Sending a money order.

[God&huntingdogs]

I was curious to those that have used or sent money orders in the past, what kind of protections are offered with one? I have never used one and looking for your guys experience and opinions.

Thank you.

 

[Bob Wright]

I have considered money orders at times, as well as cashiers checks. From what I have learned, the best money orders are those sold by the USPS. But all seem to be a great pain if lost or stolen when trying to get your money back.

Cashiers checks are better, so I'm told, but now my bank charges a $15 fee for each. The latest deal I had I contacted the seller and he agreed to take my personal check provided I allow him to wait until my check cleared, which was O.K. with me.

As to using those checks that come with your credit card, I have no experience nor knowledge.

Bob Wright

 

[Fox Mike]

I have used USPS money orders almost exclusively for years. Never had a problem. A 'cashiers check' is rather expensive and no safer than a Postal Money Order. Money orders can also be acquired at various places like 7-11s, WaWa stores, etc. but I question their safety if they should 'get lost', which is why I stick with the USPS.

 

[tom black]

My bank pretty much refuses to cash a money order. Our little PO never has enough cash on hand to cash them in. My bank charges nothing for a cashiers check.
Tom Black

 

[DGW1949]

My bank pretty much refuses to cash a money order. Our little PO never has enough cash on hand to cash them in. My bank charges nothing for a cashiers check.
Tom Black

That part sounds like me talking :lol: .

Myself, I'd just as soon not fool with any of it and in fact, almost never do. I mean really, what's the point when a M/O or bank check takes just as long to clear my account as a personal check?...and besides, cash still works just as well as it ever did and ain't any more apt to get stolen in the mail than any other paper instrument.

DGW

 

[loaded round]

I've been buying and selling at various sites on line for over 6 years now and my favorite form of payment is a USPS money order. Instead of trying to cash that money order, just deposit it your account, and withdrawn your funds from an ATM machine like I do.

 

[Big Old Boy]

I have been selling some knives to fund Rugers and I only accept postal money orders for transactions.

 

[sliclee]

I didn't read a post. The US POSTAL SERVICE!
THE US POST OFFICE comes after you with a its strength and might if you dare anything wrong.

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

I was curious to those that have used or sent money orders in the past, what kind of protections are offered with one? I have never used one and looking for your guys experience and opinions.

Thank you.

G&HD,
I have always used USPS money orders. keep your receipt, and the tab off the money order,
if lost, or stolen or misdirected in the U.S.P.S., You will get your money back. Takes a few days,
but you will get it back. Ask the person at the Post Office, how you are protected and they will
tell you. I believe they even will insure the Money Order.
Blackie

 

[RoninPA]

USPS money orders are also very hard to counterfeit. They are backed by the USPS and if you use them to buy something on line and the seller defaults, it is considered postal fraud and the USPS doesn't like that at all and will investigate and prosecute.

I've been accepting USPS MO's since I've been in business and have never had a problem. If a bank teller will not cash it, ask for the manager. If the manager refuses, got to the branch manager and tell them you are pulling out all your money and closing your account and you will tell everyone you know what happened. Then see how fast they react to that. I have never had any problem with any bank I've gone into to cash a USPS MO if I needed the money right away and didn't want to deposit it in my main bank. I use a CU and do a lot of my banking by mail or on line and have gone into different local banks at times to cash the MO's (no I do not have an account with them and not one has refused to cash a USPS MO).

Cashiers checks are actually easy to counterfeit. If you get a bad one, the bank will cash or deposit it and it might take 2 weeks (for whatever reason) to come back as a bad check And by that time the scammer is long gone.

Did you know that at one time, the USPS issued their investigators Ruger Speed Sixes (the GS33-PS, a special model with a 3" barrel instead of the typical 2 3/4")

There are probably other money orders that are safe, but why change when you haven't had any problems and don't foresee any problems in the future.

 

[mohavesam]

Your bank refuses to cash a USPS money order??? I'd use a different bank pronto! :shock:
Remind them a USPS MO is a federal instrument. Guaranteed and protected by the federal gubmint.
For that reason also, a USPS MO is a federal matter if misused, altered, or stolen. Nothing happens overnight, but the US Postal Inspectors don't mess around.

I have NEVER had any issues depositing or cashing a USPS MO, not once in 40 years or so.

The "reasoning" that any instrument is "easily counterfeited" is not a factor. Like plastic cards with magnetic strips, US currency is counterfeited every day. Just ask the Treasury Service.

But find a different bank or better yet, a Credit Union where you are actually a member under federal rules, which means you can bring up any issues as-such as an agenda item, in any monthly board meeting. Credit union user for decades, not a bank user. They may not teach this is public schools, but the differences to a consumer are many.

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

I was curious to those that have used or sent money orders in the past, what kind of protections are offered with one? I have never used one and looking for your guys experience and opinions.

Thank you.

G&HD,
I have always used USPS money orders. keep your receipt, and the tab off the money order,
if lost, or stolen or misdirected in the U.S.P.S., You will get your money back. Takes a few days,
but you will get it back. Ask the person at the Post Office, how you are protected and they will
tell you. I believe they even will insure the Money Order.
Blackie

I had a USPMO that was lost in the mail, when I reported it and filed a claim the local PO told me it would take two weeks for a refund. Two weeks later I received a letter stating it would be 60 days before a refund. So don't expect a refund for a lost MO right away it takes awhile.
Terry

 

[GP100]

My bank pretty much refuses to cash a money order. Our little PO never has enough cash on hand to cash them in. My bank charges nothing for a cashiers check.
Tom Black

I would change banks right away. They aren't worth it..

 

[rugerguy]

guess I'm with Tom Black, my post office NEVER has enough money to cash any check big enough to buy a firearm, and there are MORE issues with lost , stolen, 'fake' USPS money orders around here than I care to fret about , so cash or personal check, I've got time, wait til it clears....my bank checks are 'free'.
AND as noted above, the time to get any refund, or lost or stolen , refund, thank goodness I DO have LOTS of time.....( yes, I know some of the postal inspectors, good guys) :wink:
that being said I still prefer my local post office than ANY UPS or Fed Ex, they SUCK... 8) :roll:

 

[tom black]

Well guys, my bank tells me that MO's are very easy to counterfeit and is why they refuse to cash them.
Tom

 

[Mobuck]

I'll start with the "my little PO never has enough money to cash a money order".
Unless things have changed significantly since 2009, "little Post Offices" are required to deposit funds in excess of $100 so theoretically, your "little Post Office" will NEVER have more than $100 minus what they consider a reasonable amount of change(often under $20).
There WAS a run of bogus money orders back in the early 90's(?) that was quickly addressed and MO's got a security strip. Unfortunately, banks decided it was to their benefit to stop cashing PO money orders so they might nip that bit of "administrative income" from the USPS.
As far as I know, if you mail a USPS money order and things go wrong, Postal Inspectors will definitely drop a giant poop bomb on the recipient in the form of Mail Fraud( a felony). That leaves a mark that doesn't wear off.
A lost money order normally takes 60-90 days to replace. Mostly because there's an expectation that the recipient may not cash the MO right away and if it was actually received and held, it's still a viable monetary instrument. There's a list of "lost/missing/stolen" money orders published monthly and it's often pages long.

 

[blume357]

I once was buying a firearm from a member here... personal check was going to be okay.... but I had to go by my bank on the way to the post office and they said because I had a business account a cashiers check was free.. and so I had them make one out for the fellow member... then when I got to the post office there was a line and so I bought a priority mail stamp from the vending machine (this was back when they still had one) an mailed the cashiers check priority mail... 2 weeks later it had not arrived.... and so I started to go through the process of canceling the cashiers check.... the fellow member I had written it to had to fill out a form I mailed to him and have it notarized and then send it back to me... I then had to fill out a few more forms at my bank and they had to send it all down to Jacksonville before I got the money put back in my account so I could send the fellow member a personal check like he wanted in the first place.... The day he got my personal check mailed in a regular envelope guess what also arrived? The cashiers check via priority mail... only took something like 5 weeks....

If you trust the person you are sending the money too... why would you not since you've decided to buy a gun from them... I can't see why a personal check is not best... it actually takes less than two days for any personal check to clear according to a bank manager I talked to recently. I'll do a postal money order.. the painful part is standing in line ......

 

[pisgah]

USPS money orders have never presented a problem as far as depositing or cashing them at my bank, with only one exception -- that is they may occasionally be hesitant to cash it if there are insufficient funds in my account to cover the amount of the MO. Why? Well, as already stated, USPS money orders are hard to counterfeit -- but not exceptionally hard to steal which, believe it or not, happens fairly often. If a MO you present turns out to have been stolen, the bank wants to be sure they're covered -- same as with any check you present to cash or deposit.

 

[blume357]

I guess I look at things slightly different than most folks or the banks.... in my business I am paid almost exclusively with checks... I don't accept plastic.... I've never had a problem at the bank... why? because I only deposit these checks in my bank account... I've never in 34 years ever tried to cash a check or even considered trying to cash it at the customers bank... I'd do the same with a money order... just deposit it.

Then again... I really don't have a problem with internet gun or other related item sales.... I only buy.. never sell and I only buy from folks on this forum. Oh and you usually need a pretty high post count for me to even consider buying something from you.

 

[mohavesam]

Of course, you can always send PAYPAL Friends and Family and have the funds transferred within a few hours!

Of course, using Paypal makes one a contributor to the Brady Campaign (and working against Civil Rights of the Second Amendment), like it or not. But then again I see gun owners who compromise their "ethics" for a few dollars everyday... Needed to be said (again).

I hear about problems but do not actually know anyone who has had real problems with a USPS MO. Again, simply deposit the MO in your account. :roll:

 

[cas6969]

If you use PayPal right, they don't get any of your money.

I didn't read a post. The US POSTAL SERVICE!
THE US POST OFFICE comes after you with a its strength and might if you dare anything wrong.

Oh that's funny.


Unless santa put you on the naughty list first.

 

[Kevin]

Blume: I agree with everything you say. It's been more than a few years, but I used to sell used computer equipment on EBay. I got it from the recycle bin at work for free (with the bosses approval) and resold it. I took personal checks since this was before EBay and PayPal merged. I had zero troubles. And didn't lose anything inevery packed and shipped USPS, by the way.

I think some here make more of a big deal about money orders and cashiers checks etc. in my humble opinion, consider the amount. If it's a large amount, that's one thing, but if the amount is manageable, well, why fret about it?

 

[chuck]

I use Western Union. To He** with the mail and other stuff.