When trading with paypal, it's best to do so with someone who is trustworthy. Make sure you do background checks on whomever you're trading with. Check their steamrep profile they're not a scammer and or have a caution. It's also a good practice to use a trustworthy middleman, (steamrep has a list of those). When using a middleman, also make sure to check their steamrep as well, many people like to pretend they're certain people (even I've had people pretend to be me). Also, make sure, when being sent the money for your items, that you receive it as a gift to minimize any fees, also, have the other person write a note on the transaction that says that they will not charge you back. Many scammers like to charge back money they've sent to other people.

ive had plenty of people successfully charge back even with that text being included in the transaction

Originally posted by Frankie's Fifth Finger:

ive had plenty of people successfully charge back even with that text being included in the transaction

The text in the notes isn't something Paypal endorses. Since the chargeback claim means they weren't the ones who authorized the payment.

A tip for avoiding chargebacks, is to trade with users with rep dating back 2-3 months.
Trade with reputable users, sometimes it's worth selling at a lower rate for safety guarantees.

I have traded with user's new to Paypal. And I havn't had a single chargeback. The way someone talks can also say a lot and is the reason I would trade with someone with little to no rep.

Another thing you can do is limit how many keys someone can buy at once. If you're selling 100 keys, but only let any given trader buy up to a maximum of 10 keys, it'll take longer and be more frustrating, but if one or a couple of them chargeback, you'll be able to cut your losses. Not putting all your eggs in one basket, if you will.

Middlemen are useful, but with PayPal transactions the biggest risk is a chargeback which doesn't happen until a few days/weeks after the trade completes. Using a middleman won't prevent that from happening, which is why it's so important to background check traders before making the trade (which some middleman will do, and refuse to complete the trade if something is fishy).

As a buyer, the risk of getting screwed over PayPal is much lower so long as caution is used. As a seller it's a little different. I never, ever do the stupid "I hereby hencedo whereinwhich henceforth solemnly swear this r a real contract cuz POOP TITTIES doth declareth" nonsense. Even with a middleman, there's nothing stopping a chargeback, which at minimum is an inconvenience.

Use SOP, do some research,make sure the person you're talking to is the person they're saying they are, and you'll be fine. As a seller I kept ScreenCaptured videos of every transaction I ever made for a month just to be safe.