Well, it could be instant if the buyer backs his account with a credit card.
BUT.
You are a new seller and Paypal will, as a Buyer Protection policy, Hold all your cleared payments for 21 days against your good performance.
And that 'cleared' means that if the seller is backing his PP account with his bank account, there could be a 10 day delay until the 'e-cheque' clears the Canadian and American banking systems. (It could be faster, don't panic.)
HOWEVER
You are required to ship within 7 days of notice from PP that the payment has cleared. (Most sellers ship within 24 hours)
If you use PP shipping labels, the money for the label will be released from the Held payment.
Small bonus to using PP labels, some services have a 5% to 18% discount from PO counter prices. And it is easier bookkeeping if payment, postage and shipping are all through the same PP account.
It's a pain in the neck, and many newbies miss the policy when they sign up. But you can call Customer Service after you have 10 feedback and ask if the restrictions can be lifted.
