I am interested in buying some things in the BST for the first time, and have been told that PayPal is generally the only form of money accepted. Is this true? I am only 15, so I can’t use PayPal. Would I be able to send cash through the mail instead, or is that frowned apon?
You can but it’s riskier. You are then relying on the mail to actually get there and the person could just keep the money and not send the yoyos. With PayPal you have some protection. Maybe a parent would set one up that you could use. They send the money through PayPal to the person and then you pay them with the cash you have?
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I’d like to do that, but my dad doesn’t really let me buy expensive yoyos anymore. He thinks I have way too many of them, and makes fun of me for collecting them. My mom is cool with it, but she doesn’t understand technology and wont let me set up a PayPal for her.
So your dad doesn’t want you to buy expensive yoyos but you think it’s alright to go behind his back and pay cash. As noted above, it’s risky to send cash, especially if you are trying to buy expensive yoyos.
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Well then it’s up to you to make things happen. Try finding another type of “online money” system to use other than PayPal. Maybe you could find one more friendly to you. Maybe you are comfortable with their absolutely excellent feedback from tons of people and will send them cash (I personally wouldn’t). It’s up to you, be careful, be skeptical of anything abnormal.
In probably 300+ transactions between here and Facebook, exactly 1 person has sent me cash. It got lost in the mail (maybe he lied to me and never sent it, maybe a postal worker stole it, I have no idea). I know that it was a Protostar or something pretty inexpensive and if I recall correctly, I just sent it to him anyway. I also know that the next time a person asks me if I accept cash, I will kindly decline, and I know that I will never send cash myself.
I suggest talking with your father and trying to find an amicable solution where he allows you to spend some of your own money on a hobby you enjoy, and helps you set up a PayPal account so that you can feel safe when you buy or sell.
I’ve taken cash in the mail when selling yoyos on the BST board. But, as the seller, I requested that the person send the cash first. After I receive the cash, I send the yoyo. With PayPal, the money is transferred immediately, so either way, the seller has the money before sending the yoyo.
I’ve also had someone take cash and put it on a gift VISA card and then use it to send money via Western Union. That worked too. A little safer than cash in the mail.
All that said, I wouldn’t purposely go behind your dad’s back to buy more yoyos. You’ll have plenty of years worth of bad decisions to hide from him in your lifetime. Don’t start just yet. Especially if you have yoyos already. My 2 cents.
You guys are right. It’s probably too risky to send cash, and it’s not worth going behind my dad’s back to buy a yoyo. I think I’ll just wait for my birthday and see if he changes his mind. Thanks for the good advice.
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I think most people prefer PayPal because it is secure and offers protection for buyer and seller (when paying for a yoyo using “goods and services”).
I don’t recommend sending cash through the mail as, if the envelope is lost or stolen, you are out the cash. It would be better to ask your parent or guardian to either write a check (you can give them the money), or to use their credit card to pay through PayPal. Using PayPal is safe, the person receiving the money never sees any credit card information, they just have the funds appear in their account.
You can take your money to Walmart buy a prepaid visa. Set your own paypal account with that card associated to the account.
You can purchase a Money Order at many outlets for 99 cents…then mail it! That should work just fine…
I heard you can send money through Facebook messenger now but I’m not sure about the details.
Venmo. Need to tie to a bank acct. its free too.
Just use paypal, unless you’re funneling a bunch of money through it you’ll be fine.