BBTS Question

[SkyWarp91]

Hi, just got a question RE: Big Bad Toy STore.

They offer Direct Debit and Paypal. Which one is safer/better? I'd prefer not to link up my paypal to my direct debit card so with Paypal I do the old' money transfer which takes longer but I can trust it.

[Tober]

They're both safe. Direct Debit is better for BBTS tho.

Be sure to read up on BBTS's cancellation policies tho if you are a new customer.

[UltraMarginal]

They're both safe. Direct Debit is better for BBTS tho.

Be sure to read up on BBTS's cancellation policies tho if you are a new customer.

+1 what Tober Said.

[jaydisc]

I don't understand. I can't see a Direct Debit option in BBTS's interface. Do you mean to directly give them a credit card number as opposed to using PayPal as a middle man?

[UltraMarginal]

I don't understand. I can't see a Direct Debit option in BBTS's interface. Do you mean to directly give them a credit card number as opposed to using PayPal as a middle man?

That's what I do, though it's a debit type "credit card".

Also, Use the Pile of loot option, save a fortune on postage.

[jaydisc]

If I understand correctly, credit card (even if it's a "debit" credit card) is always the best option. There is little to no protection for doing a bank transfer to PayPal, and then paying via PayPal. You are MUCH better off attaching your "debit" credit card to your PayPal account and funding transactions with that. Then you get credit card purchase protection.

As to the difference between a directly-entered Credit (or "debit") Card vs. a Credit (or "debit) Card FUNDED PayPal transaction, there's little to no difference, except as Tober points out, BBTS probably pays less commission to their bank then the 3.4% PayPal socks them for.

[SkyWarp91]

If I understand correctly, credit card (even if it's a "debit" credit card) is always the best option. There is little to no protection for doing a bank transfer to PayPal, and then paying via PayPal. You are MUCH better off attaching your "debit" credit card to your PayPal account and funding transactions with that. Then you get credit card purchase protection.

As to the difference between a directly-entered Credit (or "debit") Card vs. a Credit (or "debit) Card FUNDED PayPal transaction, there's little to no difference, except as Tober points out, BBTS probably pays less commission to their bank then the 3.4% PayPal socks them for.

But if I use a Debit Card, what's to stop them from debiting out all my money in my account? Is there some sort of protection where I have to approve the debiting first? THat's my main concern. Sorry, I'm just new to cards.

With paypal, when I transfer money paypal sends me an email first before the transaction happens so I know that money is going over there.

[Tober]

But if I use a Debit Card, what's to stop them from debiting out all my money in my account? Is there some sort of protection where I have to approve the debiting first? THat's my main concern. Sorry, I'm just new to cards.

With paypal, when I transfer money paypal sends me an email first before the transaction happens so I know that money is going over there.

Yeah, I'm assuming you mean a Debit Card as opposed to Direct Debit (bank to bank).

Jaydisc is a useful authority on PayPal and payment options from what I've seen.


Ultimately Credit Card abuse is extremely unlikely* through BBTS. You have an account and you can see what you've ordered, you get email confirmations too (of your order, not to proceed through checkout like with PayPal). You will be automatically billed when you place the order or it is confirmed or a pre-order arrives in stock. If something shows up on your bank statement that you don't think should be there then you can check against your BBTS account and email notifications.

I don't think BBTS give you the option of using PayPal anyway, at least not for new users. Your final line of defense weather using PayPal or Credit/Debit is a 'charge back' - if your credit card company sides with you they will withdraw the funds from the shop's account and charge/fine/penalise them too.


* Which I would have also said about Sony, so even the most secure services can be compromised.

[SkyWarp91]

Yeah I had a further look into the cards. So good thing credit card fraud can't really happen if you're not protective/keep alert of what's going on. This was all one big worry for me as I had my savings linked to my direct debit card (savings had basically nothing in it though lol).

What I've done now though is setup two different accounts where one is linked to a direct debit card used only for buying toys online and such. The main savings account would now be safe as there's no exposure to online stores but even if the toy spending account does get compromised, they'll barely be any dough in it.

Was this a better move?

[Zippo]

I always use Paypal with BBTS .. the payment is INSTANT rather than waiting 2-3 days for the payment to clear which when you are trying to make sure you ship an order under NZ's customs limit can be a lifesaver.