I have received checks and cashed them with no problem,but sometimes people say send the order "after the check has cleared" I am dense,,,how do I know if it cleared??

You can check with your bank. Many times they can tell you if the funds are in that person's account to cover it.
I used to do that when Ebay allowed sellers to take checks.
And you're not dense!! :D

I think, if the check doesn't clear, your bank will let you know. If they gave you cash, they will deduct it out of your account. If I order something by check, it takes about two weeks before they will even ship my order.
Speaking of being dense, before I retired, my working partner and I always referred to ourselves as 'dumb and dumber', whenever we had a question.

Not a stupid question - a lot depends on where you live and how far away the person lives from you that sent the check - some can take as little as a day others a week or more . You can ask at the bank when you take in the checks for deposit if they know about how long it will take and trust me you will hear from the bank if the check does NOT clear :wink: LOL

The only dumb question is the one not asked.

Am I to trusting? I have mailed the package the day that I received the check as of yet I have not been burned.. I think of it as if you can live with yourself I can live without whatever was purchased or I would not have been selling it in the first place. I firmly believe what goes around comes around and it bites you when you least expect it.

I tell the buyer ahead of time that I hold orders up to 5 business days before mailing the order. Fortunately, many QB members now use Paypal. Paypal is much safer than mailing a check now a days.

Only S/Q is the one not ask

Keep in mind some banks will hold funds, check w/your bank, worked in a situation once that, people would send someone a check, and ask the person to send cash back for lotto or inheritance, taxes out of country, they would then poof the funds wern't any good and the person was out several hundrds or tousands of dollars.

When I accept checks I say 7-10 days to clear...which means I just hold the merchandise that long and if my bank hasn't contacted me that there was a problem with the check I ship the items. It is still risky as a seller, because sometimes it is a longer time before they tell you about a bounced check. As a seller you don't really know for sure if a check cleared as a buyer you can check your account and see if has been processed.

Too many bad people out there have ruined it for the good. They even make up fake certified checks! Best to check with the bank to make sure it cleared.

I prefer sending US Postal Money Orders. I feel that they are far safer and doesn't let anyone have my checking account number, which many of the scams want to know.