Item delivered a week ago, payment still on hold. Am I helping to fund eBay or PayPal?

[bish_3166]

I don’t usually post on message boards but I’m really curious as to whether mine is a unique situation or if this is a trend experienced by others. I am new to eBay despite having a 25 year career in IT and a couple months ago bought an item and all went really well so I decided to sell my first item.

The item sold almost right away and the buyer paid promptly. Payment was made on Sept 6 but the payment was placed on hold by eBay because I “don’t have sufficient selling history”. PayPal has my credit card information but they still held the payment. OK, I’m new to eBay so I can (reluctantly) accept that.

I shipped the item on Sept 9 since the item was sold on a Friday night and I submitted the tracking info as instructed. The details of the transaction show “This payment will be in your pending amount until September 20, 2019. It may be available sooner, once we know the transaction went smoothly.”

The item was delivered to the buyer on Sept 17 and tracking shows the confirmed delivery and yet the payment remains on hold now on Sept 24th, 7 days after confirmed delivery and 4 days after the sale specified by PayPal. My eBay account now shows the amount on hold until Sept 26 even though PayPal still shows Sept 20.  I’ve sent an email to PayPal and just got an automated reply with their policies. I’m trying to escalate it now but it should simply not be this difficult to get paid for an item that was sold and delivered a week ago.

I’m sure my $200 means little or nothing to eBay or PayPal and it’s not a huge amount of money but it is my money and they have no right to continue to hold it. It’s got me wondering if this is a pattern among users, especially new users, since one transaction is pennies in the large scheme of things but thousands of such transactions could mean these companies are using their users funds as working capital so I’m wondering how many people are experiencing the same type of thing.

[esclyons]

yes every new seller goes through this, i believe you can call paypal, and when they confirm, your tracking info, can release the money to you, right while you are on the phone.

[ricarmic]

It is probably worth noting, the reason for this holding isn't to make "interest" type $$$ for PAYPAL nor eBay whilst the funds are in "limbo", it is protection against folks who created an ID, sold quickly a bunch of stuff and took off with the $$$.

It doesn't explain why it is held longer than it should be sometimes, but it does explain the reason why it started in the first place....

[pjcdn2005]

As  suggested by another poster, if  you phone  PayPal they should release your funds as it has been more than 3 business days since confirmed delivery.  

The funds aren’t held in an interest bearing account.

For more info on payment holds...

https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/pending-payments?id=4155...

[reallynicestamps]

Am I helping to fund eBay or PayPal?

Not with the funds that are being held in a non-interest paying account by Paypal.

But the seller does pay 30 c plus 2.9-3.7% of the payment to Paypal for using their service.

The 30 c is non-refundable if the transaction is Disputed and refunded.

The 2.9% is the fee for domestic transactions and the 3.7% is the fee for international transactions including US payments.

There are also fees based on the selling price and on the shipping fee charged which are paid to eBay.

That's how those companies make their considerable profits.

[black_prelude_2000]

I had a similar incident.  I had an item sold, marked as shipped, put tracking info, and eventually was delivered a week ago.  The buyer has even messaged confirming receipt and put in a positive feedback.  The other bizarre thing was that I had listed a similar item just less than a month prior and I never had the payment held.

I eventually called eBay to find out why my funds were still on hold.  Here is what is supposed to happen (but didn't).

• If you're only an occasional seller like me, the system checks if you've sold anything within the past 90 days.  If not, you're treated no different than like a new seller (which means you're potentially subjected to payment holds).
• You should mark your item as shipped and add the tracking # (in my case with Canada Post).  This apparently allows eBay's system to link with Canada Post to determine status of the shipment (and if it's delivered).
• If you don't put tracking, the payment will be held for 21 days.  With tracking, officially it is held 7 days after the estimated delivery date.  However, the eBay cust. service rep told me that generally the system recognizes the item's status changed to delivered and the payment hold is released about 1 day later.
  
  
• Now, in my case... I have done everything that was expected.  The reason the payment was still held was because of a system glitch.  I was told that the system didn't recognize I had sold something recently (within a month) AND even though I had marked the item shipped and entered a tracking #, the system did not link properly against Canada Post to recognize the item's status was delivered.
  
  The eBay cust. service rep had to do a manual release of the payment hold.  I was told the hold should be released within the next day.
  
  Bottom line, when in doubt... have eBay confirm/check.  Sometimes their system screws up the status check.

[townshipstrader]

This is an older post but I found it helpful, thank you.  I have a similar situation, item sold, paid for, shipped and delivered three days ago.  Still no funds released.  I contacted EBay support and after a couple of hours someone called me back (never any response to two chat attempts).  They gave me the party line about protecting people etc. and said that I was getting preferential treatment (!) with my money only on hold for 14 days because I have a 24 year history on Ebay and hundreds of positive feedback.  After quite a bit of discussion and firmly expressing my dissatisfaction at being held hostage for the buyer to post positive feedback, the person finally said they would "request" funds release.  

I told her I will not sell on EBay under these conditions and asked what would happen the next time.  She finally told me that payments would continue to be held because I am an "infrequent" seller.   I asked her to clarify what that means and she told me that after I had "successfully" completed 10 to 15 transactions that the payment hold would be lifted.

I thought I would share this as clearly EBay does not want to be bothered with individual seller accounts so anyone like me in this category cannot expect any service or timely payments.  I will not be listing anything else for sale and, in any case, have had good luck with FB Marketplace, Gumtree, Kijiji and other platforms which are more user friendly and economical to use.  

[townshipstrader]

BTW, the total amount involved is +/- $35 Cdn, oncluding shipping (which was 2/3 of the cost and for which I was forced to accept being out of pocket). 

[mrdutch1001]

...this is the way it is now on eBay...

ANY seller who is an infrequent/occasional seller/a seller who returns to selling after a lengthy absence,etc are ALL treated in the same manner...just like "new" sellers with listing limits/payment holds until a week or so after item is successfully delivered. Thereafter, sellers have to earn their way back as they must meet the criteria of a consistent established seller. I know this all to be fact because I am one of those sellers who did not list/sell for over 6 months in 2021 and when I did return to selling...all of the above held true=listing limits/restrictions/initial sales monies withheld until successful delivery...

I have been gradually working my way back but it is a slow process. Have gradually been getting the listing limits increased and my funds are no longer withheld, although I have my payment payout scheduled for weekly so it really matters not as far as when I get the funds...

If you have the patience, eBay is still a doable option, but if you can't agree to the way things are on eBay, then perhaps selling on eBay is no longer a good fit for your needs and what you do and/or where you go to conduct your selling is your choice.....

[reallynicestamps]

ZOMBIE POST FROM 2019.

The problem with zombie posts is that the advice may be out of date or incorrect.

[reallynicestamps]

said that I was getting preferential treatment (!) with my money only on hold for 14 days because I have a 24 year history

That is preferential. Normally it is 21 days or until tracking shows delivery. And many Canadian sellers never use expensive tracking.

she told me that after I had "successfully" completed 10 to 15 transactions that the payment hold would be lifted.

Even before Managed Payments, when I reopened a dormant account, the number and value of my listings were restricted (10 items or $100).

At that time Paypal was the payment processor, but there was also a Hold for 21 days on payouts.

After 30 days I phoned, pointed to my other three active accounts, and the restrictions were listed. I don't know the number but the dollar limit was suddenly $40,000!

So your experience is nothing special.

There is a lowkey hope that the restrictions on Managed Payments, including the Hold and much tighter controls on opening MP accounts, will solve the constant problem with hijacking of abandoned accounts.

But the Hold on new and occasional sellers has been around for five or more years and is unlikely to change.

[Anonymous]

I sold my second item on eBay just now. The put a hold on it. I sold my first item a month ago they held my money for a month. I called them a few weeks ago and she assured me the hold was a one time deal. Anyways they just got me again this is the last thing I sell on eBay. It's not worth my time to wait a month for 50 Bux. No more...

[recped]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
I sold my second item on eBay just now. The put a hold on it. I sold my first item a month ago they held my money for a month. I called them a few weeks ago and she assured me the hold was a one time deal. Anyways they just got me again this is the last thing I sell on eBay. It's not worth my time to wait a month for 50 Bux. No more...

---

"One time thing" as in it applies to new and or infrequent sellers and goes away when you are no longer new or infrequent. One sale does not get you out of "new" status.

You can read up on payment holds here:

https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816

[mrdutch1001]

you have responded to a ZOMBIE THREAD from 2019!

If you were looking for help/assistance, it may have been better to start your own thread.

However, if you have just come here with a post and run rant, well then I guess no one can help you especially if you have nothing further to add to your "Anyways they just got me again this is the last thing I sell on eBay. It's not worth my time to wait a month for 50 Bux. No more...", so about all the rest of us can do is say BYE BYE!

[reallynicestamps]

I called them a few weeks ago and she assured me the hold was a one time deal.

The phone reps don't work for eBay. They are paid by a subcontractor in Utah and are more interested in having you get off the phone, somewhat mollified, so they can get a pee break.

The actual eBay employees, who are well trained and have some authority, cover the social media accounts.

Chats (which is jargon for written exchanges) have the bonus of a transcript you can re-read to see if what you heard was what you were actually told.


https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851


https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.
https://twitter.com/askebay?lang=en



[Anonymous]

Same sold delivered. Said it's estimated release was July 5 that was over a week ago..FK eBay there a buncha scammers don't use it you will get ripped off . They want to hold the funds so u may forget.

[Anonymous]

Well this is my second sale and both took over a month to get paid and there unhelpful on the phone the one day you call call.. disgusting...

[cadegan]

I just sold an item on EBay and it will be the last time I ever buy or sell on their platform. I've been on EBay over 20 years and have over 300 positive reviews, 100% positive, and they are going to hold the proceeds, My money, for a month on top of charging a fortune to use their platform for 60 mins (length of time to sell item)   Extremely disappointed in Ebay.  The minute my funds are released, I am cancelling my account. 

[mrdutch1001]

" I've been on EBay over 20 years and have over 300 positive reviews"

You may have been an eBay member for over 20 years but you HAVE NOT (according to your feedback) been  either a buyer or a SELLER on eBay for over a year...

Do you not think things may have changed in that time? Did you not re-acquaint yourself with the workings of this site BEFORE listing items for sale?

It was in your best interests to update yourself and thereby be aware of the criteria for being a seller, know the rules and policies, the fees,etc. It is the seller's responsibility to be in the know BEFORE listing items on this site...YOUR angst about the site isn't eBay's fault...

https://www.ebay.ca/sellercentre/

https://www.ebay.ca/sellercentre/selling/start-selling-on-ebay

https://www.ebay.ca/sellercentre/selling/how-to-sell

https://www.ebay.ca/sellercentre/selling/seller-fees

https://www.ebay.ca/sellercentre/payments-and-fees/payments-and-earnings

Fact is ANY seller who is an infrequent/occasional seller/and/or a seller who returns to selling after a lengthy absence,etc are lumped together with "new" sellers and are subject to listing limits/payment holds,etc. and you would have known this had you taken the time to re-acquaint self with the workings of this site. Sellers such as yourself have to earn back their status of a seller in good standing by meeting the criteria as set out by eBay.

If you have the patience, eBay is still a doable option, but if you can't agree to the terms of use on this site then perhaps this platform no longer fits your needs and in that case, about all we can say is BYE BYE!

[prisonyardboss]

I have been with ebay 20 plus years , and they will hold your money whenever they feel like it … it seems .
By the time funds were deposited, item has been delivered for a week !!
Wish we had paypal back