Is paypal safe to use?

Question

I was starting to make an account but I want to make sure it's really safe first. If anybody has/had one, do/did you have any trouble with it?

Answer 1

No matter what you’ve heard from “PayPal Scam!” Web sites, PayPal cannot take money from your checking account without your authorization.

In fact, in mid-2004, PayPal updated its User Agreement to clarify this point, explicitly adding language that emphasizes that the company cannot siphon money out of your account without your permission. That neatly quashes the objections of some of the more paranoid PayPal users who were convinced that PayPal routinely cut its losses on chargebacks by retrieving funds from user accounts when necessary.

Recently, PayPal went through some technical difficulties which made it difficult to access their site. My biggest criticism of the company is that they didn't communicate very well during this time. It would have put people much more at ease if they had simply posted some type of technical difficulty announcement. As a result, some people panicked and assumed that PayPal was just a large-scale scam. After several days, the technical difficulties were over and yes, all the money was still there.

I generally retrieve money from PayPal by an electronic transfer to my checking account. It's easy and takes usually 4 to 5 days to post. I definitely prefer PayPal to handling money orders and checks - no trips to the bank, no returned check hassles, no transaction fees. I'm a PayPal customer to stay!

PayPal can and does freeze the funds in PayPal accounts when chargebacks exceed account balances, or fraud is suspected. However, that’s fairly rare. The important and comforting thing is that PayPal keeps its fingers out of your bank account.

Answer 2

Well nothing is totally safe.Even if you use your credit card at the store,it's not 100% safe.Databases are compromised all the time.

i have heard for the most part its pretty safe.But be warned anything can happen.

Answer 3

Yes.  Its primary benefit is that it shields your credit card # from random merchants with questionable security.

Answer 4

They are safe to use.  Was using over 4 years.  Best option of ebay purchases.