What are your reasons for not wishing to use PayPal???? I know a lot of people are not happy with it, but they all have different reasons for not liking it. Your question is a bit vague to recieve any succinct replies.

What are your concerns as the buyer? Identity theft? Fraud? Non-delivery of merchandise? Dispute arbitration policy?

You say you are looking for a *PayPal kind of thing*. There are other things like, Moneybookers, Kagi, BidPay, NetPay, PayMate, and such, but they all operate pretty much the same and have about the same reputation as PayPal.

The seller is usually the one shafted on internet deals, due to chargebacks.

Are you looking for an escrow service? With a $100 item you may be better off risking using PayPal rather than some expensive escrow service. You're not buying a $80,000 boat are you?

What about the seller? Isn't he already set up with something? If not, you two will have to come to a mutual agreement on what will make you both feel secure in the transaction. It's partly up to the seller on what security steps and payment methods are to be used. He must protect himself also. What have you already discussed with *him*?

Also, how was the item advertised?? For instance, eBay has banned GoogleCheckOut from being used in it's auctions. You may be limited on your choices depending on where it was advertised.

More info is needed for a detailed answer.

I'm sure you already know the "basics" like get a signed delivery reciept. Have the item insured. Item is only delivered to adddress on credit card. Ect.

Since you seem to be a bit new at this I do suggest reading sites like http://paypalsucks.com before you get involved.

Even if the seller is honest and does not rip you off - PayPal might.

Hopefullly someone with internet buying/selling experience will respond to your post and offer more insight into the matter.

If your buying from Ebay, check your sellers reputation, it says a lot if they have been selling for a long time.

If you are buying from other websites look at the bottom of the browser for a gold lock, double click it and click the tab at the top, read the bottom, does it say "This certificate is ok"? Then at least you know you are on a secure server. Also, the url will start with https and not http. If I doubt a website I look for a phone number and give them a call, just to ask questions. How they answer the phone and how they answer your questions can tell you alot.

Also, check their return policy.

When checking out always check for a reasonable shipping fee. Be careful if shopping for multiple items on Amazon.com their shipping could kill ya.

I have been shopping religiously online since 1999 and never had a problem.

Good luck!

There are many, many merchants now that use and accept PayPal...a few of them lately have even surprised me. Just look for the PayPal logo or email and ask...;-)

I have bought and sold merchandise valued to over $1000 on the internet many, many times and have yet to be burned.

I have had people bid on something and not pay for it, but I still had the merchandise, so nothing was really lost.

I like to think that most people out there are just like me, basically honest and just looking for a good deal...do your research and you should have few regrets.

Good luck,

MsLadybyte

However, with anything that you do online, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Investigate the company that you want to do business with. If the company is in the US, check it out with the Better Business Bureau website and see if the business has any complains. If it does, how many and what kind. If the complains get unresolved, I'd be on the watch.

Here's how, I normally go to the "Contact Us" and see if they post a physical address. If they have a PO Box, it's possible that they do business from home and don't want customers to know where they're at. In any case, check out what city they're in, go to BBB website and go directly to the local BBB of the business and check them out. To find the business on the BBB website, you can type either their website or their phone numbers.

A 2nd useful website to check is listed below. Once, I was looking for a camera. I found several companies that offered real good deals. This website was very useful and helped me see that those deals were "too good to be true".

2. Check on the vendor's website and see if they show that shopping is "secured". Sometime, this shows when you check out. If you don't see a "secured" logo, don't put any personal information and cancel out. Normally, vendors want your business, they will put extra effort to keep up their secured system for their customers. In most cases, it's probably safer to shop online than in person.

3. Never give out any of your personal information (credit card number, address, etc) via e-mails. Your e-mail system is backed up and stored somewhere from your e-mail provider. It can be less secured. It may even be scanned by someone that has no business doing so.

4. If you feel uneasy purchasing online, most vendors list a phone number. You can shop around online, then call them up and give them your order and credit card information via telephone. If you can, avoid using a wireless phone, including the cellular. Frequency can intersect and someone can hear your conversation.

Hope these tips put you a bit at ease.

The most important part is to deal with a reputable, responsible seller.

Using a credit card helps. They will often step in if there is a dispute.

If you buy something with a credit card, and the seller doesn't deliver, you can dispute the charge because you didn't get what you paid for. If you buy it through PayPal, I believe (though I could be mistaken) that you cannot dispute the charge, because you *did* get what you paid for--namely, the service of PayPal transmitting your payment to the seller. I believe that this difference makes it much more difficult to dispute a charge if you use PayPal than if you use a credit card directly.

If you're worried about fraudulent charges, use a credit card that lets you get a temporary number.