Hello 'halleywarner',
You don't need a paypal account, but you may need a real credit card. I've never seen the "gift card cift certificate section" you speak of. When we make a purchase and click Pay Now, we are offered two choices, - pp acc or credit card.
Most gift cards do not work because a card has to be verifiable the way a real one is. Some prepaid credit cards are okay, so you may want to get one of those. Perhaps you could elaborate a little on what it is that has you believing gift cards are an option.
