I used to believe USPS money orders were the safest way to pay for a firearm bought online, but from what I've learned the Post Office will make zero effort to investigate if the deal goes south. I guess I've just been lucky with the transactions I've been involved with, but there's always a chance of getting ripped off. Sorry to hear it happened to someone on here...
On a different note, I picked up the Yugoslav M70B1 (not M70AB1 as I originally thought) parts kit as well as the complete rifle. As you can see in the above pics, the previous owner of the rifle didn't like the unfinished wood so he finished it. Plus, the sling was put on like a Chinese AK, not with a loop on the receiver. The "parts kit" furniture was authentic Yugoslav-issue, complete with markings on the stock. I was dreaming there might be some "trench art" from the Bosnian war, but it wasn't to be; but I preferred the more authentic furniture so I swapped them out. I still need to do the same with the gas tubes, the rifle was practically pristine whereas the parts kit one was heavily fouled. I also need to insert some 1/8" x 1" long strips cut from a Coke can as the handguards are a little loose (as usual). Those will solidify things up quite nicely...
Pics inbound, but for now I got a nice M70B2 with authentic furniture on it, and if I sell the remaining parts kit and furniture I could have gotten it for ~$300-350.
Cheers! M2