I know that sometimes PayPal gets a bad rap, but I highly commend the service! I know of some who use it as their primary bank, and I'm not sure I would commit myself to that, but for my purposes, I have no complaints.

I, like most people, use PayPal mainly for auctions on Ebay. This is, after all, how I first became acquainted with the service. When I signed up, I got a $5.00 bonus for myself and one for the person who referred me. I have since referred 3 people myself, and earned $15.00 for the trouble. Not too shabby!

Here are the features that PayPal offers its customers:

* A secure site. You must sign in with your email address and a password. You must log on each time you use the service, there is no password saving here. This is nice if you have a greedy husband who is Ebay crazy himself.

* You can earn 5.2% interest on your balance. Now, I'm no banking genius, but that is more than I earn on my checking account. The money I keep in there is my play money anyway, so that is just an added bonus.

* You may send money to anyone who has an email address, regardless of whether or not they are PayPal members. I have used this to send money to my sister in Tuscaloosa. It's quicker than a check!

* You may request a payment from anyone with an email address. Again, they need not be a member.

* If you have a website, home page or business site, you can accept credit cards very easily. You simply place one of their ready-made logos on your site and your patrons click on it to pay. Payment is sent directly to your account and the buyer is returned to your website.

* Auction Tools: If you are selling an item on Ebay, you may place one of their logos on your page. You may do this manually, but I use the automatic function. You simply choose a design you like and PayPal will add it to every new item you place for sale. You do not have to do anything! Whenever anyone signs up for PayPal using your button, you receive $5.00.

You may also pay for your auction using PayPal. This option has special fields in which to put information such as shipping and handling fees, tax, item number and shipping instructions. On my profile, I keep my shipping address on file, so that payment is a breeze. A few clicks and I'm done. Most sellers (myself included) prefer to be paid by PayPal because they don't have to wait on the mail and can conclude the business transaction quickly. There is also no worry of a check bouncing. From the Buyer's standpoint, your item can be shipped immediately and you do not have to waste money on a check or postage.

* You may easily add or withdraw funds from your account at will. If I pay for an auction that exceeds what I have in my PayPal account, they simply charge the remainder (no more!) to my credit card.

* Customer service is another plus. I was unable to access the site and had to call PayPal to clear up the matter. The technical support personnel were friendly, prompt and knowledgeable, and were able to clear up my problem immediately. They also went to great pains to be sure that the person they were speaking with was indeed me. In this day of fraudulent behavior, I appreciate any effort to protect my money.

If you are still unsure whether PayPal can offer you a service, start with a small amount of money and see how you like it. As I said earlier, I use the money there for paying for auctions, so when I run out, I know that I can't bid anymore until I sell some of my wares. Paypal has never let me down, so I can highly recommend them without hesitation.




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