If you are considering making a high value purchase from an eBay seller, please bear in mind that postal orders are not covered by any of the payment protection policies on the site.

One common misconception amongst buyers is that crossed postal orders need to be paid into a bank account - they don't, there are numerous ways for fraudulent sellers to spend them regardless of their status.

What this means in real terms is that if you choose to pay by postal order and something goes wrong, eBay will not help you to recover your money, nor will they offer any reimbursement whatsoever.

There are a lot of good sellers who accept postal orders but it is vital that you understand that the postal order is also one of the scammer's favourite methods of receiving payment.

Always consider how much protection your seller's stated payment options offer you before you bid.

Only ever agree to send postal orders to a seller with a proven track record for selling items of a similar value with similar payment terms, but even then, make sure you scrutinise their feedback thoroughly before parting with your cash.

Bear in mind the fact that the new postal orders do have some benefits over their predecessors.

For example;

Orders that haven't been cashed can now be stopped if you act quickly enough.

Each order has a unique bar code that is scanned prior to payment being issued.

Ring 01246 542252 - you'll need your receipt to hand. They'll check to see if payment has been issued and if it hasn't they'll place a stop notice on it.

Good luck.

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