Question about money orders.

Ok i know money orders are safe for the seller (to receive). But how safe are they for the buyer. I have a guy i want to buy from that will only take PO money orders. Is this safe for me? I feel like it could be a little sketchy but i dont know much about them so any help would be great.

I don't think money orders are safe, it's the equivalent of sending cash. Paypal gives you protection in that you can file a complaint and get your money back, but you can't do this with money orders. That being said I've never sent a money order before so I could be wrong. I prefer to pay with Paypal when doing transactions over the internet because I have protection.

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Originally Posted by Kinra

I don't think money orders are safe, it's the equivalent of sending cash. Paypal gives you protection in that you can file a complaint and get your money back, but you can't do this with money orders. That being said I've never sent a money order before so I could be wrong. I prefer to pay with Paypal when doing transactions over the internet because I have protection.

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Ok that's what i thought. I'm trying to deal with Jason Sweigart with Classic Dums and have been reading mixed reviews about him/classic dums so idk if i will be doing that.
Thanks Kinra :)

Money orders are a very secure way to conduct business with persons whom you do not know.

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Originally Posted by Lferg

Money orders are a very secure way to conduct business with persons whom you do not know.

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I think they are only safe for the person receiving them. They are pretty much a personal check, but the funds are guaranteed (unless it's a counterfeit) unlike checks which can bounce. There is no security for the sender.

It all boils down to whether or not the person is reputable or not I have bought snakes in the past where the only payment options were money order or personal checks.

I think with money orders you have the benefit of reporting someone for mail fraud if they don't send you your product. Keep any information about the money order that you can, the post office will know who deposited it and who to go after if you need to make a police report.

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Originally Posted by Slashmaster

I think with money orders you have the benefit of reporting someone for mail fraud if they don't send you your product. Keep any information about the money order that you can, the post office will know who deposited it and who to go after if you need to make a police report.

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x2 to the above. Make copies of all the documentation (money order included, just reduce the size when you copy the original or write "COPY" on it or something so you don't get busted for counterfeiting!) you send, send the letter/money order with tracking and signed delivery confirmation, etc. That way you have as much documentation as possible to present to a Postal Inspector if the need should arise. I'm not positive, but I think the Federal statutes for mail fraud only apply if you use the Postal Service, versus UPS or FedEx to send/ship a package. If you use UPS or FedEx, the it becomes a matter for the local authorities to investigate as opposed to the Postal Inspectors.

I've purchased snakes using money orders and haven't had any issues; but both times it was from trusted sources. However, if you have any doubts whatsoever, I'd say hang onto your money and find someone you can trust, as recouping your losses if you get burned won't be easy or quick. Wheels of justice grind s-l-o-w and the Feds more so even than at the local/state level. Just my two cents. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Ok thanks a lot everybody. I looked into it a little more and talked to the breeder today and i feel comfortable sending it now. This money order is getting me into an orange ghost project i wasn't anticipating :)

That'd just make it that much more tempting and harder to turn down, being that it's for orange ghosts, lol! Hope it all works out as planned and goes through with no issues. Good luck and take care!

Don't forget to check the person on the BOI! Especially if you don't fully trust them.

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Originally Posted by youbeyouibei

That'd just make it that much more tempting and harder to turn down, being that it's for orange ghosts, lol! Hope it all works out as planned and goes through with no issues. Good luck and take care!

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haha i cant wait for them, there are pictures up in the BP picture sub-forum if you want to see them.

I sent out the money order today and talked to the guy at the post office and he told me the safest way to do things, when it arrives friday i'm going to go to the tracking site and print out the signature of the person that signed for it. I'm not too worried though after talking to the breeder, he seems nice and I feel much better about it. However i still want to be prepared for the worst just in case.

Thanks for all of your input!