why do most sellers insist on money orders?

Postal Money orders rule, happened to me today, received a Personal Money order in the mail, from out of state, the bank I have said they had to deposit it and wait for it to clear ?? :rolleyes: ?? I said uh? But they insisted so I had to deposit it and now have to wait, what ever it takes I suppose?
But a Postal Money order is like cash, worse case you can take it to the
Post Office and they will cash it for you.

Very weird morning ;)
G2
 
It's so nice walking out of the P.O. just shipping something and with fresh cash in hand from your just cashed postal money order. No harm, no foul, just a nice tidy transaction! :thumbup:
 
I live out in the countryside. It is a fairly big pain in the butt for me to get any MO, postal or otherwise. Once school starts, I can either take or pick up the kids from school, so it doesn't require and extra gallon and a half of gas to get but it is still many times less convenient for me than paypal or a personal check. I have no problem with sending someone a check and they can hold the item until it clears. I know it is good, but the seller doesn't obviously. Under such a case, I am the one at risk, not the seller. In reality, I'd probably feel the same way if I lived a 3 minute walk from a post office.

It depends on the item, if I want it badly enough I'll do what the seller requires, but if I am the least bit lukewarm or have another alternative purchase in mind (and I almost always do), the seller demanding a PMO could EASILY swing me to plan B. That's his priviledge and I respect that, but I can vote with my financial feet, so to speak.
 
Personal checks can often take > 2 weeks to clear, depending on what kind of checks it is. I will never take personal checks as a seller.

Money order or cashier's check is the way to go. You have to be careful that you have the money in hand though because people sometimes sends you a forged MO and cashier checks.

Paypal is good if the buyer will absorb the fees (jack up the S&H to cover your fees). Make sure you keep a record of shipping the item in case the buyer does a chargeback.
 
I hate to disagree, but if it takes any US bank check more than 2 weeks to clear, your bank is screwing you big time. Most checks actually clear within 48 hours at the Fed, which is 3 business days, counting the one that you deposited the check on, and 5 days should demand an investigation. How long it takes your bank to give you access to the funds is another question, but they've got the money, usually by the second day.
 
It's like several of you have stated in this thread...if you are not comfortable with the payent method(s) acceptable to the seller, fine...no one is going to make you buy that particular knife.

I've done deals with several of the members here and my preference is Paypal. Some sellers want the 2.9%...some are willing to split the fee...and others, myself included, accept the fee as one of the costs of doing business.

I do not use money orders (postal, or any other "brand")...they are too much trouble for me. If a seller states, "money orders only", I move on...not a problem.

When selling, I include money orders as an option but never as a requirement.

There is a level of risk for buyers and sellers...I weigh the risk for each deal and proceed in my comfort zone.
 
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