WARNING LONG WINDED! Buying PREOWNED AIRGUNS with Money Orders Thoughts?

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Yo

Yo

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Mar 26, 2020
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OK heres the deal... Fact is that I think I probably spend a little more money as compared to the average airgunner. My PAYPAL got SUSPENDED until further notice due to suspicious activity. This is the SECOND TIME this has happened to me in the last couple of years due to SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY. I only used PayPal to pay for AIRGUNS and AIRGUN RELATED ITEMS AND FOR NOTHING ELSE. They required me to send them a scanned copy of my photo I.D. it's EXPIRED since I couldn't renew it due to the LOCKDOWN and closure of the offices to renew. I'm not the only one that's for sure with an expired I.D. due to all of this. PayPal REJECTED it and froze my account with Money in it unable to access or use it to pay and I'm not stupid to want to ACCEPT PAYPAL PAYMENTS right? That's that. Too bad for me. FOR NOW. I tried doing WALMART TO WALMART to buy guns and scopes and COMPRESSORS and tanks and what not but they wouldn't do it with a recently expired I.D. buy ITS ME!!! LOOKS JUST LIKE ME TOO. Forget that then. Onto money orders yea the USPS nowadays only issue money orders when they FEEL like it and you won't know until after waiting over 3 hours in that long social distanced line. As in Thank you F-U very much. Currently On to those 7-11 Western Union Money Orders then. So far pretty good going on there I'm ok waiting for the seller to hold their item or items till their banks clear them first before shipping my item or items that's fine I can wait. Now get this why do some sellers outright refuse to take anything besides USPS money orders? I mention to them they can deposit it in their bank and I can wait no big deal even a week or 2 if NEEDBY before shipping my stuff. NOPE and I'm probably the only idiot to pay full asking price. I don't believe in lowballing any seller. I just trade places see from the sellers point of view wouldn't want tire kickers or low ballers or excuses to hold it till next week Friday. Well today was rather interesting buying money orders to pay for a few guns I just bought. First transaction $1836.00 that's $500 $500 $500 and $336. It cost $1.00 for each UP TO $500 money order and I pay exact change at $1840.00 then MONEY order machine spits out $500 then freezes up with R2D2 beeping noises. Frantic worker goes in back calls for the assistant manager to fix it. 5 min wait the mgr comes out and R2D2s their safe...wait for it...20 minutes still waiting...i ask if this long wait is normal??? YEP SORRY. I ask WHY IS THAT??? No explanation but SORRY. AT 30 MINUTES R2D2 beep that safe door opens mgr grabs box with a stack of money orders reloads that machine. Confusion going on here among mgr and clerk what about the rest of my already PAID money orders? Oh gotta redo everything all over again now. Clerk tells the mgr but he already got $500. Well they ask me again what was my amounts. WHAT??? $500 $500 $500 and $336. Oh except MINUS $500 I got the first one here. Prints out and hands me $500 $500 $300 $336. To ME it looks like they want to PAY ME $300 for my 30+ minute INCONVENIENCE fee that I didn't even ask for. I show them ALL of the money orders fanned like a deck of cards ARE YOU SURE THIS IS ALL CORRECT??? Oh yea yea that's all correct. Hmmm that's one EXTRA one here... NO SIR (TELLING IT TO ME)THATS ALL CORRECT. OK onto the next one. $500 $500 $500 and $300. R2D2 spits them out OH HELL YEA clerk and mgr all strutting their stuff party time all is good! Waiting for the ol OPPA GANGNAM STYLE DANCE. Hands me $500 $500 $500 and $300 and my change. I shove that stack of 9 money orders back to them as they were chips betting ALL IN here you go double check if that's correct before I leave. NO NO DONT WORRY WE DIDNT SHORT YOU SIR ITS ALL CORRECT. ITS FINE. YOURE FREE TO GO NOW WE FIXED THE PROBLEM ALREADY. I HAND THE $300 back to the mgr HERES YOUR TIP don't spend it until your shift is over. Yo
 
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Good question, YO. Why do sellers only want USPS money orders? Any bank where you have an account will accept a money order as a deposit (it is a pre-paid cash note). As long as you have an account in good standing they will even cash the money order on the spot.

Do sellers just prefer going to the post office to cash them rather than their bank? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me? And why do sellers want you to pay the 3%+ on PayPal transactions? Just build it into the price, it provides both the seller and buyer with protections not offered by F&F.
 
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Now that sounds allot like something I would not want to be involved in. The whole thing really sucks for sure. Crazy deal with the money orders those people need adult supervision. Only trouble I have had with PayPal is I could not sent $1000 to someone but it let me send $900 never figured that one out. Hope you can get things straightened out soon cuz I know you needs more guns and stuff. ;^)
 
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I know that this thought goes against the grain, and I will be called out as an 'Anti Enabler', but maybe a short hiatus until you can get your ID renewed would spare you the experience of interacting with the hoi polloi. 



Then again, the story is just outlandish enough to make perfect sense to someone who has been there in line contemplating both homicide and suicide with equal weight as a means to shorten the torment of dealing with those who are genetically classed as people, but appear to have mentally developed along a path remarkably similar to a root vegetable.



Great story man, I vote for you to stay the course and continue to share your experiences.
 
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Heck yes YO.....keep buying stuff!!!! Don’t let an expired ID and Covid stand in your way of the Airgun fix you know you so desperately need. Try everything possible(guns, optics, accessories, etc) out and let the rest of us know what works and what doesn’t. I for one have benefited from your experiences and advice. Thanks and keep buying!!!!
 
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I’ll chime in from the seller side, because you are paying me this way and I was very hesitant at first, but you said hold them till they clear. So I’m good...

Why would people not want to accept MOs from anyway, or just USPS, or hesitant for WU...

  1. Not at all - It is basically like accepting a personal check. You don’t know if it is real or fake, so you have to wait to find out. That takes time and effort and some people don’t want to deal with the hassle. PayPal is immediate.
  2. USPS only - at least with a USPS MO, you can go to any post office to receive funds immediately... if they have enough cash 
  3. WU - People hear scam stories from people asking to be paid by WU and are scared off, and 2 there are FAR fewer places that cash WU MOs than sell them, which is crazy to me. So, if you can’t find a WU cashing place (with enough cash), now you have to wait for your bank to clear it just like a personal check. 
    [/LIST=1]

    Because it was you, and you have a history on here of paying with them, and because you are happy to wait until they clear, and I am not in a hurry, I chose to go with it and give you the opportunity.

    That is a sellers perspective. I think it all depends on the situation, and I feel ok in this particular situation. 
 
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Yo , I have sold many orders to you over past 2 years. Once I ran couple transactions with you I came to trust you. Problem is MO of any kind are a pain in the ass. I became spoiled with PayPal instant transaction. I routinely buy and sell simultaneously, and my available cash reserve is limited to “front “ purchases while I wait for MO to clear. If I have several buyers for my item- as I often do, I obviously prefer PayPal to MO. It’s a no brainer. I hate money orders. Even though I understand your precarious situation. Maybe I am spoiled but, I just hate waiting. - a sellers point of view. With respect 
 
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Good question, YO. Why do sellers only want USPS money orders? Any bank where you have an account will accept a money order as a deposit (it is a pre-paid cash note). As long as you have an account in good standing they will even cash the money order on the spot.

Do sellers just prefer going to the post office to cash them rather than their bank? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me? And why do sellers want you to pay the 3%+ on PayPal transactions? Just build it into the price, it provides both the seller and buyer with protections not offered by F&F.
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Yo , I have sold many orders to you over past 2 years. Once I ran couple transactions with you I came to trust you. Problem is MO of any kind are a pain in the ass. I became spoiled with PayPal instant transaction. I routinely buy and sell simultaneously, and my available cash reserve is limited to “front “ purchases while I wait for MO to clear. If I have several buyers for my item- as I often do, I obviously prefer PayPal to MO. It’s a no brainer. I hate money orders. Even though I understand your precarious situation. Maybe I am spoiled but, I just hate waiting. - a sellers point of view. With respect
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Agree with the above concepts. And personally, I immediately tune out any ad that asks for F&F.
 
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I think many sellers are just concerned about the growing fraud with money orders and official bank checks. I usually pay with a personal check, if the seller is willing to accept it. I always offer to wait any reasonable clearing period for the check. Some sellers are unwilling to wait, and I respect their decision, but I might not buy from them. I guess it seems counter-intuitive, but in this age of hacking and electronic fraud, a personal check may be the safest method of payment. Anytime an institutional funding source or intermediary is used, such as PayPal, the risk of hacking and unauthorized transfers is present. Nothing is without risk, but I get the impression that personal check forgeries are not nearly as attractive to fraudsters as are the many means of electronic fraud. And allowing time for any type of check or money order to clear the issuing bank pretty much squashes that scheme. 
 
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I’ve worked as a banker for two different banks, and I’ve seen a thousand fake checks, including money orders and cashiers checks. The check is only worthwhile receiving if you can cash the check as an “on us check” or a verifiably funded check that the institution is willing to cash because, from their perspective, the check is “on us” meaning that the risk is theirs (little risk as long as the Payee is correct). Money order checks and Cashier checks are from GL accounts or General Ledgers. Most smaller institutions will have 2 specifically for MOs and CCs and from an outside standpoint you can think of them as checking accounts for the bank to write checks, which is what a money order or cashier check is. Why the post office is nice is because they have to honor the check provided it isn’t a fake, whereas if you have a Bank of America’s cashiers check and take it to be cashed “on us” at Bank of America, their policy is not to (though they can verify it they don’t want to cash it in order to get you to open an account and not waste their time). Bank of America and many other institutions will send you to whatever bank you are banking with. Technically this is also allowed because a cashiers check and a money order is still considered a negotiable item, subject to holds and so forth. 



Hope that helps
 
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All good information. But, if a seller has deposited my check in his bank, which in turn has collected it through the inter-bank clearing process, I see no risk at that point to the seller, who would still have the item I bought.
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Just because a bank collects it doesn’t mean it will not bounce if the check is fraud/lacks funds. It all depends on when the check clears or is rejected, and whether you do an in person deposit or a remote/atm deposit. I’ve seen checks bounce as late as 12 days later, even with electronic deposits (the back office and legal side sometimes has delayed response with disputed items). A check can be even renegotiated if a suspected forgery had taken place on a legitimate check or if there are endorsement issues (which come into play legally, and hence can be called back very late).
 
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All good information. But, if a seller has deposited my check in his bank, which in turn has collected it through the inter-bank clearing process, I see no risk at that point to the seller, who would still have the item I bought.
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No they would not have risk, provided they keep your money 10 days before sending the item. That or cash it if possible at the bank that the MO or CC is drawn from (if allowed).
 
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Paypal block me for no reason after I got a refund on a Dillon brass swager. The seller did not know that item came with addition parts, so he happily reversed the transaction. 

Zero issues with the guy, buy he is a big time used gun stuff dealer, so I think I got black balled due to association. 

Then they wanted my cell number and other personal information, all of a sudden. My account was in use for 15 years or so with zero issues. So I refused and it is still locked with money in it. I spent days trying to get it reinstated, but they always wanted too much information. My hobby is shooting and hunting, so that is where I spend my cash I work hard for. 

So I refuse paypal to the end of time. The whole thing seemed like soviet union, very surreal. 
 
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Paypal block me for no reason after I got a refund on a Dillon brass swager. The seller did not know that item came with addition parts, so he happily reversed the transaction. 

Zero issues with the guy, buy he is a big time used gun stuff dealer, so I think I got black balled due to association. 

Then they wanted my cell number and other personal information, all of a sudden. My account was in use for 15 years or so with zero issues. So I refused and it is still locked with money in it. I spent days trying to get it reinstated, but they always wanted too much information. My hobby is shooting and hunting, so that is where I spend my cash I work hard for. 

So I refuse paypal to the end of time. The whole thing seemed like soviet union, very surreal.
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DING DING DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!!! SAME HERE!!! JG WENTWORTH TIME!!! ITS MY MONEY AND I NEED IT NOW!!! Yo!
 
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