USPS getting snoopy

[Just Say Moe]

Man, my initial reaction would have been F.O Nazi and gone to another P.O.

Me also - with a certain finger involved for emphasis.

Like you are going to use a money order to by Meth?


I'm a pharmacist and I was mailing some prescriptions to my grandmother. I had inadvertently used an ORM-D box from a chemical shipment to send it. The clerk saw this and asked what was in it - before I could stop myself, I blurted out "drugs"....... then quickly changed my answer to "prescriptions"..... she laughed and x'd out the ORMD markings!

 

[jepp2]

Grrrrr.... I don't particularly like PayPal, and USPS MO is the only other widely accepted form of payment here.

A lot more deals get done with personal checks than you might think.

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.”

Just pack it up and schedule it for pickup during your next mail delivery. Doesn't cost you a cent, works like a charm. Avoids a trip to the post office.

 

[Dub]

I prefer personal checks for buying and selling. I do not mind waiting for clearing if the sellers is more comfortable with that.

 

[rebel]

When I first bought my business the previous owner had ordered a ton of stupid shit. Then he died. I sent $10,000 worth of guns back to the distributor via USPS. Nobody asked me shit. Maybe it's my attitude or look , IDK, but I sent it.

 

[antelopedundee]

That's funny, yesterday I shipped some bullets that I sold here. By the time I got home, the regional
USPS office called my wife's cell (I used her C.C.) WTF. What access do they have to our personal info.
They said the clerk thought it sounded like ammunition. I explained what it was and he seemed OK
I had something else to ship, so I went back and told the clerk what it was and showed her.
Did they go thru some 5 min video training on what to listen for. Assholes

I had a clerk tell me several or more years ago that they were told to watch for suspicious activity, behavior, etc.

 

[JSH]

I didn’t read all the comments, so if this was mentioned before......sorry

They ask questions to see if you are going to do something illegal or wrong. Now what kind of criminal is stupid enough to answer that honestly?

I was told at one PO I could not ship a gun barrel? I asked around and as I figured the clown was wrong. That was probably 30 years ago. If asked now I, I give them just them enough and no more, I ship lots of “machine parts” when asked. Barrels are bushing stock or hollow shafts.......

 

[johnfred1965]

I pose this situation to you. You ship 10lbs of bullets and tell them you are shipping ball bearings. The package is lost and you file a claim. After an investigation, they find your damaged box dropping bullets all over the floor. If they find out you lied about the contents, does it nullify your claim?

 

[antelopedundee]

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

She was probably just being nosey. They don't take your name or any identifying info when you buy one. I don't know how they organize the ones that come back after they have been paid out, but without a serial number they might hard to trace. Maybe someone keys in a serial number, name, amount, etc.

 

[antelopedundee]

I pose this situation to you. You ship 10lbs of bullets and tell them you are shipping ball bearings. The package is lost and you file a claim. After an investigation, they find your damaged box dropping bullets all over the floor. If they find out you lied about the contents, does it nullify your claim?

I expect it would. Same with a lost package where insurance is paid out. If they later find it and connect the dots that you lied, you could be in trouble if it was something verboten or hazardous.

 

[Ringostar]

^^ the best one that I heard was go cart axles

 

[johnfred1965]

^^ the best one that I heard was go cart axles

Tomato Stakes? I read this all the time on here!!!

 

[carlsbad]

I've never had a check bounce from a forum member.

 

[carlsbad]

I pose this situation to you. You ship 10lbs of bullets and tell them you are shipping ball bearings. The package is lost and you file a claim. After an investigation, they find your damaged box dropping bullets all over the floor. If they find out you lied about the contents, does it nullify your claim?

You were a sucker in the first place for buying overpriced USPS insurance. I don't insure anything. I do package well and put enough tape on it it to qualify it for Nascar. I print barcoded labels and I've never had one lost.

-Jerry

 

[johnfred1965]

I've never had one lost.

Yet! But I"m sure you ship a hell of a lot more often than I do!

 

[Burnt Powder]

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.

Actually there is a form you have to fill out and file. I have a friend who has 3 or 4 used car lots, mostly fairly inexpensive vehicles that he sells and finances himself. Most of his customers don’t have a checking account or a bank and just drop by with the $50, $100, or whatever in cash. It is not unusual for him to have deposits of over $10,000 in cash. Somehow the IRS got wind of it and he was in big trouble! Of course he plead ignorance, ignorance is no defense for the law. The bank told him nothing about any federal form that he had to file because of those deposits. It isn’t their responsibility to inform him of that. This thing went on for probably a year, lawyer to IRS, DOJ, in Federal Court! It was a big deal, Felony, hard time, and he is a gun nut, loss of guns because of being convicted felon, son in middle school, bad scene! I was subpoenaed as a character wittiness for the trial. A few days before the trial the clerk of the Federal Court called me and said I wouldn’t have to come as a witness, they had settled with my friend, dropped the felony conviction, fined him something in the $150,000 range and said “bad boy!” “Fill out the forms next time.” Overall it cost him around $250,000 by the time it was all said and done. If I remember correctly he had only made 5 or 6 deposits over $10,000 before they nailed him! He did get to keep that money though they did freeze it until the case was settled. The government makes it pretty difficult to run a business in this country anymore!

 

[JSH]

A bank that won’t cash a USPS money order? Not being nosey but was it a size able sum?
My bank has cashed them for me around $2000 no issue. I think they have a policy on checks they won’t cash a certain amount.
I was always under the impression USPS money order was guaranteed money.

 

[carlsbad]

A bank that won’t cash a USPS money order? Not being nosey but was it a size able sum?
My bank has cashed them for me around $2000 no issue. I think they have a policy on checks they won’t cash a certain amount.
I was always under the impression USPS money order was guaranteed money.

$90. They say there are a lot of fakes around and they have to check. No problem on personal checks. USPS will cash MOs but they have long lines and never have any money in their drawers. --Jerry

 

[copperking81]

Lottery tickets would have been my response. That and mind your own business with a likely expletive sowed in there.

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

A bank that won’t cash a USPS money order? Not being nosey but was it a size able sum?
My bank has cashed them for me around $2000 no issue. I think they have a policy on checks they won’t cash a certain amount.
I was always under the impression USPS money order was guaranteed money.

How long ago did you cash a USPS MO for $2000.00 since the 1990's they have a limit of $1000.00 max for a MO it is a PITA if you have to send $1050.00 you have to get 2-checks

Lee

 

[Old Navy]

They ask questions to see if you are going to do something illegal or wrong. Now what kind of criminal is stupid enough to answer that honestly?

The kind that is robbing a liquor store and tells the clerk on the way out to give him packages of smokes. She says not without ID. He shows his drivers license and leaves. Duh!