HOW TO OPEN
A PAYPAL BUSINESS ACCOUNT
by John Granacki

1.  Before going online, be sure to have all your business' banking information on hand. You'll be required to supply the following for your business: account/owner name, address, email, bank name, plus your bank account and routing numbers.

2.   Go online to PayPal's Registration Page.

3.   Select the Country and/or Region of your business from the drop-down box provided.

4. Select the Language preference of your business from the drop-down box provided.

5.  Below the drop-down boxes are the three basic PayPal Accounts: Personal, Premier and Business. Select the "Start Now" button located under Business Account.

6.  Select the type of payment solution you prefer from the drop-down box. Careful now, the free option is probably good enough for your purposes, but PayPal will try to sell you a little bit more (It's the American way!) and maybe you'll find some value in the fee-based alternatives but I'm guessing not.  If you aren't sure which to choose, select "I don't know," and then answer the questions provided on the 'Find Your Payment Solution' page. When you have finished click the "Continue" button.

7.   An account will be recommended for you from the answers you provided.  Again, take this advice with a grain of salt, they ALWAYS recommend one of the fee-based options, but again they'll present all the other accounts available. Select the account you would like to open. Click the "Continue" button.

8.   Select the "Go" button on the page that opens, which shows the three-step process that is needed to set up your business account.

9.   Fill in the required information pertaining to your business. Click the "Continue" button. You may have to repeat this and similar processes until all the required information has been submitted. It all varies, depending on the services needed. At this point your account should be semi-functional -- with features similar to a personal account, but before you have access to seller features you will have to verify your bank account in the following manner.

10.PayPal will make two small deposits to your account, somewhere in the nickel to a quarter range (FREE MONEY!) but the actual amounts vary randomly.  Once you find out from your bank precisely how much these deposits are, sign in to PayPal and on your account summary page there will be a link in the right hand sidebar that says something like "Verify Your Bank Account." Click through to the next page where you'll be asked how much these deposits were — figures which only you and PayPal know for sure, thus assuring them that you are you, and more importantly that you are indeed the holder of the account. Once you have completed this final step you will have complete access to all PayPal business options.