PayPal is the way to go – but it can be EXTREMELY frustrating when you first get started ... they have "rules" for security reasons (which is completely understandable) ... but ... they don't TELL you all of the rules upfront ...
so ...
if you're planning to do a LOT of "big ticket" buying when you first get started, you can expect some heartaches ... basically their "red flags" will go up and you'll probably have some trouble getting everything rolling ...
but then ...
once you're "in" and have been proven "worthy" things will be a lot easier ...
suggestion: if your schedule will allow it, start buying a few things here and there until the first layer of dust settles ... I didn't know that trick and tried to order about $6,000 worth of gear the first day I signed up ... that was NOT fun ... even though my credit card had PLENTY of horsepower to cover the bills, the security issues brought things to a screeching halt at about $2,000 into the list ... so, I went with the "tie it to your checking account" idea ... but, I set up a brand new account JUST for my EBay transactions ... I always transfer just enough cash in there to cover whatever I'm buying ... if some happy hacker gets a hold of my numbers, he can't get into my "real" checking accounts ... anyway, the checking account thing took a few days to be "cleared" through security – and guess what? – as soon as I started THAT setup – the security put all of the rest of my "credit card" limit on hold ...
tip: make sure that your bank doesn't automatically tie all of your accounts together to "streamline your electronic banking experience" ... especially make sure that you don't have an "overdraft" protection on an "exposed" checking account ... hackers can clean all of that out too ... (and yes, if you're wondering, I certainly DO wear a tinfoil headpiece under my cap – just so that no one can read my brainwaves) ...
anyway ... I TRUST NO ONE when it comes to "online" transactions ... even if the company is perfectly legit, a disgruntled employee can still leak out a list of numbers and access codes, etc., etc. ...
so the good news is: I've bought a LOT of Allen-Bradley equipment on EBay – and have had ZERO complaints about how things have been handled ...
advice: as you've already been warned, check the seller's number of transactions – and their feedback ratings – and whether they'll accept a return within a week or so ... personally, I refuse to buy ANYTHING that says "no returns" accepted ... IF (big IF) you ever have a problem with a purchase, don't just nail the seller with a negative feedback – that won't really help you in the long run ... instead, contact them and give them a chance to straighten things out to your satisfaction – and then leave positive feedback when everything is finally fixed ... everyone that I've ever dealt with will bend over backwards to avoid a negative feedback ... you don't even have to threaten them – just let them know that you're dissatisfied ...
one other word of advice: set up a special email account (Yahoo, Google, etc.) and use it just for your EBay transactions ... reason: you're probably going to get a lot more incoming mail than you're expecting ... notice, update, invoice, receipt, shipping confirmation, additional stuff you might be interested in, etc. ... communication is GOOD – but the volume of it can be overwhelming if you order several things at one time ...