Today I received a Canadian Postal Money Order rather than a U.S. Postal Money Order as requested. Much to my surprise, my bank, BB&T, will charge me $75.00 processing fee on a $210.00 money order. Needless to say, I'm returning this to the buyer. Sure glad that I did not just deposit this and get the bad news later. Just posting this as a precaution to all. BTW, you may or may not know that paypal charges 4% for any cross border payment, even Canada, rather than the 3% inside the U.S. even though paid in U.S., Dollars. Sellers beware, there are many tricksters lurking out there. Eddie
I ask for the Pink, International Postal Money Orders if selling to Canada, and I've had no problems with my bank, and no extra charges....might want to change banks.
Sounds like your bank is the biggest trickster of them all. That's ludicrous. Edit: Should add that Canada Post has specific money orders for US transactions. http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/productsservices/shop/moneyorders/faq.jsf
Sounds like your bank is ripping you off. I use Canada post money orders across border all the time and have never had a seller have any issue cashing it. I'd be taking my business elsewhere.
As suggested you should change banks. A Canadian postal money order drawn in US funds should be just fine. I have used them myself plenty of times in making orders from US vendors with no issues at all. On the flip side I had a fellow in the US send me a US Postal money order which clearly stated on it "Negotiable in the Continental US only" How useless is that ? I had to return it to him and he sent me one from Western Union. I have also used Paypal with no big issues and accept the fees as part of using the service. I take offense to your reference to tricksters as I think the person who sent you the money order in good faith would too. And here is a little news flash for you, We don't have USPS outlets in Canada !! So why in hell would you ask for a US postal money order thinking that someone in Canada could comply with your strange request ?
i have received quite a few from canada , in u.s. denomanations and have never had a problem at my bank or most of the time i just cash a u.s. post office , i think your bank is leaning pretty hard on you , just my shinny 2 cents i would lean for a nicer bank , seams like they tryed ruining the people about 4 years ago , yours is still trying
All i deal with is Money Orders,i've gotten a wtf look at the bank when i turned in a pink Canadian M/order but didn't have any issues cashing it --chuck P/s your bank is screwing you!
It's your bank................... I've sent Canadian M/O to the US for years and have never had any issue at all.
Yep,,,,'Canadian postal money order is as good as gold.. Banker is a Bankster! Asking them how they justify a $75.00 service charge would be like asking our banks up here how they can increase banking fees by 60% in a year with no explanations..the hell with traditional banks! In Canada I have a Manulife One account...lowest service fees in the industry bar none.
went to do a money exchange at my bank and they flat refused went to my other bank and they did it in a heartbeat when i raced stock car in canada my bank would always take my raceing checks, but it must have been sold about 3 time seice i raced
Your bank is a damn thief ! I have never heard of such a thing . I have received the "Pink" MO before and they just tell me to wait till it clears in a few days but have never ever wanted to charge me for using them ! One other thing is just use a Paypal account and charge them the % that they screw you for receiving money . You should turn that bank of yours into someone for trying to rip you off like that . I am sure there is something that can be done about what the bank was trying to do to you ! Time to close your account out and find a REAL BANK ! Retro Jim
The problem isn't 'Canadian money orders'....the problem is your bank. They're ripping you off. You should've ***led this thread "Beware dealing with (insert your bank's name here)" Mart3406 ========
There is a way of avoiding banks, money orders, and Paypal for those who have a grudge against them. Buy a gift card from Walmart, Sears or your favorite chain and mail that as payment. Some store you shop at anyway. Cross border or around the country makes no difference. Now I realize this is not going to work when you are selling a car for thousands of dollars. But when selling a small item for a few bucks, and the bank wants to take half of it, why not save some coin.
i can relate to this, recently purchased a part from the U.S,(i'm in AUS), seller requested a check or money order, arranged a bank check through my bank, which cost $25.00, sent it of. Seller informs me his bank charged $75.00 to process, wtf. In good faith and so he's not out of pocket i've sent hard currency to him to make up the difference. Some ones making some serios money out of all this and it sure aint us poor ****ers. thommo
Hey smart alec, I never implied that the buyer was the trickster. It may well be my bank or their clearing house. Was just trying to alert other sellers to be careful. Furthermore, if there is no way to purchase a U.S. Postal MO in Canada, it just may have been helpful for buyer to say so. The MO that I received was green BTW. Finally, I am not picking on Canada, Canadians, their postal service, the buyer, banks, etc or anyone else. Just alerting others to be thorough and cautious. This may be a new trend started by banks that just might catch others off guard.
If someone asked me for a "US Postal Money Order" - I would interpret that to mean "A Postal Money Order drawn on US funds"... wouldn't you?
You didn't really ***ume that there would be a United States Post Office in another country, did you? Anyway, that's not the point. Your bank is screwing you - try a different bank. Just ask 'em- I'm not saying you need to open accounts and whatnot. Nor you, or your customer, did anything wrong. They sent you the correct thing.
Banks are ripoff artists. I've always taken checks to the bank they are written on to cash just to make certain I don't get any surprise NSFs later. One bank started charging $5 to cash a check written on their bank if you don't have an account there. I asked the bank I use if they charge someone to cash one of my checks and they don't.
I see in the thread the mention of Western Union money orders. Sold a part on the HAMB and asked for a money order, my own mistake, and got a Western Union one from the buyer. In New Hampshire, lots of drug stores, convenience stores, etc sell Western Union money orders but NONE that I could find will redeem them. Standard answer was "too many forgeries out there". So ended up having to deposit it as a personal check in my bank, something I didn't want to do, and wait weeks for it to clear. Now it wasn't a lot of money so waiting really wasn't a h***le but sure dispelled my faith that all money orders are "equal".
Take the money order to the post office. They are supposed to cash them without charge. American post office is supposed to handle Canadian and foreign money orders, just like they handle letters from foreign countries with foreign stamps on them. And vice versa.
just got back from florida. i have a bank acct. there.sold a part and got a cheque,went to my bank down there and said i was leaving for home soon and wanted to know if the cheque was good.the manager said they could do a "third party cashing of the cheque" i never heard of this before and she said that for a fee of $14 they would cash the cheque and it would not go thru my account and be guaranted by a third party.you had to have a U.S. social ins # but the cheque if bad would be taken care off by the third party for the fee. i never heard of this service before but it worked great for me.it might have been $11.
they would need to have sent a pink Canadian money order. I got many of those when I sold on ebay. cash it at the Post Office when you go to mail it. I'd find a new bank as well. $75.00 to cash a check? no thanks
The banks are the problem then take the advice you have been given over and over again, get another bank. Anyone in Canada buying something from the US will naturally send US funds, even if it is a Canadian Postal money order. And that was probably the case here. And they always work when taken to a place where they won't bend you over and screw you.
to get a bank draft for one American dollar in New Zealand will cost me 25 dollars bank fees just robbery!!!!
There is as noted absolutely nothing wrong with Canadian M.O. It's the bank that is the problem. I had mine tell me it was no good, period and that they wouldn't cash it. I started to give the buyer heck but luckily stopped at the post office first. Lady at the post office took it and gave me my money and said that the M.O. was fine but the banks many times simply don't want to mess with them. I went back to my bank and told the lady there what I had just done and ask fo ran explaination and she just stared at me and finally said that they were told that they were no good. Take it to the post office and get your money.
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