Postal Money Order versus Bank Money Order ???

The USPS has 2 types of money orders, Domestic and International. They also have a limitation what countries the IMO's could be accepted at. For instance they won't issue one to Hong Kong and for the United Kingdom they only accept the US Domestic ones. These are my experiences as I always paid with these.

My banker told me it is possible to stop a certified check.

Beware of counterfeit Cashier's Checks. I have a friend who sold a used car, met the buyer at the seller's bank, deposited the buyer's bank-issued Cashiers Check for $9000 and then signed the car title over to the buyer. DAYS later the bank determined that the Cahiers Check was bogus and reversed the deposit. Problem was that the check looked so good that the seller and the bank did not notice anything wrong. Luckily for my friend, his insurance covered the loss, considered to be theft (by deception). Caveat Emptor. Bob

As Maxcast discovered with his bank, my bank also offers a stop-payment on both certified checks and money orders with the burden of proof on the purchaser for the (legitimate) reason for stopping the payment. USPS offers no such service. Also, contrary to what has been said here, USPS does offer an International MO which can be purchased in US $ or the applicable currency at a current exchange rate. Cashiers checks and MO can be faked. I've not heard of a USPS money order ever being faked, though I'm sure it is possible...just not very likely. IMO, a USPS MO is the closest to getting cash in the mail, and the most secure form of payment. It is inexpensive and can be purchased in amounts up to $1000 using a bank debit card at any post office.

Marco

One major benefit of using the postal service for MO's and anything else is their willingness to pursue fraud by people using their services, including mail. Smart crooks do not correspond by mail, take USPS MO's, or mail packages USPS for that reason.