Is it safe to send cash through the post?

Note that under eBay auction rules, you cannot require buyers to pay you via cash mailed in an envelope. However, if for any reason there are subsequent difficulties in paying by other methods, payment via cash in the post can be a useful cost effective mutually agreed solution, particularly for smaller amounts of money. This situation is not uncommon with novice international buyers, who bid on an item and then subsequently realise that for one reason or another they cannot get payment to the buyer by the normally accepted methods e.g. PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer, Cheque etc. The cost of sending and/or receiving a payment via an international bank transfer might be unexpectedly high, making it uneconomic for smaller amounts of money.

The consensus has been that paradoxically it seems to be safer to send banknotes (bills) through the post well concealed - but not registered.   Sending an envelope via registered or recorded mail merely draws attention to the fact that the contents are valuable...

Prior to opening the envelope, check to see if there are any signs of the envelope having been opened and then re-sealed. If in doubt, before opening the envelope, check with the sender about the condition of the envelope when it was mailed.

If possible, it is wise to have a witness beside you while you open an envelope which you expect to contain cash. This would be useful in the event of a subsequent dispute about the contents of the envelope.

It is best not to send coins through the post - send only banknotes. If coins are sent, see the comments below about how best to pack them securely.

Anecdotal evidence on various discussion boards is that, providing care is taken by the sender so that the contents are not obvious, cash sent unregistered through the post generally arrives as safely as other post to the same destination.

Below are some earlier Ebay forum posts on the subject - so you can make up your own mind...! For clarity, I have edited out comments which are not relevant to the topic, and tidied up the punctuation.

I purchased a teapot from UK, and am guilty of not completely reading all the posted details. Seller wants US cash, do people actually mail real dollars through the postal service anymore? Especially overseas? Thanks from Michigan

I've sent cash overseas (Europe to USA, with no insurance) dozens of times, without any problems {knock on wood}. No guarantees though. Make sure you don't send coins and the envelope looks and feels like a regular letter
Peter

If sending cash I suggest placing the bills within printed material - newspaper/magazine page - and to make sure that the envelope is secure with sellotape.

Yes, most of the rest of the world actually mails real US dollars for eBay auctions. Do not mail coin; do not fold the bills into a wad; do not send 29 ones. Do make sure the cash is concealed and not visible or obvious.

Also, if you send $30, don't expect a dollar change. Small bills can be hard to come by overseas. Unless you've made a previous inquiry and arrangement, its pretty much accepted that the amount you send is the amount you willingly part with.

If you send cash, also send it registered, return receipt requested.

Never send/receive cash registered or require return receipt. In dozens of cash deals, I never had a problem.

There was a lengthy thread on this a while back - sending registered is an advertisement that your letter is valuable.

I've mailed cash to lots of different countries for many years without problems.

I agree that you should *not* send it registered - I think that screams "Steal Me, I'm Valuable!".

I suggest using regular airmail letter post and wrapping/concealing the bills in a printout of the auction description. Works like a charm for me. :-)

I have received cash from buyers within and outside the US. No problems occurred - they received the items from me the seller. I myself prefer not to send cash since mail can get lost or misdirected. If your letter is registered or insured, and lost, at least your cash money is recoverable (may take a while though). And I think all my mail sent is "valuable" whether it is money or otherwise. This is just a personal preference of mine.

I have been sending/receiving USD CASH for international transactions to/from UK since '97, although post-PAYPAL the number is reduced. I agree that "registered" is neither necessary nor desirable and in any case many countries, including the US will not accept it from overseas. I have a simple one-liner for those who query it, which is that I prefer the very slight chance of robbery in the mail to the absolute certainty of robbery by the banks on all other methods of making international monetary transactions.

I don't think cash is recoverable if registered or insured, scorpio.

I have received lots and lots of cash envelopes from all over. (And sent a few). The only problem I ever had was one from only 2 states away never arriving. I've gotten envelopes with almost $200 cash before. As for registered, be aware that in my experience, international registered mail is SLOW

My final comment: cash is good if you *do not* want a paper trail! :)

I'll ring in too. I've probably sent cash to the UK about 40 times in the last year (just by airmail) with no problems so far. I put cash in a smaller "security" envelope (with pattern printed on inside), or wrapped in black construction paper, then inside two sheets of paper (eBay auction pages or note), then into a heavy-duty parchment resume style envelope, and seal with tape also. Cost is $0.80 to mail. For smaller amounts I'm willing to take the risk because...

I have also on occasion used registered airmail for larger amounts to other countries, but the cost is then I believe $8.80 ($8 registration fee). I think USPS does cover up to $50 loss but am not sure.

Or, you could send a draft in Sterling drawn on a UK bank - in my urban area the cheapest route to buying one is a Bank of America - about $10 fee for the draft (the fee is based on amount so may be a bit above or below).

Thanks everyone for your input. This is my first post on these boards, and I really didn`t expect any responses from my insignificant question. I still am shocked to think how much CASH is floating around in postal bags around the world! ha ha

Thanks again, the seller and I have come to an agreement.

I have one great seller in Spain that I have to send Cash to (mostly for small item payments). I found that the best way for me was, first whatever the total was for the Auction, I round it up to the nearest dollar figure (14.75 = 15.00 payment), because most countries will not exchange coinage.

US Postal Service Express Mail I found was great for sending to overseas sellers (It can take up to five days for a item to clear customs). So the faster it gets there, the sooner your seller gets paid. Also it's insured, trackable and requires a signature when accepted.

Wrap the bills in the "your Seller's Email notice of Auction won" so that they know who is paying and for what, and the nice free Express Mail paper envelope hides it nicely.

Customs form for overseas: marked "documents" and total value is amount of the sale.

Oh if it's not deliverable, EMS packages are returned to the sender after a hold period of five days most places.

I need to send payment to Australia for an auction. The auction stated the seller accepted money order/cashiers check - never stating it must be in Australian funds. Now he wants the funds in Australian dollars not US. How can I send money to Australia in Australia funds?

#15: The simplest way in my opinion would be for you to pay in cash. Have you asked your buyer if he will take US dollars cash? USD can be easily changed to local currencies in most countries, although if he lives away from a large town he might have problems. If he insists on Australian dollars .... for me here in London it would be easy to go to a local UK bank/ post office/ travel agent/ bureau de change and buy Australian dollars cash over the counter. But in the US I think it is more difficult to buy foreign cash. But ask your bank about getting AU$ cash and/or a AU$ cashier`s check/money order - you might get a shock at their charges.

If that will not work, you might like to try this UK money transfer service:

http://auctionchex.com

They will accept a US$ payment from you and pay out in Euros and British pounds - but they might also be able to help you with an Australian payment. They have a good feedback on the eBay UK boards.

After reading this thread, I opened a rather thick envelope I had just received from a buyer, and was shocked to discover a rather large amount of cash. The bills were not concealed in any way, just stuffed into the envelope. My heart skipped a beat!

All I can say it that both the USPS and Canada Post must have some very honest employees...

shereesews: I have received cash twice recently. Once unannounced - opened the envelope and there it was! Wrapping the bills in an item invoice as mentioned above was used both times. I also read that it's a good idea to first put the cash in a self addressed stamped envelope, and then in the envelope with the recipient's address. The theory is that if something happens to the outside envelope, say, ripped by postal equipment, the only thing exposed is an envelope which will be sent back to you.

I don't want to send cash thru the mail system. The auction description didn't say "cash only". I have offered to pay other ways but they want cash. What should I do? Any advice would be helpful.

The amount isn't very high. Why don't you give it a try? If the money is packed well (between two sheets of paper) and if you let the letter look 'official' (business envelope or something like that) nobody will expect cash inside.

If you don't like sending cash you should have contacted the seller before bidding to ask which payment methods are accepted too.

Thanks for the replies. The auction said "cash is better" which to me means that other methods of payments are accepted. The listing said location: nyon, u.s. seller also said in e-mail that the price for air mail was $15.00 and surface mail was $17.00.(outrageous). Now has said air mail was $2.98 and that insurance was $3.55. Even if i did send cash for these, I will have no proof of payment, and no recourse if the seller did not send items.

Yes, sending cash is definitely a risk for the buyer. However, having said that, I've both received and sent cash payments many a time without any problems ;) And this is quite a low-dollar item that I'd probably be willing to risk it -- but that's just me ;) I also wouldn't feel too uneasy about it seeing as the seller's feedback is really very good -- no negatives or neutrals ;)

If you decide to give it a try, make sure to wrap it in paper so you can't see it through the envelope, and don't bother with coins ~unless~ you're going to tape them down and in between cardboard! All too often, people have sent me coins just taped down on regular paper, and by the time I receive it, I can see an exact rubbing of them on the ~outside~ of the envelope!! It's like they may as well have taped them to the ~outside~ it's so obvious!! LOL ;p

If you're still not willing to try, then I would point out to the seller that their auction says they will accept money orders/cashiers checks, so they should honour that.

Well said, KIJ. Just one thing to add, never send coins overseas, they are useless to recipient as no banks exchange coin. Always send to the nearest dollar up if sending cash. Only the US dollar, among commonly used currencies, has such a small value banknote, but how useful for the post!

Cash does get delivered OK, I find, and no reasonable seller will screw you for such a small amount. So the fact it is untraceable is irrelevant. The vast majority of ebay-ers are honest.

marc

For what it's worth, the seller seems not very familiar with the English language (it's a second language to me as well). Thus maybe the confusing description re payment methods. But, just send your money, it's not a huge amount.

I'm in Switzerland and have sent money abroad and received money from overseas this way. I've never lost a payment I have sent, and only one that was supposed to arrive here (and I still think to this day that the buyer didn't pay up). The big one was US$ 300.00 received in a letter that wasn't even registered. I wouldn't do that, but for the few cents you have to send, go ahead. The postal employees earn enough here, so that they won't check envelopes for money (or so I think).

I live in Canada and have mailed cash all over the world and have never had a problem yet. Like everyone says make sure you wrap in paper and no coins.

Good luck

Debbie

Whenever I send cash, I put it in a large sturdy envelope, well marked, "Do not bend! Photos!" - so that everybody knows what's in it!

Sometimes I also use black-edged envelopes. Maybe the best for safety, but I should keep this for myself.

mr.monicker

As for sending cash, some bidders like to do this regardless. There are some people who trust this system, it's the way they are. I would try to convince the seller one more time to take a money order. Make sure you do the research as to what kind, and if they won't accept it then gracefully say no. Then see what they say.

What I don't get is sending cash to Switzerland - U.S dollars or Euros?

You can't mail cash insured anyway - you can't insure money, or travelers checks. If you were to file a claim you would have no invoice or receipt for your cash, so shipping insured makes no sense at all.

Or, if you do decide to send cash, find out how long it takes to get there and ask the seller if they received it on that day. Make the seller send you an email stating that you are not responsible if the amount is lost because they insisted on cash.

Another option, tell him no, no, no and refuse it once and for all. Personally it would be upsetting to me too, as I once sent cash in the mail and I was up all night worrying.

Sending cash international is no problem! I have done it dozens and dozens of times. Never a problem to stable countries.

DO NOT ever send coin!!! It shows thru the envelope, even if between card, and people ususally don't account for the extra weight on their postage, and as mentioned, there is no exchange on coin. In canada US coin is treated at par. Most of the world deals in US cash for small $ deals. Risk is minimal and accepted.

In my several hundred deals, most of the world isn't much concerned about insurance, tracking, fraud, and all that on low $ amounts- just Americans. Very strange. Still looking for an explanation on that phenomenon ;)

You can't mail cash insured anyway - you can't insure money, or travelers checks. If you were to file a claim you would have no invoice or receipt for your cash, so shipping insured makes no sense at all.

WOW! Insure the phenomenous amount of $13 - I wonder why people even ponder this question... Are we talking a major cash haul here, or what? Geez...

I have mailed cash lots of times to the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Sweden and Denmark.

I have also received cash from several of these countries.

I *never* had a problem.

*yznhimr* -- there is no exchange on coin. In Canada US coin is treated at par.

-- Just a sidenote, but that actually depends on your bank ;) I know that CIBC would not take them at all :( However, I have a USD account at Royal Bank & they let me deposit US coins ~all~ the time! They don't even have to be in rolls -- they can just be loose in a little baggie -- it's great!! Of course, if I have enough to roll, I will ;) But most often, I just have a handful of loose US change that buyers have sent me & I am able to deposit them no problem ;p

Also, about the sending coins in between cardboard -- no, you can't see them, as long as you're using ~heavier~ cardboard, like from a box, not just greeting card type of card ;) But you're right, a lot of people forget that they'll need to add postage because of the coins' weight ;p Sometimes I don't understand why some people will pay more in postage to send *exact change* instead of just rounding up to the next dollar which would've saved them a bit... LOL ;p

DON'T EVER SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL EVER!!

I am a Canadian Seller and I used to accept it- Not after having a few security registered letters ripped off- this was about two years ago. So since then I do NOT accept cash through the mail... and anyone who does is just asking for trouble. It is so hard to explain to Europeans that YOU WILL NOT ACCEPT CASH through the mail. I have to spell it out so clearly and even then they don't understand.. The letters that were ripped off were from various countries - England, Germany etc. Keep in mind, as I said, they were SECURITY REGISTERED and trackable, which did absolutely no good.

Cash through the mail is a huge mistake and it`s just a matter of time before you run into problems with it...

Just my two cents.....

I think the mistake actually was/is *sending it registered*. I think that screams "steal me, I'm valuable!" Unless the seller specifically requests reigistered mail, I just use regular airmail letter post.

Jessica is right -- registered mail is a sign that the letter has more value than ordinary mail, and tends to attract attention. The registration process only shows the progress a letter has made through the postal maze -- it can tell you at what point it may have disappeared along the way, but not necessarily who took it... For sending small amounts, regular mail is the way to go.

Last week I actually had someone send me a combination of bills and loose coins. There was a jingling sound in the envelope when I took it out of the mailbox -- it was quite obvious. Yet the letter made it all away across the country without being tampered with. Guess our postal workers here in Canada are more honest than we give them credit for....

Cash notes in the mail is probably safer than it is in your pocket, with all the mugging, etc., but cash registered is very vulnerable. In addition, the charge is way above the fair charge for the risk, less than half of one percent of the insured value would be a fair rate, --- if it were not for the fact that the thing is then labelled -- 'steal me'. Ideally registered post would be totally anonymous, exactly like normal post.

I would be happy to accept responsibility for any cash sent to me for an extra dollar in the 100, so long as no coins are sent, as I have had probably a few hundred such payments.

Earlier this year 3 Registered letters from Germany, different buyers, differnt times, all went missing. Turned out to be a thief in the international sorting office in Stuttgart, or somewhere. The senders got the compensation after months, but I lost one of the sales, due to the delay.

Marc

hey sellerindis, hahha, you are correct, coin sandwiched between heavy cardboard is safe, but the percentage of morons who don't even think to tape the coin down is already quite high, never mind dreaming of them engineering a packaging scheme ;)

I also agree, registered is an advertisement. I did receive, in full, one cash payment in a recycled glassine window business envelope, and the cash bill was not wrapped in paper.

LOL *yznhimr* ;p You are correct there!! ;p And wow, was that buyer doing some sort of experiment by being so blatant?! LOL ;p

relayrecordscanada -- DON'T send *security registered*!! ~That's~ just asking for trouble!! I have had very, very few problems with cash payments sent via regular ol' mail (like, maybe 2 out of 100). Therefore, I'm pretty content to keep riskin' it ;) You can run into problems with ~all~ kinds of payment, IMHO ;) As long as the buyer knows they're sending cash *at their own risk* (and I make sure they do know this ;) then I'm fully willing to risk receiving it! lol ;p

Stop all that whining about "No way I'm going to send those $5 cash!"... Cash has always been, is, and always will be the best solution for petty payments! It is just amazing, how much time and effort some people are willing to lose by arguing back and forth the "risks" of sending cash (mostly sent cross-border anyway, saving BOTH sides a lot of money and hassle!). Hey, you spend two hours on getting all hyped up reading and writing back and forth for a few bucks. Have you got too much time on hand? Are you on the dole, that you can afford to spend two hours for arguing about how to send a few bucks?

</rant>

As long as certain points are observed, cash is no problem. I have received as much as $400 (all in $20s and $10s, mind you) by regular air mail, and a friend has recently sent 1000 Euros (almost $1K) to Germany, also by regular air mail.

Here's how it works:
1) Wrap banknotes
2) Use non-transparent envelopes
3) No coins (they can also obstruct sorting machines, which in turn can rip your mail open)
4) Use few bank notes (if you owe $9, then send a $10 and ask for $1 change)
5) Don't register. Use EMS for larger amounts (you can fully insure EMS in most countries) if you're uncomfortable sending $100 by regular mail.
6) Check your seller's feedback for any problems with cash lost in the mail.
7) If you're buying something from a collectibles seller, don't use his business name in the address - use his personal name.
8) Don't use Christmas / Greeting cards to wrap cash - postmen with slicky fingers know that grannie or uncle Jack sends cash...

Good luck

Goetz

I totally agree with Goetz ... Bravo! :-)

GOETZ- Your recommendations on how to send cash is outstanding.

-Pat-
We gladly accept: cash, checks, money orders, all major credit cards, PAYPAL, BILLPOINT, BIDPAY....and first born.

Candians --instead of using Registered mail ( as mentioned above, an advertisement for valuable) use XPresspost which is cheaper, faster and fully traceable. You can even get a confirmation signature.

XPresspost is also available for sending to the USA

You can use their envelope (free) or your own with stamps .

Oh for dumb! The Xpresspost envelope is not free --I don`t know what I was thinking.

By the way one way to send change through the mail is with stamps. Use the pretty commemoratives instead of the usual flag, queen, parliament ones.

Why would I spend $7.70 on an Xpresspost envelope to USA to send cash (which I think it says right on the envelope not to do)? I might as well buy a $3.50 Money Order.

The purpose of sending cash, especially for small amounts, is to make it a financially worthwhile venture. I've gone with the risky plain ol' envelope and stamp, never had a mishap.

I have sent cash to Germany (both DM & $) on a number of occasions. For higher values, put it in a plastic cover inside a photographic (board backed) envelope, marking it "Do not Bend", and sending registered (insured & signed for) delivery.

For lower values, I have just used the envelope or for single notes (bills) have sent as normal letter. Never had a problem in two years. It's always going to be a cost vs. security/peace of mind call for you the buyer.

e-mail the guy and make sure that he will accept cash. Most of us do. And until the banks stop charging such horrendous amounts for cross border transactions will need to continue to do so.

I would suggest e-mailing the seller to ask, even if the auction was in Deutschmarks.

Last summer I was interested in bidding on a book put up by a German seller. I e-mailed (in German) to ask about the cost of shipping to the US, and how I could pay. The seller told me (in English) that cash in a normal envelope had worked great in the past. I e-mailed back to clarify if he meant DM or dollars, and he responded "When I say cash, I mean dollars!"

So I bid, won the auction, and had my book in two weeks.

Barbara

1:48pm December 11, 2001 (#3 of 3)
.... As a last recourse, you could ask for well concealed US cash. If I was able to send US cash twice to Russia, so should your buyer be able to send you a cash payment. (Since dollars are printed with magnetic ink, you could advise your buyer to wrap the bills in thin aluminum wrap or in carbon paper.)

If you send US cash, you'd better use an insured, trackable envelope and send it by express mail. I've never lost cash in transit (even twice to Russia) except to Napoleonic antiquated French authorities. Since US dollars are printed with magnetic ink you should wrap them in aluminum foil or carbon paper. The largest amount I've sent in cash was $2,500 to the US and everything went smoothly.

I am registered with Bidpay and I personally agree that it is as good as "cash in an envelope". In any case, I am not a non-paying bidder. However, I will definitely NOT send cash in an envelope overseas. Apart from anything else, it appears that it is actually illegal here in Italy to do so.

Like I said above, he DID state (at the bottom of a very long blurb about the item) that international bidders must send cash in an envelope; registered if they wish. The point is though that he DOES accept Paypal and he DOES ship international. It's just that he does not trust foreigners (i.e. the world population that outnumbers the US by 24:1) with anything apart from hard cash. It's bizarre, but there we are.

What's wrong with sending cash in an envelope? I think it is perfectly fine. I have done lots of transactions both buying and selling on and off ebay, (I have been on ebay since 1998, although my rating is 19 cos I have been away for 2 yrs) and I only accept US dollars cash.

When I buy stuff, I also send US dollars cash which US sellers love. All you have to do is conceal it or send it registered. I can't remember my largest transaction, maybe about 100 US bucks, but the only problem I see here is you say its illegal in Italy to do so. But seriously, will the authorities know if you are careful?

Most of my Italian buyers send cash by registered airmail and ATTACH A RETURN RECEIPT TO IT. (?)

Even now, that I started to accept Billpoint payments, I continue to get cash payments from Italy (even from the US, FWIW - I'd have thought US buyers would now completely switch to checks and Billpoint in order to pay me...).

I haven't lost a single payment yet. Where is the problem?

Cheers  Goetz

Some Americans (see the post by Goye), can be really stupid when it comes to payment, even though they claim to be international sellers.

I would not even consider sending cash through the mails. I use International Money Orders in US $$. These can be cancelled if lost or stolen.

There is absolutely no way that you will get mail from Italy to the US in 3 days. Better contact your seller and work something out.

Fonzie.

I sent two payments (US $ in a registered envelope) the same month, from the same post office in Paris, France, and both envelopes arrived empty! (in Alabama and California). When I tried to complain to my post office (I did not say that there was money in the envelopes, of course, since it is illegal), they told me that the persons who had received the envelopes were liars. The cash was obviously stolen by postal employees in Paris. I had sent lots of cash to the US previously, without problems to report. Now I have decided to forget about this method, and rely on Paypal, Billpoint, or Bidpay; it is more expensive, but now I am able to sleep!

Registration is a message to postal workers, that the envelope contains something valuable. Don't register, and if you do, use a return receipt and make it look "official" (like legal documents). The return receipt must be attached to the back and makes it more difficult to open an envelope without traces.

Back to ^Page Top^