Payment

[roju-1725]

A buyer has messaged me asking if I would accept a money order. Is this transaction possible, if so how do I handle this or should I. Thanks

[mam98031]

You let them know that your payment options are stated on all your listings, on the Shipping and Payment tab.  The payment must be electronic.

@roju-1725 

[femmefan1946]

The problem for a buyer is that a money order costs them money on top of the purchase price and she cannot prove that it has been received.

EBay does not allow MOs as a Buyer Protection.

The problem for sellers is a little more complex but historically there was a scam where the seller was notified by email that the MO (usually Western Union) was on its way and she could ship. Of course, the email was a fake. (WU had nothing to do with this scam.)

And of course it takes time for the MO to arrive by snail mail. And your bank will treat it as a check and will insist on clearing it before depositing it.

So. No.

[mam98031]

There is also LOTS of money order fraud too.

[fashunu4eeuh]

For most categories, the answer is no. But there are a few categories where other options for payment exist, including MO. See link below. (Is this a local pickup listing?)

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/payment-policies/payment-methods-policy?id=4269

[mam98031]

The OP doesn't appear to be selling in any of those categories.

[Anonymous]

I got the same message last week and I told him that he had to go through eBay payments, my account wasn't set up to accept money orders.  I figured it was some sort of scam anyway.

[friskya]

Wow! I think it's been 15 years or more since I've seen this one used. 

Everything old is new again, I guess.

[bbravo65]

...the reliable MO is from USPS...

...couple years ago, WalMart issued a warning to customers that any matters with MO purchased at WalMart must be directly contact the financial institution...it was a rumor that WalMart committed MO frauds...

[a_c_green]

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@bbravo65 wrote:

...the reliable MO is from USPS...

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I was wondering if someone was going to mention that. A USPS Money Order can be cashed on the spot for full face value at any post office, after which you can ship the item in the same visit and walk out with cash in your pocket. Remember when you get home to mark the item as Payment Received, Shipped, and upload its tracking number as usual.

The risk is on the buyer with a Money Order payment, since he cannot file a dispute to recover a refund later if the transaction goes sideways because there are no buyer funds for eBay to withhold or recover from the seller. For the seller's part, he has to wait around for the buyer to actually mail the MO to him, which may or may not happen quickly, although he is still free to cancel the sale as Unpaid if the MO never arrives (or even if it does. *ahem* 😉).

[donsdetour]

Sounds like some one is trying to get you to take this sale off of ebay.

MO can be,  and are faked.

Just saying. What is the feedback number of the user??

[singular-source]

I would probably pass on the sale.

[varebelrose]

Until MP and the crackdown on exchanging information, a seller could not ask for cash, checks, or money orders.... but they could accept them if the buyer requested to pay by that method. Not many did, maybe 1 out of 200 in my experience, up to last year. Its really no different than accepting same at a local pickup, which you can still do.

The problem of course is how to give them your mailing address through messaging without the bots giving you a nastygram. If you do manage, make sure to mark the transaction as paid so eBay gets their fees, and don't ship until it has proven legit and been cashed.

[mam98031]

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@singular-source wrote:

I would probably pass on the sale.

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You don't have to "pass" on the sale.  Actually if they have already purchased the item you need to wait and see what the buyer does.  If after 4 days they don't pay via a method on your listings, then simply cancel the purchase for Non Payment.  That gives the buyer a strike on their account.  This is extremely useful for ALL sellers.  Especially if they have their site preferences set to the strictest you can which is 2 unpaid strikes within the last 12 months.

So if this buyer does this one more time, they will be in for a SURPRISE as they will be blocked from purchasing anything from all the sellers that have their Site Preferences set up this way.

[singular-source]

Good info.  Man these forums are a wealth of knowledge.  I actually have my first non-paying buyer in years.  I'm actually happy because I under sold the item.  When an item sells in 5 minutes, you know you messed up the price.