Has anyone else had problems with PayPal, any time?

[Grasswire2]

I used PayPal for a long time as a seller and using the PP Mastercard debit card to retrieve revenue.
Then I was off eBay for a few years and am back on as a seller, with a new PP Mastercard that I can't seem to activate. Same old account, but with a newly issued card.

Anyone else have troubles?

I know that reams of complaints exist about PP and I have had some myself in the past. Customer service stinks. The business belongs to Elon Musk. Ugh.

But when it works, it's handy.
Any experiences?

[Inkey]

1. Long time user for paying online

Mostly with eBay as a buyer , and to transfer payments to support candidates .
So far so good. I have had to update my preferred acct to draw from. I never got their credit card though.
They also have credited my account for repayments sent to me.

[Bayard]

2. Crap....I didn't know it was a Musk thing

I use it all the time. Never had a problem.

[Lulu KC]

25. That is disappointing

I use it too, no problems at all.

Unlike Venmo. Argh to the max.

[Shermann]

26. Don't worry, he sold his stake in 2002. nt

[Grins]

3. PayPal, Venmo, and Thiel...

Peter Thiel was a founder of PayPal, and THE reason I will NOT use them.

And then there is Venmo, the cash transfer portal for Republicans trafficking teen girls for sex. RIGHT, Mr. Gaetz?

I won’t use them for that reason, but more because PayPal - bought them! They are the same company!

Thiel is no longer associated with either of them but - eff them!! I want no part of either.

My bank is one of the major banks in a consortium that created their own transfer portal.

It’s called Zelle. And I have never had a problem with it; in fact, it has FAR better privacy.

Call your bank.

[Grasswire2]

4. there are a lot of horror stories about PP freezing funds of people.

Customer service, if a seller is having problem, is horrific. Based in Philippines, I understand.

I have had problems with it in the past, and hoped to not have it again. But here I am. Funds coming into my PayPal account that I can't retrieve because they can't activate the card they sent me.

[rog]

5. No probs with PP - I have a PP debit card ...

... that I linked to Zelle to receive payments from students who have Zelle at their bank and do not want to sign on to PayPal.

Why not just use Zelle? My Credit Union used to have Zelle, but when they sold out to a larger credit union the new owner discontinued Zelle in favor of some other proprietary transfer protocol that's useless to me.

But the PP debit card works great for receiving funds via Zelle ... the payments show up as 'refunds' credited to my account, which I can transfer to my bank. I've had this card for about a year - noprob activating it that I can remember.

The interesting thing is that Zelle does not work with PayPal, but it does work with MasterCard, no matter that it's a PP MC.

[Grasswire2]

11. I don't use banks.

I resent their predatory manipulations of so many people. Nope. Don't use them any more.

[rog]

21. I understand ...

... I only used banks when I was really young. Now 80, and only ever used credit unions. Actually, just one credit union, until they recently got sucked up by a bigger one, but it still seems pretty good. It's pretty community oriented ... seems like most of the people from the original County CU are still working there. I'll admit that I don't do any 'advanced' banking services ... just a checking account.

To be honest, I normally wouldn't use a service like PayPal, except it's really made my life easier in many ways. As a matter of fact, I've only had a credit card for maybe 10 years, if that. Up until then it's always been green money ... if I didn't have it, I didn't buy it. All transactions in cash, only had the credit union for the rare times I was paid by check.

[Grasswire2]

23. I haven't had or needed a credit card for a couple of decades.

Or a checking account.
I got out of that world. The predatory actions of banks to penalize people when balances ran low really bugged me.
My SS arrives on a debit card. I pay my rent with money order. My phone in cash.
I don't have any other bills.
Haven't kept a car for about twenty years. Public transportation is great. I occasionally use Lyft.

[rog]

24. I get it ...

... and without a bank account, it doesn't make sense to have PayPal send a check. No good way to cash it.

I hope you get it worked out. There must be a way to activate that debit card. Wish I could make a helpful suggestion.

Good luck!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

6. Big time!! Years ago, PP put a hold on my (seller) account, too long of a story to detail, but

I had done absolutely nothing wrong. It truly felt like PP was just trying to defraud me out of the money in my account. Finally, I filed a complaint with the consumer protection unit in my state's AG's office, which contacted PP for me. After months of my getting nowhere with PP, that call from the AG's office made PP release my account so fast it made my head spin.

[Grasswire2]

12. I had funds frozen, too, with no explanation or remedy.

And customer service is so bad that it must be deliberately bad.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

14. I can really sympathize and I'm sorry you don't seem to have the same rememdy available I was able to find.

PP's customer service was just unbelievably horrible. I wrote out a lengthy timeline detailing each step in the lengthy fucking around with me PP did for the complaint I submitted, and I still can't believe all the shit PP pulled. What really tears it is PP knew they didn't have a leg to stand on since they backed down as soon the AG's office got involved. But until I sicced those bigger guns on them, they did it anyway.

[Grasswire2]

15. WOW

It is scary to use the business of these crooks for financial needs.
I had seen, on google search, the stories of many people who were screwed over by Musk's PP..

[50 Shades Of Blue]

16. In fairness, this was lonnnng before Musk. I remember at the time I was going through

my experience, coming across many other PP horror stories too. So PP has just always been like this!

[Vinca]

7. I just use it for paying for stuff online and I've never had a problem.

I'm sure I activated the last card they sent, but I only use the bank debit card or a credit card so can't add much about that.

[Grasswire2]

13. So if someone pays you for an item using PayPal...

...how do you retrieve those funds?

[Vinca]

17. I don't collect money, I just spend it via PayPal because I can just click and buy stuff.

PayPal then debits my bank account.

[Grasswire2]

18. understood, and that's a very good service

My need is different. I am selling out, starting now, and need to liquidate and not buy new stuff, and clear out my spare room. LOL.
Having a balance in PayPal to buy new stuff isn't part of that plan.
So how do I convert that PayPal balance to $$ if the PP Mastercard won't activate?

I could accept only U.S. Postal money orders, because they can be cashed at Post Office. I've done that before.

That is a little inconvenient for buyers, who would have to go to PO to purchase.
However, I have to go to P.O. to mail the box, so it seems a fair trade.

[Vinca]

20. Beats me. I've retired from selling antiques and I'm getting rid of stuff, too. I opted to put things on

consignment at the group shop I had rented space in. So far so good. I mark things, take in a box, they put it on the shelves, send me a check a couple of times a month and that's that. What doesn't sell will get donated to a charity shop.

[rog]

22. Can't PayPal send you a check?

I just double-checked, and it looks like under 'Transfer Money', you can transfer to your bank (which you don't have), or request a personal check by mail. I don't know if there's a fee for that.

[KS Toronado]

8. Someone tried using my PP once

PP caught it and sent me a text right away asking me about it. They have always done me right.

[Grasswire2]

9. So, essentially, if you have funds in a PayPal account...

...but the Mastercard issued by PayPal won't activate (god only knows why), then the only way to use those funds is to send them via PayPal to some other entity.

Just ridiculous.

This numbskull Musk should have nothing to do with space travel.

[relayerbob]

28. Musk hasn't been involved in Paypal for 20 years

Not that I like him, but he isn't the one screwing them up

[Grasswire2]

10. So I tried using the PP Mastercard to pay a phone bill of $18.

Denied, even though there is $$ in the PayPal account.

What good is having the PP account if the $$ can only be used within the PayPal system? Such as buying online, sending $ to someone.

Infuriating.

[Grasswire2]

19. the question remains

How do I get money out of my PayPal account if I don't have an activated PP Mastercard?

Any ideas?

[Lulu KC]

27. If I sell, my $ goes straight to bank account

It's a setting in Ebay/Selling/Payouts. My bank account info is there.

I have sold exactly one item on Ebay, and I just looked at my account to refresh my memory. There it is. Paid from Ebay to bank, without having to go through PayPal. They did charge my postage fees to the PayPal account, however.