Payments for sales

[texasnewbie]

I know that if I'm offered money orders etc for more money than the animal is worth, then they arrange a pick up and you give them the extra its a scam.

But are money orders acceptable in general and how long do they take to clear? Do they clear so you think you have the money and then bounce, leaving you owing the bank?


Sorry new to American payment methods :o Only ever bought/sold with cash in the U.K.

[KathyLove]

I have never had a problem with a money order purchased in the US for the exact amount of the order. But I have heard of scams with them here, too. The safest bet is to have the purchaser buy a postal money order and then go to your local post office to cash it. They have a list of bad money orders they check it against. I suppose there is a way for somebody to get around that too, but I think it would be easier and safer for them to run another kind of con, so I haven't worried about postal money orders, and haven't had a problem.

If you have been in the reptile business for a while and dealt with quite a few customers, you start to get a feel for the fake customer. The scams will often be less concerned with the actual animals and quality, and will ask different kinds of questions (or very few questions) compared to a legitimate customer. If you are paying close attention, you will "smell" something that just isn't quite right most of the time.

[garweft]

I agree USPS money orders only. Nearly every town with more than 3 people in it has a post office, so they are not hard to find. Then just make sure you cash it at the post office before sending anything out.

[texasnewbie]

Yes we have a post office here so if I get any money order's I will cash them there. A lot of the payment methods are different over here, I've only ever dealt with cash in England or the occasional check.

Kathy, luckily I have only had a few really obvious scammers so far, who have asked about my 'puppy' (erm, I don't have a dog for sale) then said their shipping company will pick him up etc... So they go straight in my junk folder.

[Scott Ashton]

Yes we have a post office here so if I get any money order's I will cash them there. A lot of the payment methods are different over here, I've only ever dealt with cash in England or the occasional check.

Kathy, luckily I have only had a few really obvious scammers so far, who have asked about my 'puppy' (erm, I don't have a dog for sale) then said their shipping company will pick him up etc... So they go straight in my junk folder.

You need to make sure you specify United States Postal Money Orders.

Receiving one alone isn't assurance as there have been large-scale counterfeiting efforts that have produced decent quality fakes.

More information on USPS money orders can be found here:

http://www.usps.com/missingmoneyorders/security.htm

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/moalert.htm

[Clay Davenport]

Receiving one alone isn't assurance as there have been large-scale counterfeiting efforts that have produced decent quality fakes.

That's true, decent enough so that my bank will no longer cash them at all, they just tell you to take it to the post office.
Problem is in my small town the post office apparently sees no need to hold any cash on hand overnight, so if you have a money order worth more than a couple hundred you can't cash it at all until after lunch.
I took one a while back for $300 or so at 10am and they couldn't scrape up enough money to cash it for me. It wasn't a problem until I found my bank wouldn't cash it either.
Next time this happens I'm going to have a little talk with the post master about them honoring their own monetary instruments.

[texasnewbie]

I think it may be easier to stick with paypal. I don't trust personal checks very much, as when they bounce we have to pay the bank a fee.

I will read those links Scott, thank you.