Most likely, the Christmas season is over. This is the third time for me on E-Bay. I still have five unpaid disputes open, and would have lost quite some money, if it wasn't for PayPal. I know, some of you don't like the fees, some of you don't want to do business with PayPal, however, if you can't admit that PayPal is the safest and fastest way to get your money, you are making a very bad business decision.

There are still a lot of hoodlums surfing E-Bay, especially during high seasons of sale.The worst ones are those who'd like to double-dip. What I mean is people who buy and pay for an item, and then claim that it arrived broken or damaged, without providing proof that it is so. Now, without PayPal, you are screwed! You can either say NO REFUND and get bad feedback, or dish out the money!

Now, with PayPal, I just contact them, and they do all the work for me, forcing the buyer to provide proof of the damaged item. But this goes both ways. Since I am not just a seller, but also a buyer, PayPal protects both. If I get an item that was broken due to negligent packing, PayPal will fight the fight for me.

So, you see PayPal protects me against crooks. But here is what I like most on PayPal. Handling of shipping. In the beginning, a nightmare for me! Doing it the regular way, no tracking, no proof of mailing, and being open to all of the false claims. With PayPal, I get a tracking number the minute I issue the shipping label, and confirmation once the buyer received the item.

What about payments? Are you really telling me that fees of PayPal prevent you to use their payment system? Well, another bad business decision! I am sure we all have gone through the lengthy and bothersome process of waiting for a money order or the check to clear. How often have you heard the phrase "The check's in the mail." Let's face it, in order to do money orders and checks, most of us have to brake our own rules. Example: We require payment within 5 days after closing. Now, someone sends you a check or money order.  It's never going to arrive in time, and the check never clears in these five days. Sure, we still do business with money orders and checks, but it is still a pain in the butt.

If you think you'll save money by not using PayPal, think again. We had an incredible Christmas season, and I tell you, PayPal was a life save!

Walter F. Mueller

WALTER's CLASSY THINGS