Account Limitations: What You Need to Know

[PayPal_Mark]

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.

[Annoyed87]

This company is too big and well used for such a crappy awful customer service. I mean seriously how can you just randomly limit an account without so much of a verication of said “suspicious activity” and then permanently ban me? There is no way to actually verify what happen since reps are in the dark. They claim to email you but I didn’t receive anything. Can’t view any messages. Can’t really create a new account. I’ve been a customer since 2010. This is BS

[Monsterpaint]

They rely on the fact very few people are wealthy enough to challenge them in court, especially after their money and indeed livelihoods have been taken away.

Aside from the incompetence and contempt they have for the customer, which are after all commonplace in the banking world, the number of bugs on their site is staggering. It's like a pre-alpha release of the software. Clearly the underlying algorithms are just as buggy.

I transfer money out of Paypal within hours of it arriving, because I don't trust them to hold onto it for a minute. Luckily I have the ability to accept payments via credit and debit cards using another provider, because if I had to rely on these clowns there's no way I could run a business.

[temp20220507c]

I just had my account limited and mine is a personal not business account.ive never sold nothing through here

[Dr_R]

"Once you’ve submitted the information required, we’ll review and reply via email."

>We'll review.

There it is. The biggest lie ever told.

[laznagy]

My account has been permanently limited since I opened it, I have called twice to resolve it which they said they would, and it has not been resolved. Finally, today I called to close my account since this has been such a headache and apparently that's not possible either because PayPal keeps my information on file in case I want to open a future account. You have my SSN, bank info, email, phone number, address. I have provided everything and verified everything. Do you need the blood of my first-born son? WHY CAN I NOT GET THIS RESOLVED!!!! I do not understand how this company cannot undo something they did because of their "system" then all they can answer with is have a good day and hang up on me. How is it that I cannot get transferred to someone actually in charge of accounts. this is the most backwoods business I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

[boxa007]

I am from Ukraine and i have a big war in my country now. I live in Kharkov. It's city near russia. But my account was blocked by PayPal. Maybe because i sent money to my mother and volunteers. It was my last money. I try to send it for my mother. She need help. But now i can't help she... What can i do? If i delete my account is it possible to receive my money back? Thank you

[Marecil]

What can i do my passport already expired how can i prove my identity ?? While im creating this app im using my expired passport??

[HQ5]

My account got limited after receiving a payment, there is no instructions about how to unlock it, what's wrong?????????????????????????????

You can't use PayPal anymore
At PayPal, we value a safe community for our customers to do business. We noticed activity in your account that’s inconsistent with our User Agreement and we no longer offer you PayPal services.

Based on this decision, if applicable, you are no longer eligible for PayPal Seller Protection as per our User Agreement. This will apply to all existing and future cases you receive.

Any bank or card information linked to your PayPal account cannot be removed nor can it be used to create a new account. You can still log in and see your account information but you can’t send or receive payments. Funds in your balance will be held for 180 days, after which we’ll send you an email with instructions about withdrawing your funds.

Reference ID: PP-L-316207522028

[iTesla]

I think this happen when PP detects that you got a payment for unknown stuff, if you read their ToS you will see that they are prohibiting money laundering, maybe you should contact them with evidence for what you received the money.
Hope this helps.

[toastus]

This all BULL! I opened an account WITH all of our business info *AND* my drivers license. We received ONE payment and immediately had our account locked. I will  *NEVER* recommend PayPal ever. We opened up a Square account after this and have had ZERO issues. We have money ties up in our PP account and we can't get to it, can't refund it, and cannot get a resolution. We got an email that said there were steps we could take, but all we see is that our account is permanently blocked.