I currently using a service called acteva.com rather than paypal. A bit more capabilities and a lot of personal attention if you need help. Very easy to track. Probably not the best if you are just getting 20 bucks from a friend but I'm getting 20 bucks from a lot of friends and its working very well.

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"He broke into the long easy lope, and went on, hour after hour, never at loss for the tangled way, heading straight home through strange country with a certitude of direction that put man and his magnetic needle to shame."

-Call of the Wild

I've never used it myself, but understand that it's THE way to go for large purchases and/or higher risk purchases.

For small amounts where seller integrity is a concern, I've heard that using a US Postal money order (NOT a bank money order!) is also very good, as it's considered a governement-issue instrument. Thus if the deal goes south, the feds are much more likely to step in and investigate the issue.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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I only buy from established commercial traders if the amount is over $1,000 or the seller isn't personally verified by Moses. Ebay is just rife with ripoffs. According the the FBI, online auctions are the single largest source of online fraud. Right now Ebay must have about 10 or more bicycles for sale that are highly suspicious.

I also send, typically, about 3-4 emails to most sellers asking about their product. When I asked one guy what length the top tube was c-c in cms, he responded 78cm. Needless to say he didn't get my bid because it was either a fraud or Shaq's bike. (I asked him if he meant 78cm and he never responded.)

If you have any doubts about a seller, don't buy.

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank