How Do You Handle Orders Paid By Check?

[akogo]

Do you accept checks on your site? What is your procedure when a check arrives in the mail? What do you do with the check besides deposit it? How long do you wait for it to "clear" before sending out the order? Do you call up the other bank? Do you check your account? I'm curious how other site owners handle these types of payments.

[sun818]

accept checks - yes
procedure when a check arrives:

Is the check filled out completely?

For international buyers, is the fund in US dollars?

Does the buyer address on the check match the delivery address?

what is the check number?

We state 5 business days for checks to clear, but if the amount is under $50 or if the eBay buyer has 10+ positive feedback, we ship the item right away.

Do you check your account?

For larger payments, the payments are typically secured via COD. I think that works best since there is no wait. But if it is a busines/personal check, we deposit it right away and review the online bank account in a few days. Our bank posts the transactions in real-time so we know the right away if the check cleared.