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USPS getting snoopy

Went to get a couple money orders today, and before they would sell them to me, I had to state what I planned to purchase with them. She could tell that I was wondering why she asked that, and told me she has to ask, to be sure that I wasn't using the funds to purchase anything I shouldn't be. Since the money was for a scope, I said without thinking, "for a rifle scope". Ooops... Then came the funny looks and personal opinion that that was a lot of money for a scope ($1,400). Yes and no, scopes are anywhere between $150-4,000 I explained, depending on the brand, quality, features and magnification.

She still wasn't printing out the money order... Her- "what are you going to use it for?"
Me- "Target practice." Her- "what kind of targets?" Me - "Paper" Her- "you are buying a $1,400 scope to shoot paper?" Me-"Yes" Her- "Where are you buying this from?" Me- "private individual." Her- "If we think you are going to use this to do something illegal, we can't sell it to you" Me- Rifle scopes are not illegal to buy, and neither is shooting paper." This went on and on and on, even to the point of her wanting to know if I was "some kind of a sniper"!!

I actually think she may not have sold me the money order, if there wasn't 10 people in line behind me giving her a slew of disapproving looks. How sad, no one trusts anyone anymore.

This new USPS criminal task force is as ridiculous as US Bank requiring your Drivers License, current employment information, and the answer to the question of where the money came from when depositing over $499 in cash into your own account. Why? So they can red flag and track any accounts that are getting too much money put into them from unknown sources and report them. The bank police.


Geez! I'm getting tired of every place I go, everything I do, see, and search getting logged, tracked, flagged and reported. Talk about making you feel accused and questionable. I'm not doing anything wrong, so I'm not worried about it, but it sure does feel like a few bad apples are spoiling it for the rest of us, as well as giving everyone and their dog an unlimited excuse to spy on me and my stuff. Rude.

I do like all the cool things we have right now, but they sure come at a high price. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. In fact, I'm totally ready to go back to muscle cars, security cameras mostly only in James Bond movies, keggers on the mountain, Penthouse magazine for.. the articles, phones connected to walls, only 4 clear and two fuzzy channels on the T.V and small towns where people wave as they go by because it's nice to be friendly to folks you don't even know. The good 'ol days.

I gotta find me a Delorian...

Dave
You have one nosy bioatche out of thousands of good ones. I've been using money orders for buying stuff, cuz people want payment that way, for a long time. I've never been asked what I'm using it for. I've personally bought at least thirty in the last three months.
 
I had an issue with my Springfield Armory Champion a couple of years ago.
Springfield sent me a Fed Ex packing slip.
So i took the magazine out, opened the action, ran a large zip tie through it. Put in locked case, with keys separate. And purchased one of their boxes to pack it all in.

Went to ship, and lady asked what i was shipping. Told her a pistol back to manufacturer for warranty work.

She then informed me that i could not ship a firearm Fed Ex.

Wherein i informed her that A) the manufacturer sent me the prepaid Fed Ex slip, so they must use Fed Ex, and B) i informed her that i was on Fed Ex website so i knew how to properly package said firearm.

She begrudgingly shipped it after confering with her supervisor.

And PA is an open carry state, with "Shall Issue" concealed carry.
 
The next time a postal clerk asks you about a money order and what you’re purchasing , ask them to refer you to the domestic mail manual and show them where it is any of their business. I’ve done this about a dozen times when I’ve purchased money orders or try to ship firearms. In all of the cases they always look shocked when I mention the domestic mail manual or DDM. This manual is 1574 pages long. The section on money orders is on page 792. This manual is available by just googling it. So basically it is the manual on how they do business.

I’ll make it easy for you:

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/welcome.htm

Had to reference this a couple of times a few years ago (what’s being described in previous posts isn’t at all new) so I keep the link handy.

Problem being the USPS employees are classified as Civil Servants. There are a few who still understand what responsibilities that job description carries with it yet more & more seem to think they’re a protected class, not unlike many politicians.

Here’s another entertaining link:

https://www.tests.com/practice/postal-service-test
 
Stopped at the bank to deposit a couple of BIG checks. The gal that we talked to just happens to live two doors down from us and was a good friend of our eldest daughter.
She asked how much $$ were the checks. I replied, two for $10K and two for $30K. Her ???, is this an inheritance? Yes. No more questions.;)

It started years back, if you paid cash for a car, the dealer had to report that large sum of $$$ and the Feds went from there. Mostly drug $$$ (grass/MJ) in our area and all $$$ dealings were done IN CASH.

I pulled a few $$$ out of my savings accounts at times and mentioned that the "kids" needed a few $$$ to get by. Never got any questions.:D
 
Tell her next time it’s for one of those realistic sex dolls, or your first payment for your “transition surgery.” You’ll probably be looked at as a hero. Lol


I run into the same problems with my USPS. I tried shipping rifles through them and it’s like pulling teeth. I have the FFL info, have it packed, and labeled correctly and they still won’t ship it. I’ve even brought in printed off rules and regs. Still get told “can’t do that.”
 
I tried shipping rifles through them and it’s like pulling teeth. I have the FFL info, have it packed, and labeled correctly and they still won’t ship it. I’ve even brought in printed off rules and regs. Still get told “can’t do that.”

Even from a Supervisor? Then you need to talk to the Postmaster there.

If THAT gets you the same answer, escalate your complaint with your State Senator.

There's no excuse for postal employees not to follow current procedures outlined in the DMM.
 
Went to get a couple money orders today, and before they would sell them to me, I had to state what I planned to purchase with them. She could tell that I was wondering why she asked that, and told me she has to ask, to be sure that I wasn't using the funds to purchase anything I shouldn't be. Since the money was for a scope, I said without thinking, "for a rifle scope". Ooops... Then came the funny looks and personal opinion that that was a lot of money for a scope ($1,400). Yes and no, scopes are anywhere between $150-4,000 I explained, depending on the brand, quality, features and magnification.

She still wasn't printing out the money order... Her- "what are you going to use it for?"
Me- "Target practice." Her- "what kind of targets?" Me - "Paper" Her- "you are buying a $1,400 scope to shoot paper?" Me-"Yes" Her- "Where are you buying this from?" Me- "private individual." Her- "If we think you are going to use this to do something illegal, we can't sell it to you" Me- Rifle scopes are not illegal to buy, and neither is shooting paper." This went on and on and on, even to the point of her wanting to know if I was "some kind of a sniper"!!

I actually think she may not have sold me the money order, if there wasn't 10 people in line behind me giving her a slew of disapproving looks. How sad, no one trusts anyone anymore.

This new USPS criminal task force is as ridiculous as US Bank requiring your Drivers License, current employment information, and the answer to the question of where the money came from when depositing over $499 in cash into your own account. Why? So they can red flag and track any accounts that are getting too much money put into them from unknown sources and report them. The bank police.


Geez! I'm getting tired of every place I go, everything I do, see, and search getting logged, tracked, flagged and reported. Talk about making you feel accused and questionable. I'm not doing anything wrong, so I'm not worried about it, but it sure does feel like a few bad apples are spoiling it for the rest of us, as well as giving everyone and their dog an unlimited excuse to spy on me and my stuff. Rude.

I do like all the cool things we have right now, but they sure come at a high price. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. In fact, I'm totally ready to go back to muscle cars, security cameras mostly only in James Bond movies, keggers on the mountain, Penthouse magazine for.. the articles, phones connected to walls, only 4 clear and two fuzzy channels on the T.V and small towns where people wave as they go by because it's nice to be friendly to folks you don't even know. The good 'ol days.

I gotta find me a Delorian...

Dave

Get your MO's from Wal Mart. They're cheaper, accepted everywhere and no intrusive (i.e., nosey) questions.
 
I am learning to try and not get upset about stuff like that.
Indignant anger hostility is one of my shortcomings.
Nosey or whatever, confrontation isnt going to change anyones way of thinking.
Information is gathered either from innocent curiousity or to be used as a weapon against you.
Feed false information. Smile and tell them what they want to hear, "Its a small telescope for my neighbors grandson". Water purifier for the homeless. Whatever. Let it go.
If they are not entitled to the info you are justified to falsify it.
If you kick a stupid dog doesnt make it smart.
Keep your blood pressure down.
Enjoy life!
Oh and enjoy Bcz Red paint jobs!
 
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You can be completely honest with the questioner, and use their own prejudices against them.

Q:"What are you buying?"
A: "Toys"
Q:"What kind?"
A: "Adult"

I'm pretty sure that would end the conversation. The best part is that you are being completely honest about firearms and related purchases. If they are silly enough to ask for specifics, game on! You could give a correct geometric and color description of a rifle scope, and let their imagination run wild. I don't know how they would react if you fessed up to it being previously owned...

Where is that meme generator?
 
You can be completely honest with the questioner, and use their own prejudices against them.......

You could give a correct geometric and color description of a rifle scope, and let their imagination run,

I ship a lot of rifle barrels, and when I am asked, I simply reply it is a “Precision ground steel tube.”
 
Per federal law any time you withdraw or deposit 10,000 or more in cash at a bank they are required to notify the federal govt and they are NOT allowed to talk with you about it or let you know. Part of the anti money laundering thing it's claimed.
 
I ship a lot of rifle barrels, and when I am asked, I simply reply it is a “Precision ground steel tube.”

The last one I shipped, UPS, as best I remember there was a box for the contents. I put that it was a Pitot Tube. The lady asked me what a Pitot Tube was and I gave her the proper description.
 
I mailed a trigger to someone who bought it from me on another gun forum. The purchaser wanted it shipped by USPS. I used one of the $5.00 “If it fits, it ships” box. I insured it for the selling price and the postal clerk asked what it was, so I told her that it is a mechanical widget. She then told me that I had to describe what it was, so I told her it was a small rectangular metal box with some levers with springs, pivot pins, and adjustment screws that link up with a long nail with a spring around it inside a tube within another tube. Halfway through my description she go a glazed look in her eyes and typed “mechanical widget” on her computer.

I learned a long time ago from a friendly USPS employee to not tell any USPS employee what I am shipping because of all the anti gun workers at USPS who will either purposely loose/throw out or destroy anything gun related shipment. The reason I was told that they feel they can do this is that if they are caught, the Postal Workers Union will go to bat for them and it would take going postal and killing a bunch of people to be allowed to be fired.
 
I think it was most likely an employee being snoopy. but worry about anti gun sentiment anywhere.

I hate USPS money orders...during normal times i refuse to stand in line to cash them. My bank won't cash them, just deposit them. so during covid i tried using the phone app for depositing checks/MOs. Everything deposited fine except USPS MO. Had to go stand in line to get inside the bank during COVID time to deposit it.

--Jerry
 

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