Money Order? Fraud?

[pacificfame]

I am selling some beagle puppies online for a friend. A lady e-mailed me, and we discussed various topics on the dog etc. etc. I told her payment needs to be through paypal. She said she does not like paypal, and would like to send a money order. Now I have never done a money order, and I have no idea how to do a money order. First, is this even safe? And if so, how would this be done in a way so I know I am not being scammed?

Thanks

[The Stealthy One]

Yes, a money order is a source of guaranteed funds, so this is fine. Once a money order is taken out, it cannot be refunded. It should be Ok to proceed.

[warren]

Some people really hate PayPal. Check out Paypalsucks.com

If you don't want to be scammed, wait till the money order clears before you ship (or whatever way you will give the puppies to the lady) the puppies.

[journeyoftheanimala]

I would say the best way to keep from being scammed is cash the money order first. With my online business (once it is running( I do not plan on shipping anything out until stuff like checks or money orders clear the bank. I understand not liking pay pal, some people just do not like their credit info anywhere on the Internet.

[Dale King]

With today's state-of-the-art printing equipment, money orders can be counterfeited just like checks and/or cash.

To be certain of its authenticity, either cash it immediately or wait until it clears before delivering the product.

Dale King

[rmapes]

I would definitely cash the money order and make sure it clears with the bank first. Money orders are often counterfeited these days---just look at all of the scams on Craigslist, eBay, etc. The worst part is that you may not be notified by your bank until a couple of weeks after you deposited the fake money order. It's best to check with your bank teller if you have any doubts about the money order.

Startups, Entrepreneurs, and Venture Capital---http://ryanmapes.blogspot.com

[Envydia]

Cash it first since it had to be paid with money so that sorta guarantees authenticity.

[pbradish]

once received wait until the money order is cleared in your bank account before shipping the goods. I receive a few money orders per month and have never had a problem, the problem is more often than not potential customers say that they will send the money order and never do so (hoping you will trust them and ship right away).

[benson]

yes, thats 1 thing i am very worried about paypal, backcharges, etc but its still widely used hmm.. is there any payment gateway which prevents frauds or backcharges?

[Newton]

ship the puppies.

A good laugh right there.

[foxdmatt]

To check to see if a money order is safe look for a watermark on the back of them. Also, look for microprinting on the back as well. These are both very hard to counterfeit. Usually, if the money order in question has these safety features, they are safe.

[JerrSun]

If they have to pay with money order ask for a USPS money order. you can take those to any post office and they'll cash them on the spot.


JerrSun

[sicnarftea]

correct me if i'm wrong, but if you're selling puppies, wouldn't you guys be exchanging the puppy in person? Unless there is some special courier that delivers puppies, which I don't know of over there.

So wouldn't cash be alot better???

[pacificfame]

Well the puppies are sold now, but they have pet carriers that come and pick the animals up from you and deliver them to the person. Yeah, you don't box a dog and ship it. They also have airlines that ship dogs, but most of this is pretty expensive.