Is holding funds a new thing?

[3islanders]

I am definitely an "infrequent seller"; haven't sold anything in ages, and suddenly the funds from this one sale are being withheld.  Yes, I saw the article.  So I don't get paid until the "buyer confirms they’ve received their item" -- assuming they bother to do so, and I have to pay about $50 upfront for postage to send it?

Doesn't this kind of allow for sellers to lose both their item and the shipping cost if there's a problem?

UGH... I may not be selling anything else here....

[t_bjarnason]

If you upload tracking info, the funds should be released as soon as the package shows as delivered. If there's no tracking, it'll be 6 days after the last estimated delivery date. 

I'm guessing that they are holding funds because you haven't sold in a while or you're selling in a new category. After a couple successful sales, funds will no longer be held, assuming you're not below eBay's seller standards. 

If you shipped through eBay shipping, the cost of the label should be deducted from your pending/held funds. 

Doesn't this kind of allow for sellers to lose both their item and the shipping cost if there's a problem?

Not at all. eBay doesn't just automatically give the funds back to the buyer if a problem is reported. The buyer would still have to go through the same processes to report a problem and they'd still have to qualify and meet certain criteria to get a refund (Money Back Guaruntee). eBay holding your funds just guarantees that funds are available in the event that a seller tries to take the money and run and eBay can't collect after refunding the buyer. It's more just to discourage dishonest and scammer sellers.