Before Paypal, there was Western Union money orders, there was Bid Pay, and there was the old "I'll take you check and ship the product when your check clears the bank" stuff.

I had an Ebay purchase go bad. PP made sure I got my money back.

I had an independent purchase go bad and put on a dispute; The seller contacted me and begged begged begged my to release the dispute "the parts are on the way". PP advised me to not lift the dispute. I did not listen and got hosed by the seller.

I have completed several small friends and family transactions. Never had any trouble.

Years ago, when I was selling on Ebay, I did not want to pay PP its cut so I took checks only. Then I reasoned that I might get more buyers/bidders and a higher auction sales price if I did take PP.

Ebay takes a cut. PP takes a cut. Cuts bite. But so does having an ad on Craigslist for weeks on end. And waiting for the check to clear.

Wire transfers, as mentioned earlier, for larger transactions are the safest way to sell a pin. But the seller can only play "hardass" with a pin that is in demand. If it is some old POS pin that nobody wants, you start kissing ass to make it sell. And to anyone who thinks PP and Ebay get greedy, go to your bank and do a wire transfer; Bank wire transfers are not cheap. The bank will GET its steep cut. I paid wire transfer fees, but it was for a hard-to-find pin. For some average pin, you--the seller can pay that fee.

I remember how it was to do long distance transactions before PP. I like it this way.

For you sellers with your own website, if you prefer I pay you directly with my credit card, then send me a signal by having a larger CC window than your PP window. Or tell me your prefer CC payments;I'll try to help you out, but if I can choose your PP window, all I have to do is get logged into PP and it is a done deal. With your CC window, I have to type in all my CC info. and yours is just one more site where my data can get hacked.

PP is offering a nice free service here. Mom and Dad can send Jr. some money at college when he is getting a little low. There is a section on PP where it says it is for sales of goods. As you have just said yourself, "the pin sales"...... so you WERE selling and using PP for a sales vehicle can couldn't care less if you blow it for some who wants to send some money to grandma.

If they were/are friends why not just have them send you a check? Of course, you would have to buy a stamp.

That's just what they told you. I'm sure by now that PP has got it message across to you and it will probably be awhile for you "move" another pin via F & F.

Oooh. THat is going to hammer a lot of sellers. Sellers, you better get receipts for anything you buy that you also plan on selling I have a receipt for on of my pinball machines. The rest were all bought with cash with no receipt---so as far as the IRS would be concerned, my cost basis in a pin---with no receipt--would be a cost basis on $0.00.

Sell off your collection you long time collection for around $25,000.00. If you cannot document your costs, the IRA will consider that you owe taxes on income of $25,000.00. Even if you had more than $25K invested in your collection.

This partly explains why PP is getting a little squirrelly about this. PP now has a partner, looking over its shoulder, called the IRS.