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General discussion

safest: paypal, payoneer, or local funds transfer?

Mar 26, 2011 8:50PM PDT

It's my first time signing on an online freelance job site and I want to know which is the safest way to get paid among the options available (site is odesk.com). There's Local funds transfer, Paypal, Moneybookers, Payoneer Prepaid MasterCard and wire transfer. I was planning on having a bank account solely to use for this (along with an email address and the like) and to make withdrawals as soon as I get paid just in case. Any recommendations? What things should I watch out for?

Discussion is locked

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pay pal
Mar 27, 2011 4:27AM PDT

I have used Pay Pal for years for exactly this purpose and more. I have never, ever had a problem. Just hook the bank account to your PP account and you're good to go. (They will make a couple of tiny deposits to your account to verify it). I would also highly recommend the free debit card -- very useful if you want to get immediate cash from your account.

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I don't know about safe, but there is a PayPal irritation
Mar 27, 2011 6:55AM PDT

I don't know about safe, but I had a PayPal issue when I wanted to get some money refunded.

I bought something online, it was just a couple hundred dollars. The seller would only accept PayPal; perhaps a money order, too, but in the interest in getting the item quicker, I went the PayPal route.

So, I used my Credit Card and put the sufficient finds into the PayPal pocket and had the info sent to the seller. The seller then shipped me the item. When I got the item I was really dissatisfied with the item and called the seller to return the item. All was good, so far.

So, when the seller got the item back they then notified PayPal and got the money reverted back to PayPal's account.

At that time I was notified that I had to tell then what my checking account numbers were so that they could transfer the money there. I was not about to tell them any more info than they already knew, since I had heard about a mass amount of user data was lost to some one online (or however).

I told them to simply revert the funds back to the same Credit Card that they originally got the money from. After all, I have done that with small merchants, and there has never been a problem with doing that. They told me "they can't do that" that I either had to tell them my banking numbers or have a check credit sent to me.

Neither was acceptable. So, I just waited for my next online purchase that would take a PayPal transfer where I could use all of the money I had on account there, and then where I could pay the rest with a money order.

Once I got my PayPal balance back down to zero I have NEVER used PayPal again, and I refuse to ever use them again.

I hope they have changed their policy since, I am not aware if they have, but I just don't have a good feeling for their methods right now.

Good luck in any dealing you might have with PayPal. As for me, I'll pass, and just go with the few days of delay with using US Postal Service money orders.

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reply
Mar 31, 2011 1:28AM PDT

Thanks everyone!