What K1000 said. repeated!

Paypal is marvellous if you're a buyer.

It's a bit like having a middleman (or is that middleperson these days?). You're not paying direct to a stranger, which was always fraught with a bit of danger. You're paying paypal and if things go wrong, they will most likely cover you if you follow their procedures. It's like an insurance policy.

I have not had to use it often but I did once, after buying 2 vouchers @ about $40 each (not through ebay), then discovering a few weeks later that the company had gone into receivership. I got my money back, but had I paid directly into the company's bank account, i very much doubt I would have.

Also, with paypal, you aren't sharing yoru credit card details with the company, only with paypal.

I would not use anything else but paypal on ebay -unless you're picking up an item, when cash is fine.