Why is my payment on hold or unavailable?

You’re a new seller with PayPal or an established seller who has opened a new account. 

• If you have a new PayPal account, it can take time to build up a positive reputation as a seller.

You haven’t sold in a while. 

• When your selling activity has been dormant for a long time, it'll take time to rebuild a positive reputation as a seller.

Multiple customers reported problems or requested refunds. 

• We recommend working with your customers to solve any problems.

Your selling pattern appears to have changed or seems unusual. 

• Unusual selling patterns include an unexpected surge in sales, a change in business type, a change in average selling price, or the type of item being sold.

You’re selling higher-risk items. 

• Higher-risk items can include event tickets, consumer electronics, travel packages, and gift cards.

Log in to your account and click on Know your options under your PayPal balance, to see if you can help release your payments on hold.

You may be able to release eligible payments by following one of the below steps: 

1. Add Tracking. Use one of our approved shipping carriers and we’ll release the hold approximately 24 hours after the courier confirms delivery to the buyer’s address. 
2. Update the order status if the held payment is for a service or intangible item (e.g. piano lessons, e-book). We'll release the hold 7 days after you confirm the order status as Completed.
3. Print shipping labels with us. We’ll track the item and release the hold approximately 24 hours after the courier confirms delivery to the buyer’s address. 

In rare cases, after these steps are completed, we may need to hold the payment for up to 21 days. For example, this can happen if we notice an unusual change in your selling patterns.

To add tracking information or update an order status: 

1. Go to your Activity. 
2. Find the purchase you want to update and click Get your money. If you sold a product, choose “Product” to add tracking information or print a shipping label. If you sold an intangible item or service, choose “Service or virtual product” to update the order status. You can update the order status to Completed, Pending, or Canceled.  
3. Click Submit.