Can You (as a Seller) get Scammed with a Money Order?

cooper1

cooper1

wag more, bark less
O.G.
Aug 11, 2007
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17
#1
I sold a bag on eBay to someone who says she does not yet have a Paypal account and can she please pay with a money Order. She has a very low # of feedbacks, but they are all very positive. I said "ok" and she did the BIN on the bag. The communication has been great, and she has since already gone and bought the MO and sent it off to me.
In the meantime, someone told me that a new eBay scam is for buyers to use fake MO's on high-priced items. Now I am worried. I have not received the MO in the mail yet.
Is there any way of authenticating the MO at the bank, before I send her the bag?
:confused1:
 
#2
I had a buyer try to run the MO scam on me this winter. It was super wierd and obvious that it was a scam.

There have been times that I have accepted MO though. I just state that the item does not go out until the MO clears.
 
#3
cooper1 said:
I sold a bag on eBay to someone who says she does not yet have a Paypal account and can she please pay with a money Order. She has a very low # of feedbacks, but they are all very positive. I said "ok" and she did the BIN on the bag. The communication has been great, and she has since already gone and bought the MO and sent it off to me.
In the meantime, someone told me that a new eBay scam is for buyers to use fake MO's on high-priced items. Now I am worried. I have not received the MO in the mail yet.
Is there any way of authenticating the MO at the bank, before I send her the bag?
:confused1:
Click to expand...

You can request a Postal Money Order, which is pretty much a money transfer between Post Offices. This is the BEST option if you are going to accept a money order.

Money orders and cashier's checks can be (and sometimes ARE) faked, and it may take quite some time for your bank to catch it. But trust me, they WILL catch it, and then take that cash right out of your account!
 
#4
Yes, there's a scam w/ counterfeit money orders.

Hopefully this will go smoothly for you.

Don't send the bag out until you know for certain the money order is cleared!!

If it's a postal money order take it to a US Postal branch.

It might take 7-10 days to officially clear!!
 
#5
Yes, it is completely possible. Make absolute sure that you do NOT ship until it completely clears your bank, which is different than the $ being available in your account. Talk to your bank for details.
 
#6
sarahloveslouis said:
You can request a Postal Money Order, which is pretty much a money transfer between Post Offices. This is the BEST option if you are going to accept a money order.

Money orders and cashier's checks can be (and sometimes ARE) faked, and it may take quite some time for your bank to catch it. But trust me, they WILL catch it, and then take that cash right out of your account!
Click to expand...

I was JUST going to recommend that. But if anything, a money order is more iffy for the buyer, not necessarily the seller. However, I haven't heard of this new MO scam that was mentioned earlier. So I guess you just never know.

Maybe she'll send you a MO from the PO, if that's the case, that would be awesome as I would go directly to the PO and cash it there. They will cash their own MO, regardless of amount (I think).
 
#8
I will only accept postal money orders and even then I bring them to the post office to get the immediate cash. I was told that when they run them through their system they know right away if it is real. I have cashed up to $1,300 at the post office with their money orders, but you need to use a busy post office so they will have the cash.

As for other money orders, I try not to accept them for various reasons, but treat them like a check and they have to clear before I ship anything. Even beyond that, I usually wait up to 5 additional days in case my bank is slow in catching on.

To end all of this I would update your preferences and not accept bids from non-Paypal users. That will solve your problem in this regard.
 
#10
WOW! Thanks everyone for all the responses!
I had no idea about these Money Orders, because I have ONLY ever accepted Paypal, but this buyer really wanted the bag so I said it was fine.
After I read some of the responses here, I emailed her and asked where she got the MO and she said her local PO, so now I feel much better. Thanks for giving me the heads-up to take it to the PO to cash it; I didn't know I could do that!

....plus, I think my buyer is a PF'er! She's really sweet! I have just never dealt with an MO before.

Thanks everyone! I think it will all be just fine.
 
#11
That's why I no longer accept money orders or personal checks. It's too much of a hassle for me. Most of the time, when I'm selling something on *bay, it's because I need the money right away now, so waiting for a MO or a check is just not convenient for me.

I also implemented the "immediate payment required" on my auctions, as well, as they are all fixed priced. Just easier since buyers are becoming a little too lenient with their purchasing and not paying these days. I don't chance it. Much easier knowing the money is in my PP account immediately.
 
#12
onegirlcreative said:
That's why I no longer accept money orders or personal checks. It's too much of a hassle for me. Most of the time, when I'm selling something on *bay, it's because I need the money right away now, so waiting for a MO or a check is just not convenient for me.

I also implemented the "immediate payment required" on my auctions, as well, as they are all fixed priced. Just easier since buyers are becoming a little too lenient with their purchasing and not paying these days. I don't chance it. Much easier knowing the money is in my PP account immediately.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, the one positive to postal money orders is, no Paypal fees. Yes, you can wait a few days for the MO to arrive, but then you run over to the PO and get CASH - so it could be just as fast as transferring the funds from Paypal to your bank account. I do have to admit though, when I get the CASH, it never quite gets where it needs to go before I start dipping into it.
 
#13
Mom2Pat said:
I have to admit, the one positive to postal money orders is, no Paypal fees. Yes, you can wait a few days for the MO to arrive, but then you run over to the PO and get CASH - so it could be just as fast as transferring the funds from Paypal to your bank account. I do have to admit though, when I get the CASH, it never quite gets where it needs to go before I start dipping into it.
Click to expand...

I never transfer the funds from my PP account to my checking because I have a business account through PP, so I have a PP debit card. Much easier, for me that is.
 
#14
Good luck on this. You have gotten great advised. I have used postal money orders myself for various purchases (none through ebay) and it has been handy plus the time for them to clear has been faster than some checks.
 
#15
Yes, only accept a USPS money order.

However, those are still able to be stolen. Your local PO will have a list of the SNs of the MOs that are stolen & will LYK.
 
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