# I am a paypal dope, help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2002, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579 "2002-07-18T09:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ScottHaneda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@ScottHaneda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScottHaneda)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/1 "2002-07-18T09:19:08Z")
Ok, I have a normal free [paypal.com](http://paypal.com) account, I need to send 2000.00 US to a friend in the Netherlands, I can not seem to figure out anything from reading the paypal site. 1. What will it cost me to send the 2000.00 2. What will it cost my friend to receive it Anyone done this before so they can confirm? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/2 "2002-07-18T11:26:02Z")
I don’t know if you can send that large amount in one shot with the free PP account. Also if you gave them your bank account # they will try to pull the $ out of there before trying your CC. If they pulled it from your bank account there should be no fee for your friend. if they pulled it from yoru CC they charge a fee of 2.9% to your friend. There is a additional fee if yru friend wants paypal to send a check (I don’t recall what that fee is). They might be able to transfer it to his bank account at no fee. ---
**Author:** ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/3 "2002-07-18T11:35:19Z")
I would consider western union. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/4 "2002-07-18T14:28:14Z")
“I would consider western union.” I believe That isn’t very secure. As for Paypal, why not ask them? I don’t know the International Rates, there was some change in that structure recently but I didn’t pay attention to it. There might be a currency conversion charge as I went through that once with a foreign order. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/5 "2002-07-18T14:50:21Z")
Frankly, I wouldn’t trust Paypal with large amounts of money. There are two suits against them in California charging them with mishandling funds. ---
**Author:** ![Grither](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grither/32/425_2.png) [@Grither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grither)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/6 "2002-07-18T18:36:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*“I would consider western union.” > > I believe That isn’t very secure. > \*\* Cite, please? ---
**Author:** ![ScottHaneda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@ScottHaneda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScottHaneda)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/7 "2002-07-18T22:55:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Grither \* > \*\* > > Cite, please? \*\* He is right, there are entire sites out there devoted to watching how paypal screws people, google out paypal sucks or even try [paypalsucks.com](http://paypalsucks.com) I think, at any rate, I thought ebay bought em out, so I felt safe again. As for western union, they charge 50.00 per every 500.00 I send, not cool at all. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/8 "2002-07-18T23:09:11Z")
Grither, if you are just sending money to a friend thats pretty secure but for buying things like at the auction, I read a few accounts, either on this board or the newsgroup for ebay, that tracing the buyer is next to impossible if you have to get the money back. Plus: " For example, a Mexican who sent $500 to Mexico via Western Union last October (1997) was told the company?s commission would be $34. But Western Union actually charged more than double that ? a total of $95.82 ? because it converted dollars to pesos at only 7.30 pesos for each dollar." [http://web.utk.edu/~tnlatina/banksmoney.html](http://web.utk.edu/~tnlatina/banksmoney.html) ---
**Author:** ![Thylacine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thylacine/32/1143_2.png) [@Thylacine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacine)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/9 "2002-07-18T23:55:16Z")
International Money Orders may be the best option, see [http://www.uspsglobal.com/info/faq/infopost.htm](http://www.uspsglobal.com/info/faq/infopost.htm) In the past I have just instructed my bank to do an international transfer from my account directly into my friends accounts, there are charges at both ends but not too high but I am in Australia so I have no idea about other nations’ banks. ---
**Author:** ![Thylacine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thylacine/32/1143_2.png) [@Thylacine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacine)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/10 "2002-07-19T00:39:20Z")
I just found this page comparing various options [http://www.foreignborn.com/self-help/sending\_money\_abroad.htm](http://www.foreignborn.com/self-help/sending_money_abroad.htm) ---
**Author:** ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-paypal-dope-help/119579/11 "2002-07-19T12:25:31Z")
Well, I just said consider it, not that western union is the best choice. I have used them in the past and was very pleased with the service. Admittedly I sent less money than Scott wants to and the fees were reasonable for that amount. After browsing the western union site, it says to send $2000 from NY to the Netherlands, it would cost $114 with a disclaimer other fees could arise. Not cheap but I’d personally be more wary of Paypal with regards to security when you can walk into a Western Union location anywhere in the world and talk to a real person, hand them over a cashier’s check and get a signed contract in your hands. \*i don’t work for them 🙂