I am not a PayPal member. I really try not to allow strangers access to my credit card numbers, if I can help it.

Obviously, if you are a PayPal member they have access to your credit card number. I know they are allegedly secure, and you should feel safe in that fact, but secure outlets have been comprimised in the past with the accidental release of customer's personal information.

Getting to the point, if you follow eBay, you will notice some sellers only accept PayPal as the only form of payment. Even a casual observer will notice that something auctioned under this requirement usually gets fewer bids and may sell for less.

How do the non-PayPal members feel about not being able to participate in certain auctions because they don't want to join PayPal? Do you feel this a mistake by the seller because this convenience probably benefits the buyer more than the seller? If you are a seller and PayPal member, do you feel your auctions bring lower bids and less action because of your guaranteed convenience of payment?

Inquiring minds on the East Coast, and a non-PayPal member, would like to know.

Bob

Yes, I think it is a mistake for seller to except only PayPal. In my case the few items I sell, I will take Cashiers Check, Money Order or PayPal. I have sent and recieved money with PayPal and never had a problem. I feel it is as secured as any credit card. You may or may not know that PayPal is now owned by EBAY, so if you trust EBAY you should trust PayPal, in my humble opinion.

I don't have a problem with Paypal only auctions- partially because I've had a Paypal account for about 5-6 years.

However, I do agree that some people have a mindset like Bob's and it may hurt sales if the only method of payment is Paypal.

I've never studied it very closely- I usually won't bid on something that does not allow payment via Paypal unless it's something I really want and I can get it for a good price.

I like paying via Paypal because the payment is recieved immediately and the item can be shipped out quicker. Paying by check or money order takes time for the payment to get there and then the seller generally wants the payment to clear before sending the item. This can add two weeks to the turnaround time.

I've never had a problem with it- other than to keep getting those phishing messages all the time, as well as one's for Ebay, Amazon, etc.

I do not make my auctions Paypal only- I will accept money orders in US funds only but I will not accept checks of any kind. It's too much of a hassle.

Paypal payments are much simpler for both parties but in fact if you are a seller you pay a fee if someone pays via Paypal- the purchaser does not.

Bob do you use a credit card online for anything? Do you pay any bills online? Access any bank or credit card accounts online? and finally do you ever wonder what that 18 year old does with you card for 5 minutes when you give it to them in a restaurant and they walk away with it?

Inquiring minds on a different part of the East Coast want to know.

Dennis

Well Folks,

I havge used PayPal twice -- and both times the procedure met with utter disaster. I have not used it since, nor will I ever use it again.

If I see that the seller will ONLY accept PayPal, I will totally disregard their post -- no matter I much I may want the product. Those sellers are only cutting their own throats.

bobo

In response to Dennis:

My answers are:

NO
NO
NO
I FOLLOW THE SERVER TO TAKES MY CARD, WATCH WHAT HAPPENDS, AND THE CARD NEVER LEAVES MY SIGHT.

bobo

Hi Dennis, ..Here's my answers to your inquiries:

I don't pay bills online;
I do not access bank or credit cards online;
I pay cash in restaurants.

I'm kind of old fashioned when it comes to making the choice between using cash or a charge card. I still go to the bank and take out sufficient funds to get me through until my next paycheck. I don't have an ATM card and don't want one. I think the only two things that are automatically charged to my credit card are my autoship of HL's and my AOL account. They are both on the same card, and I don't use that card for anything else.

I cringe when I hear of a security breach, which sometimes happens, where people's credit card info has been accidently released. I know it's the luck of the draw, but if you limit CC useage your odds of unauthorized use are much better.

Bob

Stan uses PayPal for all his auctions--not as the only way to pay, but in addition to all other methods of payment. He believes he's getting more sales because of PayPal and, because I do his bookkeeping for eBay sales, clearly 90% of his sales are paid using PayPal. I do nag after him as regards leaving monies in the PayPal account. There are too many horror stories related to PayPal freezing your account if a buyer reports any problem with the sale. He tries to leave no more than $250 in the PayPal account, but sometimes forgets to move the money in the frenzy of selling and listing items. He doesn't mind losing the 3%(+ -) PayPal charges him for each sale.

I, on the other hand, refuse to pay PayPal its fee in addition to the fees eBay charges and don't offer PayPal on any of my eBay sales. I don't auction many items (yet), so not offering that service hasn't proven to be a problem (yet). Maybe when I get into it as heavily as Stan is, I'll change my mind about PayPal, but I doubt it. Cripes, I use the reverse side of printer paper whenever possible to save a buck or two on paper products--fine line between frugal and cheap and I've crossed that line frequently.

Bobo,

Sorry you had so much trouble. I've never had a problem- either a sa seller or purchaser and I've done literally hundreds of transactions on either side.

I've had things lost by the post office but never had a snafu with Paypal.

Dennis

bobo,

You're literally one in a million. I've never seen anybody follow somebody who was going to put in a charge on a credit card in a restaurant.

You sound like a cautious person. Be careful what other info of yours you place on the internet as well.

You never know when a SPIDER will crawl over it.

Dennis

Bob,

I can understand your concerns. the biggest problem with always using cash is tha if it's lost it can't be replaced.

If you lose your credit card or if it's "scammed" from you there is very limited financial losss usually.

I will admit that if you're identity is stolen the amount of time to fix it can be enormous- but this theft can even be accomplished if you use little credit and are careful about what is given to who.

I guess I go for convenience and simplicity. I do have an ATM card but very seldom use it- except while on vacation. I like to carry as little cash as possible- $200 or so at one time.

I'm a mix of old and new fashioned- I'm just starting to actually use my cell phone. I've even given the number to some people and figured out how to setup the voice mail box and retrieve the message from it.

Dennis

Bob,

I guess we have more in common than just our first names.

And I've never used an ATM machine.

bobo

I shop mostly online and use bank cards and PayPal (incredibly convenient). I rarely go into a bank, so I use the ATM. I won't carry more than $20.00 in cash (if lost or stolen, it's gone) and carry only one or two checks with me. Most of my bills are automatically deducted from my bank account and all of my income is automatically deposited in my bank account. I use my cell phone almost exclusively (I have had the same house phone number for 38 years so I refuse to give it up). I rarely write a letter since everyone I know communicates with me via email. Anything I've lost has been in the US Postal Service - lost packages and letters have become a regular thing with them - especially if I've insured them. So gifts are purchased online and delivery is made directly by the company - if lost, they replace it. I love our modern world!!

I use a credit card at a restaurant and include the tip on it for 2 reasons:

1. The waiter/waitress will have to pay taxes on it (on cash the government only forces them to claim 8% tips).

2. They can verify more income when they apply for a loan.

Speaking of PayPal, there are two Coquille Rivers on eBay right now. One ends in an hour and that seller only accepts PayPal. Lucky for the seller he put a reserve on it because 7 bids are only up to $585. Had this seller accepted other methods of payment, he or she would probably got around $1700-$1800 for that piece. I think the PayPal only is hurting that auction.

The other Coquille has a buy it now for $2,295 and is accepting offers only through PayPal. There has been only one offer so far which he or she declined. $2,295 is definitely wishful thinking. The current secondary market will not support a premium price like that when the true value is much less.

Bob

I actually look for auctions that accept PayPal. Sending a personal check delays receiving the item, and having to go to the bank or Post Ofc to purchase a money order is a pain, an extra trip or stop on the way to work...no thanks.

I usually don't use personal checks for HL purposes. All my lighthouse purchases come from my wallet. Checking account money is for bills. Money out of my wallet is for groceries, gas, and good times, which includes HL purchases.

I have three Post Offices within a couple of miles of my home. One is next door to my bank. I usually grab Mr. Mo and take him with me. He likes the ride and the people at the bank and Post Office like to see him.

I've never had a seller complain about a postal money order and they usually ship my purchase right away upon receiving the payment. I guess I'm saying it works for me.

Bob

I disagree with auctions taking ONLY PayPal. That does exclude too many people.

We nearly exclusively use PayPal when buying on eBay. It is incredibly convenient and we have never had an insurmountable problem with them. Twice we had sellers that did not send the goods after a PayPal payment was made. PayPal was VERY helpful on both occasions and we got our money back no questions asked.
Also, since we buy most of our stamps in countries other than the UK, we can not send cheques or money orders, as they would be prohibitively expensive because of the fees involved. To post cash is a huge risk and our post office will not insure cash in transit. So PayPal for us is the only solution.
In this day and age you need to be careful, but there is no need to cut your nose to spite your face. We would not be able to further either of our stamp collections without the help of PayPal. And after over 1000 transaction we are more than happy to carry on using them!

The one payment service we will NEVER EVER use again is Western Union or BidPay as they call themselves on eBay. They really are an organisation who are in no way interested if you have problem! Thank goodness for our credit card company, who helped a great deal and got our money back after two fraudulent transactions from Western Union could have cost us $1300. Western Union was not interested at all and didn't even respond to our questions.

I'm like Dennis, a mix of old and new (mostly old I think) I recently got an I Pod and I do intend to download some tunes from I tunes but fear putting in my CC #. My son-in-law Ed, after he finished chuckling, suggested buying a cash card and using that. Being more familiar with the gift cards from banks and their no fee policy I decided to use that when the time comes. I thought Ed gave me a pretty good idea to help allay my fears of putting a cc # into the computer.

Margret,

You make some good points I forgot- Paypal is very useful when dealing across country borders.

It's really the only sensible way to go when two different countries are involved.Well, maybe not but at least the fees are more reaonable for a non-cash payment and youa ren't risking cash.

I agree about Bidpay. I used it a few times several years ago and was lucky to have no problems but I've read about many others who have had problems with it.

Paypal has had some problems- but they are much more on top of fixing them when they happen. I've been lucky and not had any so far personally.

Tom is partially right about me- I'm a mix of the old and new but I tend to use more new technology than not. I don't have an ipod and I'm not that big a cell phone user- but I'm more of a cell phone user now than I was 6 months ago. I even know how to setup my voice mail and retrieve the messages.

I had my first cell phone for 5 years and never figured that out.

Dennis

I'm a mix of both as well.

I have a cell phone...for emergencies only. I rarely use it. I just bought an iPod last week. I also look for auctions that accept Paypal because it does speed up the transaction. It is very inconvenient for me to get to the PO for a money order, and I'm cutting back on the number of checks I write. I pay most of my bills online.

I've also sold items on ebay, and accept Paypal, money orders, and checks. I would say the majority of payments I receive are via Paypal.

I had a bad Ebay/Paypal experience a while back. First clue was when my checking account was charged something like $584! (Paypal's got my debit card number.) Got a couple of those wierdo emails too so checked Paypal and sure enough, it seems that I had "bought" a Nokia cell phone from some dude in the UK!

Called Paypal and told them it was an error. They asked me to change my passwords for Ebay and Paypal, as well as security questions. They limited my Paypal account and emailed me an affidavit to fill out and send, along with my back statement. (Got a month-to-date statement from my Credit Union.) I promptly received a reversal of the funds but...because of conversion rates I was still short around $25. For that amount they credited my Paypal Account but to get the money back into my bank account I had to get verified by giving Paypal my bank account number. They had to unlimit my account and I could then transfer the money back into my checking account. It took longer to get the $25 back than the large amount. (Of course if the exchange rate had been favorable I could have made money! )

For a time during all this I was getting a bunch of those spoof emails but forwarded them as directed and since then all's been well.

I use paypal all the time, and often skip an auction that doesn't take it. I use a secondary credit card with a small limit, and never use my direct bank account.
I monitor my bank accounts online several times a week.

I used to sell a lot of stuff on eBay, and I think I'm going to have to start again to get rid of some vintage clothes (rather than throw them out) and 1900's magazines. It is an interesting hobby if you have nothing better to do, but it isn't really a money maker.

It is a PITA as some people will bitch and complain no matter what you do. I had some mustard seed earrings, and the buyer complained that she could hardly see the mustard seeds. Well duh - that's the point.

People do not want to pay anything for shipping or they say they will only pay actual postage, and they don't want to pay for the packing materials or insurance. They they get mad is something is lost or damaged.

I used to accept checks, but the problem with checks is that the bank will deposit the check and will tell you that it has cleared and it can still bounce up to 10 days later. If you wait, then the buyer complains that you are late shipping. I've even had a buyer return a package to me because I didn't wait for her check to arrive.

I also used to accept money orders, specifying that they had to be USPS money orders. And buyers ignored that and would send money orders from other places. The reason I specified USPS is that I can cash them when I mail the package, and they will give me the change in cash. Other types money orders have to be deposited at the bank and wait to clear and it means either a stamp or another trip to town.

I specified that I would only ship in the USA, and some twit from Australia bid on an item and was highly indignant when I refused to ship it to her and reported me to eBay as a non-selling seller. And then I couldn't resell the item because the other bidders had lost interest.

So now I only take PayPal.

When I buy via PayPal it comes out of my checking account and not out of my credit card.

For personal accounts, I pay by check on-line. I do have an ATM card but have only used it twice to see if I could. I do not have an iPod.

I'm settling my mom's estate and I find it frustrating because they won't let me pay bills on line or access the accounts on line for the estate. They say it is a business account and I can't do that. It's been so long since I actually wrote checks - it's so much easier to do it on line.

I was leery of paypal at first, but purchased items that were never received. They investigated and returned my money promptly. I prefer to look for auctions that have paypal as you have better protection for a deal gone bad. It is also faster and you don't have to make a trip anywhere to get money order. I only bid on items that do not offer paypal if it's something that I really want or really great deal. I can't stand the 2 week wait to receive. I too have sold some items on ebay and paypal makes it easier and all my payments were received via paypal. Any phishing emails I receive I forward to appropriate contact and they verify whether it actually came from them or not and then take care of things from there. I have not received any of these for quite some time.