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Money orders
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I’m selling an old curriculum (my pre-CM days), and someone wants to pay for it using a money order. I am nervous about that. Does anyone know how it works, and can you tell me your experiences with them? It sounds like she’d make it out for exactly the purchase price, so there’s no danger of having to send her money back (ie, scam). I just usually do PayPal, although I’d do a check and wait for it to clear the bank, too. Thoughts?
Well, I’ve used money orders to pay for things, and most people consider them safer than a personal check from someone you don’t know. A check could bounce and you would likely never see your money (plus your bank will charge you a fee), but a money order has already been paid for in cash, so once you cash or deposit it, the money is yours guaranteed.
However, I know that money orders can be counterfeited, but I don’t know how often that happens. They are usually pretty safe. I believe I have received money orders as payment a time or two and never had a problem with them.
I suppose you could ask her to use paypal. She doesn’t have to have a paypal account to use it (it comes out of her bank account or goes against her debit card), but you will have a 2.9% fee plus 30 cents charged to you as the seller, so you make less $$ than if you received a money order.
I use money orders all the time for buying (and selling). I don’t have/want a Paypal account and don’t feel comfortable using my credit card online, so I use postal money orders from the US Postal Service. I check with the seller first, to see if they will accept that form of payment. Then, you just go to any regular US post office, with the cash (no checks), and ask for one. There is a $1.00 fee for each, I believe, or perhaps it is a bit more, like $1.25 or something. You just fill out the payer/payee information on the money order itself, just as you would a check, keep the receipt portion, and send off your payment. That’s it. Then, when the recipient receives it, they take it to their local post office, show some ID, and receive the money. Very simple, and a very acceptable method to many sellers. Coming from the US postal service, I felt it was an even more safe and trusted route than accepting/using a local bank’s MO, which one of the parties may not be familiar with.
HTH!
I suppose you could also stipulate that you will cash the money order and then ship the goods, to make sure it is a good deal. I don’t ship until the money is in paypal for anything I do, and I would likely do the same with a check or money order…most people don’t mind waiting I find.
I probably would request that she get her mo from the post office. I’ve heard that some places can have problems. I’ve used and accepted mo’s on rare occasions and have had no problems but I would feel better if they came from a reputable place.
having worked for the PO, I can tell you that a PO money order is the safest bet. I would probably accept one from a retailer like walmart. But I know the PO policies and trust them. You have the option of taking it to your bank or to a PO to cash it. Just bring ID.
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