Here are a few examples of why we may place payments on hold:   

• You’re a new seller with PayPal or an established seller who opened a new account. New PayPal sellers can take time to build positive reputations.   
• You haven’t sold in a while and are still building a positive seller reputation.   
• Multiple customers reported problems or requested refunds.   
• Your selling pattern appears to have changed or seems unusual.   
• You’re selling higher-risk items such as event tickets, consumer electronics, travel packages, or gift cards.
• The payment is a personal remittance and not a commercial transaction. You’ll need to refund the payment and receive it by other means. If the person sending you money lives in Canada, the US, the UK, or in most European countries and regions, they can use Xoom.

In a calendar month, you have a set amount of money you can withdraw or use. Above that amount, the money becomes available 21 days after you receive the payment or earlier. The amount you can access immediately is reset every month.

Here's how to request an increase in the amount of money available to you each month:    

1. On the Dashboard page, click Let's fix it under your PayPal Balance. 
2. Click Request an increase on the right-hand side. 
3. Select the appropriate amount. 
4. Click Done.

We’ll review your request and send you an email within 3 business days. You can request an increase once every 30 days.

Log in to your account to see if you can help to release your payments on hold. If you don’t have this option, we’ll hold your payment for up to 21 days.

You may be able to release eligible payments by following one of the below steps: 

1. Add Tracking. Use one of our approved shipping carriers and we’ll release the hold approximately 24 hours after the courier confirms delivery to the buyer’s address. 
2. Update the order status if the held payment is for a service or intangible item (e.g., piano lessons, e-book). We'll release the hold 7 days after you confirm the order status as Completed.

In rare cases, after these steps are completed, we may need to hold the payment for up to 21 days. For example, this can happen if we notice an unusual change in your selling patterns.