Paypal is very safe. Go to
www.paypal.com to sign up. There is also a link on ebay. I both buy and sell on ebay & Paypal is the best way to pay and be paid. I only accept Paypal and am setup to accept credit cards through Paypal. It's much simpler. Paypal draws money from my checking account to pay for items if I do not have a balance in Paypal from selling items. A Paypal account works very much like a savings or checking account. Money flows in and out depending on whether you are depositing by selling and being paid, or paying for a purchase. I can also have Paypal charge to a credit card if I want to, but almost always have them pull for my checking.
You can even send funds to people and make donations to YorkieTalk using Paypal.
Have fun saving money on ebay, and if when you feel confident enough, it's a great place to get rid of stuff. You can sell items for more than you would at a garage sale. I just sold a couple of old vintage aluminum dutch ovens and made over $60.00. Can't beat that!!!