How Does PayPal Work?

Overview
PayPal is a method for sending and receiving funds.
Definition
PayPal is a service that enables a person to send and receive payments over the Internet when selling or purchasing goods or services or making online donations. PayPal prides itself for being secure, and most online services accept payment through PayPal. PayPal is an effective and secure way to do business over the Internet.
Getting Started
First, you need to open a PayPal account. All you need is an email address to get started. From the PayPal home page, click on the “Sign up” link and follow the instructions. Once you have set up a PayPal account, then you are ready to send and receive money over the Internet.
Linking to Bank Accounts
You can link your PayPal account to your bank account so that you can transfer funds between your personal or business bank account and your PayPal account. The PayPal website provides instructions for how to do this. PayPal charges no fees to transfer money in or out of your bank account, and most banks do not charge for this service either. You can also link your PayPal account to a credit card, although many websites will not accept this form of payment because the website must pay higher fees for this service.
Sending Money
If you want to send money from your PayPal account, you can do this in two ways. One way is to click on the PayPal icon on a website. Most large websites provide PayPal as a payment option. Once you select what you want to purchase, you can click on the PayPal icon and follow the instructions. The other option is to enter the email address of the person you want to pay. As long as that email address is linked to a valid PayPal account, the money will transfer from your PayPal account to the other person’s PayPal account.
Drawing Funds
You must have funds linked to your PayPal account to cover the cost of your purchases. If you link your PayPal account to a bank account, then PayPal will automatically withdraw the funds from your bank account to pay for your purchases. Alternatively, PayPal will charge your purchases to the credit card that you link to the PayPal account. You can set up your PayPal account in either manner.
Receiving Funds
If you want to receive money into your PayPal account, you can do this by asking the other party to send you a payment using your email address. You can link multiple email addresses to one PayPal account, so there is no need to open multiple accounts if you regularly use more than one email address.
PayPal Fee
PayPal charges a nominal fee to the recipient of the funds. If you ask a person to pay you $100 through PayPal, you will see a small fee deducted from the amount you receive. There is no fee for the person who is using PayPal to pay for goods or services.

How to Request Donations on a Website or Blog Using PayPal

1. Open your preferred Web browser and navigate to the PayPal donate button page. Click the "Create your button now" link.
2. Enter a name for the donation in the "Organization name/service" field. Click the "Customize text or appearance" to see the customization options. Change the appearance of the button as you want while viewing the preview on the right side.
3. Click the option to let visitors enter their own donation or suggest an amount. Click the "Log in" button if you aren't logged in to PayPal. Click "Create Button" to create the code.
4. Copy the code provided. Enter the code on your website using your preferred Web design program.

How to Refuse a PayPal Payment

1. Log into PayPal using your user name and password. Before refusing a PayPal payment, you’ll need to find information pertaining to the transaction, especially if the user has an unverified account.
2. Find the payment you need to refuse. If you have a number of different transactions, narrow down your choices based on the date of the payment or look through your most recent transactions. Typically, if you need to refuse a payment, it’s listed at the top of your transactions.
3. Look for the button next to the transaction labeled "Claim/Refuse." When an unverified user sends a PayPal payment, PayPal places a button next to the transaction that lets you either accept or refuse the payment. This may also occur if the transaction comes from a different country. If the account isn’t verified, simply press the "Refuse" button.
4. If the account is verified, send a message to PayPal. Give PayPal the transaction number, the name of the buyer, the email address associated with the account and the date of the transaction. Let PayPal know that you need to refuse the payment and send it back to the seller.
5. Wait five to 10 minutes after logging out of your account to log back in and check your account, if you manually refused the payment. The payment information should now be removed from your account and the funds sent back to the buyer. For verified accounts, it can take up to 30 days for the information to leave your account.

How to Print Postage With PayPal

1. Hook your computer up to a printer using the USB port. Turn the printer on.
2. Go to PayPal and register or sign in with your email address and password to start the process of printing postage. If you're not registered, do this now.
3. Click the 'Payments Received link' toward the middle of the page. Click the 'Print Postage' button in the seventh column of the payments received history.
4. Make sure all the shipment information is correct, such as the name, address, city, state and zip code of the recipient. Also, verify that their email address is current. A shipping confirmation will be sent to that email address.
5. Weigh your package with a small scale and input the weight in pounds and ounces into the proper PayPal field.
6. Choose your shipping preference from 'Media Mail,' 'Standard' or 'Priority.' Click the 'Insurance' button and select the insurance amount, if desired.
7. Verify that all the information is correct. Click the 'Print' button and wait for your postage to come out of the printer. Check it for errors immediately. Affix the postage to your package and place in a mail receptacle.

How to View Payment Source in PayPal

Viewing Payment Sources on File
1. Go to the PayPal homepage and enter your user name and password to obtain access to your account. If you need to setup a PayPal account, click on the 'Sign Up' button and follow the on-screen instructions.
2. Place your cursor over 'Profile' in the 'My Account' menu to display your profile options.
3. Click on 'Add or Edit Credit Card' to view or make changes to your payment sources. Here you will see all of the payment sources on file with PayPal and which payment source is currently set as your primary funding method. This primary credit or debit card is used to fund purchases made through PayPal when there is not enough funds in your PayPal account. You may also use a secondary funding source.
4. Select the 'Edit' or 'Remove' option to delete a payment source or view the full credit card number associated with the payment source.
5. You can add a new payment source by clicking on the 'Add Card' button and enter the details for your Visa or MasterCard. Once PayPal confirms the address on the card, you will be able to use it to send PayPal payments.
Viewing Payment Sources by Transaction
6. Go to the PayPal website and log in to your account.
7. Click on the 'Overview' tab in the 'My Account' menu to see a list of your recent transactions. If you want to view the details of a transaction outside of the current transaction window, click on the 'View All of My Transactions' option at the top of your recent activity window.
8. Click on the 'Details' link beside the transaction you wish to view to see the payment source information for that individual purchase. On the transaction details page, you will find information regarding the payment date and the source of payment used. Your full credit or debit card number will not be displayed, but you will be able to view the credit card type and the last four digits of the account number.

How to Find a PayPal Debit Card Receipt

Finding PayPal Debit Card Receipts
1. Log in to your Paypal account at PayPal.com.
2. Click on the "My Account" tab, then choose "Overview."
3. Select the "Debit Card" link on the "My Recent Activity" menu.
4. Sort through all debit card transactions, or set terms by clicking on the "Select" button above the transaction list. Choose a time frame from the drop-down menu. Once you have made your selection, the page will automatically reload and display the desired results.
5. Get your receipt by clicking on the "Details" link of the transaction in question. You can print a copy by using your browser's printing tools.
Getting Instant PayPal Debit Card Receipts
6. Set up your PayPal account to send instant receipts to your e-mail account each time you use your PayPal debit card.
7. Go to the "My Account - Overview" menu and choose "More Options" from the drop-down list under "Profile."
8. Choose "Notifications" from the "Account Information" menu on the "Profile Summary" page.
9. Check the box beside "I make a purchase with my PayPal ATM/Debit Card" in the "Payment Notifications" box. This will allow PayPal to send a copy of your receipt via e-mail each time you use your PayPal debit card.

How Do I Ship Using PayPal?

Function
After you open an account with PayPal and link it to a bank account, you can process payments and collect contact information from buyers. When a payment is made, PayPal produces a record of the transaction, accessible to buyers and sellers who have an account.
Features
PayPal interfaces with the U.S. Postal Service website to calculate postage based on the contact information indicated on the transaction. Using your PayPal account balance, checking account or credit card, you can pay for postage and print an address label with postage on your home printer from PayPal's website.
Considerations
The U.S. Postal Service has specific regulations for mailing packages over a certain size and weight and for sending international packages. You can print mailing labels but may need to take larger and special packages to the post office for mailing.