Waiting period for 'completed' transactions?

[mouse4286]

hi i made a payment to an ebay user and got all the reciepts saying the payment went through and the transaction is complete but my paypal money is on zero (it was before) and no money is gone from my bank account. i'm very confused is there usually a waiting period? sorry if this is really obvious, this is my first time using paypal and i just want to make sure there's no hidden charges or anything like that. thank you

[kernowlass]

@mouse4286

When you pay a seller from your bank account it is never instant, it is called instant because paypal CREDIT the seller for you and then paypal take the wait for your funds to transfer from your bank account.

They do this as long as you have a back up card linked to your paypal account as well just in case the bank account transfer fails for whatever reason.

The funds can leave your bank account at any time from 3-5 days later BUT as the seller has been credited it means your item can be despatched asap.

[Azryu]

What the person above said is right. PayPal, as a courtesy, fronts the necessary money for 'instant transfers' and gives it to the seller of your items right away. This ensures your order gets processed ASAP.

On their end, hoever, they have to wait normal bank transfer clearing times to get paid back (typically 3-4 business days).