Q: We are looking at a foray into EBay and Pay Pal. I know you have had some mixed experiences and was wondering if you had any advice for us.
R: Check out my website for “Paypal” .
I have a friend who buys and sells stuff on eBay all the time. He *doesn’t* use paypal at all. I use it but I would never depend on them for “protection”. If you have the option to pay directly by credit card (a lot of businesses sell through eBay and can accept the cards) go that way, otherwise paypal is OK and there is no charge to use it.
For buying / selling on eBay use the rating system. I’m sure there are ways to game the system but by and large it seems to be pretty reliable. You want to deal with somebody who has been around for a while and who has sold enough stuff to where you feel comfortable dealing with them.
Don’t hesitate to send them an email during the bidding (or before you “Buy it now”) to ask any questions – i.e. do they ship to Canada? Does it come with X?