| Pages in topic: [1 2] > |
Do you recommend me to use Pay-Pal? Thread poster: Helena Diaz del Real
|
|---|
Hi!
I wanted to know what do you think about Pay-Pal and if you would recommend it.
The fact is, that I may be having money sent to Germany from Canada and the bank fees seem to be much to high for the amount I would keep.
Please could you tell me your experiences and why do you / don't you recommend it?
I thank you very much in advance!
Kind regards
Helena1962
Sorry: By mistake I deleted my original posting. I tryed to keep the same words. The idea a... See more Hi!
I wanted to know what do you think about Pay-Pal and if you would recommend it.
The fact is, that I may be having money sent to Germany from Canada and the bank fees seem to be much to high for the amount I would keep.
Please could you tell me your experiences and why do you / don't you recommend it?
I thank you very much in advance!
Kind regards
Helena1962
Sorry: By mistake I deleted my original posting. I tryed to keep the same words. The idea and what I ment is at any case identic. I am sorry for that!
Hi everybody!
I just wanted to drop a few lines to say thank you vrey much for your answers telling me about your experiences!
The case I am thinking of, works: Canada and Germany.
So I thank you very much, once more and I will think carefully about.
Kind regards and muchisimas gracias!
Helena1962
[Edited at 2005-11-23 21:40]
[Edited at 2005-11-23 21:44] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| I decided not to | Nov 23, 2005 |
I had to look into this myself recently, and ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk. Three main issues for me:
1. They are not subject to any banking regulations
2. They can freeze your account (keeping and using your money) unilaterally for up to 6 months and there is nothing you can do about it (note that one of the sites below claims that this is actually part of their business plan)
3. They can reverse payments made to you (i.e give the money back ... See more I had to look into this myself recently, and ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk. Three main issues for me:
1. They are not subject to any banking regulations
2. They can freeze your account (keeping and using your money) unilaterally for up to 6 months and there is nothing you can do about it (note that one of the sites below claims that this is actually part of their business plan)
3. They can reverse payments made to you (i.e give the money back to whoever paid you) without warning you, even if this results in you having a negative balance in your PayPal account - at which point they (apparently) start to get quite unfriendly (:-))
I have no doubt that many people use it quite happily, but it seems a bit risky to me.
Although there are 2 sides to every story, some of the postings on these sites made me think twice:
http://www.paypalsucks.com/
http://www.paypalwarning.com/
Even if only some of them are only half true, it's enough to scare me off
I should point out that one of those sites is clearly attempting to promote their own equivalent service; however I'm not sure that invalidates the issues discussed there. I assume it cannot be a complete tissue of lies and fabrication, otherwise Paypal would have taken action to close it down.
[Edited at 2005-11-23 14:20] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
samnunns
Local time: 21:41
English to Chinese
+ ...
| I think it's good. | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi Helena, I think it's a worthwhile investment in my case. Paypal has been very useful to us; I prefer receiving my payment in this way and we've used it to make several purchases on the Internet. It virtually costs nothing, too.
Nice day!
| | | |
| Charlie, I agree with you...best to stay away | Nov 23, 2005 |
It is true that there are some disgruntled former employees of PayPal who contribute to these sites, but there are a number of class-action suits against PayPal in the U.S. and those *are* real (search for related news and public notices on the Web and you'll find evidence of this).
Best to steer clear, IMO.
Also, I don't think it is all that professional (I associate PayPal with people selling things on E-Bay, not B to B services). For now I'll keep sucking up the fees... See more It is true that there are some disgruntled former employees of PayPal who contribute to these sites, but there are a number of class-action suits against PayPal in the U.S. and those *are* real (search for related news and public notices on the Web and you'll find evidence of this).
Best to steer clear, IMO.
Also, I don't think it is all that professional (I associate PayPal with people selling things on E-Bay, not B to B services). For now I'll keep sucking up the fees for bank transfers (although I've heard that PayPal is quite "liberal" with exchange rates on top of their usual fees, so maybe they aren't that cheap after all) and the day I really need to accept credit cards I'll go ahead and pay for a secure online payment system.
My two cents.
Sara ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| They ARE subject to banking regulations | Nov 23, 2005 |
At least in Europe, sorry I have this only in Spanish, they are regulated bi the FSA:
"PayPal (Europe) Ltd. está autorizada y regulada por la Financial Services Authority (“FSA” o “Autoridad de Servicios Financieros”) en el Reino Unido como Entidad de Dinero Electrónico.
El número de registro de la FSA para PayPal es 226056.
PayPal (Europe) Ltd está autorizada y regulada por la FSA para ofrecer servicios de emisión de dinero electrónico en España bajo el r... See more At least in Europe, sorry I have this only in Spanish, they are regulated bi the FSA:
"PayPal (Europe) Ltd. está autorizada y regulada por la Financial Services Authority (“FSA” o “Autoridad de Servicios Financieros”) en el Reino Unido como Entidad de Dinero Electrónico.
El número de registro de la FSA para PayPal es 226056.
PayPal (Europe) Ltd está autorizada y regulada por la FSA para ofrecer servicios de emisión de dinero electrónico en España bajo el régimen de libre prestación de servicios. El Banco de España ha sido debidamente informado a estos efectos".
In fact they may freeze your account if you don't give full details for tax purpose after you have received about 6000€ in your paypal account. When mine was frozen because I had changed my country of residence and it took me some time to get them believe me (despite all the official papers I sent them) my account was frozen for a couple of months but I could still withdraw money.
I have been using it for 5 years now, 0 problems. The bad point is it is not so cheap as they pretend
I am not saying it is W O N D E R F U L , I am just giving my personal experience with them. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Balaban Cerit 
Türkiye
Local time: 16:41
Member (2004)
English to Turkish
+ ...
| There are alternatives | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi Helena,
Since you are in Germany, you will be able to withdraw money from PayPal to your bank account. But not all countries are given that option by PayPal, they have too many restrictions in many countries.
You can also offer to work with Moneybookers. I would recommend that. It is a similar service and your client would surely like to work with a service that is more usable globally. And they are regulated by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 in the UK. ... See more Hi Helena,
Since you are in Germany, you will be able to withdraw money from PayPal to your bank account. But not all countries are given that option by PayPal, they have too many restrictions in many countries.
You can also offer to work with Moneybookers. I would recommend that. It is a similar service and your client would surely like to work with a service that is more usable globally. And they are regulated by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 in the UK. You can read more about these issues here:
http://www.moneybookers.com/app/help.pl?s=fsa
And there are other alternatives besides these two, but I am not yet sufficiently familiar with them.
[Edited at 2005-11-23 15:22] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Elías Sauza
Mexico
Local time: 07:41
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
| I deserted Paypal | Nov 23, 2005 |
At least for Mexico, thay offer the lowest exchange rates compared to any other services (bank transfer, etc); besides, they charge high rates depending on the ampunt received (they have charged me up to 60 USD for a transaction!!)
Best,
Elias
| | | |
Clarisa Moraña
United States
Local time: 08:41
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
| One of the most reliable paymento tools for me | Nov 23, 2005 |
As you might notice, there are different opinions regarding Paypal. It allows me to receive small amounts of money that can't be sent by wire due to huge transaction costs.
I don't now in your country, but checks sent by mail to Argentina usually get lost!
Regards,
Clarisa
| | |
|
|
|
| Paypal and Moneybooker's | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi Helena,
I both use Paypal and Moneybooker’s and my experience with these payment methods has been so far positive. Even my queries to the Customer Care Centre have been dealt quite effectively and within a reasonable timeframe.
However, I avoid keeping any funds in the paypal or moneybooker’s accounts. Therefore, I transfer the sums paid to my bank account as soon as I can.
I hope it helps.
Estefanía
[Edited at 2005-11-23 ... See more Hi Helena,
I both use Paypal and Moneybooker’s and my experience with these payment methods has been so far positive. Even my queries to the Customer Care Centre have been dealt quite effectively and within a reasonable timeframe.
However, I avoid keeping any funds in the paypal or moneybooker’s accounts. Therefore, I transfer the sums paid to my bank account as soon as I can.
I hope it helps.
Estefanía
[Edited at 2005-11-23 17:47] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| what kind of account do you have? | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi,
Since we're talking about PayPal...I'm emailing with them about downgrading my account. I have a premier account and would like to change it to a personal one. I would like to know what most people here at proz have...
| | | |
Balaban Cerit
Türkiye
Local time: 16:41
Member (2004)
English to Turkish
+ ...
| premier account | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi Maaike,
I have a premier account. But I generally use my PayPal account for receiving small amounts of money and then I have to spend this online, since I can't transfer money to my local bank account due to PayPal's restrictions.
Why did you choose to downgrade your account?
[Edited at 2005-11-23 19:33]
| | | |
| no problems with PayPal | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi there.
I have been using PayPal for over 5 years now and have not experienced a single problem. Not sure how it works in other countries but in the US you can easily transfer the money from your PayPal account to your bank account (free of charge, and the transaction takes 1-3 business days); otherwise you can have them mail you a check, but there is a small fee for this service (I think it is $2 or $3 per check in the US). But, again, I don't know how well it works in other coun... See more Hi there.
I have been using PayPal for over 5 years now and have not experienced a single problem. Not sure how it works in other countries but in the US you can easily transfer the money from your PayPal account to your bank account (free of charge, and the transaction takes 1-3 business days); otherwise you can have them mail you a check, but there is a small fee for this service (I think it is $2 or $3 per check in the US). But, again, I don't know how well it works in other countries.
Just like Estefanía and others, I try not to keep funds in my PayPal account and I always transfer the money to my bank account ASAP.
From my personal experience, PayPal has been reliable, easy to use and affordable [although, as Michael correctly pointed out, wire transfers end up being cheaper than PayPal if larger amounts are involved]. PayPal might not be perfect but it works for me. What I like the most is that the payment is processed in an instant and so I can have my first-time clients make an up front payment before I even start working.
[Edited at 2005-11-25 22:58] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| restrictions? | Nov 23, 2005 |
What kind of restrictions?
| | | |
Balaban Cerit
Türkiye
Local time: 16:41
Member (2004)
English to Turkish
+ ...
| restrictions | Nov 23, 2005 |
Hi Maaike,
You can get more information about this in PayPal Help: You can click on "Non-U.S. Accounts", and then from the list on the right-hand side, click on "How do I withdraw funds from my PayPal account?". There it lists countries (including yours and Germany) in which one is able to withdraw funds from a PayPal account to a local bank account. Currently there are 25 countries listed there, excluding the U.S.
PayPal members in 8 countries can withdraw funds by req... See more Hi Maaike,
You can get more information about this in PayPal Help: You can click on "Non-U.S. Accounts", and then from the list on the right-hand side, click on "How do I withdraw funds from my PayPal account?". There it lists countries (including yours and Germany) in which one is able to withdraw funds from a PayPal account to a local bank account. Currently there are 25 countries listed there, excluding the U.S.
PayPal members in 8 countries can withdraw funds by requesting a check from PayPal.
Of course, all PayPal members can withdraw funds from their account to a U.S. bank account.
So if you don't have a U.S. bank account and aren't living in one of these 34 countries, you can't transfer money to your local bank account and you can't ask for a check - your money stays there or you spend it online (or you send the money to a friend). Of course the number of countries can change in the future.
Moneybookers is better in this respect.
[Edited at 2005-11-23 20:08] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| been discussed many times already | Nov 24, 2005 |
Paypal is the best alternative to these CHECKS.
It is great when you want to ask for a downpayment before starting a job, it is also great when you deal with a US company that will end up paying you by check no matter what you recommend them. Send a paypal invoice and you're done.
Those who complain about it without using it should give it a try before spreading the news it is not good.
It probably isn't good for all countries and the fees can also be quite... See more Paypal is the best alternative to these CHECKS.
It is great when you want to ask for a downpayment before starting a job, it is also great when you deal with a US company that will end up paying you by check no matter what you recommend them. Send a paypal invoice and you're done.
Those who complain about it without using it should give it a try before spreading the news it is not good.
It probably isn't good for all countries and the fees can also be quite high for large amounts, but it's fine for smaller ones, it is instant, you can accept credit cards, it is widely adopted and was just bought by ebay not too long ago.
I personally prefer moneybookers, but when you mention this name it raises eyebrows, I wish it was more known. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| Pages in topic: [1 2] > |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
