Thread: How To Use PayPal

What is PayPal? Is it safe?

PayPal is an online service that lets you send money directly and instantly to another person via an e-mail address. It is the most common way to send money over the internet. It is not mandatory, but helpful if you link a bank account or credit card to it. You can withdraw money from either of these via Paypal as well.

PayPal is a very secure website and very reliable. It is the most trusted when dealing with online transactions not only for its security but also for how easy it is to use.

How do I make a PayPal account and use it to send money?

It's very easy!

Start off by going to the homepage- http://www.paypal.com

I have included screencaps in this tutorial to show you exactly what to do, so click the spoiler to see the rest.

This is what the home page looks like. I underlined where it says PayPalInc because at least, if you are using Chrome, MAKE SURE IT SAYS THAT. There are freadulant PayPal websites out there that look very close if not identical to the real page, but if it says this next to the URL, you're safe.

Now then, click where it says "Sign Up"



It's going to ask you what kind of account you want. If you plan on selling things of your own (here or otherwise), I suggest you pick Premiere because it will let you accept debit cards and credit cards. However, if you have this kind of account, Paypal takes out a small percentage of the money you will recieve. I will explain that a bit later in the PayPal fees part! If you just plan on buying things, just pick Personal to start. You can change your account type at any time.

Some users choose to use a separate e-mail from their regular e-mail exclusvely for PayPal. I personally use my regular e-mail for convenience reasons, but if you want to use one exclusively for PayPal, whatever works for you.

There is a link at the bottom of the page that you can click that explains the different account types



I already have a PayPal account so I did not screencap the area where you enter your information and such after you sign up, but it's pretty self explanitory. It will also ask you if you want to link a credit or debit card at this time. You can send money to and from your bank account if you have a debit card linked. Depending on your bank, it takes 2-3 days for it to process, and also depending on your bank, they may or may not charge you a fee for it.

Now, the important part. How to send money!

First off, you will need an e-mail address from whoever you are sending money to. Just ask "What's your PayPal address?" It also helps to write it whoever (at) whatever (dot) com so it's not clickable, but again, that's up to you.

Now that you have your party's e-mail, time to send them that money.

Log in to your account and click where it says "Send Money"



Doing so will take you to a screen like this. This is where you enter the e-mail of the person you wish to send money to.

Always, always select "Goods" if you are in fact purchasing a physical item from someone! If something were to happen and you did not receive your item, this is the only way you can file a PayPal dispute to get your money back!





Obviously, I just made up an e-mail and an amount. Be very careful upon entering the amount of money and make sure that the period is in the correct place. Double check it, triple check it, quadruple check it. It will ask you to confirm the amount once again before you send it, but check it again to make sure it's right!

Just for future reference, the Personal tab says this



When you send money this way, no fee will be taken out on the seller's end so you may only have to pay exactly what is owed rather than included the PayPal fees. Often times sellers will tell you that it's okay to use the Gift option. It really is entirely up to you if you want to do that with them, and/or if it's someone you trust. But just know that by doing this, you will not be able to file a dispute if something goes wrong!

You will then be directed to a screen like this



Further down the page, there is also an option to add a note to the person. It helps if you write "username payment - item" in the title, that way as soon as they recieve the confirmation e-mail, they know exactly what it is for.



Once you click send, that's it! You should receive an e-mail to your PayPal e-mail that you sent a payment.

What are PayPal fees? Can I avoid them?

PayPal fees are the percentage that PayPal takes out from a Premiere or Business account's transactions. Often times sellers may say "Item is $5" but when you receive the quote, it will be, say, $5.34. This is to take in to account the roughly 3% that PayPal takes out.

PayPal Fee Calculator by Ryan Olbe (Last Updated: June 04, 2011)

This is what I use to determine how much I should charge when dealing with fees.



I know the page is super confusing at first. Enter the amount you want to receive in the box, and let the calculator do the rest.

This does not affect buyers directly. Buyers sending money will not be charged a fee for doing so.

You can find out more information about all of this on the official PayPal site here - https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/paypal-fees

Can I use PayPal to pay for things on eBay?

Yes! Again, it's very easy.

Most of the stores I use are all Buy It Now things at a fixed price rather than an auction.



Find something you want to buy, and click where it says Buy It Now.

You will be taken to a page with your information, and off to the right, payment method. Many eBay stores only accept PayPal!



Make sure that's selected and follow the rest of the instructions.

I never received my item! Is there a way I can get my money back?

Yes. You can file a PayPal dispute. You must do it within 45 days though.

There is plenty of information on how to go about this on PayPal itself, and because I have no way of screencapping it without actually doing it.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/buyer-complaint-outside
https://www.paypal.com/helpcenter/main.jsp?t=solutionTab&ft=homeTab&ps=&solutionId=163596&locale=en_GB&_dyncharset=UTF-8&countrycode=GB&cmd=_help&m=BT



Overall, everything on PayPal is fairly self explanatory, especially when buying from eBay and other web stores. Often times paying for items selecting PayPal on other stores will direct you right to Paypal- you will not have to enter an email or an amount, all of the information is already there from the store's order form. You just have to confirm the payment.