PayPal is a convenient method of transferring money from one person or company to another via credit card or bank account. It originated with eBay, and is used for many thousands of eBay transactions every day. But its use is not restricted to eBay customers or sellers. Any two parties with PayPal accounts can do a transfer.

In other words, it is an INDIRECT payment method where both parties (purchaser and merchant) must have accounts with PayPal. When a purchaser buys something from a PayPal-enabled merchant, PayPal takes the purchase price from the purchaser's registered credit card and places it in their PayPal account. Then Paypal transfers this money from the purchaser's account to the merchant's account. This process takes only seconds and any transaction fees are paid by the merchant.

This means you need a PayPal account to deal with us and other PayPal-enabled online merchants. If you don't have an account, it will only take a minute or two to create one. The process is integrated right in with our online payment procedure. If you have an account the system will use it. If you don't, it will walk you through the process of creating one.

The advantage of having a PayPal account is that you can do relatively painless transfers to many thousands of online merchants around the world. Many smaller merchants prefer using this system because it is infinitely easier and less expensive to set up a PayPal account than a regular merchant credit card handling account. So you are doing the small online merchants of the world a favor by opening an account. Transferring via Paypal is also more secure than most other systems, since no actual credit card information is transferred at the time of purchase. This information is all on record with the PayPal people. The credibility of the individual merchant is never an issue because they never see your credit card information.

If you don't have an account, getting one is relatively easy, and takes only about two minutes. Be sure to have all your credit card information at your disposal before you begin. You will need to know:

1. A valid e-mail address where you can confirm and activate your account.
2. Your credit card number.
3. The exact name on the credit card.
4. Your credit card date of expiry.
5. The exact address to which your credit card bill is sent (best to get it from the bill).
6. The credit card "verification number" — the three digit number on the back of the card.

During the process PayPal may try to get you to upgrade your account, or to enroll in the "Expanded Use Program". I would recommend you go ahead and do the upgrade. This program allows you to transfer unlimited amounts (up to the limit of your credit card, of course).  More importantly, until your card is "verified" in this way, your payments will take much longer to complete. Some merchants will not release goods until a transaction is completed. It is also possible that you will not be able to use your PayPal account until you enroll in the Expanded Use Program. If so, it will take several days before you can actually use the account, so proceed accordingly. The best advice is to go ahead and set up an account before you actually need it. If you plan on doing any online purchasing at all, it will prove to be useful in the future.