I use a credit card which is linked to my paypal account. You can apply for a credit card issued by paypal, as well. The transaction still goes through paypal, so buyer and seller have some assurances that they are each legit, and have valid addresses and financial surety with the paypal mechanism. PAypal, like credit card providers, always take a percentage of the "take" on any exchange - sometimes the seller passes this on to the buyer, or absorbs the cost, or the buyer pays it separately as arranged. As paypal account is linked to a bank account, the bank account can be the primary or secondary funds source for any exhange, with the credit card(s) as the alternate.
I've been using paypal for ebay and for other purchases for at least 9 years now without a hitch. FWIW
