HELP! Paypal Question

When I do a deal with someone (over messaging), but the payment comes up as "pending", do I send the item out and then manually put in the tracking number to paypal? It says that there is no buyer protection and I can't print a shipping lable directly from paypal? I don't want to send my item out and then never actually get paid...

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I believe pending means it was an e-check as in their wasn't enough funds in the pp account so it's drawing from the linked bank account. Just wait it out and send once it's cleared.

 

Okay, so i shouldnt send until the money transfers into my account and isnt pending anymore? It says it could take 21 days

 

.

 

Depends? Is it a small amount or a very trusted friend? If not wait until you have the money. That's rule #1 of selling anything

 

Pending means whatever funding source they are using hasn't cleared. Paypal will let you know when it has cleared and that it is ok to send. If you send it out before that, you will lose any Paypal seller protections. About the 21 days, that's a worst case scenario, probably 3-4 days is more realistic. I'd let the buyer know it's listed as pending and that you will send the item out once it shows as having cleared. Offer to keep them updated, that way there are no issues of them wondering what's going on.

 

Okay, sounds great. Thank you for the help. It was much needed! Im new to paypal lol

 

When paypal clears the payment, would it still be pending? Or will it transfer?

 

Its a larger amount than i usually do through paypal, so i feel like that is the reason why they are holding it as pending. But im not 100% sure

 

Amazon won't ship until they have your money. Why should you?

 

Since Paypal split with eBay they've changed a few things that has charinged longtime buyers/sellers.

In order to prevent Paypal from losing money (they have this on this help pages but I'll try to summarize it) you have to ship out the item to the buyer. The buyer has to receive it and then do the feedback then you'll get paid. OR wait at least 3 days up to 21 (?) to get paid. Or, in my case, call them to release the funds.

Of the "conversations" I've had with Paypal their process is "to protect you from yourself" .. yes, they told me that. But it is so that Paypal receives the money from your bank, stores it in their bank to gain some cash interest, then pays out. If they do instant money transfers they have to pay a fee, and they try to avoid that. After a few times they'll change your paying speed. I went through a term of that waiting. Now I've been able to transfer money from Paypal to my Bank in the same day.

Initially they tried to tell me that my account must have been new - been using it for over 10 years;
then they told me I must have had a dispute - no disputes at all, and no returns, 100% feedback;
Then they told me it was industry standard - I told them they are only saying it is industry standard since they decided to do it that way and call it that.

They were full of excuses. Essentially your money is hijacked by them and they'll change the terms when they want to. https://www.paypal.com/selfhelp/article/FAQ1987

You'll just have to do it their way for a while then it will get better.

 

What if I am not using eBay to sell? How would I know a good time when to ship my item out and know that the money will end up in my account after?

 

Calling Paypal themselves is probably going to be your best bet as it could be one of two things either the persons payment is pending yet to complete or Paypal is putting a hold on the funds to you much like Ebay does with new sellers and Paypal seemingly does at random. What method did they use to pay you normal or friends and family? With F&F method you have to go in and print a shipping label through paypal multi-order shipping. If you were paid by friends and family which many people do but is a complete violation of Paypal's TOS for fee avoidance do not mention the fact shipping an item is involved to Paypal or they will likely close your account.

 

Until you see the $$$ in you account DO NOT SHIP.

 

If you are a new seller they will put a hold on the money for up to 21 days. I believe there is a list of criteria you have to meet to avoid the delay. 5 completed sales totaling $150, verifying bank accounts are yours, length of time with PayPal, can't remember them all. I do know that confirmed delivery is one of those criteria, so a call to PayPal might be in your favor. You have to meet all the criteria they set or the money will be returned to the sender after 21 days.

 

I believe there's a difference between pending and on hold.

If the payment is pending, it has not yet shown up in your PayPal balance. PayPal hasn't yet confirmed that they've received the money from the buyer. You should not ship while the payment is pending. This helps keep people from paying with a bad e-check, getting their merchandise, and then disappearing.

If you're a new seller, as @Hommer and @Clawcoins are saying, PayPal may make you wait to transfer money out of your PayPal balance to your bank account. This is what they mean by on hold. The money is in your PayPal balance, and I'm pretty sure you can use it for PayPal purchases, but you can't transfer it out until the hold period ends. As I understand it, you must ship the item, and delivery must be confirmed, before they'll release the hold. This helps keep people from signing up for new PayPal accounts, accepting payment for an expensive item, withdrawing the payment, and disappearing.

It's been a while since I've studied these policies, but that's what I remember. If I've got it wrong, someone please correct me.

 

So the money wont transfer into my account after a set amount of days? Ughh this is a pain

 

And yes, it says it is "pending" not "on hold". I dont plan on transfering money into a bank account. Im just using it for purchases. I also was able to do about 7 transactions already? So i dont know why it would make this payment "pending" unless the buyer doesnt have funds

 

It will still say pending. Individual sales, outside of a confirmed sale house, i.e. ebay, heritage, amazon ect., can't be tracked, or can't be confirmed that a product actually changed hands, and wasn't money laundering. So they by law have to know quite a bit more about the transaction and who is doing it.