Paypal member since 2001 and I couldn't imagine life without it at this point. Already used it twice this am. The trick is to do high volume of relative small amounts (under $500) over and over again so that you can easily absorb a loss here and there and live to fight another day. Transactions over $500 make me a bit nervous so I tend to use more caution there. Also, avoid selling things that scammers target like electronics & jewelry. Letting this one bad transaction deter you from paypal for life is simply compounding your loss over time.