PayPal is a popular payment service provider and an easy way to send and receive money for everything from those old shoes you sold on eBay, to finally getting your brother-in-law to pay up on that $10 you lent him five years ago. You can also shop on line and send money to thousands of merchants that accept PayPal payments. However, you and anyone else who wants to use this service must first register with a user ID and password.

Definition

The registration process requires you to fill out a form asking you to enter a password with a minimum of eight characters, your name, and address and phone number. Your ID is your email address, which is specific to you, and together with your password, is the only way you can access your account.

Identification

When you have a PayPal account, you can add as many as eight different user IDs or email addresses to your account. Make sure you enter them correctly as this is how you receive email notifications about your account. After you add a new email address, which is actually a new ID, it takes 24 hours for PayPal to update your account. As a security measure, PayPal requires you to confirm your email address before you can add or edit a new or existing PayPal ID.

Linking eBay with PayPal

If you have more than one eBay account and want to link your eBay accounts to your PayPal account, log into your PayPal account, click “Profile,” click “Auctions,” then click “Add.” If you have more than one eBay ID, add all of them now, along with each ID password, then click “Add.” You will receive an email from PayPal confirming the added IDs. You will also receive an email from eBay confirming the link.

Fraud Protection

Protect yourself. PayPal fraud protection only works if you protect your ID and password combination. Never give this information to anyone whom you don’t want to have access to your account. PayPal never sends you an email asking for personal information. PayPal never calls you and asks for personal information such as your ID and password. PayPal representatives will direct you to call them or to email them with your concerns or information.