Oh Canada and Paypal, yes, dad's sending me money.

[icarus]

Hiya International Friends-Who-Use-Paypal!

My dad is helping me out with my car. I suggested he use Paypal to send money rather than the complicated hoops of international money orders, wire transfers, etc.

I have a Paypal account linked to my bank account. I know that if he sends money via Paypal to my Paypal account, I just have to transfer it to my bank account.

Doesn't he just do the same? Set up a Paypal account and click the "send gift to friend/family" button?

What's your experience? How do you buy things/send money to the US?

Comments

[ursula]

You might want to check the fees Paypal charges before you go this way-- last time I dealt with Paypal and large amounts of money, it took a pretty big chunk out of the transfer.

[icarus]

Oooooh. Good to know.

[senmut]

Yes. Paypal will handle all the conversions.

How much they take out as a fee depends on which kind of accounts are involved, and clicking it as gift not services bought.

[icarus]

Okay. Ursula warns me that the fees can be pretty steep on large amounts.

[viggorlijah]

Paypal takes 2.5-5% out. It's super convenient, and for amounts under $500, still around the same as banks/western union. They have crappy currency conversion rates like all credit card companies.

Paypal sometimes blocks international payments to or from personal accounts. You can verify an account by providing photo id and linking it to bank accounts/credit cards which raises the limits, but sometimes paypal is just a jerk.

[icarus]

...but sometimes paypal is just a jerk.

Yeah, that could be what dad's running into.