As far as concealed cash goes, I think it works great for small amounts (e.g. under $20). It is always sent at the buyer’s risk, but if it gets lost, being out, say, $10-15 isn’t that big a deal for most people. It just seems like an unnecessary hassle and expense to purchase a money order for such a small amount.
This being said, letter post is very, very reliable. Think about all the things you’ve ever mailed… Christmas cards, cheques for your hydro bill, tax returns… How many of those ever got lost? I’d guess mail delivery is over 99% successful. So unless it’s a repeat customer with a proven record of paying, if someone tells me they sent the payment but it “got lost in the mail” I am a bit doubtful. Undeliverable payments (for whatever reason – incorrect address, etc.) get returned to the sender. The two times payment never arrived for me 1) it was returned to the sender (he had addressed it incorrectly) and he re-sent it and I received it no problem, and 2) the guy had an Ebanned feedback record of two positives and FIVE negatives for non-payment!
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