Poll...how does the lack or availability of PayPal affect your buying decision? (website, security)
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Yes it is nice to have the info only entered in one place though I don't know how much of the avoid identity theft by that approach is reality and how much is just fanciful thinking. I think most identity theft happens from lost wallets, trash that is not shredded and that type of thing not from stealing credit card data from online merchants.
One alternative to PayPal that I am checking out is Amazon Payment Systems. It works under the same sort of principal that PayPal does though the experience that I have had in dealing with Amazon customer service has been far superior to any that I ever experienced with PayPal and I am not even signed up for Amazon Payment Systems yet!
I refuse to use Paypal due to their demand for intrusion into my accounts that they have no need to have.
Many of their practices are simply not acceptable to me, nor should they be to anyone. Example: They demand that they retain your credit card information in their database. If you delete a credit card from your Paypal account, you cannot use that credit card again for paypal purchases. Now think about this a minute, if you remove your CC info from paypal, how do they know you are using that card again? Cause they lied, they just disable but retain your CC information.
The above poster is right on. And if Paypal elects to unknowingly withdraw funds from your account, you can spend months trying to get it straightened out. I terminated my Paypal account on my banks' advice after an unauthorized withdrawl. It was their error, and after spending hours on the phone speaking to everyone but the janitor I simply dropped the card from the account and have decided that if Paypal is required to complete the purchase....the seller loses, because I am not buying.
I have a question. Are there any immediate risks with using paypal on ebay as a buyer? The seller only accepts Paypal(credit card). I really like the item and can't find it elsewhere. I am a bit wary of Paypal as i've heard alot about fraud, identity theft, etc. Also, i shouldn't be worried about fees as a buyer using Paypal right? Going by an earlier post, since they retain your CC info, i might as well use a CC that i don't use frequently should i decide to close my Paypal account assuming i decide to sign up for one soon. I normally use Discover for all my online purchases, so maybe i should use my Mastercard for my Paypal. That way i can always cancel my Mastercard to protect myself. Give me your thoughts/opinions? Thanks.
I have a question. Are there any immediate risks with using paypal on ebay as a buyer? The seller only accepts Paypal(credit card). I really like the item and can't find it elsewhere. I am a bit wary of Paypal as i've heard alot about fraud, identity theft, etc. Also, i shouldn't be worried about fees as a buyer using Paypal right? Going by an earlier post, since they retain your CC info, i might as well use a CC that i don't use frequently should i decide to close my Paypal account assuming i decide to sign up for one soon. I normally use Discover for all my online purchases, so maybe i should use my Mastercard for my Paypal. That way i can always cancel my Mastercard to protect myself. Give me your thoughts/opinions? Thanks.
You are OK to use your CC to make a purchase through Paypal. You have the protection and mechanism to resolve conflicts provided by the CC company.
BUT!!!!!! you will received a nicely worded and benign sounding email from them with a bunch of verbiage to stump a Philadelphia lawyer about how they want to make 2 small deposits INTO your checking account, and a bunch of BS about how this is "a good thing". You then confirm the amounts deposited and blah blah blah...........
What it really means they now have their hooks into your checking account. If you make another purchase and do not specifically tell them to charge it to your CC, they draft it directly from your checking account, as then they don't have to pay the fee to Visa or MC.
And when they screw up, they can just take money directly out of your checking, as experienced by a poster above.
Also, they will retain your CC info, and if you delete that CC from your PP account, you can never use it again with PP. If you have a card that is about to expire in a couple of months, that would be a good one to use.
Personally, if there is any method to make the payment that does not involve Paypal, including cash in an envelope, I'll take it. Seriously.
Barring that, I have been able to use a dedicated CC through paypal without opening an account with them. I still hate it, but it has worked. They push you to an account at every step, but over the years I've gotten good at saying, "no".
You are OK to use your CC to make a purchase through Paypal. You have the protection and mechanism to resolve conflicts provided by the CC company.
BUT!!!!!! you will received a nicely worded and benign sounding email from them with a bunch of verbiage to stump a Philadelphia lawyer about how they want to make 2 small deposits INTO your checking account, and a bunch of BS about how this is "a good thing". You then confirm the amounts deposited and blah blah blah...........
What it really means they now have their hooks into your checking account. If you make another purchase and do not specifically tell them to charge it to your CC, they draft it directly from your checking account, as then they don't have to pay the fee to Visa or MC.
And when they screw up, they can just take money directly out of your checking, as experienced by a poster above.
Also, they will retain your CC info, and if you delete that CC from your PP account, you can never use it again with PP. If you have a card that is about to expire in a couple of months, that would be a good one to use.
I was able to bypass the bank account info during the paypal acct setup. I only provided the CC #. It's ok if they retain my CC# since i don't use that CC much anyway. I was thinking about canceling during the past few months anway since i don't use it much. Now, i will only use it for purchases on Ebay or any online site that requires Paypal.
I buy from eBay (and used to be a seller). I've never had a problem with PayPal at all, when I did. I use it all the time for making postage labels. I have a postal scale, and it's really convenient to print out labels at home, and not have to stand in line at the post office. I have a friend that puts on an event every year, and I took over the mailing list. All the flyers were done through PayPal with tracking numbers. It's just too convenient! I have no credit cards, so the money comes directly out of my checking account.
I don't buy anything on the internet anymore. If it can't be done by phone or mail, I won't buy it. Nothing is secure anymore. Having not used paypal, I get span about my paypal account that looks real according to those who use paypal and have seen the spam.
It used to be possible to pay for auction purchases by mailing a check or money order to the seller.
What do you mean "used to be possible"? Do they claim jurisdiction over how the buyer and seller agree to the exchange of funds?
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