Pay-Pal is very convenient, and can offer good protection to both buyer and seller when needed.
However there is also a downside, as a seller you have no idea how the buyer is funding their pay-pal account, and
that can be very important.
Last November I had an email from pay-pal saying a buyer had asked for a chargeback against me as the goods had not
been bought by them.
The upshot was someone had hacked into a young ladies eBay and pay-pal accounts, bought three fishing reels from me as a buy it now.
So there's me £1750.00 (plus postage) better off, items were posted via city link, signed for delivery and fully insured, two days after
posting items were delivered and signed for, I left feedback for the buyer, but did notice at the time that the buyer didn't leave me any in return.
Now jump forward 3 years and I'm notified of the possibility of a chargeback, I have to say I didn't worry overmuch as I knew I had done it all
properly with a signed for delivery as is required by both pay-pal and eBay.
The story it the young lady who had bought the items was actually out of the country traveling at the time of the purchase and had only just returned.
This was investigated by the police and they were in no doubt that she was telling the truth.
A week later the bomb shell, charge back approved and all of a sudden I have lost £1750.00 because I couldn't show proof the items were actually signed for, as city link, no longer in business had no system in place to save all the signatures of people receiving items, and the credit card company who funded the original purchase insisted they wanted their money back, so I as the seller lost out, and ended up not only paying the money back (leaving me overdrawn) also lost the goods.
So very much a case of buyer and seller be aware of what the worst case really could be.
This is the first time I have been properly had over, in the past I have posted stuff before payment and trusted I would be paid, buyers on here have been great never a let down, not quiet so good on other forums, although I have got paid in the end.
As for the future, not sure, but buying stuff I would still rather have the protection that pay-pal can offer, bank transfers are easy fast and free, but no protection for the the buyer at all, fine if you know and or trust the seller.
Neil.