Contact kauai pd.

I did they can't do anything

File with usps and they should take care of it. I think it could be mail fraud.

this would probably be your best bet.
postal inspectors will not do anything to help you recover your $, but they will punish the individual because they used the mail as their "method".
I believe it is a felony - so at least you will know if/when convicted - they will do time.

How come the lady at the post office said it's out of their hands? This is a case of mail fraud and she should at least know something of this and how to help you file a claim. Another example of ignorance. And they say sending USPS money order is safe for this very reason. good luck brah

do you know anyone on Kauai? everybody knows everybody there. call up da hui and have them "ask nicely" for your money back

Yup call da Possi, you have a name & address.   GL

If you already tried everything forum members suggested you try, and if you already called the governmental agencies forum members suggested you call, and if the governmental agencies all said they can't help you, then I'm sad to say it, but I think you're pretty much screwed.

Hard pill to swallow, but maybe you taught yourself (and others) a valuable lesson with regard to online purchases...

Yeah this is such a small (relatively) place (Kauai) post his info so we can call him out. I'm sure somebody on this board knows him. Sorry if it's against forum rules but I hate freakin scammers.

I guess I gotta do some side jobs now that I'm out almost a thousand dollars anyone got any ideas for making some money back? Fml

Go to the fish auction block.... And sell fish on the side of the road.

 A big +1 on avoiding ARMSLIST...answered an add last mo. about a rifle for sale in Hawaii.  Guy contacted me via email and said the rifle was in Texas.  Big red flags flew up on that one.

Bighoks.....If the seller does not send the rifle and you are unable to contact him, you can file a theft report with HPD.  HPD will then forward the case to KPD for them to investigate.   This is assuming that the money order was sent and received to a Kauai address.  If you sent it to a mainland address then its harder to track.  If you sent it out of country then forget it and no sense in making a report.  Either way this does not guarantee your money back.

When dealing with online buying from forums, no matter how good the deal is, I avoid mail transactions, Money Orders etc...always do deals in person, in a safe public area, and in cash.

Another note.....wait more than just a few days to file a report.....this will show the sellers intent to defraud and commit theft. 

This guy still has so many ads on armslist.  He needs to be caught before more people become victim. Make like youre gonna buy something and Catch him when he goes to the PO to pick up another money order. If somebody ripped me off like that he ... Lets just say he would not do it again

Sorry, i can't offer you a solution that hasn't already been stated.

For future transactions, consider using an escrow. You send the money to escrow and escrow notifies seller to ship the product. Seller then sends you the product. You then have 3 days to inspect. If you decide to keep or fail to reject the product after 3 days, escrow sends the money to the seller. I used escrow for an $800 eBay transaction when I purchased a pair of "rebuilt" turbochargers. Seller turned out to be a ripoff and I got my money back minus a small escrow fee.

It doesn't matter if you use eBay, Craiglist, Armslist, Legslist, etc., Bottom line is to assume that all online purchases through auction or listing sites are ripoffs waiting to happen and that you need to use a method of payment that will insure against falling victim to a scam.

Sorry, i can't offer you a solution that hasn't already been stated.

For future transactions, consider using an escrow. You send the money to escrow and escrow notifies seller to ship the product. Seller then sends you the product. You then have 3 days to inspect. If you decide to keep or fail to reject the product after 3 days, escrow sends the money to the seller. I used escrow for an $800 eBay transaction when I purchased a pair of "rebuilt" turbochargers. Seller turned out to be a ripoff and I got my money back minus a small escrow fee.

It doesn't matter if you use eBay, Craiglist, Armslist, Legslist, etc., Bottom line is to assume that all online purchases through auction or listing sites are ripoffs waiting to happen and that you need to use a method of payment that will insure against falling victim to a scam.

Paypal has a very seller unfriendly system.  Buyers shouldn't fear much when purchasing through pay-pal. Sellers have much more to worry about!

Paypal will not cover a firearms transaction, that's why sellers require you to declare the money as a "gift". I don't how protected you'd be trying to get "gift" money back

Paypal has a very seller unfriendly system.  Buyers shouldn't fear much when purchasing through pay-pal. Sellers have much more to worry about!

i've had issues buying w/ paypal. paypal gave me the run around when a seller told me to check w/ the post office. local usps told me the box was never shipped. after a week or two of this, i ended up calling up amex and having them reverse the charges. and that's after i waited a month or so for the package to come.

doesn't the 4473 state that buying/selling of firearms for livelihood/profit without an FFL is a no-no??

I don't know if it's the 4473 that says it, but yes, selling guns as a business enterprise is massively illegal. 

Sorry, i can't offer you a solution that hasn't already been stated.

For future transactions, consider using an escrow. You send the money to escrow and escrow notifies seller to ship the product. Seller then sends you the product. You then have 3 days to inspect. If you decide to keep or fail to reject the product after 3 days, escrow sends the money to the seller. I used escrow for an $800 eBay transaction when I purchased a pair of "rebuilt" turbochargers. Seller turned out to be a ripoff and I got my money back minus a small escrow fee.

It doesn't matter if you use eBay, Craiglist, Armslist, Legslist, etc., Bottom line is to assume that all online purchases through auction or listing sites are ripoffs waiting to happen and that you need to use a method of payment that will insure against falling victim to a scam.

Would you just use Title Guaranty or Old Republic??  Always curious about this.

Paypal will not cover a firearms transaction, that's why sellers require you to declare the money as a "gift". I don't how protected you'd be trying to get "gift" money back

+1
you lose most of the paypal guarantees when you sent paypal gift.
otherwise paypal is awesome. and as funtimes mentioned, its very buyer friendly.

Would you just use Title Guaranty or Old Republic??  Always curious about this.

You need to look for a reputable escrow that is set up specifically to handle online transactions. I am unaware of whether the two escrows mentioned offer online services but a simple call would satisfy your inquiry. I have never used escrow.com and can't vouch for its services but it is but one online escrow service provider out there.  I don't recall the name of the escrow I used for my ebay transaction because it was many years ago but it was offered through ebay so you may wish to peruse through the buyers's services links.