https://www.dwolla.com

I recommend people switch from paypal to dwolla. A mass migration over to dwolla would be excellent.

I went to sign up with Dwolla, and was prompted to associate my account with Facebook.

That's not exactly a TRUSTED site, so I stopped right there.

That would be a deal killer for me too. I have refused to sign up for them for countless reasons, with the biggest two reasons being their lack of respect for privacy and questionable security practices.

Same here. Facebook's business model is based completely on lack of privacy.

There's the old saying that great minds think alike. On the flip side there's also a saying that fools seldom differ. Not sure which it is here.

And then there is the unassociated reason. Facebook has little to do with real life. "Friends"? Uh huh...

Some could say it's that way on these forums too, and in some cases that may be true. However, I've learned a lot of things, have met some of the people on these forums and interact via PM and email with many of the forum members here on the C&V boards. I consider many here to be my friends.

- I want to add that though the FB connection does not work for me, Tru's suggestion is nevertheless appreciated.
- Most of us would like to have an alternative payment option!

Indeed, you are totally correct and but it appears not to be the correct solution for many here, myself included.

I'd like to see it take off, but I'd love to see it lose the whole Facebook thing - that doesn't need to be there. I'm certain they're just jocking for free advertisement, but come on.

$0 charge for under $10 and $0.25 for any transaction over $10 is amazing. 3% adds up over time, especially if you toss eBay into the mix.

Has anybody tried Google Checkout? I know it doesn't work for Ebay auction payments but could be an alternative for BF sales.

FWIW

+1.

I don't Twit, neither....

+700

Yes indeed. I was referring to Facebook and not these forums, however. Friends can and are made here, but it takes more than the push of a button as on Facebook. That said, I'm up for another form of payment option too. Anyone try to require this service on their ebay auctions, and succeed?

There always has been an alternative payment option: USPS Money Order.

USPS Money Order works great if you don't insist on the instant gratification of instant transfer. PayPal fills a "gotta have it now" need. Don't need it.

Good point Keith.

I have used these quite often with sellers around the United States.

I have also used a personal check for all sorts of goodies, all the way up to my recent Colnago purchase.

In addition, I purchased a wheelset a week ago from a forum member, and he has graciously allowed me to send a check at a pre-arranged date.

There is a trust factor that goes into certain transactions, but once a relationship is made, this is very possible.

Folks, we can live without ebay and paypal.

At least I can.

the facebook thing is optional. have a problem with it? cool -- dont register that way.
it's probably integrated for an initial revenue stream.

and this registration process does not involve bank account info, SS#, etc.
Just email, name, phone number. all that extra stuff can be included later...and has nothing to do with facebook.

An addendum to my previous post...

I use PayPal all the time, never had a bit of trouble. I use it because it's convenient for both purchases and payments.

However, if you have issues with PayPal there are a myriad of ways to get money from point A to point B, they may not be as fast or as convenient, but they exist....you just have to use them.

^^^^^How dare you interrupt another thread about payment services with a common sense reply!!!! If you are going to post it has to be either a "Tough cr*p! Use it or shut up" response or "It is all a giant conspiracy/economic theory from non-economists, etc. and I hate paying for anything" response. Learn the rules man!

Say I make a purchase using dwolla to transfer funds but then never receive the item (or it's defective/broken/etc.). How do I go about getting the funds back and how is the decision made?

With a credit card purchase I would first complain to the seller, but if there's a dispute I can refuse payment for that item when I get the credit card statement. The card issuer must then investigate and make a finding before I have any obligation to pay. So I retain full use of the funds in the interim and in my past experience I have had no problems getting any unjustified charges dropped.