Why Paypal Freezes Or Limits Accounts And How To Prevent This From Happening To You

A few months ago, I posted an article about Paypal Website Payments Pro Vs Authorize.Net where I provided a detailed comparison of two different credit card processing solutions.

And almost immediately after posting it, I started receiving an abnormally large amount of email feedback from Paypal haters. In fact, I’ve never encountered such strong anti-feelings for any service before.

Having used both services in the past with no problems whatsoever, I was very surprised to hear the overwhelming negative feedback towards Paypal.

I will never use Paypal again. After being a loyal customer for over 3 years, one day they decided to place a 6 month hold on my money for no reason. I couldn’t access over 20k in my account which I needed to pay my bills!

The above quote was just one of many emails I received in the past few months since my article went live. In the interest of full disclosure, I use Paypal Website Payments Pro to accept payments for my online store and I’ve never had any problems with them in 4+ years.

But the fact that so many readers have such strong anti-Paypal sentiments made me a little paranoid about my business. After all if you can’t process credit cards, you can’t make any money.

Paypal Horror Stories From People I Know

Most of the horror stories I’ve read about Paypal through surfing the web have to do with Paypal randomly limiting accounts or freezing funds.

Most of the complaints I’ve come across seem to indicate that Paypal will rarely hold your funds for longer than 6 months, but 6 months can be a long time if you need access to your money.

And once they freeze your funds, it doesn’t make sense to continue accepting money through Paypal if you can’t access it. In other words, once your account is frozen, you are pretty much screwed.

All of the stories that I’ve read online are from people that I don’t know personally or from people that I’ve never heard of before so I’ve been taking them with a grain salt.

However, I do have a few fellow blogging friends that have had their accounts frozen for no reason so I asked them for their side of the story.

In both cases with my blogging buddies, they had their accounts frozen after a big product launch. For one of them, Paypal limited their account by only allowing them to process $10,000 per day.

The other blogger had over 40K in funds frozen for 180 days. It seems as though Paypal doesn’t like seeing huge spikes in money being received into your account.

In the case of my online store, the revenue we receive is pretty steady and consistent from month to month but occasionally we get spikes of revenue when we hold a sale.

So, I decided to call my dedicated account manager at Paypal to get the story straight and here’s what I found out.

Editor’s Note: Here are some Paypal alternatives in case you are fed up with Paypal.

Why Paypal May Limit Or Freeze Your Account

After talking to my Paypal rep for over 30 minutes, they reassured me that it’s extremely rare that they ever place holds on user accounts.

They also told me that there were no limits on my account whatsoever and that I could process as much money as I wanted to in any given day.

When I brought up the stories about my blogging friends and how they had their accounts frozen, the representative assured me that the reasons for limiting an account vary greatly from user to user and largely depends on the situation.

Under the following circumstances, Paypal has certain triggers in place as a safeguard against fraud. Here are some reasons why some of these safeguards might be triggered

  • You’ve received an abnormally large amount of money in your account that is way above your average
  • Someone has filed a complaint to Paypal about your business
  • A series of chargebacks have been placed against your account
  • Your website has questionable content
  • You are in violation of Paypal’s use policy. For example if you sell drugs or anything illegal, you may get banned
  • Your account information is not up to date or your account is not fully verified
  • Someone has logged into your Paypal account from a strange location.
  • Your credit score is low or something with your background history makes you a higher risk customer
  • They have detected fraudulent activity on your account.

Preventing Paypal From Ever Limiting Your Account

Towards the end of my conversation with Paypal, they assured me one last time that only a very small fraction of a percent of people get their accounts frozen and that accounts are rarely frozen for the full 180 days.

They also recommended the following guidelines to greatly reduce the chances of this happening.

  • If you are expecting to receive a large sum of money, then you should call Paypal ahead of time so they expect to see the extra funds. In other words, if you are planning a large product launch, make sure you let them know ahead of time
  • When you first signup for Paypal Website Payments Pro, there’s a survey that you have to take. Make sure that you check off higher numbers in terms of how much money you anticipate making every month
  • Contact Paypal to make sure that your account is not limited in any way in terms of how much money you can accept per day. Sometimes limits are placed depending on various factors relating to your credit history or background checks
  • Make sure your name or the name of your business is on your Paypal account and that it exactly matches your bank account and credit cards.
  • Use the exact same addresses and phone numbers that match your bank account and credit cards
  • Always use trackable methods of shipping if you ship physical goods in case a dispute is filed against you
  • Make sure that your FEIN or social security number exactly matches the name of your business on the account
  • Link both a credit card and a bank account to Paypal

Does This Sound Like Too Much Trouble?

Here’s the bottom line how I see it. If you are in the business of selling informational or digital goods and your revenues are extremely lumpy, then I would go with a regular merchant account and gateway like eMerchant.

If you have low credit scores or any history of fraud or criminal activity, then go with a regular merchant account and gateway like eMerchant.

If you never want to deal with the possibility of getting your account frozen or limited, then go with a regular merchant account and gateway.

The main reason my wife and I use Paypal is because they offer an extremely convenient way to ship packages and accept Paypal payments with one easy to use interface. Paypal’s fees are higher than a traditional merchant account but the perks are worth it for our store.

But if you do decide to go with Paypal, it’s probably a good idea to give them a call to make sure that there aren’t any artificial limits on your account.

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About Steve Chou

Steve Chou is a highly recognized influencer in the ecommerce space and has taught thousands of students how to effectively sell physical products online over at ProfitableOnlineStore.com

His blog, MyWifeQuitHerJob.com, has been featured in Forbes, Inc, The New York Times,  Entrepreneur and MSNBC.  

He's also a contributing author for BigCommerce, Klaviyo, ManyChat, Printful, Privy, CXL, Ecommerce Fuel, GlockApps, Privy, Social Media Examiner, Web Designer Depot, Sumo and other leading business publications.

In addition, he runs a popular ecommerce podcast, My Wife Quit Her Job, which is a top 25 marketing show on all of Apple Podcasts

To stay up to date with all of the latest ecommerce trends, Steve runs a 7 figure ecommerce store, BumblebeeLinens.com, with his wife and puts on an annual ecommerce conference called The Sellers Summit.  

Steve carries both a bachelors and a masters degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Despite majoring in electrical engineering, he spent a good portion of his graduate education studying entrepreneurship and the mechanics of running small businesses. 

182 thoughts on “Why Paypal Freezes Or Limits Accounts And How To Prevent This From Happening To You”

  1. Investor Junkie says:

    The obvious solution is to NOT use PayPal. If you are an incorporated business get a real merchant account.

    We only use PayPal as a connivence for customers who use it, but isn’t our primary method of getting paid.

    1. TakingmyTakings says:

      Please join this campaign to stop Paypal from freezing accounts: http://chn.ge/S2vq9N

    2. Michelle says:

      Back in 2003 for no reason at all Pay Pal closed my account. I found out later on why, but it doesn’t matter. They had stopped accepting companies in my industry, but of course I never knew that at the time
      They also allowed a customer to commit fraud & I relied upon their “Verified Pay Pal” status which is BS. They do allow customers to commit fraud & then they will claim they can’t do anything about it. They wouldn’t even investigate my side of the story, they just gave the money back to the customer & stole the money in my account.

      This is why you should NEVER EVER rely ONLY on a Pay Pal account. Always get yourself a REAL merchant account along side your Pay Pal account so you don’t risk losing it.

      Because of all the stress I went through with Pay Pal, I’m now a merchant services consultant & I help high risk businesses get a real merchant account which will almost NEVER be closed down unless you are committing fraud.

      NOW they refuse to let me even pay someone’s invoice with my credit card (not a pay pal account) because of what happened years ago & this has NOTHING to do with the company I had back then. I just lost 5 hours of my work day yesterday dealing with the stress of trying to pay someone’s Pay Pal invoice.

      Bottom line, Pay Pal still haunts me 11 years later.

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      2. Afshin says:

        You believe me if this is your history I give you cash to buy the best for your wife . I’aswear. But your name is what & in Whitch Phase of google Working & For Come & go to Europe Or Business Ministry What can For me. I Hated of Joke. Pardon I Security to you. Everything in your hand. Goodies or Bad.
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    3. Jim says:

      December 31st after millions of dollars of transactions and owning a paypal account since Elon Musk owned it they froze our business account because 6 people didn’t get their $20 orders on time.

    4. A says:

      WOW so your account is fine and all is well. I personally have had horrendous experiences with Paypal including unfounded allegations of my online activity, accused of accessing a clients account and it was then discovered through my suggestion by checking the ip addresses that the fraud occured in India yet no apology, and infact they tried to take monies from my account which i then had to block through my bank as Paypal would not allow me to remove my bank details from their site to prevent them casually dipping into my bank account.

      How in the 21st centuary can a company handling millions a day be allowed to operate in such a manner is mind blowing. So considering you have heard the complaints (and there are plenty online) to still suggest they are ok soley because you have no problem with them is not only irresponsible and selfish but shocking for someone who blogs on how to have a successful business!

      1. Cindy moore says:

        I’ve experienced something very similar but with a small amount of money (600) . They simply “took “ the money on the PayPal account stating I didn’t use it within a 6month period so it was theirs. This account was opened and I put this amount on the pre-paid card for an out of town emergency . I spent 19.95 for someone else to access my money and take it ! Wow . Numerous attempts to resolve and all they’ve sent me is another card with my name on it .Ha ha you got me once , you are not going to get me again . Customer service will not tell me when asked if they hold a Pay pal account or card ????? Weird ? I think not .

  2. Brent Pittman says:

    I’ve also experienced a bit of frozen money. Only 21 days, but still I needed the cash. They listed possible 8 ways on why my money was frozen. Drag. I’m fine with getting paid by check and not giving any % to paypal anyway.

  3. Kristi Hines says:

    I also make sure that I transfer my money out to my bank account and leave not too much in Paypal. That way if something were to happen, it wouldn’t be with my largest source of income.

  4. David Howard says:

    More likely than not, you will have to accept Paypal for your store so these guidelines were very helpful. Thanks!

  5. Jen says:

    I agree with Christie. Transfer money out as soon as you receive it. I’ve had a few holds placed on my account, as a result of buyers opening cases with Ebay. I’ve learnt my lesson.

  6. Peter says:

    I always transfer my money out of paypal as soon as it comes in, and I have a firewall bank account so that Paypal doesn’t have access to my every day checking. So if i need to pay for something with paypal i’ll transfer money over and then to paypal.. Safer..

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  8. Spatch Merlin - How to Blog says:

    I’ve been using Paypal 4+ now and I never encountered such problems. But my friend’s account had been frozen. He needed to wait 180 days before being allowed to withdraw the money. Paypal says they detected multiple accounts with almost the same password. It’s scary when you might be the next person who will encounter this ‘limit’ and ‘frozen problems.’ I went to a coffee shop last week and used their wifi service to browse the web. Then I remembered I need to send some payment to an employee. I opened my account with their IP (stupid of me). Paypal asked me a couple of questions since I’m using a public wifi. I thought they’d limit my account, thankfully, they never did it.

    1. Minet says:

      Hi..my account has been hold for 180days.may I ask if your friend withdraw the funds after that 180days?

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  10. Juan says:

    Personal I would just go with a authorize.net account, paypal just sounds like alot of risk to me.

  11. charles says:

    thanks for assurance that paypal is safe to use. but i do get a few of those random frozen paypal account spam emails. Never quite sure whether they’re real or not so i log on to my paypal after i receive these emails just to make sure nothing is frozen. kind of annoying.

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  13. Sonny Lanorias says:

    I have been using paypal since 2008 and before I even opened my account, I asked them with these questions and assured me that my paypal won’t be frozen or closed and told them that my funds will come most from affiliate commissions and I have given them an expected amount so they be aware. Thanks for sharing this article and keep up the great work.

    $onny

  14. Vincent D says:

    Paypal randomly freezes customer’s accounts for 180 days so that they can use the money to invest without paying any interest to the account holders. It seems to me that most accounts that were frozen have the funds in between $500 to $20,000. This is a considerable amount to be used and not big enough so that the owner won’t hire a lawyer for a lawsuit. I’m waiting for my 180 days to be up and get my frozen money out too. They froze my account for just the reason of I’m being “suspicious” and they don’t explain why?

    I’m actively looking for a better alternative to use and at the same time trying to find a class action law suit to join. It’s probably best for all of my online selling fellows out there not to use PayPal at all or keep withdrawing your money and don’t leave in there too much. They’re profiting on our sweat aside from their hefty fee and commission.

    1. Michelle says:

      Back right after they closed down my account there was a class action against them (search for it online). They settled to the tune of around $33 million (I’m sure my amount is off, but it was high).

      Pay Pal got a little better after eBay bought them out, but clearly based on my experience yesterday they are control freaks that stop not only me from paying someone, but that vendor from doing business. I am NOT a risk, never have been, I’m an ethical entrepreneur.

      They have TOO much power!

      Any time a competitor of theirs tries to open up, they do whatever they can to take them down. I’ve been privy to that information.

      Again, contact me if you want a real account.

      1. Luke says:

        Hi, i just noticed you mentioned about a proper merchant account. Im fairly new to this but was wondering if you could provide me with some information about better merchants than paypal

        Thanks

      2. Jami says:

        I’d love to leave paypal how do I do it

      3. Md Nehal says:

        Hi, How can I contact you, Michelle?

    2. Concerned Observer says:

      With a shady name like ‘Vincent D’ I would deem you as suspicious too. Just what does that ‘D’ stand for…. and why are you hiding it from the world?

      Hm..

    3. Foofighter says:

      Banks have earned interest on Float forever. But banks have certain limitations.
      PayPal is NOT a bank; it stretches rules.
      They now start demanding to be linked to people’s bank accounts, in order to transact.
      They are not happy with a linked good credit card.
      By arbitrarily locking accounts holding money, or debiting people’s bank accounts with no reason, they have TOO much access, and, TOO much latitude to FLOAT that money and SKIM interest for MONTHS at a time.
      They can’t do that to a credit card though.
      That’s billions to trillions of dollars, maybe daily, worldwide.
      Anyone smelling rats related to this issue, yet?

    4. Leia says:

      Yeah, that has happened to me to. I have over 3k in my account and they limit my account for no reason. It’s really annoying. Hopefully I do get my money back tho

    5. Krutarth Kothekar says:

      Hello….you are 100% correct. I got my account frozen having around 800$ inside it… They are not even replying propery and i would like to go for a lawsuit against them too….I would love to get in contact with you please…. my instagraam id is krutarth2805… Please get in touch with me so i can have a good solution on this issue

  15. Young and Thrifty says:

    Useful information for people conduction business online. But what does “Your website has questionable content” mean? That sounds like an excuse to freeze your account for any reason.

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  17. Liz Moda31 says:

    I have been using PayPal for years without any problems, but I’ve heard horror stories as well. Something that I do like about PayPal is that if you have an online business and do everything right, and someone tries to commit fraud, PayPal protects you as the vendor (assuming you have proof of sale, delivery, etc). Here in Mexico, I know that people have had terrible experiences with DineroMail, as in thousands lost and no customer service person to answer their inquiries.

  18. DB says:

    I once had a sale held by Paypal but it was before I shipped out the order so I didn’t lose any money. The money ended up being returned to the buyer.

  19. FG says:

    I do think that PayPal needs more competition, and their fees are quite exorbitant and add up over time. A small price to pay for convenience? Perhaps… but it would be even more convenient to have some real competition in this space. Hope that someone else can stand up to the challenge.

  20. Spiritual Movies says:

    I too is the victim of this Paypal freezes accounts. I’m not receiving a large amount from any illegal works and yet they frozen my account. I am working as an Article Writer and weekly I received the payment of not more than $200. I was surprised that they freezes my account. This brought some inconvenience to to me and to my employer. And they gave back the money to my employer. To make the story short, paypal really is not that good in servicing.

    1. John Wasik says:

      I am writing a story for Real Clear Investigations on frozen payments. Would you be willing to go on the record about your experiences? JW

  21. Dr. Christa Herzog says:

    Useful information for people conduction business online. I do like about PayPal is that if you have an online business and do everything right, and someone tries to commit fraud, PayPal protects you as the vendor.

  22. Karen says:

    After losing my job in June, I decided to start selling a small product to help organize your home that I make. I have run a tight ship and researched all eBay and Paypal policies, etc… and have established a really good rating in a short period of time. I only have a few hundred dollars in my paypal account at any given time. Nothing in my activity is questionable. I’ve educated myself in that area. Today my Paypal account is frozen and I have auctions closing tonight. I am not concerned abut the money because of the level of business I am currently at. My concern is customer satisfaction (“you won the auction but I can’t accept your payment right now”)…AND…being at the mercy of something that clearly doesn’t assess risk efficiently! Get this – the representative at Paypal today said (quote),”This happens to about 1 in 5 people who are eBay sellers”.I asked her to repeat it also. I really hope she does not have accurate info. 1 in 5 is too big of a risk for a seller to take, especially if they are established sellers and numbers are much higher! I love the possibilities on eBay. My wish is that eBay and those affiliated with them (i.e. Paypal) realize that respecting sellers is very important.Thanks for listening!

  23. Alice says:

    Thanks for the information! I recently had a customer who didn’t trust paypal so I’m looking for alternatives anyway. Not because of me but because I don’t want to lose the opportunity that people can pay me even if they don’t like paypal.

  24. Danielle says:

    Payment processing is actually a ‘lending’ product. The processor is making the merchant a loan, in the good faith, against the credit card ‘charge,’ that the credit card company will pay that charge. That makes ever single sale a ‘liability’ for the merchant until the charge back period runs out, which could be up to 6 months.

    This is why traditional merchant accounts go through a full vetting procedure before approving a merchant. They will ask for personal and business; credit reports, tax returns; assets & liablities statements, and income & expense reports. They will also set withdrawal limits, collateral requirements and even rolling reserve requirements.

    The amount of documentation, limitations, and conditions that a merchant account service provider will require from a merchant account for all of the merchant’s history, weighed against the merchant’s industry ‘averages’ for income, fraud risk, and chargeback risk.

    While PayPal is not licensed as a bank or a lender, and therefore does not need to comply with the same laws and regulations that banks and lenders must comply with, they are just as liable for the ‘loans’ they are making to the merchant against the credit card charges that any bank or lender would be.

    Banks and lenders are mandated by Federal law to mitigate their risks. One of those regulations is that they must keep a certain amount of money in reserves for every so many dollars they have out in ‘loans.’ PayPal may not be ‘legally mandated’ to do so, but it is a risk mitigation policy of every lender, and would most likely be adopted as a policy by PayPal as part of PayPal’s agreement with the bank that backs them.

    When an account is limited for an ‘influx’ of too many sales, which our beyond the scope of the ‘industry average’ sales, it’s more money that they have to now keep in reserves… money they can’t ‘lend’ out to ‘make more money on.’ If the industry is already a high risk industry in terms of chargebacks and fraud, they will be far more likely to terminate the relationship in favor of keeping their reserves free to service customers in industries with lower fraud and chargeback risks.

    It’s not just PayPal. Any credit card processing service, is a ‘lending’ service and all will use the same risk mitigation model. A PayPal ‘alternative’ will still bear the same risks… don’t put all your eggs in any one payment processors basket. If you do, and the processor does freeze your acount, they freeze ALL your money.

    I use a payment button rotator to silently direct buyers to pay using different processors. This way, I keep any one account from having ‘too many’ sales, and, if any one processor should freeze my account, they won’t be freezing ALL of MY money. I’ll still have funds in up to 6 other accounts.

    The plugin is called WP Profit Performance and it integrates with at least 4 different affiliate programs, all of which support multiple payment processors, and one incredible network which will even support instant commissions, recurring billing and, is free to list your products in! I don’t worry about PayPal problems anymore.

  25. Jacky Lee says:

    What does “You’ve received an abnormally large amount of money in your account that is way above your average” mean?

    If I were to receive a $700 payment when I usually only get $200ish payments, will my account still get limited?

    1. Steve C says:

      Paypal does not publish its internal algorithms though your example probably wouldn’t fall into that category. If you are concerned, you should contact PP ahead of time if you are expecting to receive a large sum of money.

      1. James W King says:

        Paypal has done it again. This time they froze the account of a well known Sci Fi writer Jay Lake who is raising money to help pay for his fight against cancer.

        He fought it and as soon as they were exposed Paypal “apologized” and released the funds.

        http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/11/paypal-jay-lake-apology/

        As for telling Paypal you are expecting a huge spike in sales and giving them a heads up, this is not only not possible many times it is unnecessary from a legal standpoint. The fact is Paypal has violated FTA rules many times and as a lawyer I can attest that I have sent them letters on behalf of clients several times in the last few years. They ALWAYS respond be immediately releasing the funds. This says to me they know they have no legal leg to stand on.

        I am glad you have a successful relationship with them, but please be aware many people do not through no legal fault of their own.

  26. Dimitri says:

    I’ve been using PayPal a little bit, but for several years and never had any problems. Now for the first time I’ve been having problems. They blocked the purchase of an airplane ticket, as well as the purchase of attendance to a workshop. ($200 + $700) They said they were afraid the charges were fraudulent. Then they asked me to verify the credit card number associated with the account. Then they asked me to confirm my security questions and to change my password (five times). Now I cannot log in. They are slow at responding to my e-mail inquiries and vague at explaining why this happened. One of the things they mentioned is that it could be because I’m traveling away from my country of residence. If I answer the security settings like confirming the correct credit card and responding correctly to the security questions, then why does PayPal insist on locking me out all the same? I think PayPal must be paranoid.

  27. Adrian palmer Edwards says:

    I have been using Paypal only for about 12-15 months and using it on a very small scale.My main earner is writing, article writing etc,and it was through a friend that I decided to create a website and sell a product. Don’t get me wrong my writing pays very very well, but I get that money direct to me via checks or payza and solid trust pay which are very good.My Paypal account has not much movement really only maybe $20-$50 now and again when I decide to promote my product, nothing illegal,drugs etc nothing absolutely nothing under hand.I only sell a small simple method that is a digital download,and law and behold last month logged into my paypal account because I wanted to issue a refund to someone,who’d paid me twice by mistake and I couldn’t as my account was limited then I had to pay him myself which makes me look like a flyer to people that don’t know me, and it makes me annoyed, very annoyed!! I’m working now to get my account back to normal and I only have about $30 in there at present.Hope I haven’t rambled on to much for you,if so i’m sorry,just wanted to show you that it happens to any one,money or not.Thanks for reading truly appreciated.

  28. Robbie Dalphonse says:

    Hi there! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you’ve gotten right here on this post. I will be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.

  29. tim says:

    I just signed up for an account, received only $200, and my account has been limited, can’t withdraw the money. They are asking for copies of invoices etc. Paypal is crap, i imagine they are investing peoples money. not happy. I only signed up because ebay wouldn’t let me sell something without a ‘secure payment method’. Too secure, my money is secure even from me. Merry Christmas douche bags

  30. Louis Rossmann says:

    Account holds can be a useful tool in stopping fraud. The true crime with PayPal is the complete lack of communication during the process.

    We had money held. They tried to keep us from refunding customers from the money they were holding, which was given to us by our customers. We had to put a stop on debits at the bank to keep them from stealing further money they would then hold for six months.

    https://www.rossmannsupply.com/blog/2013/02/paypal-account-freezes-limits-holds-and-nightmares-a-guide-to-what-you-should-do-once-paypal-requests-more-information/

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  33. Max Pen says:

    Great article!

  34. Lori E says:

    I was told by a friend of mine who processes through paypal that his account was frozen because of a message a cllient sent back in the payment confirmation email. Would this happen? I didn’t thing paypal was supposed to read emails between buyers and sellers.

  35. Bob says:

    Paypal sucks. I currently have just over $11,000 in my account FROZEN. They want me to provide them with invoices and information about the vendors that I have bought my product from. That is all proprietary information and it is none of their business.

    I am working on opening another merchant account through a different processor. The credit card charges will be deposited in my account within 24-72 hours after the charge.

    I am going to hire a lawyer and sue paypal and probably drag them into court here in New Hampshire.

    The best thing that could possible happen for the world is if paypal someone went bankrupt – who knows, maybe Russia and a few other communist countries will freeze Paypal’s bank accounts – it would serve them right!

    1. Foofighter says:

      PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE…make that an International Class Action Lawsuit, with the intention of:
      1. forcing PayPal to pay reparations to customers,
      2. demand they conform to Banking Laws!
      IMHO, People WorldWide are being ripped off.
      It could be in the Billions to Trillions of dollars–maybe daily, worldwide.
      From what I’ve seen reported by so many, it might indicate PayPal is intentionally locking accounts, in order to more easily and successfully SKIM interest off of FLOATING the money into special accounts, then putting the basic funds back after a time.
      It’s far easier to do that, when accounts are frozen/locked.
      Banks earn interest on money on deposit–have for all time.
      But they are regulated in how/how much they do it.
      Paypal can’t do that off of linked credit cards though–only linked bank accounts and Paypal accounts with cash in them.
      They’ve frozen your $11,000 for HOW long?
      Compare that with some who had $20,000 or $40,000 frozen for several months?
      Smelling Rats yet?

    2. Steve says:

      Yes you can withdraw it even if you have a different name on the account. You need to add the bank you are moving the money into with the account number and routing number, then PayPal will send two small deposits on the account for confirmation. You will need to verify the two small deposits on the PayPal website or app then you can move the money thereafter

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  38. Jeremy says:

    My account got frozen/limited as well. I recently sold a bunch of individual tickets on Stubhub so I think that’s what triggered it. I called and spoke with an unhelpful CSR. I escalated to a good manager who actually researched and looked into it. I was on hold forever and had to wait for a callback eventually, but she ended up lifting it. I had to repeatedly explain that I wasn’t doing anything illegal and that the way Stubhub processes payments is on a per sale basis. So if I am selling individual tickets, each will count as a unique sale and will be processed accordingly. I think it triggered a threshold on Paypal’s side purely by # of transactions, because the total lump sum of everything isn’t a whole lot (sub-$500)

    1. Foofighter says:

      Paypal’s money limit was posted on their site as $10,000.
      If that is so, then a $50, or a $1200 transaction, shouldn’t set off their alarms.
      IMHO, PayPal is up to no good.

  39. Dinkerdos says:

    I have used Paypal and Ebay for close to 15 years with out problem both as a seller and a buyer, but for the last 5 years only as a buyer and for limited amount of purchases. The other day I buy a Paypal Cash Card at the Dollar Store for 70 dollars, (the White Card with paypal on it) so I could pay a couple of sellers, I feel that amount is not a lot of lot of money for an account that is that old and never had any problems.

    Their excuse was that they need to verify my id, social security and finantual information, what for I ask?, I paid for this card cash money and even paid the 4.00 to activate it, I can not see how I would need to verify my ID for money that is already mine and that I am the only one who has a pin number for it, that is insane?
    Like I say, I do not sell only buy so they have no excuse for selling a cash card that they refuse to honor, that is fraud plain and simple, and I have to ask, how many millions of people are they ripping off each day?

  40. Dinkerdos says:

    bEWARE OF PAYPALS CASH CARD, THEY DO NOT HONOR IT AND WILL REQUIRE TONS OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION JUST TO GET YOUR MONEY ADDED TO YOUR ACCOUNT, THEY ARE SELLING THESE CARDS TO UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS WHO GO HOME AND FIND THE CARD IS USELESS UNLESS YOU PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT WITH A SIMPLE CASH CARD THEY DO NOT NEED, WHY DO THEY THINK PEOPLE WANT CASH CARDS?, BECAUSE IT IS CASH AND NOT A REGISTERED CARD!
    DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU SIGN UP FOR PAYPAL AND FOR SURE BEWARE OF THE “CASH CARD” TRAP (IT IS THE WHITE ONE WITH THE PAYPAL LOGO).

    1. Foofighter says:

      That website is closed/blocked by Paypal [no surprise there!]
      Better off just hearing what she thinks Paypal does with the money they freeze…
      IMHO, they are FLOATING the funds, SKIMMING interest, for the whole time the accounts are frozen.
      That’s ILLEGAL.
      They’re freezing accounts to the tune of perhaps billions or trillions of dollars, worldwide, arbitrarily, for larger and larger sums of money.
      Anyone in Banking can be put in prison for doing that…PayPal has been doing what surely appears to be that, and THEY ARE NOT A BANK–therefore, they do not have to abide by Banking Laws. There are no apparent guarantees your money is safe with them, except for their say-so.
      Apparently, they are getting away with it.
      And, people keep suckering for handing over access to their bank accounts to PayPal, just for the honor of letting Paypal do some transactions for them–WHY?

  41. Nitin mohan says:

    paypal also hold my payment and asking me to resolve the buyers item to verify and clear the amount to successfully shift to my bank account…

  42. Foofighter says:

    I had not used my Paypal account in some time. It is understandable, in some respects, that the following happened…EXCEPT that there are warning flags that something else may have been occurring.
    I removed a defunct credit card linked with my Paypal account, and replaced it with a good credit card.
    Unsure if the system was going to work, I made a small [2-digit] payment to my contractor, to make sure it got through OK.
    It went through immediately….well, sort of….the Card shows debit, and Paypal lists it as paid out; contractor shows it deposited to his account….but it’s still incomplete somehow, 48 hours later.
    The amount is still being FLOATED [delayed in actual completion].
    Next day, when job was done, tried to pay the larger balance due [4 digits].
    …Not Working.
    Granted, I had not used my Paypal in a long time.
    Account now LOCKED.
    I should be able to call them, and straighten this out sensibly.
    Called Paypal several times, trying to resolve the issues.
    Each time got different customer service rep in Ireland or Phillipines
    –they said it could be in any country; the only way to get one in the USA, was to just keep calling back, and maybe I’d get lucky to get a USA rep….
    At NO TIME, did ANY Rep ask for my Security Questions to help verify I am myself. Customers are supposed to be verified by their security questions.
    And, they are supposed to be able to get transferred immediately to a USA Rep when they ask for that.
    PayPal Reps sounded BOGUS, for missing both these requirements.
    Actually, the first Rep did say she could switch me to a Rep in the USA…but didn’t. Another Rep disconnected the call, when I asked for transfer to a Rep in the USA.
    I became suspicious of the Reps and of PayPal.
    The first few calls, I was told I had to submit a proof of address…they suggested a utility bill copy. I did that…sent them a copy of the bill slip.
    Account still locked.
    Next Rep didn’t like the bill, as it was only addressed to my POB, not street address.
    Later Reps demanded I also link my bank account to Paypal.
    I balked….too much personal information, and, my bank account has been compromised twice this year already…I told them that account’s multiple compromises this year, made it unsafe to link anywhere.
    They started making threatening tones of voice that they required a bank account link for Homeland Security.
    I told them, where we live, there is NO street delivery–bills only go to the POB–and Paypal also has both addresses anyway, previously–they seemed to understand that.
    But still LOCKED.
    PayPal reps I later called said, that it was banking law, and for Homeland Security, for me to link my bank account to them.
    BOGUS!
    PayPal worked FINE linked only to an active, good credit card.
    Suddenly they require a link to my bank account for any other transaction??
    And fail to ask Security Questions to verify I am myself??
    If Paypal is this glitches, there’s NO WAY I would allow them access to my bank account.
    ===My Paypal account remains locked.
    ===Now I cannot even edit what card is linked to the account, nor can I edit anything in the account. It’s frozen.
    I wrote the contractor a check instead, to pay them.
    That contractor is also quitting PayPal…he said he’d set up a different method of credit card payments, instead. He was previously unaware of the games PayPal plays.
    ===Because PayPal Locked my Paypal account, they ALSO BLOCKED my using the same card in ‘just a credit card’ transaction, ANYWHERE else Online, IF the Vendor uses Paypal to handle their transactions.
    This is wrong in so many ways!
    ===In light of the accounts others are sharing, it looks like PAYPAL, or IT’S Representatives at Service Centers, are doing illegal things.
    ===It Also sounds like Paypal is FLOATING money from people’s accounts, holding it a few or several days [or many months!] to earn Interest, which they are NOT entitled to, then MAYBE they put the money where it belongs.
    PAYPAL is NOT A BANK.
    PAYPAL LACKS even the bit of security found in Banks, though they have all sorts of things that cause the system to NOT work.
    ===IF they take money from people’s bank accounts as reported, when no purchase has called for it, that is THEFT.
    ===Floating money for a few days, before completeing a transaction, or returning money to an account, is also BOGUS, because IN TODAYS WORLD, ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS ARE INSTANTLY DONE.
    FLOAT that delays a transactions’ completion, is an OLD EXCUSE to hide that they are harvesting big money world-wide, in Interest….regardless if a bank or Paypal does it.
    Paypal can’t debit a Credit Card for a purchase and Skim interest on that as Float…only can Skim off the “float” by delaying a time before completing the transaction.
    But they can EASILY debit bank accounts or Paypal money on deposit. Freezing accounts with cash in them, they can easily FLOAT and SKIM interest. But if they started debiting Credit cards to Skim Float Interest, THAT would set off too many warning bells with regulatory agencies.
    Done worldwide, it could be billions or trillions of dollars daily.
    ===PayPal has it’s electronic hands into too many data bases;
    It surely seems, NO ONE’s personal information or finances are safe while linked to PayPal.
    Caveat Emptor!
    Paypal is NOT what it once was.

  43. Evelyn Ng says:

    Hello author,

    I just read your article and i have some issues with paypal but i dont know what to do.

    I was told i violated the rules and my account is freeze. I would like to know if i will be charge and needs to pay them? i am just a small time worker and i dont what to do. i have read the rules and each violation i have to pay 2,500.

    Can you help? i have to email to the dept but i am getting machine like answers.

    1. Michelle says:

      Ok, first of all I would call them, don’t submit a ticket. I know you aren’t in the US, but there should be a way you can call this US number by maybe getting a US Skype number with their min. $10 credits – 1-888-221-1161

      Also here’s another option to Pay Pal & I’ve found they transfer the money faster (at least within the US) then Pay Pal does.

      http://rapidfinancialsolutions.com/faster-than-pay-pal/

      It’s an ewallet & depending on which country you are in, they also offer a pre-paid credit card option to use.

      HTH

      Michelle

  44. Karolina says:

    Reading through all the comments I made an impression that keeping paypal aware of your income amounts is not very effective. There is a number of other reasons for freezing an account. I did not want to try my luck and went for another payment gateway available in my region.
    It is strange why wouldn’t paypal publish a comprehensive list of reasons for freezing. At least I did not manage to find such information. Seems that they just improvise.
    I m also looking forward to a viable alternative which would find another way to manage the safety. Being cut off from your funds can be very frustrating.

  45. Frank says:

    When I first picked up PayPal Pro (which is connected to PayPal Standard), it boosted my apparent sales by 3 times. I received a call from PayPal, asking why the large increase. I told them we just picked up PayPal Pro and they were satisfied. We have had our account locked once. The reason was we had tobacco products for sales, which is against their policy (they can get dinged by Gov due to the tax). I removed the webpages for the tobacco products and they unlocked my account.
    Although their support could be better, PayPal is an outstanding processor and one that will increase your online sales. So I have to say yes to PayPal, since so many people want to use it and yes to PayPal Pro since it saved us over $1,000/month in processing fees over First Data. Respect and follow PayPal’s rules and things go very well.

  46. Heka says:

    There has been a lot of discussion about the business side of the PayPal but there is another side of this too. There are a lot of normal people whose accounts PayPal decided to froze for some random reason like too long inactivity. Now they can’t use PayPal to pay your products. So never have PayPal as the only payment option in your store or you will lose customers.

    When normal people get their account “limited” it will stay that way and they are “out” from PayPal for good. Or at least they need to fight hard to get their accounts reopened. For many of them it’s just easier to find the product from some other place where they actually can pay it without hassle.

  47. simob gretwsd says:

    hi just bee nput on hold by paypal coz the lareg amount of 50pounds was put in by a friend they are crazy.

  48. kim says:

    Ok they froze my account because of higher sales amounts showing up >> my business is growing and there is absolutely nothing even remotely not proper. They have frozen a little under $600.
    I have provided all the documentation they have requested, and I am sure I will bet my money released >> but I still wish to have a lawyer write them a letter demanding immediate repayment and an apology.
    Any opinion on this. Any lawyers out there.
    K

    1. Michelle says:

      Hi Kim,

      I e-mailed you re: helping you with writing the demand letter.

      Michelle

      1. Steve says:

        hello i have the same issue 2 of my accounts on my paypal $5000 worth have been limited could you help me on how i could go about that thanks.

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  51. Melissa Halim says:

    The truth is,
    if your account is limited/frozen for whatever valid/non-valid reasons,
    it is as good as gone, as you won’t have the mental strength and power and perseverance to face Paypal’s series of hurdles to get your money back.

    They have the power of a bank but none of the responsibilites.
    They are their own judge, and jury, and litigator.

    1. Neil says:

      My paypal account has been limited several times. Truer words have never been spoken. I will use your quote for the rest of my life.

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      (MASTERCREDITFIX at GMAIL dot COM).

  52. Ben says:

    There is an argument that PayPal enjoys limiting accounts so that they can use your money to re-invest within the 180 day period.

    1. Chimonger says:

      Hi Ben,
      It’s my understanding that Paypal is NOT a “bank”, yet most think they are.
      Which means, as I understand it, they are NOT bound by banking laws.
      ===What you are talking about is called “Skimming Float Interest”.
      ALL banking institutes have always done that, but only overnight; your money is always guaranteed to be there when you require it.
      Paypal, OTH, does things which have every appearance of the following:
      —1. Slowing transactions, they retain control of the money in “Float”, meaning: the longer they delay any transactions, the more money they harvest off of each transaction. Ethical? Nope. Legal? Dunno–probably highly unethical at least.
      —2. Freezing customer accounts Paypal operates:
      All money in those accounts, is under their control; meaning, as long as it’s frozen, Paypal gets to reap Float interest.
      —3. Demanding a link to customer’s other bank account, favoring that over a linked credit card.
      They can rotate money out of/into any linked bank account;
      NOT regulated by banking industry laws, not entirely.
      By rotating money out of the actual bank account, Paypal takes Float interest the actual bank would otherwise have gotten. Customers may not even know it’s being done.
      Paypal operates world-wide.
      —4. Paypal CANNOT force a “cash advance” from a credit card, though, in order to grab Float interest; that is likely why they more frequently demand a link to customer’s bank accounts instead.
      Also, Once Paypal has frozen a linked Credit card, that card is blocked everywhere Paypal operates accounting for any business; only way to get control of your linked credit card, is to Close your Paypal account it’s linked to, because their system refuses to allow it to be changed or Unlinked–I tried…it stayed blocked until I closed the Paypal account.
      Paypal coerces people into gifting them bank account links, and their personal ID copies, too….not safe.
      Anyone who calls customer assistance, never knows what country the customer service agent is–could be Pakistan, India, Ireland, etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, EXCEPT that there is no real guarantee of security, and every CSR contacted [about 8 of them in one night] gave Different reasons for Paypal freezing my Card and my Paypal account. Poor accountability and flip and coercive responses.
      Customers who ask to be hooked up with an agent in the USA, get told, as I did, “You have to keep calling back, and take your chances that a USA agent will answer the call” [which is supposed to be illegal–it’s supposedly a law that if a customer needs to speak with an agent in the USA, whoever took the call is supposed to transfer the person to one].
      Hope that helps.

    2. Kathy says:

      I totally agree. They have just frozen mine, stating fraudulent activity?? No real explanation. Wth are they talking about? I asked for specifics but they wouldn’t give me any. I buy stuff on EBay (skin care) for my personal use and sell a cpl hundred dollars a year. That’s it. They are crooks.

  53. Leigh says:

    I used PayPal successfully for several years and sold a LOT of merchandise on eBay. I sold motorcycle apparel like leather jackets and motorcycle helmets.

    I changed absolutely nothing about what I was selling. Suddenly one day they froze my PayPal account stating that I was selling “suspicious” items. I called them and talked to multiple different reps, all rude and condescending and never actually answering my questions. They kept my money frozen in my account for the full 180 days and I then canceled my PayPal account when I finally got my money out.

    This is the thing. I was not selling anything “suspicious”. I was selling the exact same leather jackets and motorcycle helmets I had been selling for years. I changed nothing about my business model and they totally screwed me. I was a great ebay and paypal customer, they both made a LOT of money from me, and with no good reason, they ruined my business on ebay. Once we could not offer PayPal as a method of payment, we could not sell on ebay.

    You have been very blessed not to have had any issues with them. I have always had my own merchant account that I have used for my own websites, and only ever used PayPal due to they force you to if selling on ebay.

    I don’t know if they have changed as I’ve not used them in about 6 years since they royally screwed me over.

    1. Barry says:

      Thank you for sharing Leigh. Totally know what you mean about rude and condescending and never actually answering questions. I stop selling on eBay but have to buy from there sometimes and now they have limited my account, not sure why so I can’t buy from eBay either. Wish someone would start an alternative.

      1. Brian says:

        Hi Barry,

        There is a paypal alternative called Dwolla. The transaction fees are lower too, but the catch is you can’t link a credit card. You have to link a bank account. (That’s how they keep transaction fees low)

    2. YASIR says:

      Hi Leigh,

      Hope you fine , i have same issue with paypal they freez my paypal account and a notice show in my paypal account your account freez 180days and you withdraw you amount after 180days , i have 1440$ in my account can you tell me procedure how i withdraw my amount .

      Thanks for your anticipation

      Yasir Zahoor

    3. Liu says:

      Hi, similar situation here. Can you tell me how do you get your money out? That could really help, Thank you!!

    4. Chimonger says:

      Thing is, Pypl wants to get the same perks a bank does: they earn money on “float”. Floated funds are money on deposit that’s sitting there, like, overnight, for instance. It’s “floated” into special bank accounts overnight, which earn interest. Then, it’s put back. There’s never any penalty, because the banking computers never see it as missing from anyone’s accounts.
      Probably not the best explanation, but as simple as I can say it.
      Many people set up business with PyPl, by linking their credit card to them, NOT their bank account.
      In the case of those, Paypal started demanding those people also gift them their personal ID’s AND, a link directly to their bank account….DON’T!!!!!
      Here’s why:
      This is Paypal trying to gain access to money on deposit in your account, to earn float interest from it, the way banks do it…except on a massively larger scale. PyPl cannot legally do that off credit cards, because that would force the system to do a Cash-draw on credit…that’s illegal. So, they keep pressuring people to gift them direct access to their bank accounts….BIG MISTAKE!
      For those who set up money accounts with Paypal, and had money on deposit with them, Paypal can milk float interest off that just because it’s there.
      But, it’s hard to do with money coming/going in/out of account, so they take to “freezing” the balance, indefinitely, so they can move the money into higher-interest-bearing instruments, and gain far more money….which they never pay to the client it belongs to.
      IF they told anyone what they were doing, there’d be all sorts of backfires for them. Because they’re NOT a bank, therefore, technically, not allowed to do those things. It’s highway robbery on a worldwide scale.
      It’s probably in the trillions of dollars/euro.
      For a very long time, there was only World Bank running all finance.
      A few years back, the BRICs bank was formed, SUPPOSEDLY to be competition to World Bank….but I’m not at all sure that’s what it is.
      It’s more likely another sett-up component of moving towards NWO….TWO huge, dominant banks, look much like the “two party system” most everyone is familiar with–so two huge overloading banks, looks familiar, and makes people THINK they have a choice. They don’t.
      Then there are the scores of various digital wallet companies….if you think cash is a gonzo business, wait ’til digital wallets like Bitcoin really get going!?
      IDK…I really don’t believe any of them are safe or secure anymore.

      1. Baumgarten says:

        Actually PayPal do tell people. It’s just that people do not bother reading the user agreement. And they agree to everything when they complete sign up. Their minds are busy focused on selling, receiving money, sending money, buying online, etc. Yeah, yeah, but who wants to read that big, boring, long drawn out, user agreement, right? Maybe we should so there’d be no surprises. 🙂

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  55. David says:

    Any good recommendation for merchant account for seller?

  56. Paula R says:

    I just now got a notification that my paypal account was closed do to policy What the heck I have shopped on line and what is going on!!!

  57. Michelle says:

    Hi,

    Too bad this didn’t happen a year or two ago. Pay Pal once again has settled a HUGE law suit for whenever they freeze people’s money.

    Look it up & maybe contact the law firm who’s handing the class action.

    I hope you get your money back.

    Michelle
    http://www.rapidfinancialsolutions.com

  58. Parvinraina @Genesis Spider says:

    Seriously, I have been stucked with PayPal for account limit. Their restriction like shit.

    I need to pay my bill.

  59. John Walls says:

    I would advise anyone with a Business to stay away from Paypal. Theres too much of a risk involved with them having complete control of your money. Would you really turn over all of your money and lifesavings to a complete stranger who offers you no guarantees about how they handle your money? Keep in mind thats what you are literally doing everytime you use them. They are not regulated by the government and they don’t have to play by the rules.

    I had been with them for over 10 years as well and I sold a few items here and there. But I used my account for mostly buying on ebay. I had an incident where I became the victim of identity theft and fraud. Someone hacked into my account and used my account to purchase items. As a result of this Paypal froze my account. So while you may have been lucky thus far with not having any issues with having to deal with a limited account. I would keep an eye on my account. Recognize that things could change in the blink of an eye even if your account is ever compromised through no fault of your own. I just personally dont think its a risk worth taking.

  60. Thomas Haggerty says:

    I have used PayPal for several years without issue, yet this year was something different.

    Apparently PayPal had limited my account due to notification of buyers reporting that they are not getting their merchandise. Not a single buyer of mine had notified me nor open any type of dispute with either PayPal or eBay.

    So I contacted them and could not get a hold of anyone who can give me a clear answer. Not only that, they permanently restricted my access and holding my funds for 180 days! I am a business, I can’t wait that long to get access to that. It is so frustrating that PayPal doesn’t care no matter the years you have been with them. I have gotten nowhere with their support and am in need of getting back.

    I did start reading somewhere on Auction Essistance that stealth is alternative to get back on? Is this true? Would this be a good way to get back on or will eBay find out?

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  62. Anonymous says:

    I was a former paypal employee. When it comes to placing holds and limitations on accounts, they look at several indicators. Firstly I would like to state calling paypal to inform them you are receiving a large payment means dick! The person’s in the fraud department are the ones responsible for the limitations/holds. As I was one of those agents prior to their decent and disloyalty to to their employees and their customers.

    So let’s say you received 10k, your account goes negative. Sadly based on PP’s rules that account is responsible for the funds. However with said they are not a bank and have no legal bounds to even make you pay that balance. So you can just open another account and bypass the balance.

    When it comes down to what we look at to determine whether payments or accounts are fraudulent is by looking at your SSN, IP’s, device ID’s, flash shared objects, Visitor ID’s, credit cards, bank accts, phone numbers, and addresses. We also use feedback from ebay, complaint history, sales history and if people are shipping the items being sold to determine whether or not fraud is happening on accts.

    It’s very easy to slip by PP’s security you just need to know what the people that work there are looking for. PP is a horrible company and they deserve to have their processes exsposed.

    I hope this helps
    Anonymous former employee.

  63. U Name It Used Restaurant Equipment says:

    Been with paypal for ten years, last month i had two big transactions from selling locally Used Restaurant Equipment. Fucking paypal put restrictions on my account. Luckily, I transferred some of the funds to my Chase back business account and left some at Paypal. I was shocked how they can do that, It was my mistake to open a paypal Merchant account. I had a chase Merchant account prior to that , and made lots of transactions without any problem, but these paypal ass wholes will never been trusted again. Please please if you want to ba safe, Don’t ever do paypal , They can luck up your money and make you homeless. I will close my acc ASAP

  64. julia Farr says:

    I too have been cleaned out by PP. I have had paypal for a number of years on my website. I own the Company. Three months ago, PP asked me for a number of answers regarding my ID and Company Documents, which I emailed back to them as requested. Time ticked away, and then there were more questions and then time ticked away, with yet wanting answers in more detail. I started to smell a rat. I have subsequently deleted PP from my website and now use Shopify (thank goodness I set this up last year when PP conveniently crashed right before Xmas – not the first time, consequently loosing thousands of dollars over a few days before they managed to get it up again). PP still has $15.5k of mine, not much in the big scheme of things but it’s the principal. I’m seeking legal advice as to how to get it back plus compensation for restricting the flow of my business operations. If anyone is thinking about using PP for their business – don’t. I thoroughly recommend Shopify Payments. When I read all the comments on this stream, I must say that I’m shocked and horrified that PP can do this to small and big business alike. They obviously have too much money. I think that the best thing for people to do is boycott PP and kick them where it hurts. From a former and very pissed off PP user.

    1. Helen says:

      Yes this has just happened to me…They are also forcing me to upload personal details and photo ID. I have had my account for 10 years then they started to accuse me of using personal payments too much…. They want more money off me and are trying to put the squeeze on and have threatened o hold my £15k if I receive any more… Even tho these transactions were totally legitimate. I’m closing my account as soon as I get my money back

  65. Hawvick says:

    Paypal is really a fucking stupid company. I used Paypal more than 5 years. One day, I bought an iPad on eBay and PayPal requested for my IC and Credit Card Statement. After providing all the informations, they directly limit my account. I called them and a terrible idiot told me to employ a lawyer if I want to access the account. They said “If you can’t afford to have a lawyer, you will not able to use PayPal forever”. I used Paypal for so many years and they limit my account with no reasons. The reason is ‘This is our final decision and will not be appealed’. Idiot and terrible joker.

  66. Hawvick says:

    Paypal is really a fucking stupid company. I used Paypal more than 5 years. One day, I bought an iPad on eBay and PayPal requested for my IC and Credit Card Statement. After providing all the informations, they directly limit my account. I called them and a terrible idiot told me to employ a lawyer if I want to access the account. They said “If you can’t afford to have a lawyer, you will not able to use PayPal forever”. I used Paypal for so many years and they limit my account with no reasons. The reason is ‘This is our final decision and will not be appealed’. Idiot and terrible joker. They will be kind like bitches when they have business with you and will talk like shit if the business ended!

    1. Michelle says:

      This is why I recommend ALL online companies get a REAL merchant account.

      Leaving yourself open to Pay Pal’s whims is potentially risking your entire company.

      If you want Pay Pal along side regular Visa & MC, ok, fine, that’s a smart idea, but I don’t feel any real company should be without a REAL merchant account.

      Contact me if you are interested in moving forward.

      Michelle

      1. Hawvick says:

        I am not a company. I am individual. They mustn’t limit the accounts with no reasons.

      2. Brian says:

        Hello Michelle I’m not sure how old this thread is but if possible can you contact me. It’s regarding my accounts being frozen for 180 days and we’ll I’m not sure what’s next for my business :(. Any help would be appreciated thanks.

      3. ian vaudin says:

        paypal have restricted me wanting id and proof of address and bank details is there a way about this or another company similar that does not need all this bother. i would be grateful for your help

  67. Adams Thompson says:

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  69. Monika says:

    My Friend Transfer money into my PayPal account and she ask my to transferred and withdraw this money from my bank Coz she’s lost the card and she’s need this money to pay her landlord next day as soon as I transferred money both accounts been blocked and put some limitations on it for no reason I can’t transfer this money back Coz of this limitation PayPal ask me for the passport and bank statement My passport is been lost now take new one takes a least 2 months I only want to send this money back to the perso who sends me what I can do to my friends she’s get her money back

  70. Peter says:

    They require now your SSN, if do not provide it they will freeze your account anytime with no reason at all, I spoke to them and they told me that do as they please and I was transfer the call to a manager who said the IRS told them to freeze all those accounts. How come PP froze your money with impunity?
    For me PP is gone from my life.

  71. Leo Graves says:

    I got my account frozen because I was trying to send money to my friend. They wanted to know what it was for and they requested so many documents. I provided what they needed, but they said I was too much of a risk. They closed it our completely.

    I was wondering if it is possible to get back on? I was reading an article by Auction Essistance about stealth, but is it really legal? I use PayPal for all my transactions. Not having them is a devastating blow.

  72. Tunde Awo says:

    Hi. I just opened a paypal account and linked a debit card to it. I made a purchase of $220, few minutes later I received a mail that my account has been limited. Is there any hope of getting the money back because I was trying to buy for somebody, not my money. Please assist me.

  73. Simon Frost says:

    Assholes have just frozen my account??? won’t give me a reason, and have left me without my diabetes medicine. I can’t believe they are just allowed to steal your money and shut you down like this without even explaining why??

    This is the last time I will ever use their service.

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  76. raju ginne says:

    my 50$ got sucked in PayPal because illegal activity with associated emails from Gmail.they said your amount will automatically sent to bank account after6 months. but it almost 4 years.

  77. BlayzeK says:

    They cut mine off from receiving funds and all I wanted to do was to receive payments of around $50-100 a week for writing short story commissions. They swore to me that there were no blocks, yet no one could send me money, and all those people could send money to other accounts so it HAD to be something with my account. I finally just gave up and had them pay me through dwolla.

    Then about a month later, they randomly cut me off from making purchases, and all I did was make three purchases for <$15 each from a web site selling art assets for games. I can't figure out what is wrong, because none of the things you mention apply to my account.

  78. Joshua says:

    Paypal says you can sign up for a “business account,” but they require an individual’s info and then consider it your personal account in actuality.

    5 years ago, I had a dispute where a buyer sent back an ebay camera damaged and with missing accessories. Paypal refused to look at an email I had where the buyer admitted at least the missing accessories part, and held me responsible for refunding all the money. I refused. When they made harassing phone calls, I eventually told them they could take legal action if they wanted because unless they wanted to adjust the total, I wasn’t paying. I thought the matter was over.

    Then recently, I had forgotten all about it. I’d started a company paypal so we could receive credit card payments. This went fine until we applied for Paypal Here, then Paypal told me they were freezing the company account and keeping the money unless I paid the full previous balance. Even though the money is not mine personally.

    In calling them, I saw what a bad company they were. Every office told me a different thing. “Oh, you had to appeal that within 120 days [one office told me it was 180 days, another said 30 — they seriously didn’t know their own policy] and you didn’t”. “Yes I did”. “Oh, yes, you did. Oh well, we still can’t help.” Each department I called said I needed to talk to another department, which told me the previous department was all wrong. Corporations love to put real people in the position of middle man between their own departments It was a nightmare.

    They told me my account was “not a business account” even though I signed up as one, so they call the money mine personally. They seem to think their policies somehow trump the laws in the U.S., it’s super weird.

    1. Joshua says:

      I’m trying to condense somewhat, but in short, because I was the manager listed on the account, they called the money mine and froze it. Totally illegal (illegal user agreements aside).

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  80. Ida says:

    This horror brought about by PayPal is a real nightmare. I receive Donations and Sponsorships for a non-profit cat shelter in Egypt, yet PayPal shut me down asking for about five different government documents to prove that I’m a “non-profit”.

    I sent them the actual documents for this shelter – unfortunately, there is no US counterpart over here because they are a small shelter in their own country – yet even after sending them further documents from the Manager and Founder of the shelter, they would still not release the monies we need for the cat food, medicines, and shelter repair.

    They next stated that, at the very least, I needed a “subordinate letter” from a US shelter, even though I told PayPal that I was not a shelter, I was a single, unemployed volunteer helping to accept the donations and cat sponsorships, which I then sent to the shelter via MoneyGram or Western Union. I’ve spoken to about seven different “Reps”, yet none are able to provide me with any answers regarding my account, or even why their so-called “PayPal-Egypt” is not working as promised three years ago. No responses, no cat food, no help for a struggling cat shelter.

    I’ve provided all the information that I can provide, yet simply NO ANSWERS from these thieves! As one person stated below, PayPal is NOT a bank and any “regulatory guidelines” that they have to follow cannot be found anywhere. If they have the same “powers” as banks, then they also have the same the right and impunity to steal customers’ monies, and be answerable to NO ONE!

    If anyone can provide me with a link to where the class action suit can be found, and provide me with at least one alternative to PayPal, I would be greatly appreciative, as well as many other PayPal victims. 🙁

    1. Michelle says:

      Hi Ida,

      I honestly don’t know where the e-mails are from the 2 class actions that PP has already had against them. One just settled a month or two ago.

      I’d just do a search for the law firm that handled one or both of them. There should be a reccord somewhere.

      Then also contact the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) or http://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/the-bureau/

      Now the 2nd one is ONLY for banks, but I’d hound them & tell them that they need to step in or provide you with another organization who can & also just ask them how many people call them & complain about PP. I’m curious.

      HTH

      Michelle
      http://www.rapidfinancialsolutions.com

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  82. Margaret Doberman says:

    PayPal closed my account for good due to suspicious activity on the account. I only used them for a few payments and now since my business is just picking up, I have no way to accept payments.

    I came across this guide on getting back on: https://www.slideshare.net/AuctionEssistance/ebay-incognitostealth

    But I wanted to get some insight on whether or not it is legal?

    Do you have any experience in stealth accounts?

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  84. Peter says:

    Thanks. Do you think I would get frozen if I am planning to receive 1k of funds while my monthly funds are about $200?

  85. Clement says:

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  86. Sarah Doberman says:

    I got limited by PayPal just recently and it was a permanent one. I been with them for over 5 years and never had issues until one buyer tried to scam me out of my item by opening a fraudulent dispute. I provided all evidence but apparently that wasn’t enough for them. I lost the dispute and got my account shut down permanently. I need PayPal to sell, but they won’t reinstate it!!

    I was searching for a way to get back on and there is some guides that teach you, but seems like a lot of work. I came across http://www.auctionessistance.com and it seems they set-up accounts for you. Just wanted to see if it would be a safe option since I need to start accepting payments immediately!

  87. Dusan says:

    Most unprofessional company I have ever dealt with. If you run a business, take your money elsewhere because PayPal will derail your whole operation. Out of nowhere they put a limitation on my account asking for more information and then never responded to information I submitted, while counting down the days to restricting my account. Considering the amount of money they made on my transactions I would imagine they would value my business somewhat but that is not the case. Would advise everyone to stay away, especially if you run a business.

  88. Ron says:

    I’ve read too many horror stories of PayPal and would never use them. The stories scared me off!

    One of your sections about is titled “Preventing Paypal From Ever Limiting Your Account.”

    So, if anyone–in a word–wants to know how to prevent PayPal from ever limited their account?

    It’s called Stripe.

  89. Michelle says:

    Actually Stripe & Square is almost as bad as Pay Pal.

    They don’t screen your account before, so if you process in the high risk industry, they can shut down your account at any time citing you violating their Terms & Conditions.

    If you ever want a REAL merchant account where the solutions are solid & don’t just shut you down one day because they feel like it, I can work on your behalf to get you one.

    That’s low or high risk.

    Michelle

    1. Stelios says:

      Hi Michelle, PayPal has just limited our account that had £27,000 in. Some of this money is due to go to a cancer charity. Had absolutely no problems with them for 3 years and all of a sudden i’m close to losing my business unless we find an alternative solution. Which company would you recomend for processing card payments? Thanks

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  91. Stephen Harrison says:

    PayPal steal money that is the fact. I had a buyer in Cnada, buy an item then aFTER LEAVING POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON EbAY PULLED THE CHARGEBACK TRICK TWO WEEKS LATER pAYpAL ACCOUNT FROZEN AND LET ME MAKE ONE THING CLEAR YOU WILL NEVER RECOVER ANY MONEY THEY HOLD, THEY ARE RUN BY THE MAFIA.

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  93. Nica says:

    My account has been limited since I failed to provide valid proof of address after reaching personal paypal account limitation.

    I tried to call the number on PayPal’s website but I only get recorded messages.

    How did some of you talked to real human beings? I tried to email them and send message through the messenge center but still can’t get a hold of anyone from PayPal.

    By the way, I am from the Philippines and have been using my account for over 3 years already.

    Thank you for your help.

    1. Kirsten Williams says:

      I was an employee of paypal and been with them for 3years now. Since the day I left them I realized to help people who is being affected with their holding of fund systems. Just send me an email at kirswills143@gmail.com and well work on to that. 🙂 Godbless!

  94. Angry Former Customer says:

    Just had an account with high balance frozen after receiving a chargeback from a very dishonest merchant. Since it was a payment on an app, the Paypal wrap made the decision all by himself that my 2 year old SaaS app was not trustworthy and froze my account for 180 days.

    Worst timing as I only had my PayPal mastercard on me at the time. I spent the next 2 days unable to eat and sitting on a bench in 40 degree weather with my dog.

    Have no family here and was about 25 miles from home, ended up slowly walking the entire distance with a pretty full backpack on.

    I explained this to the smug PayPal employee he could care less. After PayPal runs this business into the ground pretty sure he will be on the unemployment line. Honestly lost faith in humanity this week.

    Begged the desk jockey to release just enough funds to allow me to call an uber. Mind you my balance has thousands.

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  96. Domle58 says:

    I started my textile business from the $45,000 hack funds I got from kloviaclinks. com. Today, I am now sharing my story. I am still grateful to them.

  97. Huixiang Zhu says:

    Just fuck yourself PAYPAL!

  98. Stelios says:

    Has anyone ever taken legal action against PayPal?

  99. Random User says:

    i haven’t sold anything ever yet i still got the limitation message. Why? Because i take surveys online and they pay me. I have received a little over $7000 this year and 99% of that have been as personal payments. However i started using a chinese app and they send payments as “good and services”.

    After receiving 2 payments from them i got the warning by paypal, mentioning that they want my SSN so they can issue me a 1099-k “when it’s needed”. However, i will never reach the $20K to receive such as form, because i have made little over $50 bucks from goods and services. So my problem is that paypal is preemptively making a warning for my account for a situation that their site clearly says i don’t qualify to.

  100. Winston Smith says:

    I recently tried to use my limited funds (~$80) for a purchase of vitamins. I found out, after about a dozen emails, that PayPal would not process my order because one item was not in stock. WHAT? I’m authorizing the order. Back order fulfillments are between me and the seller.

    Then I found out that PayPal blocks certain items, including lithium and rice.

    None of this information is readily apparent. You don’t find out what the problem is until a lot of frustration has been dished out.

    The seller (a huge on-line supplier) refuses to challenge PayPal. They are content going along with this censorship and tampering with voluntary transactions.

    They will, however, process using a credit card. WHY?

    This would be like my bank refusing to process a check because they didn’t like the quality of the Sears tractor I was buying.

    IT’S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get the hell out of my personal decisions PayPal.

  101. Missy says:

    How can PayPal have a right hold a federal income tax return?

  102. Harry Toselli says:

    I have been working with the godeye for a little over 4 days and I have a total of 9 deletions thus far out of 34 items (20%). He also help me increase my credit score to 800 excellent and I am hoping that I can eventually purchase a home as well. I have experienced a set back (losing job in the past) since enrolling but the god eye keep me back in shape and I am trying my best to stay on top of my bills and debt until I can obtain a job……He did his part by helping me out. He is the real deal (GODEYEVIEWHACKER at HOTMAIL dot COM). Will update again soon

  103. Shadman says:

    After giving each and every information to PayPal that my buyer received their order, but still they are not releasing the payment. My account has still the limitations. Unable to Withdraw amount My 2.5K was stuck on the account.

  104. bob says:

    the author is a FOOL and is lied to by paypal

  105. Rebecca Bell says:

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  106. Genises says:

    I had a personal account with PayPal. I am a YouTube and receive my money through PayPal because most China companies only use Paypal to pay their youtubers. The first time I had my PayPal account everything was going smooth and I was able to receive all of my money. Then, all of a sudden they limited my account. I called PayPal customer service and they could not give me a legit reason why they limited my account. They just said we do this sometimes. They said I can remake another account using a different bank card and I should be okay. I create another account and the same thing happened. I did it again and it happened. PAYPAL is the worst! I will never work with them again. It seems their own customer service reps doesn’t even know what to do.

  107. Bob B says:

    I created my business account with my name as Bob LastName and everything was working okay, then about a year ago my account was categorize “Limited” until I could verify my name. I send copies of my ID, SSN card etc – all showing my legal name Charles Robert LastName and they aren’t accepting that because it doesn’t say “Bob”. I explained that Bob is a nickname for Robert and one that I’ve used all my life. Now PayPal won’t let me change my legal name to what it should be – even with proof – including a copy of the latest bank statement on the PayPal account showing my legal name as Charles Robert LastName. I can transfer all the money to the Bank Account, but I’d like to be able to pay for online things using my PayPal as before. Why would they let me put Bob in the first place and use it as Bob and then change the rules midstream and not allow me to correct the legal name to what it should be? Weird..,.

  108. Jacovic Michel says:

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  109. Lampard Drake says:

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  110. Leonard says:

    Screw Paypal, I’d never use their service again, a bunch of scammers. They also froze my account for no reason, having 8K from working for different clients, so that’s not just 8K, it was hundreds of hours of work they froze.

  111. Al Juffali says:

    I saw a comment about kloviaclinks(.)com on YouTube and I decided to give it a trial. Just few minutes ago, they granted my application and added $70,000 to my PayPal. I am super amazed that it works for me.

  112. williams smith says:

    JASONSNONYMOUSHACKER.COM gave me a paypal hack of $45,000, They are so kind and helpful. I am very grateful to them for their help, they are so legit.

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  114. aaron says:

    paypal stole 800$ of mine for 6 months and will not give me a reason why

  115. Randy Smedes says:

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  116. Dianne Betts says:

    PayPal froze my daughter’s account for 180 days then kept the funds for themselves

    How does PayPal get away with keeping other people’s money without explanation & without proper due process?

    It’s theft

  117. Kathryn says:

    I tried calling to give them a heads up about a large transaction like the article suggested. It is not true. I explained what I had read and she said that if PayPal freezes or blocks a transaction they can’t override it before it happens.

  118. Adam says:

    PayPal is disgusting and the rep the author spoke to is a straight up liar. They have the worst customer service I’ve ever dealt with and most of their reps barely have the intelligence to even work at Macdonalds. They cancelled my account because they had to refund me 10 times last year so that’s obviously my fault. They don’t want to go after the seller because they make more money off them. It’s horrible we allowed a company this awful to get this big

  119. vescera says:

    Its not question will they ban your account for nothing its only question when. Paypal is scam organisation they are only here to manipulate 180days with you money. There is half million account banned every year times your money on balance.

  120. Major. M Caruncle says:

    Paypal is crap. I used to use them, but had it with their fees and stupid customer services in India that know nothing. Luckily for my business, Zelle (free) bank transfers work perfect. You get instant access to your money, no problem. With paypal, you have to hassle to get your money to the bank. With Zelle, it’s there already instead of having to go through paypal at all. Sadly I still will have to use them to pay for Ebay purchases, if I had another choice on that I take it.

  121. Jason says:

    Paypal had NO reason to freeze my account. about 8 small transactions of $80 for training services. Their support is the worst I have ever come across. They also do not accept the documents that I upload. Again without reason and nothing that I can do about this. No idea where to go from here and if I will ever get that money. I am convinced that they do this so that they can earn interest on that money. I see thousands of people that this happened to so there must be a reason other than what they say. Lets hope they piss off enough people and eventually go out of business.

  122. fuck you says:

    this website is fucking useless for answering any questions.

  123. Josh says:

    I am so glad making $100,000 from horbaxtools.weebly.com. They are so legit

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