Hi,
I have bought and sold loads of stuff on ebay, and I sometimes get worried as the money does not leave my back account for a few days. But I have emailed the customers and they said the money was in their paypal account as soon as i had done the transaction. the catch is that it takes three days to get the money from paypal, so that gives them time to get the money from your account or stop the transaction if need be. If you do not have a paypal account, they do a thing called an "E cheque" This is where you buy something from ebay, and choose to pay via paypal by credit card or bank transfer. paypal then debit your bank or card, and wait for clearance, the seller is informed that you have paid by e-cheque and it will take ten days to clear. once paypal have the funds, they e-mail the seller and tell them it is o.k to post the item. very long winded, much easier to sign up for paypal, takes about a week, then you can buy instantly from ebay and loads of other sellers. Very secure, as only paypal have your details, they are not given to any sellers, and paypal keep a record for you, all free of charge, and, if things go wrong, paypal will contact the seller and hold their payment until it is all sorted, or give you your money back, can't ask for more than that.
all the best,
Annie