All,

I'm fairly new to this board, in my short time here however I've managed to buy wheels, brakes & shifters.

luckily enough for me most of the folks I've bought goods from have accepted cheques….a long, slowish process…..but it works.

I'm a bit of a luddite however but I'm now seriously considering setting up a paypal account. Sooner or later I'll see a shiny bit of kit that I want but the seller won't accept a cheque!!!

so paypal…..I'm not keen on entering all my personal details via the WWW, so can anyone put a worried mind at ease?

– is it safe?
– my details will stay confidential?
– I won't get ripped off?
– & numerous other questions

anyone else have the same initial doubts about paypal as me?…..working in IT has made me paranoid I guess!!! 😉

cheers.

I think you can just use Paypal ad hoc with a credit card

works ok for me.

I changed my password recently and they emailed me to confirm that it was me doing that.

It is dangerous though, amazon and ebay plus paypal = quick spending.

Scams are possible but otherwise it's been totally secure for me.

Oh yes I too had many doubts and like you carried on using cheques well into the digital age, still won't bank online though

Only joined Paypal when I had to for using Ebay, but haven't had any problems with security thus far

They do have a limit on sending/receiving cash (money laundering protection)and ended up having to verify my account, this entailed giving credit card and bank account details

Have now gone back to only accepting bank transfers for anything I sell on here and other classifieds for more than about a tenner.
Too many tales of payment reversals and other jiggery pokery with Paypal although I do use it for buying with if the seller wants to

through my business i've had over 3000 transactions with paypal and never had a problem, where as i've probably had 10 transactions with a cheque and at least 2 have bounced.

don't fear technology

I won't get ripped off?

Well, it won't stop people taking your money and then not sending anything, IIRC their 'buyer protection' only works with eBay auctions (happy to be told I'm wrong though!).

Been with them since i got net savvy, maybe about 1999? never a problem

Its quite handy for buying all sorts of stuff as you can buy from various websites without having to register and type multiple passwords and address. Maybe makes it a bit to easy.

Never had a problem with Paypal, and you get an extra layer of protection when using them.

Be wary of phishing emails, as you sometimes get ones pretending to be from Paypal but aren't. If it looks slightly suspicious, it generally is.

Cheers, Rich