paypal

[nmaho]

whats this paypal thing all about i was going to buy corals last night but i lost out to someone who paid with paypal .do you have to set up an account somewhere

[seawillow]

I was wondering the same thing.....I always hear about paypal, but never paid any attention as to how to get it...or whatever?/

[pcmechanix]

www.paypal.com

It is a widely used method of electronic funds transfer. #1 on the internet currently. Very useful.

[this is me]

paypal.com

[this is me]

damn you beat me to it

[moe_k]

Yeah, it is a handy way to send and receive money.
There are no real gimmicks - just a small percentage charge.

[seawillow]

Thanks all....just signed up...

[bdr127]

It costs nothing to send money.... Costs a small percentage fee to receive money.

The one thing to look out for now that you have an account: there are a lot of spammers out there sending emails that look like real PayPal customer service emails saying things like "your account will be closed if you don't enter information " like your credit card number, social security number, ATM PIN, etc... PayPal will never ask for this info, so you'll know it's fake. Unfortunately, many people have had their identities stolen by these theives.

[seawillow]

bdr127...thanks for the heads up...seems like we have to watch out everywhere these days...:confused:

[DWS]

Paypal can be useful, but I will never use it again after a few bad experiences.

I will spare the long story, but a few things to consider -

Paypal is not a bona-fide financial institution, yet they have direct access to your checking/savings account. And good luck getting a phone number to speak with a human if you have a problem. I could not find a # on their site.

They are/were under investigation by several state AG's.

Just some things to think about :).

[Sea Serpent]

Wow, I have been using them for years .. . . Sending and receiving money. Never had a problem.

[Scuba_Dave]

I had one problem w/Paypal. I shipped out a Computer, the guy didnt receive it when he expected, & he disputed the charge, took me 6 weeks to finally get the $$, after he had recd the PC.
No-one to talk to, all be E-mail.

[bdr127]

I don't think the issue is so much PayPal as it is the shady crooks that use it fraudulently.... Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) makes it really easy for thieves to take your money and run if you buy something on the internet. The alternative is to pay by money order, but they can always take that and run, too... it just takes longer, so they prefer the EFT. So as much as some people will gripe about PayPal, it's not that they are a shady practice or anything. It's that thieves are always looking for a new way to exploit people and their money.

[bdr127]

Originally posted by DWS
And good luck getting a phone number to speak with a human if you have a problem. I could not find a # on their site.


You must not have looked hard enough.... It's right under About Us->Contact Us->Customer Support->Phone ------ 402-935-2050
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_contact-phone

I think that 1-888-221-1161 also works....

[Scuba_Dave]

True bdr, overall Paypal has been great, and if I was on the opposite end (payed & had not recd) I would love this feature.
So everything (in some cases) is only has good as the people using it. I prefer hands on, to see & purchase. But Internet & paypal make it so easy to buy soemthing from across the country.
I once sold PC parts to a guy in Peurto Rica (sp?), he was overjoyed to get the parts, even w/extra shipping he had to pay.
I sold on E-Bay before paypal, what a nightmare. People would send a check, and I don't ship until the check is cleared by my bank. So they are waiting like a week or 2 (I have a PO box, can only access on Saturday).

[DWS]

Originally posted by bdr127
I don't think the issue is so much PayPal as it is the shady crooks that use it fraudulently.... Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) makes it really easy for thieves to take your money and run if you buy something on the internet. The alternative is to pay by money order, but they can always take that and run, too... it just takes longer, so they prefer the EFT. So as much as some people will gripe about PayPal, it's not that they are a shady practice or anything. It's that thieves are always looking for a new way to exploit people and their money.

True it is the frauds who exploit paypal - but the problem is it can be easy to exploit.

Paypal has many of the powers of financial institutions, but for whatever reason what they do is not regulated as closely as real banks, CC co's etc.

My problem (in a nutshell) is paypal withdrew a few hundred dollars from my account after someone claimed their account was fraudulenty used to purchase goods from me.

I have to say it was INCREDIBLY frustrating to not be able to talk to a human about my problem. BTW this happened over a year ago, and if Paypal does now include a phone number it is a step in the right direction. Too late for me, though.

[Racenrich]

Paypal isnt all that bad. A good place for you to exchange money.

NOTE: they require a routing # from your checking.....be smart and go to your bank and open A SECOND ACCOUNT!
This way you'll only have that account for you online transactions and not you PRIMARY ACCOUNT.

This is what i do. Max cash in this account $200. SO if and when someone tries to screw you, you only have $200 bones to worry about and not all your cash!
Then if you need more all you do is transfer from you main to the secondary.

To me this is the safest route.

Oh yeah one more thing: they also require a CC to back this up.
Call your CC company and lower your balance to $500, if you can do that! :). Then you are safe on both ends. Been doing this routine for about 18 months with success.

Hope this helps!

PAYPAL#?
If you search you will find it, took me three days to find it but i did!
If i do again i will post it.

[bdr127]

Originally posted by Racenrich
PAYPAL#?
If you search you will find it, took me three days to find it but i did!
If i do again i will post it.

I posted it above.... took me about 15 seconds to find it:

"It's right under About Us->Contact Us->Customer Support->Phone ------ 402-935-2050
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_contact-phone

I think that 1-888-221-1161 also works...."