Is PayPal the way to go when you are unsure of a seller?

Discussion in Payment Methods started by Sefrotox • May 16, 2013.

  1. Sefrotox

    SefrotoxNew Member

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    I have heard that Paypal is one of the safer ways to go as far as online purchases because of how it acts as a middleman. If you were unsure about a seller and were unable to find what you were looking for elsewhere, would you consider going through with a purchase via PayPal? I figure you would be at a lesser risk of unauthorized transfers, however; if this said company were to not come through (from a payment that you actually authorized,) would it be hard to get your funds back?
     
  2. dissn_it

    dissn_itActive Member

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    I have had PayPal for years and have only had to use their "resolution" service once. It did take quite some time but I did finally get my money back. It took so long because of the steps in the process more than anything else. I learned a long time ago to set up a separate bank account for PayPal transactions. I only keep a little bit of a balance on that account and will only add what I need to make a purchase. This has made me feel much safer about using PayPal and shopping online. If something should ever happen to my PayPal bank account, it is not the same account that I keep my the rest of my money in.
     
  3. limcid

    limcidActive Member

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    IMO, Paypal is your best option when it comes to an online payment. You don't give your card number (if you have a Paypal debit card) or any other financial information, plus you can get your money back if you've got a real reason.
     
  4. Sefrotox

    SefrotoxNew Member

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    Sounds annoying, indeed, but if it is a lot of funds involved I imagine necessary. I guess the best thing to do is decide if, at the worst case, it is still worth taking the risk of having to go through the tedious process. I also keep my PayPal balance low. I use it for receiving payments and withdraw to my bank account pretty quickly. I am unsure as to what some people have done to cause this, but I have heard of ones getting a lot of funds locked up in their PayPal account.
     
  5. Carlalexander

    CarlalexanderMember

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    PayPal is pretty safe in terms of you not revealing your credit card information and in case of disputes, you can always be guaranteed to have your money back, plus it also does not have any hidden charges for the buyer :)
     
  6. EdenSB

    EdenSBActive Member

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    Paypal does have a reputation for siding with the buyer in any disputes. The seller has to prove that they have sent the item, through fairly strict requirements. Things such as digital purchases aren't covered at all, so anyone can chargeback the payment on those, saying they hadn't received it. It's pretty safe - unless you're a seller.
     
  7. Sefrotox

    SefrotoxNew Member

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    This is very interesting, indeed. So essentially, then, it seems if an online seller even offers PayPal, they are going to be more likely to be legit because if not, they are the more likely one to get screwed.

    I wonder how sellers deal with digital goods. Losses of digital goods are perhaps not as serious as physical goods, but I imagine certainly not something a seller would want to deal with.
     
    #7May 18, 2013
    Last edited: May 18, 2013
  8. blurinoctober

    blurinoctoberActive Member

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    I rely on it! I order from all over the internet and it's nice to not have to give my card information to all of these different sources. It's stored once on Paypal and that's that. I trust Paypal, after years of using it, and there's never been an issue.
     
  9. oracewx

    oracewxNew Member

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    Most of the online shopping that I uses are large companies like ebay so I don't really care if I use paypal or my credit card directly. It is when I'm trying to buy something online from a shady site or site that I am not familiar with then I will consider paypal as an option. However most online retailer doesn't accept paypal (amazon) so I can't do anything but to use my credit card.
     
  10. Bolt

    BoltWell-Known Member

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    I think you should just not go through with the transaction if you are unsure of the seller. However, eBay does offer protection and you will be able to get your money back if you have proof of delivery (not proof of postage). I personally feel safe using eBay, I think it is the best service for transferring money online.
     
  11. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    Yes, Paypal is the best option of payment method around, since it's quite secure. Plus you have a dispute feature in case the purchased item has some problems. Never use Western Union or your credit card if you're unsure of the reputation of the store that you're buying from.
     
  12. BrianWolfe

    BrianWolfeMember

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    I've been using PayPal for the last three months and I really have no complaints. I use it to purchase online train tickets in Europe as well as to book hotel reservations. I also use it to receive payments from clients for services and the only thing is that I have to wait 2-3 days to transfer the money I receive as payment from a particular client into my bank account (this appears to be normal procedure though).

    I have clients who ask me if I receive payment through Entropay and Moneybookers but I've never used them before and am quite happy with PayPal at the moment.
     
  13. daniel.d

    daniel.dBanned

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    I recommend Pay Pal because after being scammed once it seemed no other way to shop online, however I found Pay Pal a securer method of payment and have been utilizing this mode of payment for months which allowed me to shop online and never ever been robbed again :) ... PayPal provides you security and safety, although the services they provide is the best in the business today :-D
     
    #13Jun 3, 2013
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2013
  14. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    PayPal is pretty safe for online protection. Using a credit card is safe too, especially if you have buyer protection on your credit card. Most credit cards have this protection.
     
  15. EdenSB

    EdenSBActive Member

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    I'm not sure if they're more likely to be legitimate, but it's certainly easier to get money back. A lot of people don't know this though and just give it up as lost money, so I'm sure an online seller could still make a lot of money through scams.

    Sellers don't deal with digital goods well. I actually heard that certain online game code resellers have had a lot of trouble with people doing chargebacks via Paypal.
     
  16. ReishiSpore

    ReishiSporeMember

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    I think PayPal is pretty secure. I have always used it, for quite some years now. I agree that PayPal has a reputation for siding with the buyer if there is a problem with delivery or the item itself. I have had a few issues with eBay sellers in the past, and PayPal recovered my funds every time.
     
  17. MaraJadeC

    MaraJadeCMember

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    I have used PayPal every time I make an online purchase. So yeah, like what the other's say, it's pretty secure. Don't worry! :)
     
  18. asteriks

    asteriksMember

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    PayPal is definitely the way to go if you're unsure of sellers. Once when I wanted to buy train tickets online cheaper from a reseller, he wanted Moneypak card which I,like a dumb fool, bought and gave only to get cheated. The Moneypak service was not very helpful and I just treated the money as a loss and an expensive lesson. Sellers using Paypal have been generally more reliable and I have always gotten items as expected. I never had to do a charge back ever and an eBay seller even refunded me willingly when the item I ordered broke in transit.
     
  19. crazycroc

    crazycrocMember

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    Its definitely the way to go. I have had a situation where PayPal refunded my money when the seller would not respond.
     
  20. LindaKay

    LindaKayActive Member

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    I definitely think it is safer. Although you might not get your money back, I think you have a better chance of getting it back if you go through Paypal.