PayPal is a convenient means of online payment which enables individuals and businesses to carry out transactions at a discounted rate with affordable services. It makes sending and receiving money from a buyer to a seller a seamless process without stress nor wasting of time when the necessary procedures are duly followed.
Sometimes, PayPal may place a hold on a user despite it being your money and then the person ponders on why such occurrence happens. Drink some water, it is simply to ensure safeness and security between the two parties involved in the transaction (the buyer and the seller). Now, to the question which troubles your mind
Read Also: PayPal Restricted Countries And Other Alternatives
Resolving PayPal money on hold can be done by adding tracking information to the item, a shipping label to the document, and posting real photos of the item you want to sell. This article will provide more insight on how to resolve your PayPal money on hold and even give you necessary tips on what to do to avoid PayPal holding your funds.
Why will PayPal hold my money or deny me access to it?
Here are some reasons why PayPal may place a hold on a user;
1. You’re new to selling:
The probability of PayPal placing a hold on an amateur is high. If you happen to fall into this category, all you need to do is just to build up your profile by firstly confirming your identity and then building up a good positive activity.
2. You haven’t sold anything in a long duration of time:
It is worthy to note that your selling activity increases with your buyer-seller transactions. This means that if you did not carry out any selling activity, then, it will also take time to rebuild your history of good positive buyer-seller transactions.
3. A lot of customers filed complaints about a refund, dispute, or chargeback:
If numerous customers filed for a refund dispute or chargeback, it is for this to delay the availability of your money. As advised by PayPal, the best way to work this out is to work directly with buyers to ensure that such issues are resolved on time. It is best advisable to postpone the shipping of any item until this is being resolved, otherwise, it might result in a great loss at the seller’s end.
4. You have a strange selling pattern:
An illustration of an unusual sales activity is an increment in sales or a sudden change in your average selling price, business transaction, or the type of item being sold.
5. You’re selling a higher-risk item:
These are any high-value placed items that are easy to be stolen. A list of such items include; tickets, jewellery (precisely, those made from gold, silver, or any other precious metals), credit cards, gift cards, electronics gadgets, and travel packages.
For How Long Will PayPal Hold My Fund?
Oftentimes, PayPal will hold your money for up to 504 hours i.e 21 days. However, there are some things you can do to make the delay cut short.
Things to do to Access Your PayPal Money Faster
Even after knowing the duration of time, it will take for PayPal to hold your money. There are still some certain things that can be done by you to access your money faster. If there are no issues with the order, then you may be able to cut off the number of days for PayPal to hold your money by taking any of these actions;
1. Get on to print a USPS or get a UPS shipping label from your PayPal account.
This helps to update your tracking information and delivery confirmation. Although, it requires you to have money in your PayPal account. Here’s how to go about creating a shipping label directly from your PayPal account:
- Log in to your PayPal account.
- Click on the activity at the top of the pop-out page and find the item you want to ship.
- Search the transaction you‘re looking for and then click on “ship”
- Choose your shipping carrier. Here you’ve to choose either USPS or UPS as your shipping carrier.
- Enter to review your shipping information then click on “calculate shipping”.
- Click on “confirm and make your payment”. Then,
- Click on “print label” on the “finish printing your label” page.
- Print your shipping label on plain paper folding it at the line.
- Attach the label using clear plastic shipping tape over the entire label.
You might decide to create a single shipping label not related to a payment which you received, simply use the Multi-Order Shipping“.
2. Add a piece of tracking information.
To do this, use one of PayPal’s approved shipping carriers. The tracking number will make PayPal release the payment within 2-3 days of the carrier confirming delivery. Here’s how to go about adding tracking information to your payment;
- Log in to your PayPal account.
- Click on the activity at the top of the pop-out page
- Search the transaction you would like to update, then click on the picklist in the “Actions” column next to this.
- Click “add tracking” in the dropdown list and add the tracking information. If you sold a product and it happens that you have a tracking number, just select “product” and add the necessary tracking information. For intangible items or services, select “service or virtual product” and confirm the order of the status.
- Click on “submit”. Then, you are done.
The buyer will automatically receive an email notifying them that you had put in the shipping tracking information for the transaction (if applicable). The content of the email will include the tracking number, order of the status, and the shipping company.
A list of PayPal approved carriers in the United States last updated on June 18, 2020, are;
- USPS
- UPS
- DHL eCommerce US
- Echo
- FedEx
- RL Carriers
- RRD International Logistics USA
- OnTrac
- Newgistics
- MailAmericas
- Globegistics Inc.
- Ensenada
- DHL Express (Piece ID)
- Expeditors
How To Avoid Delay of My PayPal Money
Certain things can be done to avoid the delay of your PayPal money in the future. Here are the necessary things to put in place;
1. Check your email reviewing the message PayPal send and the alert in your account overview.
If a buyer made a payment on what he/she purchases from you, you’ll be notified via your email with the title “An important message about your PayPal balance” or via an alert in your account overview. This email will include necessary information about why your funds are not available and what you can do to avoid such shortcomings in the future.
2. You can as well prevent refunds, disputes, and chargeback by doing the following;
- Post real images of what you’re about the sell with detailed and accurate descriptions of the items so that interested buyers will know what exactly they want to buy as well as what to get.
- Be transparent about the shipping and handling time, costs, and methods. As a good seller, you must process orders promptly to avoid delays.
- Proper packaging of the good with quality materials, so that it gets to the customer in a good condition.
- Upload the tracking information of the approved PayPal carriers or print a USPS/UPS shipping label via PayPal to avoid being a victim to fraudsters.
- Clearly state your return policy upfront to avoid any unforeseen problems later.
3. Provide good customer service:
Good communication skills and helping your customers is necessary. If any customer reaches out to you via your mobile number, email, or by any means whatsoever, do your best to be responsive, plain, honest, and be truthful in your words. This will help to reduce the number of buyers who will dispute with you or even make up claims and chargebacks. If you happen to have a misunderstanding with any of your customers, reach out to them and ensure it is being resolved via the “Resolution Center“.
What is the PayPal Resolution Center and How to get there?
PayPal Resolution Center is a tool specially designed which provides a link between a customer and a seller and it also serves as protection regarding the purchase of various goods from all over the globe.
It is the customer support service that is in charge of solving issues related to different transactions, unauthorized actions, and resolving disputes.
How to get there;
- Log in to your PayPal account
- Go to “more” in the main menu bar. Then,
- Select “resolution centre”.
Or,
- Log in to your PayPal account
- Click on “help” at the top of the page
- At the right side of the page, you will see a menu with a list of options. Scroll down until where you will see “Disputes and Claims”. Then, click on it.
- At the bottom of the pop-out page, you will see the “Help Center” icon. Click this.
- In the new window which must have popped out, you’ll see an empty bar with “Ask a question or search by a keyword”. Right next to this you will find the Resolution Center link.
4. Set a customer service message
Setting up a customer service message in the Resolution Center may prevent disputes. For example, if a shipment will be delayed because of a pandemic in your country, notifying the interested buyer to be aware may answer their question and erase all sorts of upcoming disputes which are unnecessary.
Frequently asked questions
As a buyer, what if I cancel a payment moments after I had sent the money to the seller?
Provided you had cancelled the payment, it will reflect on the “history” page. Go to your “activity” tab to know the status while you wait to be refunded in a maximum of 21 days.
Does PayPal also charge the money receiver a certain amount of money?
Yes, PayPal deducts about 5% from the receiver.
What happens if the buyer paid with PayPal but received the item in person. The hold is 21 days, do I have to just wait as I cannot attach a tracking number because the item hasbeen picked up. Should I just wait the period out?
You can decide to wait. But, for the sake of another time, speak to the buyer and explain to the customer that PayPal delays the funds for 21 days and see if they are willing to confirm the receipt of the goods.
My customer does not have a PayPal account, I had invoiced him for virtual services and he paid the invoice through credit card. But, he says he does not know where to find the “confirm” option. What do I do?
You simply have to wait up to 21 days. It might be shorter or could be in exactly 21 days.
What will happen if a sender doesn’t have a PayPal account and he still sends you money?
Although you will get the money. But, it’ll be within 21 days from the sending date.
What if the sender paid via an invoice?
The money will be placed on hold. It is simply a safety measure by PayPal to protect the buyer by holding payment till the goods are delivered usually on/before 21 days. But, if you are in communication with the buyer and they agree, then, PayPal can confirm it so that you get your funds quicker.
If PayPal restricted a user with the message, “you can no longer use PayPal”, what can I do?
You will not be allowed to use PayPal in that country. This usually happens if you try to use a USA PayPal account when you are not an American or in America.
Conclusion
We have achieved the goal of this article by stating reasons why PayPal might hold your money, how to resolve PayPal money on hold, the duration at which the money might be held, what to do to ensure prompt release of the money, and how to avoid such occurrences in the future. We believe that following these processes which have been stated will help you to avoid being a victim of those whose funds will be held by PayPal.
If you’ve found this article helpful and it comes in handy, ensure to share it with your friends and family so they can as well enjoy it!
