Money order from this buyer - ok?

vagabag

O.G.
Dec 31, 2006
2,626
80
I have a buyer who seems rather new to the *bay - although a member for a long time, she only has 4 feedback (all positives). I've been waiting for payment from her via paypal. She now says that she needs to set up an account and it will take several days so she is willing to send me a check. I don't want to chance it and said I would accept a postal money order. What do you all think? Is this wise? Would you accept the personal check? Or should I move to the next highest bidder ... and risk that the next bidder may no longer be interested and pass? I really don't want to relist due to fees, etc. Ah!
 
I have a buyer who seems rather new to the *bay - although a member for a long time, she only has 4 feedback (all positives). I've been waiting for payment from her via paypal. She now says that she needs to set up an account and it will take several days so she is willing to send me a check. I don't want to chance it and said I would accept a postal money order. What do you all think? Is this wise? Would you accept the personal check? Or should I move to the next highest bidder ... and risk that the next bidder may no longer be interested and pass? I really don't want to relist due to fees, etc. Ah!
I would tell her you would be more than happy to receive a USPS postal money order. Check? I wouldn't do it these days unless you already knew the person.If the next highest bidder is interested, you could tell the original buyer that, due to the lengthy time period of setting up her PP account (this of course should have been done BEFORE she bid), you would like to mutually withdraw the transaction? But who knows, maybe she wants the item badly enough to send a USPS money order. If you have the time and funds to wait, ask her how long the PP set-up of her account will be? I think it takes only a few days. Sounds like a newbie and she is clueless, but that is troubling that you say she has been a member for some time yet has no PP account. Oh, one other thing, tell her you will only be able to send to the confirmed PP address. She may be a scammer who has hijacked someone else's account and will ask you to send to address other then than PP confirmed one. Big red flag.
 
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Personal check? Not a chance! Do you risk PayPal protection if she gives you a money order? I know some things have changed at the *Bay, just not sure if you'll be covered. Email her and ask how long before she could get you a USPS Money Order (which should be traceable) and does she really want it that bad? Email the next highest bidder and check out their interest level and see if they have PayFoe set up. You would save fees if the original bidder does use a MO, me thinkest! Good luck and keep us posted :smile:
 
Thanks for everyone's super helpful opinions! I know that a personal check may bounce and then i pay some fee to the bank. Is there any other downside? And, the postal money order sounds safe, yes?
 
Sorry, I now have a new development. The buyer said she will mail me a postal money order and asked me to mail the bag to an address that does not match with the address I got from the *bay when I got notification that the item sold. What do you think? Maybe she did not update her *bay address?
 
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Sorry, I now have a new development. The buyer said she will mail me a postal money order and asked me to mail the bag to an address that does not match with the address I got from eBay when I got notification that the item sold. What do you think? Maybe she did not update her eBay address?


You are fine if you do this. Postal money order is cashed at the post office and you have the money so you can send wherever she wants. The post office can tell if they are fake. I just had this exact scenario happen. My buyer won a bag but had to wait for her paypal to be verified but still wanted the bag. She overnighted me a postal money order and she asked me to ship to where she was going on vaction. I cashed the money order at the post office and then shipped the bag to the place she wanted with insurance and sig confirm. No risk at all and no paypal fees.:yahoo: