Is PayPal safe for craigslist for meetups?

[DayMoney]

Is using PayPal to pay for an item on craigslist safe? I've heard of people getting scammed on craigslist that used PayPal but that was when shipping items. I'm actually going to meet the seller in person at a public place because he doesn't live too far from me and I won't be sending the payment we meet in person and I see the actual item. The listing said "PayPal only" and I believe that the seller has had a problem with fake bills which is the reason for him only accepting PayPal. Any thoughts?

[angelleye]

I would wait to send the payment until you've met up and have the item you're buying in hand...and are happy with it.  You could submit payment from your phone right then and this would be safe for you.

The danger is actually selling on Craigslist.  PayPal Seller Protection is not valid for items that are picked up in person, so if you were to meet up with the person to get your item, send the payment, but then later filie a dispute saying you never received it they would have no way to prove that you did recive it and you would likely win the case.

I'm not advocating that you do that, of course.  Just explaining that the danger with PayPal on Craigslist is more on the seller side than the buyer side (as long as you don't send a payment somewhere before actually having the item in your hands).