Alternatives to PayPal in the UK

RBS WorldPay
RBS WorldPay is probably the best-known UK-based PayPal alternative. They require a merchant to have an internet merchant account (IMA) number, which you can apply for through their site. The £19.95 a month fee on the basic account includes 350 transactions. Other plans are available, ranging from a setup fee of £75, then £15 a month plus a percentage of each transaction. WorldPay accepts all major credit cards and PayPal payments, and provides multiple currency support.http://www.rbsworldpay.com/
Google Checkout
Google Checkout charges fees based on your monthly sales. For sales of less than £1,500 a month, Google charges 3.4 percent of each transaction plus 20p. It accepts all major credit cards, including PayPal payments, and allows you to transfer funds directly to your UK bank account. You can also set up an automatic monthly bank account transfer. Google Checkout also integrates with Google Analytics to provide statistics.http://checkout.google.co.uk/
SagePay Go
Formerly called Protx. SagePay Go charges a flat fee of £20 per month for up to 1,000 transactions, with a 10p per transaction charge thereafter. It accepts all major credit card types as well as PayPal payments, and supports multiple currencies. They also offer 24/7 UK-based customer service.http://www.sagepay.com/
Nochex
Nochex does not charge a monthly fee, but instead charges 2.9 percent plus 20p per transaction for most accounts, plus a one-time £50 setup fee. They provide 24/7 UK-based tech support, and a dedicated account manager for questions. They do not require customers to log in to the website in order to process a payment, which can help conversion rates. They accept all major UK credit cards but no PayPal payments. Facilities for accepting international credit cards require an extra charge based on transaction volume. The maximum allowable transaction is £1,000.http://www.nochex.com/

How to Find Tracking Numbers through UPS on PayPal

1. Go to the PayPal.com homepage.
2. Enter your PayPal email address and password, and click the 'Log In' button.
3. Click the 'Details' link to the right of the listed transaction you want to track.
4. Click the UPS tracking link located on the transaction details page. The UPS tracking website will open in a separate window and will display the detailed tracking information for your package.

Problems With PayPal Echecks

Setup
Your Paypal account cannot use the eCheck option unless you have a checking or savings account associated with the Paypal account. It may take a few days to get a bank account associated with your Paypal account as Paypal verifies accounts through a small deposit. The bank account is not completely associated with the Paypal account until the person enters in the exact amount deposited in the account. After the setup is complete, transfers to and from the bank account are allowed. eCheck is also enabled on your account after setup.
Processing Time
The eCheck process works the same way that any bank transfer does. An ACH transfer moves the funds from the bank account in to your Paypal account, or to the Paypal account of the person receiving the eCheck. The processing time associated with the ACH transfer varies depending on the bank. A typical time frame is approximately two to three business days. It may also take several days for your bank account balance to reflect the transfer.
Automatic eCheck
If you do not have a backup funding source associated with your Paypal account, and you don't have enough Paypal funds to pay for an item, the payment is sent as an eCheck. You can also choose to send an eCheck specifically, using the "More Funding Options" selection available on the Paypal checkout screen. The payment processing time is the same whether you explicitly choose the eCheck option or Paypal has to use this option.
Considerations
Vendors and businesses may not complete an order until the eCheck is completely cleared in their Paypal account. An eCheck won't successfully complete if insufficient funds exist in the bank account. The eCheck payment lists with an uncleared notation until the funds have successfully been pulled from the bank account. You may need to wait for the payment to clear before you receive the item you paid for. If you need an item immediately, such as in the case of a digital download, you'll need to use an instant transfer method or Paypal balance.

How to Keep Your PayPal Account Safe

1. Log out of PayPal immediately after you finish using the site. This is especially important if you ever access the site using a public computer at a library or Internet cafe. If you remain logged in, the next user has access to your PayPal account -- and your financial information.
2. Change your password frequently to lessen the chances of someone else guessing it. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters, rather than a word or phrase someone could associate with you.
3. Avoid transacting with users you don't know or who aren't verified by PayPal. Doing so not only puts your account at risk but if you purchase something from an unverified user, you may not ever receive the product or service.
4. Inform PayPal of domestic and international travel plans before your departure date. Otherwise, PayPal 'limits' your account as soon as you attempt to access it from an IP address its system doesn't recognize. Conversely, if your account access becomes limited while you're at home, PayPal has thwarted a potential attack on your account. In either instances, you must call PayPal and answer a series of security questions to regain full access.
5. Never agree to completing a PayPal transaction not using PayPal -- a bank account transfer, for example. Doing so not only requires you to share sensitive personal information, but also removes PayPal from any liability in the event that the transaction goes awry.
6. Don't click links in emails purporting to be from PayPal, but which ask you to provide account credentials, bank or credit card account details. These are malicious, impostor emails and result in 'phishing,' where a third-party gains control of your account.

How to Avoid PayPal and Craigslist Scams

1. Pay attention to language that sounds formulaic and repetitive when browsing Craigslist. Real job posts will state the name of the company and provide legitimate contact information, such as a website and phone number that you can use to verify the company's authenticity. Poor spelling and punctuation are often tip-offs. If you come across a phrase that sounds fake, do a quick Internet search--the spammer has probably used it more than once. Avoid offers from individuals claiming to be desperate or implausibly endowed with wealth, fame, etc. Never respond to requests to wire money, especially to someone in another country. (See References 1) It goes without saying that anything that sounds too good (or bad) to be true almost certainly is.
2. Be on the look out for email scams. Scammers will often send emails falsely claiming to be contacting you from PayPal. (See References 2) These may contain requests for you to provide personal information (password, credit card, Social Security number, etc.) or contain instructions to download an attachment. They may also contain a link that, if you click on it, will take you to a fake version of the site where your personal data can be stolen. To avoid this, make sure that when navigating to PayPal you always open a new tab or page in your browser and type in the URL yourself.
3. Use the security functions on your browser to verify that the sites you visit have active certification and that they use up-to-date encryption software. For instance, on Mozilla's FireFox, verified websites are marked in the address bar by green highlight. Clicking on the highlight will give you more information about the site and the company running it, i.e., 'You are connected to paypal.com which is run by PayPal, Inc.' You should also note that PayPal's website is always preceded in the address bar by 'https' which indicates secure socket layer encryption.

How to Use PayPal to Charge a Commission

1. Register with PayPal. Sign up on the PayPal website with a valid email address and a password. Enter your bank account information to link your bank account to your PayPal account. It will take several days for PayPal to verify your information, after which you will be ready to go.
2. Create an invoice. From your account homepage, click the tab “Request Money.” Then, right below that tab, click “Create an Invoice.” From here you can use any saved invoice templates that you have created to make a new invoice or start from scratch using “New Invoice.” Choose the desired option and click “Continue.”
3. Fill out the invoice. You will see your name and then options for your address and phone number. Type your recipient’s email address into the appropriate box. Under “Invoice Details” you will be able to choose the type of currency and the type of invoice (i.e., “Goods” or “Service”). Since you are creating the invoice to charge for your commission, select “Service.” Enter the email subject line and an optional note to the recipient.
4. Enter the price and description of your services. For example, if you earn $10 in commission for every encyclopedia that you sell and you sold 100 encyclopedias, you would enter “100” under quantity. The description could be given as something like “Encyclopedia sales commission,” and the unit price would be $10. Once you’ve filled in all of the information, PayPal will calculate the total amount being invoiced. Depending on how much detail your client requires, you could just list the quantity as “1,” the description as “Commission for the month of X” and the amount that you are charging.
5. Click “Continue” and preview your invoice. Double-check your spelling and make sure your amounts are correct. If you need to make changes, you can click “Edit”; otherwise, click “Send Invoice.”

How to Confirm Your Address on PayPal

Confirm Via Credit Card
1. Navigate to the PayPal website at www.paypal.com and type in your PayPal email address and password to log into your account.
2. Click the 'Profile' tab and click 'Add or Edit Credit Card.' Click 'Add a Card' to add a credit or debit card to your account.
3. Select the type of card from the 'Card Type' drop-down menu.
4. Type in your card number, expiration date, card verification number and billing address in the appropriate fields.
5. Click 'Add Card' to verify your billing information. Once your billing information is verified, the billing address attached to your card is considered confirmed by PayPal.
Apply For PayPal MasterCard
6. Navigate to the PayPal website at www.paypal.com and type in your PayPal email address and password to log into your account.
7. Click the 'Products and Services' tab, then click 'Pay Online' and 'PayPal Plus MasterCard.'
8. Click 'Apply Now' to begin your PayPal Plus MasterCard application.
9. Click the radio button next to the card design you desire and enter your name, address, phone number, date of birth, Social Security number and annual income in the appropriate fields.
10. Read the Card Security Program information and click the check box next to 'Yes' if you wish to pay for the optional Card Security program. Read the Terms and Conditions and check the box next to the 'Terms and Conditions' link. Click the 'Agree and Continue' button to apply for the PayPal MasterCard. If your application is accepted, the address you provided will also be confirmed by PayPal.
Request Confirmation by Mail
11. Navigate to the PayPal website at www.paypal.com and type in your PayPal email address and password to log into your account.
12. Navigate to the paypal.com alternate address confirmation Web page. As of the time of publication, there are no active links to the page via your PayPal account, so you'll need to type the following in your Web browser's address bar:https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_account-aac
13. Verify you are eligible to confirm your address via mail. To do so, you must have a confirmed bank account, have a PayPal account that has been active for at least 90 days, be a resident of the United States and have a buyer reputation of 10 or greater.
14. Select the unconfirmed address you wish to confirm via mail from the drop-down menu, or click the 'Add a New Address' link and type in the address you wish to confirm. Click 'Confirm Address.' PayPal will mail a document with a Web address and a secret code.
15. Type the code in at the specified PayPal website. The PayPal website will specify documents you need to fax to PayPal and a fax number. Once you fax these documents to PayPal, your address is confirmed.