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Because for a silent majority of their users have no issues. I've been using paypal for 5+ years and have never had a single issue with them.


Like many people, though, you never have an issue till you have an issue. And then you're screwed. https://jakeseliger.com/2011/12/09/december-2011-links-paypa.... And you will then write a piece bemoaning about how awful Paypal actually is, and you'll be confronted by other people shrugging and saying, "Never had a problem myself."


There's a very simple quid-pro-quo with Paypal - they'll let basically anyone accept payments, they offer very strong protections to buyers, but they'll freeze any account that smells even slightly iffy. If your transactions could plausibly look like fraud, then there's a strong likelihood that Paypal will freeze your account; there's an even stronger likelihood that a mainstream merchant account issuer will politely decline your business.

Go to your bank and ask them "I'd like to accept donations on the internet via credit card. No, I'm not a registered charity" or "I'm planning on holding an event next year. I don't have enough funds to cover the cost of running the event, so I need to pre-sell tickets." See if they offer you a merchant account.

Paypal aren't perfect, they aren't the best fit for every business, but they offer a genuinely unique service.


The issue with PayPal isn't that they freeze accounts, but that have a history of preventing people from getting at their money for months without justification. That is a bit too much like theft and they've had to pay to settle related lawsuits: https://blogs.findlaw.com/decided/2016/02/paypal-to-settle-i...


I had a startup based a community that used PayPal, and used them to process hundreds of thousands of dollars with no complaints. I also never had any chargebacks against my business, though.


15 years and counting...never had a issue.


I've had a PayPal account since the beginning. At least 15+ years with zero problems.




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