Is PayPal any good?

[Patrick L]

Not sure where to put this, but here goes...

I admit I'm a dinosaur. A real 20th century man.

I see lots of places (ebay, some of our GBs, lots of online merchants) use PayPal. I never have, mostly because I don't know what it is. Is there any advantage to using that as opposed to just using a credit card?

[MT Gianni]

For a leftist anti gun money moving business they are effective.

[Patrick L]

OK thanks. Can you elaborate on how Paypal actually works, minus the rant?

[waksupi]

I've used it for years. Best thing is, it gives a middleman who protects you from fraud. If someone doesn't deliver, they take the money away from them. If using for business, never use the "Friends and Family" dodge like some do. They don't cover those transactions.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

If you go to: www.paypal.com you can work your way through it. First you have to sign up, then sign up to receive and send money. Both easy, and you use your e-mail address for both activities. You'll have to link them to your checking account, so that they can remove and deposit funds.

Be aware that they are very intrusive if you let them be. They will also try to get you to sign up for their credit card after a few successful transactions. I know that you don't want the rant, but you should know that they will sometimes refuse to process a transaction if they become aware that it is for a firearm, or sometimes even firearm related. This can spoil a deal for you and potentially hurt your reputation with the seller/merchant with whom you are trying to do business, or at the least be annoying and a waste of time. They have two basic methods of payment, for services, and for friends and family. If for services the merchant pays their fee, and if for friends and family you pay the fee. You have to be aware of which method you're using, because some merchants desire to be paid the full asking price and not minus the fee and will themselves cancel the transaction if they're losing that 2%. Because of their anti-gun stance you will find many sellers will not accept pay pal for payment and insist on a USPS money order, etc.

Although I do not personally like doing business with them, there have been times that I was snowed in and couldn't get to the post office to obtain a money order or mail a check, and they were the best way to close a transaction quickly.

[Patrick L]

Thank you!

I don't mind the information about their political leanings. It's good to know who you're dealing with.

[rancher1913]

I really wish there was another like it that was more gun friendly and less political but they make it easy to do transactions, and they do protect you from a dishonest employee stealing your credit card numbers. its a big pain to collect your money from them unless you tie it to your bank account.

[Finster101]

I have used PayPal for several years and have never had them block a transaction. Many of them made on this forum.

[Smoke4320]

Patrick
I would suggest you do a lot of online research of the negative reviews with paypal.
https://mywifequitherjob.com/why-pay...pening-to-you/

If you decide to proceed using them I suggest you setup a separate bank account and have money for sales transferred there THEN move that money to your normal account

I use them and have for many years. All my guns/ammo/gun parts sales will NOT USE Paypal. Our account was frozen for about a month one time Hence the above advice

you should also look at Zelle. Might be a better solution for you

[jimlj]

I don't like PayPal's politics, but that could be said of many business that I've given my money to. I disagree with some of Targets policy's, but sometimes they are the only place that has what I need at the time. I don't like some of AT&T's policy's, but a large percentage of phone and internet is transmitted over their wire. I don't like Google's policy's but I can't find a better search engine, and Android phones use their software. I don't care much for Walmart, but they are sometimes the only game in town. I don't like Dicks sporting goods, but there are so many other places to take my money I don't ever have to go there.

I don't like that PayPal is anti gun, but sometimes there is no better way to do online business. I've used them for years, and until something better comes along, I'll continue to do so.

[Shawlerbrook]

They are convenient and like many things these days...a necessary evil.

[skrapyard628]

You dont always have to set up an account with paypal. Even for places that exclusively use paypal for payment you can usually use the GUEST feature for paypal and checkout without actually creating an account.

[knifemaker]

Double post.

[knifemaker]

I make and sell custom hunting knives and have been using PayPal for over 10 years without any complaints. I have a separate bank account for my knife business that is connected to PayPal. On one occasion I ordered a custom firearm sight and the seller never sent it. I contacted PayPal and they refunded my money as sales using the normal channel, where they charge a small fee, gives protection to the buyer. My customers who may want to use PayPal, but do not have a PayPal account, can use a credit card to pay with Paypal.
As for PayPal being anti gun, if you use a computer you can bet your web browser company is also anti gun. PayPal will allow gun parts to be paid for that is purchased on Ebay. They will not allow firearm transactions or ammo and cases, primers, powder or bullets as they got sued one time over ammo purchased and the purchaser used the ammo to shoot up some people. Other words their lawyers told them to remove the liability by stopping sales of ammo and reloading supplies.
If you are going to conduct numerous sales or buying, PayPal will make the sales easier for receiving payment or sending payment to the seller.
I offer my customers two options to pay, PayPal or postal money order. About 60-70 percent choose to use PayPal.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Patrick L,
Maybe you know this or maybe you don't?
But no one else said the obvious.
Paypal is a Bank...a online Bank.

You can use it to pay people, like a Credit card.
But unlike a Credit card, people can pay you.
Paypal is NOT credit, but they do offer a separate credit card, so it can be credit.

As waksupi said, if you use it to pay someone, using the correct option, it does protect you from fraud, just like some credit cards do...but there are fees with that, just like a credit card. Paypal offers "No fee" (free) money transfers, for "friends and family" but there is no fraud protection with that.

Hope this helps.

[Scrounge]

Patrick
I would suggest you do a lot of online research of the negative reviews with paypal.
https://mywifequitherjob.com/why-pay...pening-to-you/

If you decide to proceed using them I suggest you setup a separate bank account and have money for sales transferred there THEN move that money to your normal account

I use them and have for many years. All my guns/ammo/gun parts sales will NOT USE Paypal. Our account was frozen for about a month one time Hence the above advice

you should also look at Zelle. Might be a better solution for you

Just duckduckgo'd Zelle, and considering who owns them, I wouldn't ever give them a try, personally. BofA, among others. Not ever doing business with those folks. Been using paypal since they were established, never had a problem. I started there as a buyer & occasional seller at ebay. I use the Friends and Family option in two situations. I own/co-own several metalworking groups on a site called groups.io, which were formerly on Yahoo. Some of the larger groups have an annual fee because of how much storage we use. I take donations from the members to help me pay the charges, and accept them to my paypal account as F&F transactions. I also pay for Swapping&Selling transactions here at Cast Boolits using the F&F option. As long as they're business-like, I'm willing to let them have their political leanings. I strongly disagree with them, but so far they haven't intruded on my particular political leanings. That ever changes, I may change my mind, too.

[gpidaho]

I use paypal and have a paypal debit card that lets me spend money in my account as with any bank card. Also, I use paypal credit as my default setting and pay the total before any interest is added. It isn't as easy to get a refund as some make it seem. I was scammed by a China deal where a small belt sander sharpening tool was offered. All I received were a few sanding belts and no tool. My option was to receive $6 back of the $36 or return the belts to China at my expense and receive a conformation from seller that they had been returned. To have paypal look into the matter. I'm one that doesn't use the friend and family option as I believe in paying my due when I use a service BUT until I get my money back on the scam I may be more open to that option. Rant over. Gp

[Bazoo]

If I'm not mistaken, you must have paypal to shop and sell on ebay. Ebay is a good place for buying and selling reloading and gun stuff sometimes. Sometimes it's the only place to find a particular part.

I've had paypal hold transactions for gun companies but they did to through eventually. I can't remember which company, midway, brownells, optics planet.

[Scrounge]

If I'm not mistaken, you must have paypal to shop and sell on ebay. Ebay is a good place for buying and selling reloading and gun stuff sometimes. Sometimes it's the only place to find a particular part.

I've had paypal hold transactions for gun companies but they did to through eventually. I can't remember which company, midway, brownells, optics planet.

No, you don't have to have it, though it does make things easier. You can pay with a regular credit card, too. You can use Paypal elsewhere, too. I just installed the kitchen range I bought from Home Depot and had delivered to my house from the store for free, using my Paypal account. (wrote that as range, realized that it would have a somewhat different meaning in this forum. WISH I could have a real range sent from HD.

[MaryB]

Been on paypal forever... only had a couple issues and since I have ran close to $50k thru them over the years they tend to bend over backwards for me and cover it