If you have reached this article, it is likely that part of the balance you have in PayPal has been withheld by the company. Although not very common, PayPal can hold a payment or put it on hold for different reasons. It is not something that we should worry about if we have not breached the rules of the payment platform, since it can occur in countless scenarios (payments, online purchases, money transfers ...). But what is the real reason why PayPal holds money in our account? How long will it be held? Can that money be lost? We explain it to you below.
First of all, why has PayPal held money in my account?
The retention of a payment by PayPal can be due to mainly four reasons. Although the reason may vary depending on the case, PayPal's decision is purely for security reasons . In other words, PayPal holds money to make sure it comes to fruition.
Starting from this premise, the company differentiates four types of reasons. The first two are directly related to eBay, as it is the default payment service for the trading platform. The first reason has to do with the seller's reputation on eBay. If the general assessment of the company or the professional is “Fair” or “Bad” , it is most likely that the payment will be withheld for several days.
The objective of this measure is to ensure that the product arrives in good condition or that it simply reaches its destination. The second reason has to do directly with the seniority of the seller . If the seller in question has recently registered on the platform or lacks a stable sales history, the payment will be withheld for the same reasons just mentioned.
The third and fourth reasons are directly related to our account activity. For example, if we have received an unusual payment (100 euros, 200, 1,000…), PayPal will retain this amount to ensure that there are no other strange movements during the next few days. The same happens if our account has been inactive for a certain period (6 months, 1 year, 2 years ...). In short, make it an unusual activity.
How long will the money be held in my PayPal account
The retention time may vary based on different factors. Depending on the reason for the retention, the period can vary from a few hours (24 hours, generally) to 21 days, going through 7 days or 18 days . If we are eBay sellers, PayPal will most likely hold the balance for 21 days for the reasons we will see below.
I am an eBay seller and PayPal is holding my balance, why?
We have already discussed some of the reasons why PayPal can hold our balance if we are sellers. But the reasons are diverse. We leave you below with the conditions imposed by PayPal to withhold payments to sellers:
- Being a new seller, both on eBay and on other platforms.
- Have a limited history of sales on eBay or off the platform.
- Have been a PayPal seller for less than 6 months.
- Have an eBay feedback rating of less than 100.
- Not having a good sales record as a seller on eBay (negative ratings, disputes with PayPal ...).
- Receive less than 20 Detailed Seller Ratings on eBay in the last year.
- Have a performance as a regular eBay seller (few sales, sales widely separated in time ...).
- Having a large number of disputes opened by customers or a low percentage of feedback on eBay.
- Have a sudden change in sales activities. For example, go on to sell high-value items or receive a high amount of sales in a very short time.
- Sell high-risk category items. For example, show tickets, trips, gift vouchers, consumer electronics, smartphones and so on.
Can I release a pending PayPal payment?
There are some ways to expedite the release of payment before 21 days, but only if we are sellers.
To speed up this process, PayPal recommends that we keep in contact with the buyer frequently through the different eBay channels (comments, messages ...). It also recommends sending the shipment as soon as possible and certifying it in the relevant tracking system to mark the shipment as Sent or Processed through the different trading platforms. If it is a digital product (activation key, computer program ...) marking the item as Sold and Received immediately will help us to further accelerate the payment by PayPal
Another of PayPal's recommendations has to do directly with the PayPal rating system. Frequently leaving feedback to buyers and receiving feedback from them will help PayPal get better feedback on eBay transactions. Likewise, the company imposes as a recommendation to package the products correctly and be meticulous with the shipping addresses so as not to suffer delays or possible confusion.
What can I do if PayPal does not pay me the amount withheld?
It may be the case that PayPal refuses to pay us the amount established as Pending. This can be for two reasons. The first has to do with the delivery status of the product.
If the customer reports not having received the product, it is likely that PayPal will hold the payment for several more days to ensure that we have sent the shipment correctly. The best thing to do in these cases is to contact the parcel company directly to speed up the shipment as much as possible.
The second reason is because the buyer has filed a claim with PayPal or eBay. The solution in this case depends on the type of claim and the evidence provided by each of the parties. If the product has been damaged during transport or does not correspond to what is described in the advertisement, PayPal will act as a mediator to apply a resolution that is as fair as possible for both parties .
As sellers we will have to provide any proof that verifies both the shipment and the status of the product . Tracking codes, packaging photographs ...