As you know, money is not only banknotes and specie. Money can be called everything with which you can pay for goods and services, from sea shells to gold bars. And “electronic currency” is also money. For example, WebMoney.
A couple of years ago, a visitor to an online store faced a painful choice. Paying for the purchase was quite difficult. Several options were offered, such as payment by bank or postal transfer, cash to the courier, etc. Of course, there is often not enough time to visit banks and post offices, and not everyone is ready to let a stranger into the house with a parcel.
Certainly nothing unique in the internet payment market WebMoney do not represent. "Electronic wallets" have long been willingly used in the West. Perhaps the most famous of these systems is PayPal (which we will talk about a bit below).
However, WebMoney - a phenomenon for the Russian-speaking Internet is too large-scale to go unnoticed. The system was organized in 1997. Today WebMoney is a network of companies spread all over the world. It provides uninterrupted user service (as far as possible).
What is a service?
Few Internet users (and those who consider themselves as such) are not familiar with this brand. In any case, this applies to users of the Russian-speaking Internet. WebMoney allows you to instantly pay for purchases, both with the use of special software and without it. Even if you do not have a computer at all, it does not matter. There are other options for working with the service!
Who can use WebMoney?
Almost anyone can start their own e-wallet, be it a Muscovite or a scammer from Nigeria. To register a basic account, it is enough to provide the organizers with a minimum of information that will not even be subject to verification. True, then the owner of the "account" will have access to a minimum of functions. For example, it will be very problematic to withdraw money to a bank account, etc.
If you really need all the features WebMoney Transfer, it is worth providing more information about yourself - passport data, TIN and other information. There are several levels of "trust" WebMoney to the user. After verification by certified agents, you will be able to give / receive loans, buy and sell "electronic shares", and so on. If you own an online store as a private entrepreneur or even act on behalf of a legal entity, a WM wallet is a must.
WebMoney to the extent possible encourages its regular customers. The more vigorous activity you have developed in the system, the more operations you have carried out, the more positive feedback about you - the higher your rating and the more new technical capabilities WM provides.
Currency unit WebMoney - the so-called "title sign", which is the electronic equivalent of a particular currency - dollars (WMZ), euros (WME), rubles (WMR), Ukrainian hryvnias (WMU), Japanese yens, etc.
By the way, if you wish, gold lovers can purchase WMG title units, which can be exchanged for real bars at any time.
Where to get electronic money?
There are many ways to acquire electronic currency. The easiest way is to purchase a card of the required denomination near the house. The larger the settlement, the more willingly sellers cooperate with WM.
You can deposit money into an account at one of the authorized exchange offices, or, for example, try to earn it on the Web by selling anything from programs of your own design to junk (antiques) from your grandmother's closet.
Payment / acceptance of payments is carried out using a computer or even without it. Sometimes you can not open an account in the system at all, just tell the seller the card details of the desired value.
What are WebMoney good for?
In this regard, title signs WebMoney not much different from ordinary money, and in some ways even more convenient.
- You can pay / accept payments in online stores (including buying "digital goods" like books, music, films (both licensed and vice versa),
- pay bills for telephone, Internet, satellite communications,
- pay for membership in any clubs, from a simple "fitness" to some "Society for the fight against electronic payment systems",
- give and receive loans,
- purchase air, train or theater tickets,
- exchange one title units for others or electronic currencies of other systems (Yandex.money, e-gold etc.).,
- lately can be calculated WebMoney and in some "real" stores. Of course, a glass of seeds at the metro for WebMoney not yet to buy, but this day is not far off.
Problems.
Of course, sometimes things don't go smoothly.
- First, today WebMoney many competitors appeared, including the most powerful, world-famous service PayPal. The latter, in fact, monopolized the foreign market of electronic payments, while allowing relatively safe use of bank cards of various types in the network. However, in many post-Soviet countries PayPal has "limited circulation". So, in Russia and Ukraine, you can only pay for purchases, payments are not provided. It's a shame, but in the near future the situation does not seem to change for the better.
- Secondly, on WebMoney there are a lot of complaints from users - there are known cases of blocking or deleting "suspicious" accounts, the degree of suspicion is determined by system administrators. Sometimes it's hard to prove you're right. Not to mention the time delays that can sometimes destroy an established business.
- Thirdly, like any payment service, WebMoney and its users are a tasty target for all kinds of scammers and hackers, organizers of "investment pyramids", etc. Despite strict control by the owners of the system, there are regularly those who want to rummage through users' electronic wallets.
- And, finally, competitors from among the monsters of the financial market. Many years after the advent of "electronic money", banks also caught on. The huge financial sector fell out of their sphere of influence. It is likely that influential banking institutions will influence legislative decisions and seek to restrict and regulate the activities of electronic payment systems, which may negatively affect their usability.
However, scolding the "uncontrolled" electronic money for unreliability, representatives of banks, to put it mildly, are cunning. The failure of banks at all times is a rather ordinary matter, while WebMoney, from the very moment of its foundation, if it suspended payments, then for a short time, and in most cases for purely technical reasons.
Perspectives.
It is unlikely that anyone today doubts the convenience and expediency of the existence of services like WebMoney. Now the logo without a hint is recognized not only by an adult, but even by a toddler. It can be found on almost any site that provides for certain calculations on the Web.
By the way, by installing a special application, for any URL you can determine whether the visited resource accepts WebMoney, what is its “reliability” rating, are there any complaints / positive reviews and much more.
