A Fair Solution To The 21 Day Hold

[SirTinLee]

Ok, let's face it, no matter how much we complain, PayPal is not going to stop their 21 day hold policy.  The complaining has gone on for more than a year from what I have read.   Many may not agree, but PayPal has a right to institute policy they believe will protect or enrich the business.  My problem is that they do not offer a simple means for sellers to have the 21 day hold lifted when waranted.   Right now, PayPal's answer to the many compalints is basically - if you don't like it, don't use PayPal - and although their are other money transmitters, PayPal is the most popular and directly associated with eBay.  It does not seem to be beneficial for any of us to just stop using PayPal.   However, it would seem to be very beneficial to stop selling on eBay until PayPal makes it easier to for us to have money released prior to the 21 day hold when warranted.   By joining together and not selling on ebay, we can hit both ebay and PayPal in the pockets.  eBay and PayPal need sellers just as much as they need buyers, there are other popular sites to sell on and alternatives to Paypal if need be.    Of course, for this to work, we need numbers and some of the big sellers to be effective.   Let's start with those being effected now.  If all you are going to do is complain, then don't expect relief, they have a business to run and believe their policy is vital to their properity regardless of how it effects you.  So, if you want to stop crying and start doing something about this issue, speak up and let it be known how many are on board?   A simle "yes" in response to this idea will be sufficient.

[MeyerVW]

I have closed my eBay account and am in the process of closing my PayPal account, so my solution was quite simple. eBay and PayPal have shown me that they don't give a rip about my buisiness - their customer support in India made that quite clear - so I've been kind of woken up to the fact that I can live just fine without them. Actually, I'm probably a better person for not supporting their effective monopoly.

So like I said: simple!

[Madrona]

If you want to stay with one of the evil twins (ebay) but leave the other one (paypal), here's an alternative.  It works on eBay sales, it says:

http://www.merchantinc.com/

I'm not vouching for it, and haven't tried it.  I got it off this website:

http://www.**bleep**-paypal.com/alternatives/alternatives_non_ebay.html

Maybe there's hope out there...

[musicproducermk]

We should get a petition going on... Paypal is gay. I have 60 dollars being held and I'm starving............................................. Sure wish I had money to go to McDonalds................................

[nanpac]

Woopi!! - I thought I was alone out here - I intend to sell until after the 1st and then I am closing down until Ebay and Paypal begin listening.  I have been a seller for 10 years with an excellent record and don't appreciate the nasty little notes saying I am no up to par with other sellers.  And this holding our money is terrible - I've lost customers because of it - buyers are confused until they realize it's paypal flubbing up the works...........Thanks all and Merry Christmas..........Nancy (Shebanan)

[Tina1026]

For anyone who corresponds with an eBay or PayPal representative via phone, I recommend the following: <BR> 1. Record time, date, # of transfers, length of time on hold, and length of time of conversation<BR> 2. Request employee name, employee ID #, job title, department, supervisor's name, and reference number for the phone call <BR> 3. Ask for clarification on the phone as necessary. Ask simple yes or no answers for the representative. This will help build your case. Remember, most phone calls are recorded so it will be easier to identify inaccurate information based on an objective "yes" or "no" response rather than a detailed response which could leave room for interpretation in the court of law.<BR> 4. When emailed about a feedback survey, be as detailed as possible. Reference all of the data collected (date, time, employee, what was said, etc.). The more details you type into that white box, the better services eBay and PayPal can provide for customers

[Tina1026]

I should explain the reason for the above post. I am an ebay seller & buyer with 22 positive feedback ratings. I sold 3 items in September 2011, marked them as "shipped", and had immediate access to those funds in my PayPal account. The payment type is listed as "instant" for all 3 transactions in my PayPal history. I was unpleasantly surprised to find a hold placed on my funds for an item I sold earlier this week. I was expecting to have immediate access to the funds when the item was "marked as shipped", just like last time. After a few phone calls to PayPal and eBay, I spoke with the floor manager/supervisor Angel (employee #1085, phone call reference 1-2371903180) who told me the policy changed on 11/15/2011. This change permits eBay to check accounts and administer holds as necessary ans is briefly mentioned in the current ebay user agreement: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html Here are my issues: 1. While this change is reflected in this user agreement, this agreement became effective on 9/7/2010, not 11/15/2011. How were my 3 sold in September 2011 an instant payment type if I didn't meet the criteria? This demonstrates that the monitoring of this policy is not enforced equally across users and transactions. 2. If there was a specific, more detailed policy change on 11/15/2011, this should: A- be broadcasted to all eBay users the day it happens B- clearly state the newest change and illustrate how that impacts eBay users C- require acknowledgement from eBay users (clicking "I agree to the updated policy" before logging on to eBay, for example) D- reflect the date of 11/15/2011, not 9/7/2011 3. The policy states: "To protect against the risk of liability, eBay has at times requested, and may continue to request, that PayPal hold seller funds based on certain factors, including, but not limited to, selling history, seller performance, riskiness of the listing category, or the filing of an eBay Buyer Protection claim.  PayPal has held, and will continue to hold, seller funds pursuant to the terms of the PayPal User Agreement, PayPal policies and any other agreement entered into between PayPal and its users." A- This does not firmly state that *ALL* eBay users will be evaluated for seller status. It simply suggests there "have been times" when this had occurred. What triggers an account like mine that was unmonitored to suddenly become monitored for holds? I did not have any negative activity to my account during that time. Does the eBay system pick users at random? Is it expected that all users with less than 25 positive feedback scores will *ALL* have holds placed? (As this is currently not the case) What is the deadline for this transition? Where can an eBay user find these details? B- In my interpretation, the last sentence clearly implies that eBay and PayPal work together for holds, as eBay could be considered a "user" of PayPal. This is consistent with Angel's statement that eBay and PayPal work together for holds. However, I received this PayPal Email ID PP1531 on December 9, 2011: "Hello * *, We're writing to let you know that starting today, funds from payments you receive will no longer be placed in a pending balance due to payment holds. What about money that’s still on hold? You'll be able to withdraw money that's currently in a pending balance due to payment holds..." Another eBay representative from another phone call emphasized my eBay hold is separate from a PayPal hold, which is why this PayPal email does not apply to my eBay account. This statement and Angel's (#1085) statement contradict each other. How many different holds exist? Does an eBay hold influence a PayPal hold? Does a PayPal hold influence an eBay hold? Is there an eBay/PayPal combined hold which is separate from the independent holds? Is there more than one eBay hold? More than one PayPal hold? Which supervisors have the authority to override these holds in the system? Where is this policy stated? After talking with Angel (#1085) for 30 minutes on 1/13/2012, she finally confirmed a trigger was placed in the system to have my funds released within 24 hours, even without the confirmed delivery and without 25 positive feedback ratings. Unfortunately, I wasted my time logging into PayPal throughout today because my hold was never removed. Therefore, another unlucky eBay representative will have the unfortunate experience of dealing with me again. If you are an eBay employee, please use the reference number to listen to the phone call. Please contact me to clarify my misunderstandings as listed in this post. I'm happy to delete/modify this post once explanations have been provided. Thank you.

[tr4driver]

This is the exact same nightmare I'm going through.  PayPal say eBay has initiated the hold.  eBay reviews my account and agrees the hold is not necessary.  eBay releases the hold and assures me no future transactions will be held.  PayPal initiates a hold the next day.