don't buy!
Click to expand...

I agree for the most part, except that as a buyer I feel no qualms about using a PMO for a purchase. I have as much faith in the USPS to help me settle a dispute as I do PayPal. Probably more actually since eBay seems to show know concern for purchasers on eBay. They certainly know tons of counterfeit items are being sold and do little to stop it.
 
i think for the most part ya should ship simultaneously thats the fair way to do it, with any regular on BF anyway, actually i do it just about all the time with everyone. FWIW i will usually pass on an item when the seller wont ship at the same time, unless its something i really really want. imho equal risk (trust??)on both parties is the way to go.

also a swap/sale isnt final till both folks are happy, for whatever reason they arent send back MO/etc and send back the merchandise and start over. never have sent anything back or had stuff sent back to me, but it sure could happen.
 
nifrand said:
Postal M/O are a pain in the ass to get for me.Long lines.Hate it.Sometimes won't buy something because of it.If they wont take my check to hell with em.Keep your merchandise.

Randy
Click to expand...

I want to thank Randy and others in this thread for putting out this point of view. I had never considered accepting personal checks since it did not seem to be the norm, and no one ever asked. I had no idea that by stating upfront that I only accept USPS MO and PayPal, I am limiting my pool of potential buyers.

Thanks,

Matthew
 
If I want something bad enough, I'll get a PMO. I agree though that it usually takes a long time and nothing moves quite as slowly as a post office line, unless it's the DMV line. :(

I have sent a few personal checks out lately, which I appreciate the seller trusting me. It's saved me (and them) maybe as much as 2 days in the transaction.
 
After problems with Paypal, I only accept money orders. Postal money orders are preferred, but not necessary. I prefer postal money orders because they can be cashed as soon as I pick them up at my PO Box.
 
Also, postal money orders mean you get all the cash. Say you go to a "check cashing" place. They will take a fee for cashing the Western Union or some such money orer. If yo just go straight to the P.O., you have all your cash in hand. No problem.
 
I guess I'm lucky. The nearest post office is a 10 minute walk from my home, and I've never had to wait in line more than 10 minutes.
 
yes ya re lucky, i live in round rock texas not the largest town around lol, and 30 minutes is about the std wait, sometimes longer RARELY shorter.
 
I ask for USPS Money orders myself, but for me it's a more a matter of convenience than security. I could take any money order (Safeway, Circle K, whatever) or a cashier's check and feel just as safe, but it's a bit of a PITA to go to the bank. There's a post office literally within 2 minutes bike ride from my house. Plus, as mentioned above, I can cash the money order and send the knife at the same time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top