PayPal is an online payment service used by customers buying on eBay, Amazon (PayPal cash card), and other online marketplaces. Through PayPal, individuals and businesses can securely transfer money online. PayPal has over 100 million active accounts in 190 countries. It doesn’t cost the user money to send money; however, there is a fee associated with members who wish to receive payment.
Funds can be sent to anyone with an email address, but to receive the money, they must create a free online basic PayPal account. The PayPal uses advanced technology to mitigate the risk of fraudulent transactions online. You can link your PayPal account with your bank account for free and credit card for an additional fee (2.9% of the selling price plus a fixed fee based on the currency of the transaction). When discerning which products to sell online, be sure to use a fee calculator in order to understand product potential, costs, and associated fees.
There are three kinds of PayPal accounts:
- Personal Account: for online shoppers The account is free. This option is recommended for individuals who want shop and pay online or share expenses online.
- Premier Account: for casual online sellers. This account option is recommended for online sellers who want to get paid online and make online purchases.
- Business Account: for businesses. Business accounts are recommended for eCommerce merchants actively selling online. An additional feature to this option is that 200 employees can be allowed on the account and can respond to customer inquiries.
Here are some ways you can use PayPal:
- Send or receive payments for online auctions on eBay and other websites.
- Purchase or sell goods and services
- Make or accept donations
- Exchange cash