I've gotten so many different stories regarding money orders. The latest being that they can take up to 30 days to clear. I don't get it. Back in the day, money orders were about as secure as funds could get because they were purchased with cash and therefore treated like cash. I'm expecting a MO from a buyer soon and need to know how this works. I told them it had to be from the USPS because MOs are so easily faked these days. They had no problem with that and it's on the way to me now. Do I cash/deposit it at my bank and wait 7 days like a check to have it clear? What's the story with people saying it can take 30 days? That's longer than a check. My buyer won't want to wait 30 days to get their item nor would most people knowing that money orders are usually treated like cash or at worst a personal check. I need clarification please. Also, how do you know it has completely cleared the cycle? My bank will show the deposit within a day of me depositing it, but I'm told they can come back and bite you. How will I know it has cleared their bank, which I assume is the postal service since that's where they got the MO. The PO isn't a bank...Oh I'm confused....