How to pay for gun from another state?

[Blackhawk]

I haven't bought a gun from another state for a really long time. I don't want to pay with check or certified check. What are the secure methods for ensuring I don't get ripped off?

[BrentD]

Postal money orders (max is $1000 per MO), are often preferred by both sellers and buyers. I use them a lot. But there is nothing that is risk free, except maybe staying in bed (and even that might not be perfectly safe).

[Blackhawk]

Does a postal money order have to be signed for?

[BrentD]

What do you mean "signed for"? When you buy one, you plunk down cash or personal check. Then you fill it out and mail it to the seller. He signs it to cash it.

[Streetstar]

paypal - i have used it a lot and offer it to anybody who wants to buy a gun from me ---- gun buyers are a stodgy , older demographic though and many dont trust paypal , -- but its more protection than sending a money order IMO

Paypal costs a fee roughly equivalent to a credit card fee (3% or so) -- some folks get all up in their head about absorbing that kind of hit --- so if that means something to you, disclose it in the sale just like the auction guys do about credit cards -- "3% surcharge for Paypal or credit card purchases"
-- I'll gladly pay it to get the ball rolling faster than relying on the Pony Express

[BrentD]

Doesn't Pay Pal have a fit if you use it for firearms? And if you had a problem, wouldn't they have to find out what was involved?

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Doesn't Pay Pal have a fit if you use it for firearms? And if you had a problem, wouldn't they have to find out what was involved?

They have been know to freeze the accounts If they find out it is for a firearm.

Gunbroker offers an escrow service. But, it may only be for guns sold on the site.

[JerryB]

I will put my vote on the Postal money order too.

[Blackhawk]

Jerry,

Y'all got any hogs up your way?

[flatnose]

Use an escrow service for the transfer. The seller sends the gun to escrow, and you send the money order to escrow. When they both arrive at the ecrow service, they then send the gun to you and the money to the seller.
It does not gaurantee what condition the gun is in, only that it arrived there.

[ndcowboy]

Postal money orders (max is $1000 per MO), are often preferred by both sellers and buyers. I use them a lot. But there is nothing that is risk free, except maybe staying in bed (and even that might not be perfectly safe).

Reminds me of something I was told once: Love your neighbor, just don't get caught!

[FLINT]

Certified check or money order. Best way is to get either is from your bank. Last gun I bought I got a certified check from my bank and the even printed them name and address of the seller on the check and gave me a fancy envelope and everything. Super slick. My bank didn't know or care what I was buying. Just took the money directly out of my account.

[wolfdog]

I do not use Paypal. They will not do squat in case of a bad transaction, at least not if you are a small time occasional buyer. I did use them some and the one time had a seller screw me, they did nothing. Never received product, which was supposed to be shipped insured, seller never came up with shipping receipt/tracking number. After I exhausted my patience with seller tried to get Paypal to take care of and they would do nothing.

[Streetstar]

Doesn't Pay Pal have a fit if you use it for firearms? And if you had a problem, wouldn't they have to find out what was involved?

They have been know to freeze the accounts If they find out it is for a firearm.

Gunbroker offers an escrow service. But, it may only be for guns sold on the site.

I did not know that. I never had an issue, but then again, i am a cross section of one.

This actually makes me angry- what the heck is it their business what i use my money for.

On a side note, i was making a small ammunition and pocket knife purchase at Academy Sports last night (for those not familiar,its a regional chain, but similar to Dicks, Big 5 etc). And noted the credit card scanner had a paypal option,-- i guess theoretically you can buy as many firearms as you want if its an in person purchase

I will tread lightly on using them again for gun business-- thhanks for the heads up guys

[FWiedner]

Buy the danged MO.

[Marvin S]

As the person sending the money all you can do is hope the seller is honest. I have bought many guns over the internet and have never been stiffed but have had a few miss represented. As far as being the seller the USPS MO is the hardest to counterfeit, even the bank will tell you that. Gun broker has something like a 1000.00 dollar protection for the buyer. The internet auction and sell sites require a seller to register along with verification that they are who they say they are. When dealing with joe blow from a forum use your gut feeling with amount of posts and time on the forum.

[jdad]

Just buy a USPS MO. IF there is mail fraud (extremely unlikely), from the seller, you just contact the US Postal Inspector.

[JerryB]

Blackhawk, none here around home but Stone county does. Sylamore National Forest up there is over run with them, I just don't like climbing those mountains anymore.

[vancelw]

Don't use Paypal. Yes, they will freeze accounts for firearm purchases.

Use any method you want except cash.
A money order is no safer that a personal check. As a seller, I have no problem with a personal check. I have the gun. When the check clears (usually takes 2 days) I ship the gun. Money orders and cashiers checks are the most commonly forged/altered instruments nowadays. Probably because people put so much trust in them. The only advantage to MOs and cashier's checks, is you're not giving your routing and account numbers to a stranger.

If you have any misgivings about the transaction AT ALL. Walk away. There will be another gun another day.

[Blackhawk]

Thank you gentlemen. I will tread lightly.

Jerry,
I hear ya. My knees don't like mountains anymore. I wished they did because my heart still does.

[Washita]

The safest way is to pay by credit card. If you get ripped off you can always stop payment or even get it reversed. That's not an option with any other payment method I know of, but of course when buying from an individual it's not an option anyway. Then I use a money order. I dunno why so many people prefer a postal money order to, say, Walmart or a bank MO. All it does is cost more--no better guarantee that I know of.

[Marvin S]

Postal MO is the hardest to fake. It has more security features than others and as the seller it is the quickest and surest way to get paid.

[Washita]

Postal MO is the hardest to fake. It has more security features than others and as the seller it is the quickest and surest way to get paid.

I've never had any trouble cashing any kind of MO, and I can't imagine being unable tocash a Wal Mart MO at Wal Mart, can you? And I can't name any of their security features anyway.

[cas]

Just buy a USPS MO. IF there is mail fraud (extremely unlikely), from the seller, you just contact the US Postal Inspector.

Or you can talk to your dog.
Much faster, much much easier, and you'll get the same results.

[Pete44ru]

I haven't bought a gun from another state for a really long time.

I don't want to pay with check or certified check. - ???? - I hope you're not considering trusting cash to the US Mail, R U ?

What are the secure methods for ensuring I don't get ripped off ? - The safest way I know of is to do business with just about anyone registered here on the leverguns forum.

Next best is to mail a USPS Money Order - NOBODY, with any sense at all, wants to get involved with the Feds (US Postal Inspectors investigate mail fraud, a Federal crime).


.

[vancelw]

I haven't bought a gun from another state for a really long time.

I don't want to pay with check or certified check. - ???? - I hope you're not considering trusting cash to the US Mail, R U ?

What are the secure methods for ensuring I don't get ripped off ? - The safest way I know of is to do business with just about anyone registered here on the leverguns forum.

Next best is to mail a USPS Money Order - NOBODY, with any sense at all, wants to get involved with the Feds (US Postal Inspectors investigate mail fraud, a Federal crime).


.

If the transaction involves the US mail, then the Feds get involved. Doesn't have to be a USPS MO. But, like someone said, you might best talk to your dog about it. No one seems to like to put out a lot of effort on long distance crime.

[wm]

I haven't bought a gun from another state for a really long time.

I don't want to pay with check or certified check. - ???? - I hope you're not considering trusting cash to the US Mail, R U ?

What are the secure methods for ensuring I don't get ripped off ? - The safest way I know of is to do business with just about anyone registered here on the leverguns forum.

Next best is to mail a USPS Money Order - NOBODY, with any sense at all, wants to get involved with the Feds (US Postal Inspectors investigate mail fraud, a Federal crime).


.

If the transaction involves the US mail, then the Feds get involved. Doesn't have to be a USPS MO. But, like someone said, you might best talk to your dog about it. No one seems to like to put out a lot of effort on long distance crime.

I used a USPS MO to pay for a rifle from a seller in Wisconsin after a GunBroker auction. He cashed the MO but dawdled about sending the rifle to my FFL dealer for over a week before sending me a email that after some thought he felt the rifle was worth more then I paid and asked for another payment. I went to the US Postal inspector here, showed him all the correspondences and a copy of the money order, he called a colleague in Wisconsin who paid the offender at visit at this place of employment and informed him he was committing a felony.

I had the rifle in hand 3 days later along with a nasty letter telling me what a miserable thing I was to get the law involved.

Wm

[BrentD]

Good job WM!

The advantage to the USPS MO is the ability to follow up, or at least threaten to follow up, if things aren't kosher (does anyone say that anymore?). And that works both ways.

The disadvantage is that they can't be more than $1000 each - so you might have to buy several for some things.

Brent

[Pete44ru]

.

FWIW, at this point in my life, the only thing I'll be paying more than $1000 for is my casket.......................


.

[Shasta]

I won an auction for a Springfield Krag on Gunbroker from a guy in North Carolina. He requested a USPS Money Order as payment. He had well over 600 feedbacks, all positive, so I was OK with it.
Mind you, I live in California, so it would require an FFL to FFL deal, and a lot of Gunbroker guys (as well as some on this forum) will refuse to deal with a citizen of California due to a little extra paperwork involved. This guy was 100% stand-up, went the extra 1/4 mile, and the deal went through without a hitch.
The USPS Money Order worked fine for me.


SHASTA

[Blackhawk]

No I'm not sending cash or check. I have bought guns thru gunbroker before with no problems but this time I am buying from an individaul. I have shipped guns thru my local post office and spoken with the postal guy there about shipping guns and he has always been helpful with information and talking guns with me. I will call and speak with him and see if I can get some helpful info on what to do if the guy doesn't send the gun.

Johnny

[Lassiter]

If you use a postal money order and it turns out that you were being scammed, the Postal Inspectors get involved as well as local law enforcement. Postal money orders are the way to go. IMHO