How to use Paypal? Never used it before

Suzkin

Hi,

I'm in the process of buying a piece of software from someone I do not know, in London (I'm in Southampton), and s/he has asked I pay by Paypal. The exchange is a private one i.e. not from ebay etc. S/he will be sending the item in the post by recorded delivery. We've swapped our postal addresses for 'security'.

Please could someone explain how Paypal works? How do I actually make the payment - do I need their bank details? Do they take my funds first before I receive the goods? How secure is Paypal??

I've never used it before and so need to set up an account asap, as I need this software yesterday!

Many thanks.

geordie_joe

Don't expect to get the software any time soon, it takes time to set up a paypal account and transfer money into it.

Once the money is in your paypal account you can then pay it to the other person, all you need is their paypal email address.

You pay the money then the other person send the software. They should send it by recorded delivery, and if it doesn't arrive paypal will refund your money.

Paypal is generally secure, but things do go wrong sometime, just like any sort of banking.

Voyager2002

No, the only information you need about the person receiving the money is their email address.

Setting up an account and making a payment is simple. You can arrange for the money to be taken from your credit card, and there is no cash advance fee. You make the payment by typing in instructions, and within seconds the money is taken from your account or card and reaches the other person's paypal account.

Usual practice would be for the seller to post your goods as soon as the payment appears in their paypal account. If they are very trusting they MIGHT agree to send them on the understanding that you pay on receipt, although I have never heard of any seller agreeing to this.

Paypal claim to offer some protection to the buyer against the risk of the seller failing to provide goods as agreed. In practice, if you make a complaint while your payment is still in the seller's paypal account then the funds can be frozen and if necessary returned to you. Once the seller has withdrawn these funds from paypal then you have little chance of getting them back, although some people have been able to get help from their credit card company in this situation.