You're speaking to Queen of all things eBay and PayPal here...
yes, they use your email addy you used to set up account.
In case you haven't been told this yet, they give you a few transactions before you must submit your checking account info and id verification. That ticked me off, but it's understandable I guess. Been using it for about 5-6 yrs with zero problems.
They take about 3% from any incoming money you receive, but it's free to people paying. So if you take in the payments for welder guy, don't forget that PP takes 3% of it.
Also, any disputes that may arise if you're paying for ebay purchases are handled promptly and you get your money back, but you MUST file the claim within 45 days.
Also, eBay owns PayPal....talk about monopoly!
Thought of a few more things....it turned out them having the checking account info was helpful as you can transfer the funds from PP to your checking account with a few clicks.....takes 2-3 days tops. That comes in real handy.
Also, having a PP account allows people to use their credit card to pay you...even though you aren't a merchant or a business.