Make sure you ar an informed consumer.
http://www.paypalsucks.com/
I do buy stuff with Paypal, and overall have been satisfied with the service.
This does not prevent me from taking some basic precautions, like only sending money from a credit card, for the added protection from the CC company. I also have not gone through the "verification" process, so Paypal has NO access to my bank account. If I ever get to that point, or if I need to accept payment, I will set up a second bank account for paypal only.
Lots of banks offer free checking.
Tom