no other choice really if you're an ebayer (paypal.com)

Member Name: freud

Product:	paypal.com
Date:	19/05/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: safe & secure

Disadvantages: takes time to reach bank, charges apply

In my opinion Paypal is the safest way to pay & receive funds online & I'm certain that my account on Ebay wouldn't be quite so successful without using this option.

It acts as a secure 'middleman/woman' by accepting payments & then processing on & only paypal know your identity details that you've provided them with when you've registered.

I've used paypal for about 6 years now & all they require is a straightforward application along with your email address , password & bank account details etc.

Touch wood(!) I've never had any problems & on the one occasion someone tried (unsuccessfully) to access my account paypal picked up on it immediately thank goodness.

Although I feel completely safe using paypal on a daily basis I do make sure that I transfer regularly into my bank account just to be on the safe side.

It's by no means a perfect system though eg £ takes between 3-5 working days to be transferred into the bank & sometimes it can take slightly longer. They also charge 25p if you transfer less than £50 but I guess that's the price you pay for security.

The good side is that once a buyer pays for anything you've sold the money goes straight into your paypal account.

Paypal also offer services for businesses as well as individuals & they offer credit cards & 'top-up' cards if your funds are running low but I haven't used anything but their regular account to date.

I would recommend paypal for security reasons but would advise to watch out for their charges by reading their terms & conditions before signing up.

summary
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- safe & secure way of sending or receiving payments online.
- charges made.
- can take time for £ to reach regular bank account.
- will usually reimburse if goods bought are faulty/not received.
- worth exploring if you buy/sell online.

Summary: well worth a look if you buy/sell online