You can withdraw money from a permanently limited PayPal account but the chance is mostly slim. Nevertheless, it’s still possible to get this done, even though only a few users record success.
Getting back your funds in permanently limited PayPal can be challenging, especially if you reside in a banned country and PayPal needs ID verification to release the money.
You can add your card or bank for PayPal to eventually pay the money. However, if you have no permission to do so, you may have to contact PayPal and explain the issue.
Reasons PayPal limits your account
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The limitation in your account may have been placed due to:
a. Unauthorized account access
If PayPal thinks an unauthorized person may be using your account, it could be limited to prevent fraudulent charges. PayPal uses the period to investigate any suspicious transactions in the account. Also, if the bank notifies PayPal of any unusual activity, PayPal will limit the account.
Read also: no tracking number? You could still get your money before 21 days!
b. Multiple chargebacks
If you’ve recorded multiple chargebacks, this could be the reason PayPal limits your account. A high number of buyer claims and chargebacks to your account signals PayPal to review the account activities. As a seller, you don’t want your buyers filing too many disputes.
c. Regulatory compliance problems
If your account does not comply with regulatory requirements, PayPal can limit it. An example is when you receive donations. In this case, you have to provide documents showing that you’re a registered nonprofit organization.
PayPal limits the account while expecting you to submit the required paperwork before your funds can be accessed quickly without waiting for 180 days.
d. Selling banned items
PayPal will limit your account for selling banned items, including prescription drugs and guns.
e. Surge in sales
If PayPal notices a sudden increase in your sales, they will limit your account for investigations. Also, if you begin selling different products or more expensive ones, including jewelry, and there’s a surge in sales volume, PayPal can limit your account.
How to withdraw money from a permanently limited PayPal account
If your PayPal account has been limited with your funds in it, hope isn’t lost—you could still get the money back if there’s no problem (in most cases). Below are the ways to withdraw money from a permanently limited PayPal account:
1. Tell the sender to dispute the funds
If your recently received funds have been limited and the chance of getting the funds back looks slim (depending on what you received the money for), ask the sender to dispute the charge to your PayPal account.
When they win the dispute, PayPal will restore their money, so they can use a different platform to send it to you. The chargeback will be an added reason for PayPal to permanently ban you, which doesn’t matter anyway—the account was already gone.
2. Contact PayPal
If you did nothing wrong, contact PayPal by phone to resolve the issue. Before you contact PayPal, make sure the limited account message you received is not from a scammer—make sure the sender is actually PayPal. Do not quickly click the links associated with such an email without examining the sender to be sure it’s PayPal.
PayPal users receive a dozen emails saying their account is permanently limited, which is untrue. Try going to your account directly to confirm if the permanent limitation is accurate.
Meanwhile, when you contact PayPal, it should take up to 3 days for them to respond. You’ll also be given a date to withdraw the money (if your account has been permanently limited).
You can try making excuses to see if PayPal will release the funds faster. You could say that the money in your account is for rent and that without it, you would be evicted. This excuse may still not solve the problem though, but just give it a shot. Usually, PayPal will give you their famous “I’m sorry to hear that, BUT…”.
3. Wait for 180 days
When a PayPal account is limited, it usually means that the account is under investigation and you can’t withdraw funds for at least 180 days (if at all). When the 180 days have now passed, you can withdraw the money from your PayPal account to your bank account—PayPal.
In some cases, you have to update or add your bank account details to withdraw your funds.
Note that this 180-day money hold is the same time frame the sender has to open PayPal disputes. If no disputes are opened in 180 days, PayPal will normally let you withdraw the money as long as you are more than 18 years old and the account is in your legal name and registered in your country or the country where you live.
Unfortunately, the above are the only few methods you could follow to get your money from a limited Pay Pal account. Good luck!
