[ale] [OT] PayPal

[Sean Kilpatrick]

What I know about PayPal would fit in a thimble with plenty of room left 
over for my thumb.

BUT . . . .

we are trying to sell some furniture on Craig's list and have had one 
>possibly< serious inquiry.  But we are suspicious.  The "buyer" asked, 
among other things, if we were the first owner -- of chairs that are almost 
certainly pre-war (aka "The Late Unpleasantness" here in Atlanta) and are 
advertised as such.

He wants to pay via PayPal -- without actually seeing the chairs!

He wrote in part:

> Thanks for the email, I will send Your payment as soon as
> I receive Your PayPal email id, You will receive a notification
> receipt email from PayPal as soon as Am through with the payment.Just
> follow the Instructions and procedures on the payment in order to get
> the funds credited into Your PayPal account so that you can easily
> transfer the money to your bank account or credit card. as soon as the
> funds reflect on your PayPal account......
> 
> Do get back to me now with your PayPal email address and full name so
> i can proceed with the payment asap.

As a second generation newspaper editor my cynical gene is somewhat over-
developed and this offer (to me) smells like it was dragged up from the 
bottom of the Chesapeake Bay -- up around Baltimore.

So, how reliable is PayPal, anyway?

Sean