Home Forums Gear Free Classifieds USPS money order Question ?

Why do some people insist on receiving payment via USPS money order? I don’t understand why receiving a personal check and waiting until it clears is risky to the seller. What am I missing? I use personal checks for payment frequently and receive them frequently without issue. Why pay the government to be a middleman?

Don’t know but I’ve passed on a few deals because of it.

I’m getting to that point.

USPS money orders are certified funds.....provided they aren't counterfeit. The seller can turn them into cash the same day, versus waiting a week to get the cash from a personal check. My opinion only, but it's a speed and certainty of funds issue.

Keith

Takes weeks to clear

MO can be cancelled , authenticated , checked to see if its cashed.

I just got a check cleared in 1 day, actually less than a day. All those are true for checks.

Me too. And people that insist on them have obviously never had one lost in the mail. The PO won't even START canceling it and issuing a refund for 30 day, meanwhile, whoever you bought from still wants to be paid.

My bank tells me no way to tell unless check is from their bank

I dont mind accepting checks but I dont even own a checkbook

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Worrying about the worst case scenario is what keeps the Campfire burning.


The simple fact is that a USPS money order can be checked immediately at the bank to qualify that it is real and not counterfeit. If it is too big of a problem to get one, but expect the seller to wait for a week to see if a private check clears, it is more of an inconvenience to the seller than the MO is to get.

USPS money orders are good and easy to verify without waiting a day or a week…

I also pass on most deals that require money orders. More so because of the hours of operation of the Post Office and the distance away they are from me. This stems from the closing of our small town Post Office 12 years ago, and also the reduction of hours of the smaller Post Offices in the nearby towns. With my job, I work 7 and 8 day stretches between days off, and the Post Offices are not open either before or after work in the town I travel through.

I also believe with the electronic transfers, most checks will clear the bank within a day or two. That's been my experience when I watch my account on deals where I send personal checks and the seller holds the item until the check clears.

I send money orders and have no problem taking them or a check as payment.

I also send the money orders and checks priority mail. That way there are tracking numbers following the payment. $10 is a small price to pay on my end in order for both parties to be able to track it

I hear 1983 calling.

Checks clear quick and less of a hassle to deal with.

I get several hundred checks a year from members here and never a problem. I don't wait for a check to clear I get their syrup in the mail.

I sometimes use the USPS money order to pay for shipping or stamps and get the balance in cash while I'm at the PO. I don't even know if the PO will take a check.

So who deserves the most inconvenience?

Deserves got nothing to do with it.

Want the largest buyer audience? Don’t require MO.

Want fewer prospective buyers but less perceived hassle on your end? Require MO.

But you know all this; seller sets the rules.

"Why do some people insist on receiving payment via USPS money order? I don’t understand ...."

Because that's they way they want to do business!
And sellers here are in control.
Don't like it, don't buy it.