4 ms·

Paypal is two clicks now. Click buy on the site you are buying from, PayPal loads and logs you in automatically, confirm the amount and click pay.

hujokilom 9y ago
God forbid you attempt a donation to a party PayPal doesn't like, they will just seize your assets.
- KekDemaga 9y ago
  I can only talk about Paypal from the payer side it's virtually frictionless in my experience and transactions can be disputed via Paypal or my bank. Buying and using bitcoin adds a number of extra steps as well as transaction costs in moving dollars into bitcoin as well as giving me no dispute mechanism.
  - mrb 9y ago
    Paypal is pretty frictionless, but it still takes ~15-20 sec to do the 3 clicks through 3 slow-to-load Paypal pages (1: paypal button, 2: page to specify amount, 3: confirmation page). By contrast, a click on the Bitcoin address opens my local Bitcoin wallet which opens up instantaneously, and clicking send is also instantaneous. Total ~3 sec. The difference between ~15-20 and ~3 sec is enough to make me prefer BTC over Paypal. I don't need the ability to dispute: I am not going to change my mind later about this donation. I don't need to buy BTC: like many bitcoin users I already have some in my possession, ready to be spent at any time.
    - moonchrome 9y ago
      How long does it take for the payment to go through ? What's the fee ? For a donation transfer speed doesn't matter, but for actual purchase it's a lot more than 30 s last I've tried
      - mrb 9y ago
        The payment is broadcasted instantly (1-2 seconds). Fee can be as low as $0.10-0.30 (eg. these donations to the VLC address https://blockchain.info/tx/99ee82b2b8f33ee22c6c51ff4ba198141c4283c702ea212bc9edcad19c33d4d2 https://blockchain.info/tx/99ee82b2b8f33ee22c6c51ff4ba198141... https://blockchain.info/tx/d056b36bdb81f70cf344d4489ba337ad1820e07b0907211ecdff764cb9ed25ba https://blockchain.info/tx/d056b36bdb81f70cf344d4489ba337ad1... https://blockchain.info/tx/445ba8e7559a4f83bcd7fd7adac30cf9fa4e220c25ccc35e9492fff876937fef https://blockchain.info/tx/445ba8e7559a4f83bcd7fd7adac30cf9f...). It's important to understand the difference between a broadcasted transaction (tx received by most Bitcoin nodes, "0-confirmation", 1-2 seconds) versus the transaction being included in at least 1 block ("1 confirmation", ~10 minutes). Some merchants accept 0-confirmation tx, while others require 1 confirmation. But in almost all cases it's fine to accept 0-confirmation transactions: • ordering physical goods online (an order takes more than ~10 minutes to be shipped & delivered anyway) • ordering virtual goods/services (eg. paying for VPN: the vendor can simply cancel the service if the tx is never confirmed) • any low-value real-world transaction (eg. paying for groceries... no one will bother with a double-spend attack to steal groceries) • etc
wyager 9y ago
Until they freeze your account or ban you for some silly reason.
michaelmrose 9y ago
PayPal also collects money in the name of charitable organizations not affiliated with PayPal who didn't ask PayPal to do so. If they don't check with PayPal to discover this the money is given to a different organization.
- exikyut 9y ago
  Wait, what? How is that legal?!

hujokilom 9y ago

God forbid you attempt a donation to a party PayPal doesn't like, they will just seize your assets.

KekDemaga 9y ago
I can only talk about Paypal from the payer side it's virtually frictionless in my experience and transactions can be disputed via Paypal or my bank. Buying and using bitcoin adds a number of extra steps as well as transaction costs in moving dollars into bitcoin as well as giving me no dispute mechanism.
- mrb 9y ago
  Paypal is pretty frictionless, but it still takes ~15-20 sec to do the 3 clicks through 3 slow-to-load Paypal pages (1: paypal button, 2: page to specify amount, 3: confirmation page). By contrast, a click on the Bitcoin address opens my local Bitcoin wallet which opens up instantaneously, and clicking send is also instantaneous. Total ~3 sec. The difference between ~15-20 and ~3 sec is enough to make me prefer BTC over Paypal. I don't need the ability to dispute: I am not going to change my mind later about this donation. I don't need to buy BTC: like many bitcoin users I already have some in my possession, ready to be spent at any time.
  - moonchrome 9y ago
    How long does it take for the payment to go through ? What's the fee ? For a donation transfer speed doesn't matter, but for actual purchase it's a lot more than 30 s last I've tried
    - mrb 9y ago
      The payment is broadcasted instantly (1-2 seconds). Fee can be as low as $0.10-0.30 (eg. these donations to the VLC address https://blockchain.info/tx/99ee82b2b8f33ee22c6c51ff4ba198141c4283c702ea212bc9edcad19c33d4d2 https://blockchain.info/tx/99ee82b2b8f33ee22c6c51ff4ba198141... https://blockchain.info/tx/d056b36bdb81f70cf344d4489ba337ad1820e07b0907211ecdff764cb9ed25ba https://blockchain.info/tx/d056b36bdb81f70cf344d4489ba337ad1... https://blockchain.info/tx/445ba8e7559a4f83bcd7fd7adac30cf9fa4e220c25ccc35e9492fff876937fef https://blockchain.info/tx/445ba8e7559a4f83bcd7fd7adac30cf9f...). It's important to understand the difference between a broadcasted transaction (tx received by most Bitcoin nodes, "0-confirmation", 1-2 seconds) versus the transaction being included in at least 1 block ("1 confirmation", ~10 minutes). Some merchants accept 0-confirmation tx, while others require 1 confirmation. But in almost all cases it's fine to accept 0-confirmation transactions: • ordering physical goods online (an order takes more than ~10 minutes to be shipped & delivered anyway) • ordering virtual goods/services (eg. paying for VPN: the vendor can simply cancel the service if the tx is never confirmed) • any low-value real-world transaction (eg. paying for groceries... no one will bother with a double-spend attack to steal groceries) • etc

wyager 9y ago

Until they freeze your account or ban you for some silly reason.

michaelmrose 9y ago

PayPal also collects money in the name of charitable organizations not affiliated with PayPal who didn't ask PayPal to do so. If they don't check with PayPal to discover this the money is given to a different organization.

exikyut 9y ago
Wait, what? How is that legal?!