Swappa’s primary goal has always been to make buying and selling gently used tech as easy as possible — and to keep you safe in the process. Routing monetary transactions through PayPal enables Swappa to offer various buyer and seller protections typically absent from other used tech marketplaces. Unfortunately, some of our sellers have been affected by PayPal payment holds.
Payments made through PayPal are instantly reflected in your PayPal account balance — and in most cases, these funds are immediately available for use. However, PayPal occasionally implements a payment hold as part of their fraud prevention efforts. In short, a PayPal hold occurs when a payment is reflected in your account balance, but the funds are temporarily locked from being used or transferred into your bank account. These holds typically only last a few days and usually only affect new sellers. However, some long-time Swappa sellers have also been impacted.
Payment holds are enacted and managed exclusively by PayPal. Swappa has no influence over which transactions are flagged, nor are we able to lift an existing hold put in place by PayPal. We realize how frustrating this is for sellers, and we are actively working with PayPal to find a solution. Keep reading to learn what you can do if you are affected by a PayPal payment hold.
Why did PayPal place a hold on my account?
Although the vast majority of PayPal transfers are instantaneous, thereby giving sellers immediate access to their money, PayPal occasionally holds a seller’s money. According to PayPal, these holds occur most frequently for first-time sellers, sellers who haven’t sold in a while, sellers with multiple disputes on record, sellers with an unusual or altered selling pattern, or when selling “higher risk” items such as consumer electronics. Unfortunately, some long-time Swappa sellers are experiencing these holds as well.
PayPal is solely responsible for these payment holds. Contrary to what some Swappa users report being told by PayPal customer service representatives, Swappa has no control as to when a payment hold occurs, nor do we have the ability to expedite the release of a PayPal payment hold. In other words, Swappa does not start or preserve these holds, and only PayPal can bypass or eradicate them. However, Swappa is actively working with PayPal in order to resolve this ongoing issue and prevent it from affecting future orders.
How long will PayPal hold my money?
PayPal states that in the event of a PayPal hold, funds are “usually held for up to 21 days.” Because PayPal holds are controlled exclusively by PayPal, Swappa is not able to expedite the release of your money. However, sellers currently facing a PayPal hold can take a few steps to expedite the release of their payment.
How do I get my money faster?
If your payment is placed on a PayPal hold, PayPal will alert you via email and through your PayPal Account Overview page. Assuming there are no underlying issues with your order and you have a verified PayPal account, you may be able to expedite the release of the hold by taking one of the following actions:
- Print a USPS or UPS shipping label through your PayPal account: This automatically populates your PayPal transaction with tracking information and delivery confirmation.
- Add tracking information to your PayPal transaction: If you already shipped the item and didn’t create a shipping label directly through PayPal, you can upload the tracking information to your PayPal transaction.
According to PayPal, most payment holds are released 1 day after delivery when tracking information is uploaded to the PayPal transaction.
If your PayPal payment hold has not been released after a couple of days, we recommend contacting PayPal customer support. Only PayPal is able to authorize the release of funds in your PayPal account.
What this doesn’t affect: Safety
Swappa’s mission is to make buying and selling used tech as safe and easy as possible. This tenet is the guiding principle behind all of our key decisions regarding marketplace policies, services, business affiliations, and why we have a dedicated support team available 24/7/365.
In addition to manually checking listings before they go live, one way that Swappa keeps buyers and sellers safe is by routing monetary transactions through PayPal. This enables Swappa to offer extensive buyer and seller protections, which have been instrumental in helping Swappa develop a thriving community of millions of buyers and sellers over the past 10 years.
PayPal payment holds can be extremely frustrating for everyone involved. You sold your gently used tech on Swappa because you wanted a safer and smoother experience — and that is exactly what our dedicated support team works around the clock to ensure. However, through no fault of your own, PayPal may arbitrarily hold your funds for up to 21 days.
Although PayPal holds are burdensome for everyone involved, it is important to keep in mind that a payment hold in no way affects your safety as a buyer or seller on Swappa. Swappa’s commitment to your safety is unwavering, and our dedicated support team works around the clock to make sure to keep scams and junk devices out.
If you’ve been affected by a PayPal payment hold, we at Swappa understand your frustration. We work hard to make Swappa the best place to buy and sell gently used tech. We are actively working with PayPal to resolve these issues, and we hope to provide an optimal solution very soon.
If you are currently experiencing a PayPal hold and have already reached out to PayPal support, you can contact Swappa support at any time through our online help desk.