Account Limitations: What You Need to Know

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PayPal Employee
PayPal Employee

 

Keeping your business and customers safer

To ensure PayPal remains a safer place for enabling payments, we regularly review all accounts. Sometimes, limitations may be placed on your PayPal account, which could restrict you from completing certain actions: such as withdrawing, spending, or receiving money. Limitations are in place to help protect all our customers, and in some cases to meet our regulatory obligations. Protecting your account and money is important to us.

 

Account Limitations: What might cause it, and how to help avoid it?

If your PayPal account is limited, you may be unable to withdraw, send or receive money. There are a number of reasons why your account could be limited:

 

Suspicious & unusual activity

  • We suspect someone could be using your account without your knowledge.
  • Your bank alerts us that someone has used your credit/debit card linked to your account without your permission.
  • There are unexpected changes to your selling activities such as a sudden increase in your typical sales volume.

In such cases, we do what it takes to protect you from potential fraud prompted by the unusual activity– through limiting your account, and investigating.

 

You can safeguard your personal information and help protect yourself against fraud through some simple measures.  For example, don’t enter your personal or financial details when describing items for sale or in response to emails, and log out of sites you’ve entered your personal information into.

 

Regulatory reasons or business is not compliant

Your account could be limited for regulatory reasons. For example, India PayPal sellers need to include additional information to be able to accept payments in their account. Also, reaching a certain transaction value in your account may trigger a limit, which can also be removed by providing information required to PayPal.

 

There are also restrictions on what a PayPal account can be used to accept (and make) payments for. For example, PayPal doesn't allow the sale of counterfeit goods or banned items. So, ensure that your business is compliant with PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy .


Increased buyer issues

An increase of complaints, claims and chargebacks from buyers can lead to account limitations.

 

Following some simple guidelines can help you improve your performance and reduce the likelihood of limitations. Overall, communication is key. You should:

  • Provide detailed product descriptions and photos.
  • Be upfront about policies such as shipping and returns.
  • Ship orders promptly and track shipments.
  • Respond quickly to any messages from buyers.
  • Work to amicably resolve any problems.
  • Ship to the address provided in the transaction details page.
  • Use quality shipping materials to prevent damage.

 

Removing limitations

 If your PayPal account is limited, here’s what happens:

  1. We’ll email you to let you know –  we’ll ask you to log in to your PayPal account and go to the Resolution Centre for details on how to resolve the issue quickly, usually by providing information.
  2. Once you’ve submitted the information required, we’ll review and reply via email.
  3. We’ll remove the limitations once we have verified your account. At times, limitations can be removed by simply changing your security questions and password.

Here are the types of information and documents we may need from you:

- Supplier’s invoice with contact information

This helps us determine the inventory source and validate that you have the items that you’re selling in stock.

 

- Payment information

When an invoice is unavailable, we’ll review the following information about your payments:

  • The item or service that was sold
  • The buyer’s name and shipping address
  • Proof of shipment to verify that an order was delivered

- Shipping or Tracking information

This helps us to verify that customer orders are being fulfilled.

 

- Proof of business
This provides evidence of a valid business registration and business ownership.

 

- Information for India sellers
This is to comply with our India regulatory obligations. Provide a valid PAN, a local bank account and the purpose code in your PayPal account task board.

 

- Proof of address such as bank statement or utility bill, Proof of identity such as passport or driver’s license
This helps us verify your identity when there is unusual account activity or to comply with regulations.

 

Once you’ve submitted your information, look out for any more emails from us as we may need additional details. We’ll do our best to confirm your information and remove the limitation within 2 business days, but sometimes it can take a little longer.

 

Quick Tip: If your PayPal account is limited, don’t open a new account. It could be traced back to the limited account.  It’s always best to resolve the limitation. We will guide you through it and restore full access to your PayPal account as quickly as possible.

 

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1,050 REPLIES 1,050

slouise_26
Contributor
Contributor
My account has randomly been limited and I have no option to resolve anything in the resolution centre. I’ve tried to call PayPal and they said I can only email, ive emailed and had no reply.
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clearlycheri
Contributor
Contributor
What number did you call?
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slouise_26
Contributor
Contributor
Just the number on the “call us” section
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adil-tuffail
Contributor
Contributor

It did not help me in removing sending (paypal to paypal) limits. Although I provided all information whenever asked.

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XavierC-20
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for the info. I've had my account temporarily limited, and I'm waiting for PayPal to respond. The problem appears to have been caused by me, and I'm pretty certain my account is secure. I rather daftly kept resigning-in to make a purchase through my PayPal account on a site, and so I believe that's what the issue was. I've changed my password, and have provided the necessary information and everything. I also have a case number. I'm not sure here is the best place to ask, but I wanted to help as much as I can in making the situation easy to handle for PayPal. (=

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Aleascloud9
Member
Member
Well how come I never got an email, and still am waiting after a week for someone to tell me if I need to submit more information or not??
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Bigsoa
Contributor
Contributor
I need help to get my account up and running again please.
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Sophy1
Contributor
Contributor
How to transfer money from PayPal having a limitations for 180 days?
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Lamborgcz
Contributor
Contributor

I think we should all get together in a war against PayPal - it is nothing but an criminal organization, which should get what they deserve.

They are hiding behind their "privacy policy", and they think they can steal our money. Currently, they owe me over $7000, which I am in doubt they will ever give me back. If paypal closes our accounts because of some "violation" , fine with me, close the damn account but right in the world do you have to steal my money? 

I suggest to prepare a letter and send it to the governments, police, etc.

PayPal is simply stealing our money for many years.

It's time to stop!

 

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clearlycheri
Contributor
Contributor
Seriously though! My account was permanently disabled July 8, 2020 so the 280 was over Jan 4, 2021. I received an email stating my funds were eligible for transfer- but 4 phone calls and endless hours on hold later a supervisor informed me that on Dec 9, 2020 some other violation occurred which started a new 180 days. What could've happened on my frozen account?!!! It's bs and need handled legally. They have like $1700 of mine
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