> From: Rick Kelly <rmk@toad.rmkhome.com>
>
> Bernstein said:
>
> >What is it about paypal that makes you avoid it?
>
> 1. When you use a debit card, they put a hold on your account for
>    twice the amount you are paying out.
>
> 2. They are spammers.


There are more problems with paypal.

  1. The "agreement" is huge, over 14,000 words and over 1,600 lines.
     It's hard to understand if only because of its size. It's also
     rather one-sided. The insignificant buyer's protection applies
     only to cases where you receive absolutely nothing at all, and
     not to any issue of "quality".

  2. When you use a credit card directly or via eBay Payments, you get
     substantial purchase protections. The card companies usually side
     with their cardholders in disputes and offer specific internet
     protections. You seem to give all that up in that war-and-peace
     agreement; eBay certainly claims that you give them up when using
     paypal.  It kind of takes your credit card and turns it from an
     excellent internet buying agent into a crummy one.

Having said that, I do on occasion use paypal. It's fine if you know
the seller or are dealing with a seller who has a good reputation.
Sometimes I will mail the seller and ask them to sign up for eBay
payments instead and sometimes they do that.

	r.o.s.s