It is important for each seller to receive the money as quickly as possible after the sale of an item. However, eBay may sometimes need to put a hold on your funds due to your selling history or performance or to address disputes. This helps it keep eBay a safe marketplace for buyers and sellers.
You can check on the status of a payment by going to the Payments tab in Seller Hub.
For more information on how to work with Seller Hub, see these articles.
Why eBay put payments on hold and how to avoid it
In most cases, holds are lifted when a buyer confirms they've received their item or when a case is resolved.
To help ensure the marketplace remains a safe place to buy and sell, and to meet it’s legal and compliance obligations, eBay sometimes places 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 eBay placed a hold on your funds, it'll notify you by email and depending on the reason, may request additional information from you to help resolve the issue.
Types of holds
There are various reasons why eBay may place a hold on your funds.
Transaction holds
Transaction holds are when eBay places a 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 business days of confirming the buyer’s payment, eBay may place a transaction hold on funds while it waits to confirm that an item has been successfully delivered to a buyer. To reduce the likelihood of a transaction hold, it’s recommended shipping an item the same day your buyer pays for it and following good shipping practices, such as adding tracking information to your order.
If eBay places a hold on your funds, it will usually be resolved within 30 days. For most orders, adding tracking information can help you receive your funds faster.
Additionally, eBay may place a transaction hold on funds depending on your seller status or the category you're selling in:
- New or infrequent sellers will experience transaction holds while eBay confirms that their items have been successfully delivered. This helps sellers become established and build a strong selling history on eBay. In limited circumstances, new sellers may experience holds for up to 21 days.
- Previously restricted or suspended sellers will experience transaction holds for the 30 days after the restriction or suspension is lifted, while eBay confirms 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.
- The authentication process may lead to transaction holds for up to 30 days until the authenticity of items sold with eBay's Authenticity Guarantee can be confirmed.
Payment dispute or eBay Money Back Guarantee holds
Payment dispute or eBay Money Back Guarantee holds are when eBay places a hold on funds related to a problem reported by a buyer.
For example, if a buyer reports that an item hasn't arrived, or the item they received is significantly different from the listing description, eBay holds funds until the case is resolved and closed. For more information see articles on best practices for avoiding and handling issues with buyers.
The funds on hold may be used to refund the buyer for the same transaction.
Payout holds
Payout holds are when eBay holds funds payable to a particular seller, and usually requires further seller action on the account.
Registration holds: eBay may hold payouts if it identifies a discrepancy with the information you provided at registration. If your account is restricted, eBay will notify you by email with a request for additional information. For more information on how to verify your identity, see the article on registering as a seller.
Compliance holds: eBay maintains policies and procedures to protect buyers and sellers while complying with applicable laws. If your account has a payout hold or restriction for compliance reasons, eBay will notify you by email and may request additional information from you.
Performance holds: eBay holds your payouts if it identifies 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: eBay may put your payouts on hold if it 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.