Is there any risks using paypal to transfer funds to freelancers?

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by coldPlay

I've had outstanding service with Pay Pal. They're really geared toward online business.

I cannot, however, say the same thing about most freelance sites. They will hold your money and it will take a great deal of effort to get it back. I had unauthorized charges before I even hired anyone on freelancer. This is the worst one. It was so frustrating to feel helpless. Most of the freelancers on these sites seem incompetent and crooked, in my three experiences. They will milk you for all the information on your project, then they flake. So if you have an idea that is not copyrighted, make sure to not give everything away. Many people on those sites are just fishing for ideas. But whatever you do, stay away from freelancer. The people running the sights are from other countries for the most part, and they operate differently and don't have any real rules.

Again, this has been my recent experience.

I am listed on freelancer and have bid on only a handful of jobs. Each time I ended up with a spam client. I won't use them again.

I've been with elance for a few years now. They are US based in California and are trying hard to throw the scammers out. I bid on a job just this week and was contacted and given login information to complete the work but never awarded the job. This client created multiple jobs with different descriptions and the work was always different than described. They also wanted to pay outside of elance which is against TOS. I reported them and they were banned from the site. But they are reinventing themselves as different users in different countries.

The point is there are good workers on both sites just trying to make a living in this difficult world. You just have to be careful and know how to spot a scam even if it sounds halfway legitimate. Elance protects the client and employee but if either opens themselves up to fraud by providing personal information they can't.

You have to be careful!

Originally Posted by Pammyd

Be careful with PayPal. My niece got into one financial mess after another using them to borrow cash from. They always sounded to me like a legitimate loan shark..could be wrong but just don't trust someone who can get into your weekly pay check..they gotta know lots about you by being able to do that like your Social Security number, where you work, where you live and more. I wouldn't do it but then its your choice??

So it's paypal's fault and not your niece's? When will people realize that borrowing money is never a good idea? smh!!

Paypal has only recently in the last year or so started offering "buy it now; take 6 months to pay" offers. I have never done this so I don't know how it works but I have never had to give them all of the information you indicated. They have never known where I work and AFAIK I have never given them my social security number. Be sure what you are talking about.

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by myrc60

I bid on a job just this week and was contacted and given login information to complete the work but never awarded the job. This client created multiple jobs with different descriptions and the work was always different than described. They also wanted to pay outside of elance which is against TOS.

interesting. I don't understand why a client would want to pay outside of the system, although I can see why a freelancer would to avoid the fees.

Like most things in business, the biggest issues always seem to be due to people wanting something for nothing. Dealing with people in general seems to be becoming more and more challenging.

Are people becoming more difficult or is it just due to my own increasing intolerance of humankind?

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by coldPlay

interesting. I don't understand why a client would want to pay outside of the system, although I can see why a freelancer would to avoid the fees.

Like most things in business, the biggest issues always seem to be due to people wanting something for nothing. Dealing with people in general seems to be becoming more and more challenging.

Are people becoming more difficult or is it just due to my own increasing intolerance of humankind?

I believe it's the "something for nothing" you speak of and not of any intolerance we humans have developed. That "something for nothing" can be translated to many areas of our lives today. Buy a home for $100K today and sell 2-3 yrs down the line for $150K+. In the end we all pay for this mentality.