3 min article

Payments on hold

We know it's important that you receive your money as quickly as possible. However, we may sometimes need to put a hold on your funds due to your selling history or performance, or to address disputes. This helps us keep eBay a safe marketplace for buyers and sellers.

In most cases, holds are lifted when a buyer confirms they’ve received their item or when a case is resolved.

To check the date when a payment is expected to be available, go to the Payments tab - opens in new window or tab in Seller Hub or Payments - opens in new window or tab in My eBay.

To help ensure eBay remains a safe place to buy and sell, and to meet our legal and compliance obligations - opens in new window or tab, we sometimes place a hold on funds, for example, if there's an open case or dispute on a transaction, if your buyer reports a problem with the order, if your account is restricted or suspended, if you owe eBay money, or if you're a new or infrequent seller. If we placed a hold on your funds we'll notify you by email and, depending on the reason, may request additional information from you to help resolve the issue.

There are various reasons why we may place a hold on your funds.

Transaction holds

Transaction holds are when we place a payment hold on funds related to a particular buyer transaction. The funds on hold may be used to refund the buyer for the same transaction.

While proceeds from your sales typically become available within 2 days of confirming the buyer’s payment, we may place transaction holds on funds while we ensure a successful transaction. To reduce the likelihood of a transaction hold, we recommend posting an item the same day your buyer pays for it, and following good postage practices, such as adding tracking information to your order.

Tip
If we place a hold on your funds, it will usually be resolved within 30 days, but in rare circumstances it may take longer. For most orders, adding tracking information can help you receive your funds faster.

Additionally, we may place a transaction hold on funds depending on your seller status, changes to your account status, or other factors we use to help ensure a safe marketplace in all categories, regardless of whether the transaction is covered by our eBay Money Back Guarantee or not:

  • New or infrequent sellers will experience transaction holds while learning best selling practices. This helps sellers become established and build a strong selling history on eBay. New sellers typically experience holds for up to 14 days, although sometimes it may be longer
  • Previously restricted or suspended sellers will experience transaction holds for the 30 days after the restriction or suspension is lifted, while we confirm that the items have been successfully delivered
  • High priced items or unusual selling patterns may lead to transaction holds for up to 30 days to help us ensure that buyers don't have any issues with the order

Payment dispute holds

Payment dispute holds are when we place a hold on funds related to a problem reported by a buyer, regardless of whether the transaction is covered by our eBay Money Back Guarantee or not.

For example, if a buyer reports that an item not received, or the item they received is significantly different from the listing description, we hold funds until the case is resolved and closed. 

The funds on hold may be used to refund the buyer for the same transaction.

Payout holds

Payout holds are when we hold funds payable to a particular seller, and usually require further seller action on the account.

  • Registration holds: We may hold payouts if we identify a discrepancy with the information you provided at registration. If your account is restricted, we'll notify you by email with a request for additional information. For more information on how to verify your identity, see our article registering as a seller
  • Compliance holds: eBay maintains policies and procedures to protect buyers and sellers while complying with applicable laws - opens in new window or tab. If your account has a payout hold or restriction for compliance reasons, we'll notify you by email and may request additional information from you
  • Performance holds: We hold your payouts if we identify unusual activity associated with your account, such as increased customer claims, a sudden change in your selling activity, late deliveries, or negative buyer feedback
  • Invalid payment method: We may put your payouts on hold if we can't deduct your selling fees and other costs from any of your on-file payment methods. In this case, you’ll need to add another payment method
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