Compared
For people selling on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp who are deciding how to take money from a stranger. Every statement about another service links to that service's own page.
PayPal is strong for shipped items: goods and services payments come with Seller Protection when you have tracking, for a 2.99% fee. Its Seller Protection excludes items handed over in person unless the buyer paid with PayPal’s goods and services QR code, and buyers can dispute for 180 days.
Nilfpay is built around the handover: the card payment is confirmed in your app before you hand over, the buyer reads you a pickup code, and disputes are reviewed by a person. Sellers pay $0; the buyer pays 4%.
Shipping to a stranger with tracking: PayPal is a sound choice and so is Nilfpay. Selling face to face: Nilfpay confirms the payment at no cost to you.
Side by side
Numbers in brackets link to the source.
| Question | Nilfpay | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Fees for me, the seller | $0 for you. The buyer pays a 4% service fee, 50¢ minimum, added at checkout. [1] | Friends and family from a bank or balance: no fee. Goods and services: the seller pays 2.99% (“Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services”); an in-person QR code payment is 2.29% + $0.09. Instant transfer to your bank is 1.75% ($0.25 minimum, $25 maximum); a standard transfer is free. [2] |
| Can the buyer fake the payment | No. The card payment is captured at checkout and the order shows as Paid in your app before you hand anything over. There is no screenshot to trust and nothing to check on the buyer’s phone. | The payment itself cannot be faked, but emails styled as PayPal payment-pending notices and confirmations are among the most copied by scammers. Log in to PayPal yourself and look at the transaction. |
| Can the buyer reverse it later | Rarely, and never silently. The buyer can open a dispute with Nilfpay, and card disputes exist on top. Your pickup code or your delivery tracking is your evidence. If a card dispute is lost after the handover, you carry it. | Yes. A buyer can open a Purchase Protection dispute “within 180 days of the date you sent the payment,” or a chargeback with their card. Seller Protection can cover you when you shipped with tracking. [3] |
| Do I have to share my phone number or bank details | No. The buyer sees your shop page, its name, your link or QR code, and any social links you choose to add. Never your phone number, email or bank details. | Partly. The buyer needs your PayPal email or phone number, a PayPal.Me link, or scans your QR code. Your bank details stay private. [4] |
| Do I get the money instantly | The order shows as Paid the moment the buyer pays. Payouts go out daily and land in your US bank account the next business day, or you pick the money up in cash at Western Union or MoneyGram. | Into your PayPal balance, yes, though PayPal can hold funds on some accounts and transactions. Standard transfer to your bank is free; instant is 1.75%. [5] |
| Works for in-person sales | Yes. The buyer scans your QR code or opens your link and pays on their phone. They read you a 4-digit pickup code and you hand over. | Yes, but Seller Protection excludes “physical, tangible items delivered in person” unless the buyer paid in person “using PayPal’s goods and services QR code.” [6] |
| Works for shipped items | Yes. You set a flat delivery fee, then mark the order shipped with the carrier and tracking number. Tracking that shows delivery to the buyer’s address counts as delivered. Without it, an item-not-received dispute goes to the buyer. | Yes. This is where PayPal is strong: Seller Protection covers item-not-received and unauthorized-transaction claims when you provide proof of shipment or delivery, meaning “an online and verifiable tracking number.” [6] |
| What happens if the buyer disputes | The buyer opens it in Nilfpay. A person reviews the order, the pickup code or the tracking, and the messages, then decides. The buyer can also dispute with their card issuer. | The buyer opens a PayPal dispute or a card chargeback. PayPal decides. “Personal payments including a payment sent using PayPal’s friends and family functionality” are not eligible for Seller Protection. [6] |
| Who it is best for | Sales to strangers where you want the money confirmed before the handover, custom orders you want paid before you start, and anything you ship. | Shipped sales to strangers, tagged as goods and services, with tracking. The longest track record of any option here for disputes. |
Trade-offs
FAQ
Mostly not. PayPal’s program page lists physical, tangible items delivered in person as not eligible, unless the buyer paid in person using PayPal’s goods and services QR code. For a Marketplace handover paid by an ordinary PayPal transfer, you are outside the program.
PayPal says a Purchase Protection dispute must be opened within 180 days of the payment. Card chargebacks follow the card issuer’s own window. Seller Protection can cover you when you shipped with an online, verifiable tracking number.
No, for either side. PayPal’s Seller Protection page lists personal payments, including friends and family, as not eligible. A buyer who asks you to invoice as friends and family to save the fee is also removing your protection.
PayPal goods and services: 2.99%, or 2.29% + $0.09 for an in-person QR code payment, plus 1.75% if you want an instant transfer to your bank. Nilfpay: $0; the buyer pays 4% at checkout and the payout lands the next business day.
The buyer can open a dispute in Nilfpay, and card disputes exist on top. A person at Nilfpay reviews the order, the pickup code or the tracking, and the messages. A card dispute lost after the handover is carried by the seller, so enter the pickup code and keep tracking for shipped orders.
When you ship to a stranger, tag the payment as goods and services, and keep tracking. PayPal’s dispute process is long-established and buyers know it. Nilfpay handles shipping too, with tracking counting as delivery, but PayPal is the older road.
Sources
Last verified: September 22, 2026. Nilfpay facts are Nilfpay's own; provider facts are quoted from the pages below.
Nilfpay confirms the buyer's card payment in your app before you hand anything over. Sellers pay $0; the buyer pays a 4% fee at checkout, and the money lands the next business day, in your bank or as cash at Western Union or MoneyGram.
See how Nilfpay worksFree for sellers. United States.