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Rant mode on

Mike in Oregon

Mike in Oregon

Gold $$ Contributor
I know I'm new and perhaps I'm out of line with this rant.

I'm trying to establish a solid reputation here on AS. I recently posted in the classifieds and man has times changed with payment options and the attitude you get when just simply asking for a MO or personal check, is unreal. Everyone expects electronic means of payment. 20+ years ago everything was based on pride, reputation and your word. We would just mail out our item or items (guns & optics) knowing they would cross in the mail and everyone would be happy. Now I'm reading all the hate and discontent about USPS, UPS, FedEx and all the bad experiences one has had. Right now, I'm currently waiting for to payments that still haven't arrived, and it's been 7 to 10 days. Is this the new norm? One thing I have learned over the years is, a man's word is all he has, if you break it, your reputation is seriously tarnished or perhaps ruined, and it may never get reestablished.

Rant mode off. :cool:
 
Trust but verify said a "famous person." I'm happy to accept money orders or checks from other gun people. Money orders are as good as cash - unless forged. That's easy enough to check. I'll ship upon receipt of a money order; checks need to clear. I've never had a bad check, nor any gripes about payment methods. If somebody wants to pay electronically, my polite "no" suffices.

I've been pleasantly surprised as a buyer when the item is shipped before payment is received. I surely don't expect it, and I hold up my end of the bargain. I gave my word after all.

Bottom line, I haven't experienced any drama on purchases or sales, and don't expect to in the future. Gun folks are typically salt of the earth, good people.
 
Mike in Oregon said:
I know I'm new and perhaps I'm out of line with this rant.

I'm trying to establish a solid reputation here on AS. I recently posted in the classifieds and man has times changed with payment options and the attitude you get when just simply asking for a MO or personal check, is unreal. Everyone expects electronic means of payment. 20+ years ago everything was based on pride, reputation and your word. We would just mail out our item or items (guns & optics) knowing they would cross in the mail and everyone would be happy. Now I'm reading all the hate and discontent about USPS, UPS, FedEx and all the bad experiences one has had. Right now, I'm currently waiting for to payments that still haven't arrived, and it's been 7 to 10 days. Is this the new norm? One thing I have learned over the years is, a man's word is all he has, if you break it, your reputation is seriously tarnished or perhaps ruined, and it may never get reestablished.

Rant mode off. :cool:
Click to expand...
Can relate to poor service with usps, sold a rifle to a gentleman in sc, shipped out feb 19, didn't arrive til April 2.
A reputation is like a tree, it takes years to grow and develop, maybe even a lifetime, but only about 10 minutes to cut down.
Let's practice honestly with integrity
 
Remember Mike, you as the seller are the person in charge of what type of payment you will take and the delivery service. I have bought and sold, here on A.S., maybe a very slight stumble or two, most are prompt and gracious. But, like my father said and he was 100% correct, 'you can't make people to order'.
 
You can’t complain about PayPal and Venmo and then rant about 7 to 10 days for payments. You could have been paid in 30 seconds.

Now, in your defense, if you want a check or money order… those are legal means of tender and you have the right to ask for them or insist on using them.
 
Electronic payments are super convenient, money right now, but some gun things are prohibited by the TOS of the services. I do have mobile check deposit available through my bank and if the buyer sends me pictures of the check made out to me, I can deposit it from my phone and then wait the few days for it to clear, instead of waiting for it to arrive and then try to get to the bank.
 
Mike in Oregon said:
I know I'm new and perhaps I'm out of line with this rant.

I'm trying to establish a solid reputation here on AS. I recently posted in the classifieds and man has times changed with payment options and the attitude you get when just simply asking for a MO or personal check, is unreal. Everyone expects electronic means of payment. 20+ years ago everything was based on pride, reputation and your word. We would just mail out our item or items (guns & optics) knowing they would cross in the mail and everyone would be happy. Now I'm reading all the hate and discontent about USPS, UPS, FedEx and all the bad experiences one has had. Right now, I'm currently waiting for to payments that still haven't arrived, and it's been 7 to 10 days. Is this the new norm? One thing I have learned over the years is, a man's word is all he has, if you break it, your reputation is seriously tarnished or perhaps ruined, and it may never get reestablished.

Rant mode off. :cool:
Click to expand...
Twenty years ago the forums weren't full of scammers.
Paypal is/can be a great tool but this forum has rules and PayPal is mentioned in them.
Paypal G&S over F&F now for me. If I am buying I add 3% to cover he seller's PP fees. Selling, well, I expect the same from the buyer.
My preference these days is pay by personal or certified bank check.
No commercial shipper, including USPS, is perfect now (really never have been) and stuff happens.
As stated in this thread already, the seller is in charge of not only what but how he sells any item. Just be sure to abide by the rules. They are there to protect you, the seller and @Forum Boss .
 
I dumped Paypal after just once they processed a payment not as goods and services (credit card), took a bit to get that cleaned up with fees removed, etc then I cancelled my account and I was a PP customer since nearly day one. I could see it coming with all the changes and complaints people were posting about stuff they were doing, I just hadn't experienced it until them. They are not what they used to be and IMO can no longer be trusted so I don't use them.

Today I'll take a personal check and for those not gold/silver I simply say I'll ship after the check fully clears (which last I was told by the bank/CU is 5 business days). I haven't seen any push back but I do clearly state that in my posting(s). Of course I haven't sold anything costly either.

I do my due diligence on sellers and pay for goods via personal check. I'm more than happy to wait for it to fully clear before the seller ships.

This is kinda like with cash, I stop somewhere to buy whatever and they say they don't accept cash, they simply do not get my business.
 
I prefer electronic payments whenever possible, but a lot of the older guys on AS aren’t savvy to electronic payments. I have two checks out for purchases right now, one because the gentleman didn’t do any electronic payments, and the other didn’t accept the ones that I could do. Both asked for a postal money order, which I will not deal with anymore after experiencing the hassle of trying to get reimbursed after a postal money order was lost in the mail. We settled on personal checks with the larger of the two purchases waiting for the check to clear before shipping, which is fine. I’ve had to pass on some good deals from folks who insisted on postal money orders and wouldn’t consider anything else.

IMO, paying electronically is just as safe these days (within forum rules, of course) and it really is so much faster and easier that there’s no good reason not to get on board.
 
I too am surprised how long it takes for a simple letter to arrive (check payment)
I'm waiting on one now as well and it has been a week
But i figure as long as it's on its way, thats better than nothing.
-----------------
The biggest gripe is how to ensure packages get to people without them getting lost or damaged.
For example: I usually send barrels in PVC pipe, it seems PVC has went up as much as lead recently
So spending $20 or more on PVC is kind of pricey when added on top of shipping
But I've had items coming to me suddenly disappear and I would not mind paying extra to the shipper for more secure means of packaging to ensure I get my items so I do it for my customers

Shipping in a .30 cal ammo can, PVC Pipe, etc.--- is better insurance than USPS's claimed paper insurance which never seems to amount to anything
Our items (Gun items) can be irreplaceable especially if they are not made anymore
like Jewell's, original factory items, etc
So keep that in mind when shipping things back and forth
 
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