Hi,
Before you read this you should get an idea of the good, the bad, and eBLA. You may at first think this has nothing to do with your question, but it really does. Take it one step at a time. The best thing to do is get in a big hurry to not get in a big hurry. Most people wait until they have a problem and then try to find how it can be resolved thru the companies or sevices they use. What I have learned is it is proably best to see how a company or agency handles a problem before you use them.
Some people have made comments about you must be a lawyer to write some of this, when you challenge there blatant attempts to defraud you. Or you don't know what you are talking about etc... The people that try these ploys are trying to make you doubt you are in the right. Well I got news for them. You don't have to be a lawyer to protect yourself from criminal minds, or theft, or fraud. Just start filing charges when you have proof. Let the proper authorities handle it. You don't want to file charges on the slightest whim, but when someone has shown they have the intent to harass you, control you, or use scare tactics to withhold your money, or to stop you from pursuing a legal remedy, then you should file a complaint. That complaint could possibly lead to the disclosure of some other information such as emails that will allow you to file a comlaint with your local sherrifs department to pursue possible criminal charges against them also. Read the following quote from the Postal Inspectors and heed what they will really do.
"The material you submit may be seen by various people. We may enter the information you send into our electronic database, to share with our attorneys and investigators involved in law enforcement or public policy development. We may also share it with a wide variety of other government agencies enforcing consumer protection, competition, and other laws. You may be contacted by the Inspection Service or any of those agencies. In other limited circumstances, including requests from Congress or private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit."
I also offer the following as proof, and it is a direct quote from the Postal Inspectors that explains when an issue becomes mail fraud and why.
"Postal Inspectors investigate any crime in which the U.S.
Mail is used to further a scheme, whether it originated in
the mail, by telephone or on the Internet. The use of the
U.S. Mail is what makes it a mail fraud issue."
If you believe you have been defrauded then here is another exact quote from their website as to where and when to file a complaint:
"The form below allows you to send a complaint to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if you suspect you are a victim of mail fraud."
The keyword is "suspect".
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm
To find the nearest postal inspector's office/address/phone number to you by using your City & State or Zip Code,to include their address and phone number then use:
http://www.usps.com/ncsc/locators/find-is.html
PAYPAL: www.paypal.com
Read each websites information. Paypal allows you to file against someone that doesn't ship, or if you return and they don't refund. I believe you can file even if they threaten to withhold a refund if you have returned the merchandise, so keep a copy of any email threats to withhold you money or control you for any reason. Many people try to control other people this way and while doing so violate the law. It is then you should file mail fraud charges because their email proves their real intent.
As far as PayPal verses the Money order. Well, as you can probably see if you pay with paypal and have the merchandise delivered by the U.S. mail, then you have the best chance at filing charges and recovery. The issue of the Money order will have to be explained by the institution that issued it. They can tell you what is available to protect you and the actions you can take if there is a problem. For example a money order could be from a bank, or it could be a postal money order. But, if you mail a bank money order through the post office then they can be involved. It is mail fraud if they don't send you what you paid for or refund your money. Find what works best for you. Then always incorporate as many of these to help protect yourself. Obviously you have to do the combination that is most cost effective as well as time effective for you.
For example you can't as far as I know send a U.S. Postal money order or Bank Money order from the U.S. overseas and expect them to honor it. Also many people tell me they have a service charge of $8 to $18 on the average to do the conversion and process any type of money order they do accept. PayPal is great if they accept it. They did however just raise the fees to you to sell to them overseas.
Some people on eBLA have been honest. Some haven't. Some prove their intent along the way. There is no one answer as to what is the best. Why? Because some people don't accept PayPal. Some people won't buy unless the seller accepts paypal. Money orders take a lot of time to get and fill out and mail. But if you buy one thing ever 6 months it probably won't make a big difference. If you plan on buying every month on the internet for convieince or savings then you probably will have to use both at any given time to buy something you want. If any of them had it all worked out, then only one method would be available. You may already know most of this or not. If you didn't or don't, now you have the url's to find the facts about what you can file and even where to file if you have a problem.