I’ve just sent ILP a little gift. And no, it’s not the puny $1.00 I sent PhilosophyForums.com a long-time ago (some of you probably still remember that)…
Actually, one of the real reasons I donated was I wanted to see if PayPal would allow me to use a my new visa debit card (remember, I’m still in highschool here; first card=big deal)…
My very random question is: Is Paypal a secure way of paying online, or did I just jepordize my identity??!!
Somebody please respond quick so I can sleep tonight!
A buyer is generally safe using PayPal, but a seller has a lot of potential to get fucked. And if you ever need help from them, you’ll find PayPal to be the proverbial 800 pound gorilla.
I’ve never had any problems myself, but having worked in the credit card industry for over four years I’ve heard many tales of woe. I now won’t have anything to do with them.
But to answer your question- yes, it’s generally safe, but only for the guy paying. If you accept a payment that way you can get screwed though.
To elaborate- say you sell me something and I pay with my CC with PayPal. Once I get the widget, I can dispute it with PayPal or my CC company and they do a chargeback. Well, a reputable company would investigate the matter. But PP doesn’t really do that. Oh, they claim to, but in reality they simply wait you out. They do find for the seller occasionally (actually, a ratio determined by their lawyers) to create the illusion of actually investigating, but it’s a sham.
I have quite a few friends with impeccable feedback on Agon and Ebay that have been burned by PayPal. They have many even shadier tricks that I won’t elaborate here. Suffice to say they’re unsavory, at least IMO.
