PayPal Community

I got some good (and rather surprising) news yesterday.  I got an e-mail from PayPal that said, "Because of your consistently good performance, we're removing your account's payment hold."  No other details.  Sure enough, I logged into my account and the banner announcing the holds was gone.   This does not mean there are not still problems.  This only affects future payments.  The money that already has holds placed on it still has the holds in place.  And I still had to call this morning to request the release of payments that had already received positive feedback and already had confirmed delivery, since the system failed to automatically release them.    Their sudden release of the hold is as baffling as their sudden application of it.  (I'm not a new seller, not selling high-risk items, not selling in new categories, over 1000 feedback, all 100% positive, never a complaint filed against me, and all the Detailed Seller Ratings scores are 5 out of 5.  An e-mail I sent requesting an explanation when this all started went unanswered.)   And while I am relieved to have the hold released, it comes after a month and a half of dealing with past-due bills and other hassles that resulted from not being able to access my own money.  Not to mention, there is no guarantee they won't slap on the hold again whenever they feel like it, for whatever mysterious reason.  And nobody has actually sent me a payment since yesterday so I could test this new situation.   I am still very frustrated with PayPal over this policy.  I am unable to give advice about how to get the hold released, since they gave no specific explanation, and since I don't think I'm doing anything differently than when this started.  I'm just writing to give a note of hope, if it's of use to anybody. ... View more

Miami_Mommie, that's a nice idea, helping each other.  I'm in the same situation, broke, waiting to get a job, having to sell my collectibles and other things to eat and catch up on past-due bills.  I'm needing all the sales I can get right now.  LOL  And, of course, I'll happily return the favor when I'm able.  I hate to give PayPal any more money than necessary at this point with their dreadful policies, but at the same time I can't cut off my only source of income.  Anyway, I'm using the same name here and on eBay:  mweimer   ... View more

I appreciate the supportive comments I've read in this thread, but I wanted to clear up one argument I've read several times.  It's true that Meg Whitman is running for governor of California (where I live), but she is the former CEO of eBay, not the current CEO.   She was CEO from 1998 to 2008.  Yes, she has spent a record tens of millions of her own money on the campaign, and that fortune is largely funded through her own eBay stock, so her fortunes are tied to eBay's fortunes.  But she no longer works at eBay, she was not the "founder" of eBay, and she is not "the owner" of eBay, unless you consider that any stockholder is technically a partial owner.   (Don't worry, I'm not a Meg Whitman apologist, nor do I wish to turn this thread into a political debate, though I'll say I won't be voting for her.  I just think arguments are stronger when they are accurate, hence the above facts for your use.) ... View more

Right after making my above post, I got an e-mail from eBay with my monthly invoice, which is a fourth of my current PayPal balance!  I just threw my hands up in the air and thought, "Now where in the heck is THAT money supposed to come from?"  If PayPal won't release the funds so I can pay my eBay bill, then will eBay cut off my ability to list items and make the money that PayPal keeps siphoning off for itself?  Kind of ironic, since eBay owns Paypal in the first place.  Oh, mercy, I give up, I just give up.  I think my odds of making any money would be better if I played the lottery.  As soon as I can find a job or another source of income, I can stop having to sell things to make money, and stop giving PayPal my business.   (P.S.  Yes, I've read the suggestions here that I accept alternate payment methods for my eBay sales.  But I am not a business set up to accept credit cards indepently.  And while I'll happily accept money orders and even personal checks, I don't list that in my auctions since it expressly violates eBay policy.  I have had an auction shut down in the past when I accidentally violated a listing policy, and I don't expect that this would be any different.  If a buyer contacts me and asks, I'll say yes, but I don't feel comfortable requesting it of the buyer.) ... View more

I need to buy things like food.  I have past-due bills.  I had to borrow money from a friend to pay the rent.  But right now I literally have only $4 in my bank account.  Meanwhile, I have about $400 sitting in my PayPal account that I can't access because of PayPal's new holds.  And I currently have no other income.  I wrote to PayPal and asked for either an explanation of why my funds are being held (since am not selling in new or high-risk categories, I am not a new seller, and I have flawless feedback), or for a release of my holds.  And what did they say?  Nothing.  They simply never replied.  I feel such frustration and despair over this.  But I guess since PayPal has managed to create something close to a monopoly for itself, it is in a position where it no longer has to care. ... View more

LOL, okay, PayPal just made my chuckle by censoring a word in my last reply.  And it wasn't even a swear word.  I guess PayPal doesn't mind offending people with the new 21 day hold policy, as long as nobody is offended by language. ... View more

It's nice to know that the use of tracking numbers helps release funds sooner.  However, eBay encourages the use of the "free shipping" option, which I use in an effort to attract more bidders.  But to keep my costs down since I'm already making very little profit, I avoid shipping options involving the extra costs of tracking and insurance.   It's always worked out fine, never a single customer complaint (feedback over 1000, 100% positive).  But while I eat the shipping costs to make myself a better eBay seller, now I am being penalized for not eating even more costs.   This really **bleep**s with my finances, really insults me, and really makes me want to just give up. ... View more

After nearly a year of unemployment, I am living day-to-day financially, and have had to resort to selling my treasured collectibles to eat and keep a roof over my head.  Now, with less than 24-hours notice, I find that I can't access my own money for up to three weeks.  This really calls into question my ability to pay my bills for the next month.     I have worked very hard over the years to build a solid presence on eBay, with flawless feedback, no customer complaints, and good relationships with repeat customers.  I am not a new seller, I am not selling in new categories, and I am not selling in so-called "high risk" categories.  And yet PayPal is suddenly treating me as if I am some shady, unreliable dealer, and my efforts have been for nothing.      With credits cards and a bank account attached to my account, I don't see why they need to hold my money, too.  The cynic in me assumes that PayPal is raking in a lot of interest on all the money it is suddenly stockpiling at the expense of its customers.   All I know is that when the dominant player arbitrarily changes the rules in the middle of the game, it makes poor suckers like me want to give up playing and go elsewhere. ... View more