[traceroute66]

> want direct (cash) bank transfers ... This has its only issues as its slow and not very customer friendly.

Actually, there are issues that raise red flags when a business only accepts bank transfers:

      (a) It raises a GIGANTIC red flag as to why a business was unable to get a merchant account with a card processor.  Pretty much any business can get a merchant account with a bit of paperwork (generally not much more paperwork than for opening a bank account).  So if a business is refused a merchant account everywhere (including PayPal) then, well .....

      (b) At least in Europe, credit card holders gain SIGNIFICANT protection under law. Basically as long as your transaction is over a minimum amount (normally small, e.g. £100/€100), then the card issuer (i.e. bank) is *automatically* equally liable in the event something goes wrong (i.e.  goods or services are faulty, are not delivered as promised, are not as advertised or if the trader or retailer goes out of business).  This legal protection applies even if the amount you paid on your card was a mere deposit instead of the full amount. (Generally the only caveat here is that you need to pay the merchant directly on their merchant account, not via a pooling intermediary such as Paypal).

So actually for most consumers paying for high-value items on credit card is the Right Thing (TM) to do.

[docflabby]

In the UK at least try and get building work done or buy a new car with a credit card and see how far you get...

Credit cards work great for small transactions for both consumers and businesses, but risks get high for the business (espcially small businesses) for larger transactions.