A couple weeks ago I got paypal and have just been using it to pay, now I would like to use it to get paid…however there are some things im confused about. I verified the account with a bank account (checking) and I was just wondering how things work next. When I get paid does it go to the checking account or a paypal account? if it goes to paypal how to I get say cash or something? Also, how do I know the money I got is legit and isnt gonna bounce or whatever(sorry, i probably sound like an idiot) also, who pays fees and how much are they? thanks. and once again, sorry for the ignorance, I just want to figure this out.
The funds will go to your PayPal account. From there, you can withdraw funds to your checking account, or if you plan on buying stuff on eBay, leave the money there so your eBay shopping doesn’t pull money from your checking account.
You pay the fees. They’re not much, and are at different rates depending on the source. You’re probably not set up yet to accept payments by credit card. Think the fee for CC payments is 3%, and for debit cards, it’s less than that.
Clarifying a bit:
It’s always free to send money via Paypal. The recipient gets charged a variable % amount depending on the type of account they have and the source of the funds (what gotpasswords said). See the Fees page for full details.
You should not leave funds in your Paypal account. Withdraw them to your checking account as soon as you receive them. If eBay needs to bill you for something, they can always charge your credit card or take it directly out of your bank account… there’s no advantage to holding a Paypal balance.
Funds paid to you by check can take a few days to clear; funds paid by credit cards can be disputed and then your Paypal funds may be frozen during the investigation. Paypal has a bad customer service history and there seems to be endless complaints about them… try Googling it sometime.
ya, because of the latter part of your message is why im just getting into paypal. Done about 400 transactions on ebay with ONLY money orders. For now, I am only needing paypal for one transaction. thanks for the help! according to the fees it is free to get paid if they pay with their paypal balance…thanks again
i have a question,
if someone paid me through paypal out of their paypal account is that money pretty much legit? or should I wait till i transfer it out of my paypal account before I send out their item…please reply asap. thanks a lot
Yes, there is. It takes 4 days or so to transfer bank funds to my Paypal account, so I can’t make instant online purchases unless I have a sufficient balance. I usually keep a small balance in there so I have more payment options.
AFAIK (but I’m not a Paypal expert or veteran, just a casual user) if the funds have been transferred to your Paypal account, they are available for your use. Once transferred to a bank account, they are also instant credits. There is no clearing delay time like for paper checks.
Not true. If you have a confirmed bank account with a backup funding source, you can make a an instant bank transfer:
PayPal is a huge business and there are millions of people using it so of course there are going to be problems now and then and people who aren’t happy with how things were resolved. PayPal isn’t perfect. That being said, I’ve been involved in disputes both as a seller and as a buyer and since I keep meticulous records and can offer proof of my transactions (I print every confirmation page and keep my Post Office receipts), I’ve never had a dispute go the wrong way for me. I wouldn’t use them as my only bank, but I’ve had problems with my offline bank now and then too and they are no easier to deal with than PayPal. My real world bank’s computers went down the weekend before Christmas and my PayPal mastercard saved my ass.
For some reason I cannot get to the paypal page. I’ve had an account for years with no problems, but I can’t even get to the damn site. Any ideas, folks? I tried both Firefox and IE, no luck. I can’t really ask Paypal, because, you know, I can’t get to their site.
Can you get to any secure websites? (https://)
Type *really slowly *for me please. What do you mean by that? I was just on my credit card account, that worked fine, other things that need a password work fine. Just seems to be paypal. Wait, I take that back, amazon doesn’t like me anymore, either.
Suggestions?
Can you access any websites that begin with https:// ? Check your credit card site, that is probably secure. If that works, it is something else. If that does not work, there is a way to fix it, but it requires editing your registry, which may be beyond your skill level.
Yes, I can access a secure site.
Now what?
(And don’t say throw the computer out the window, drive over it, and piss on the ashes. I’ve already done that, but it didn’t help…)
What happens when you try? Server error message? Nothing on the screen? Something on the screen? Or do you only have problems logging in?
The source of the money that they paid you with (paypal balance or credit card or bank account) has no bearing on the legitimacy of the payment. The payment can be reversed if it was unauthorized (someone took over that buyer’s account) or if the buyer files a claim or chargeback with their credit card company.
The probability of this is very remote but it is a risk every online merchant takes when accepting payment regardless of how the payment is processed. If you want zero risk payments stick to money orders/cashiers checks/ cash through the mail or western union.
Kind of a tangent are ‘Money Orders’ the equivalent of UK ‘Postal Orders’?
Nothing on the screen at all. It’ll try to load, then just say done in little letters on the bottom left hand corner in a couple of seconds…
Yep. You can even get them at the post office here (then they’re called Postal Money Orders, and you can cash them at the post office, too), or you can get them at convenience or grocery stores. Probably other places as well – I usually buy mine at the 7-11 up the street. If you get the non-post-office type, you have to cash them at the bank, BTW, the post office only cashes their own kind.
I was not aware of that, but it wouldn’t work for me anyway, because I can’t provide a second source.
I found out that Paypal can indeed do instant transfers from my account, but only when they want to. Otherwise, there is a multi-day delay.