Ron,

thanks for speaking up.  I sent a reply too but I was so p---- o---
that I accidentally sent it to Stan rather than the list.  I don't
want to see a flame war,  actually I think this entire thread has
gone so far off the vanagon-content standard that it might as well be
NASA's next probe to outer space (hopefully using metric measurements
this time - !) - so I'll just leave it at that, and sign myself as:

Steve - immigrant,  just like all my vanagons (and yours)

>  > We have ten million immigrants in the US that
>>  aren't American Born. They do not hold the same
>>  moral values as most of those that I know who are
>>  native born. They are simply here for the wealth
>>  they might acquire by any means possible.
>
>
>Stan, I'm shocked! I can't believe you just branded our ten million
>immigrants in the U.S. as crooks!  I hope you realize how bigoted such a
>statement is, whether intended that way or not. It's no different from
>saying that all 36 million blacks in America love fried chicken and
>watermelon, or all 6 million Jews in America are miserly bankers. There are
>plenty of crooks and plenty of good, hard-working people among our immigrant
>population, just as among our native-born population.  I'm really don't want
>to touch off an off-topic firestorm that ends up requiring moderator
>intervention (which is how these things usually end up). But at the same
>time it would be morally wrong for me to remain silent and let such a
>statement go by without voicing my very strong objection.
>
>As for the money order issue, unfortunately fraud is a significant risk with
>virtually all forms of payment. There are fraudulant bank checks and money
>orders. There are rubber checks. There is the possibility of counterfeit
>bills (although I've never received one that I know of). There are hijacked
>Paypal accounts. Someone tries to rip off The Bus Depot at least twice a
>month, usually but not always with a stolen credit card. (Our
>address-verification requirement catches virtually all of them.)  Some are
>foreigners; some are not. Usually they try to order parts for VW's other
>than Busses or Vanagons; they want something they can resell easily, and
>stolen Golf/Jetta parts are more easily fenced.
>
>The safest methods of accepting payment as a private individual are probably
>cash from a bank, postal money orders (if you cash them at the post office
>prior to delivering the goods), Western Union (again, if you pick up the
>cash before delivering the goods), Paypal (if you ship the goods to a
>confirmed/verified U.S. address, can prove delivery, and are covered by
>their Seller Protection plan), and C.O.D. cash-only. Any other method
>involves some percentage of risk, although the risk can vary. As a buyer,
>your safest method of payment is credit card (other than debit card)
>wherever possible, or as a second choice possibly Paypal (with funds sourced
>from your credit card).
>
>- Ron Salmon
>   The Bus Depot, Inc.
>   www.busdepot.com
>   (215)  234-VWVW
>
>_____________________________________________
>Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT