PayPal is keeping captive 400usd and telling me to refund 200usd to my client before I can get paid

[theartsypt]

PayPal is keeping captive 400$ and telling me to send 200$ of my own money to who sent it,is this legit? It's from an art commission and it's my first time using PayPal.I tried contacting customer support,but it's closed . I need to fix this as soon as possible,as I don't want the client to think I'm scamming them!

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @theartsypt, 

Thank you for visiting PayPal's Community Forum. I can certainly understand how it can be a bit confusing using PayPal for the first time. In short, you should never have to send money to someone to receive money from them via PayPal. This sounds like a scam we run into from time to time. It is true that PayPal may hold funds if you are a new seller, as well as a few other reasons. However, you will still see the transaction on your PayPal activity and you'll still see your balance on hold. 

Here are a few Help Center articles you may find useful: 

How do I spot a fake, fraudulent, or phishing PayPal email or website?
How do I receive money through PayPal?
 

I hope that helps!

 - Jon K