As a staff writer at 'Home Based Business' we regularly answer questions submitted by our members one great topic electronic commerce.

PayPal. It has become synonymous with eBay. PayPal is the method preferred by most buyers because it enables them to pay safely with their credit or debit card. Considering the number of credit and debit card transactions that are made by the population today, being unable to utilize a means of allowing people to pay with their credit or debit cards can seriously cripple an online business. But didn't you know? PayPal is not just for eBay members anymore.

PayPal can be utilized by businesses for a variety of reasons. PayPal also offers many different services to merchants and buyers alike, offering flexibility and plenty of tools. One aspect of PayPal that both buyer and seller enjoy is the fact that PayPal guards all information and does not allow one party access to another party's information. This is especially good for the small business that does not have the means to store or secure personal information.

For the small business looking for a way that allows their customers to pay via credit card or debit card, PayPal can be the way to go. PayPal offers merchant accounts that only charge a certain amount for each transaction that goes through. Other sites that offer the same service can charge more. PayPal only charges a small fee for their service, about 3.3 percent of each transaction. It is more cost-effective than a larger credit card company whose fees can change depending upon the transaction amount. There is also only one setup fee to worry about, and this is usually quite low. Depending upon the amount your business may end up making, you can upgrade your account at any time to accommodate for your growing business.

PayPal also has plenty of tools that are easy to use. Invoicing can be particularly handy for businesses to make requests to other merchants they may be purchasing from. Or for sole proprietor businesses, such as the freelance writer providing services to multiple businesses, the invoicing tool can be an easy way of requesting payment and remaining organized.

Shipping charges can also be calculated early on through PayPal. Businesses can use PayPal's shipping integration methods as well as calculating shipping and attaching the information to product amounts. You can also print out shipping labels for both national and international shipping.

You can work your business through multiple currencies, easily handle refunds, and even allow gift certificates. When you sign up, you should take a long look at the site and check out all the available options PayPal can offer you before customizing them to suit your business needs. Decide on whether you want to offer buyer protection and other services.

Before signing up with PayPal, a business may want to post a bulletin on their site for consumers to see and comment on. If the majority of customers are warm toward using PayPal, then go ahead and use it. However, PayPal is not a perfect system and has left a few people feeling sore against the company in the past. If too many of your customers show negative feelings toward using PayPal, you may want to seek out other options for them to pay electronically.

With over 3 million business accounts and still growing, PayPal may can a great way for you to expand your business. Low fees and ease of use make it ideal for small e-commerce sites and can help bring in more customers, removing the wait for payment by mail and making transactions for items instantaneous. What more could you ask for?

The staff at www.homebasedbusiness.com regularly updates the Home Based Business website with new information on the up and coming work at home jobs and other Internet based home businesses opportunities.