PayPal's processing application has a secret, built-in risk mitigation system. This system is completely automated and PayPal users are not informed about its existence or how it works. Basically, there's a laundry list of different activities that will trip PayPal's risk mitigation system and disable Pay After Delivery (or even other payment options) for you. This also varies from person to person, as typically a system like this will apply a weighted risk score to each user based on their account and transaction history. Attempting too many PAD transactions in a short amount of time can trigger it. If you've used the method repeatedly, it can flag your account as high risk and take the option away. Also, repeatedly clicking on "Buy It Now" on eBay just to check to see if PAD is available, but not actually completing the transaction, can place a security risk flag on your account. Using your PayPal account from a different IP address can do it too. Attempting to buy an item over a certain dollar amount can do it. Having one of your Pay After Delivery scheduled payments be declined can DEFINITELY disable it, even if the payment passes on automatic retry. Sometimes, if you mention to customer service that you think there's a security risk flag on your account, they can input an override code to bring Pay After Delivery back (this usually takes 24-48 hours to kick in, though.) But sometimes customer service won't have that option. Most of the time they'll have no idea what you're talking about. If you luck out and get a U.S.-based overflow call center, you might have better luck. Don't believe the customer service rep when they feed you a line about how "some merchants" don't accept Pay After Delivery, or how "some transactions" just don't work. Their invisible risk mitigation system CAN and WILL **bleep** you out of using this feature forever, and there's nothing you can do to bring it back. You'd have to actually talk to PayPal's financial systems engineer if you want to find out how this whole system works. Customer service won't be able to help you, and there's no "supervisor" that you can escalate to, either.
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