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This message has been edited. Last edited by: dwd1985,

You need to get a girl Friday to do your running around for you while you are working.

Sorry about the cash.

Frustrating. Aggravating. Sorry to hear that you are out that money.

It is possible that the seller is telling the truth, but still, you are out the money.

At this point, you sure don't want to hear "you should have," or "why didn't you," but I have always paid for things with personal check or online Bill Pay. I tell the seller that it is not necessary to ship until s/he is satisfied that payment has cleared.

I have only had one seller refuse that type payment and insist on a USPS money order. Ironically, it was a seller here on SIGforum. I told him "no sale." I am NOT going to take my time to drive to the Post Office, stand on line, pay a fee for a money order, and then deal with USPS in the event of non-delivery.

I know this seems as though I’m kicking a man when he’s down, but if you were set on sending cash you should have used Certified Mail, Signature Required at the least.

quote:

Originally posted by clubleaf206:
I know this seems as though I’m kicking a man when he’s down, but if you were set on sending cash you should have used Certified Mail, Signature Required at the least.

That would have required a trip to the Post Office.

If he had done that, he could have sent a money order.

The reason he sent cash was that "Because of my work hours, it is nearly impossible for me to make it to the post office when theyre open."

I was wondering what a security envelope was? Like a Birthday card reeking of $?

For $120 you might consider contacting the Postmaster his local Post Office. Can't hurt, it might be random noise but it might also be a clue.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:


The reason he sent cash was that "Because of my work hours, it is nearly impossible for me to make it to the post office when theyre open."

He said nearly impossible, not impossible. At any rate, if there is a next time he might look into certifiedmaillabels.com it's an online service where certified mail labels can be printed off. I didn't read up on all the details but it appears to be free to sign up and there is no monthly fee.

"The Best Experience is Bought Experience."...my Dad

I have done everything, buying and selling, on this forum and others, with USPS money orders exclusively.

100% success and happiness.

quote:

I am a very, very stupid person.

Send cash once, shame on you. Send cash twice, shame on me.

Depending on the size of the town, I'd probably try and reach out to the local post office. The person may have other complaints. I know it sucks, but at least you're only out $120. It could be worse.

With the exception of a gun I really, really want, if someone won't take a check or PayPal, I pass on the sale. It's also a major inconvenience for me to make it to a post office when they're open. There are a couple of stores that offer certain official USPS services, but the money orders they sell are Western Union. I did have one seller refuse to accept a Western Union money order for a $50 sale since he was worried it could be counterfeit, so I passed on that. I have sent cash and received cash (small amounts) when dealing with Sig Forum members though.

I actually had a feeling that it wasn't the seller. If they were going to steal your money, they wouldn't have responded to you at all...

I'm glad things turned out well enough. And the seller appears to be very much on the up and up with integrity and all.

I'm happy for you.

dwd1985, glad it worked out.

I have been told by several folks I know in the USPS that there is an "awareness" of occasions when cash is sent through the mail. Christmas, Chinese New Year, (Red envelopes), after tax checks go out, high school graduation time frame, etc.
Any card-sized envelope is pretty obvious vs a regular envelope. (There is always the potential for cash in a card envelope). Recipients aren't usually expecting to receive that money so any type of lost mail report is less likely to be generated.

If loose cash is in an envelope they say it is immediately obvious and very inviting to less-than-honest employees of the system.
Based on what he told me, anytime I do send cash I place the bills between two pieces of thin cardboard or wrap the bills in aluminum foil to disguise the shape. You do not want to send a thin white envelope where someone can hold it up to the light and see the shadow of currency bills.

Other recommendation he made was to use a small box to send cash. Boxes are less likely to get "lost" than envelopes. Also, I heard a pretty clever idea from a person working in the US to get cash back to his family.
He takes a shirt or pair of pants and puts the money in a pocket, then ships the clothing in one of those thin, tough plastic-woven envelopes. Very light- so you're not paying a lot for shipping but it throws off the scent, as it were.

I just had to send some cash to a not-on-the-web no paypal type and just used a priority envelope, although it cost more than a stamp. It also gave tracking. I try to avoid sending cash through the mail whenever possible.