Paypal Account Limited despite TOP RATED Power Seller eBay account with $100K sales in 6 months

[timeclock3]

The facts:

I have had a personal Paypal account in perfect standing since 2010 (& last year did $30,000 of sales in it)

Transistioned the sales to the business account I opened last August, & have averaged $10,000 to $20,000 a month in sales.

In October, eBay put an MC011 Selling Restriction on my account, which I have had since 2009. I provided proof of merchandise origination, & identity information, & they approved my account to resume selling, & gave me a $100,000 a month selling limit. Now, I am a top rated seller on eBay & have been chugging along ever since.

So, my eBay account is in perfect standing & I am both a Power Seller & Top Rated Seller.

I had a spike in sales this January, to $35,000 range, due in part to repeat customers being satisfied with the quality & price point of the items + eBay offered eBay Bucks promotion to ebay members.

This spike in sales caused the Paypal system to trigger a partial limitation:

http://s1030.photobucket.com/user/labcusainc/media/pp%20photobucket_zps2derqvvo.jpg.html

I can still receive money. I can still do everything in my Paypal account except send money or withdraw money. My ATM Debit Cards with Paypal are currently useless, & I can't use the eBay shipping system to print postage & ship my packages. So I'm having to go to the Post Office to ship!

The original email was this:

As part of PayPal's commitment to providing the best possible experience for buyers and sellers, we perform routine reviews of merchant accounts.  
 
To give us time to work together on this, we've temporarily limited what you can do with your account until our review is completed. We want to work with you to get your account back to normal as quickly as possible. To complete our review and better understand your business, we need your assistance in collecting the following information:

· Provide a driver's license or any other government-issued photo identification. The photo ID must show your full name and current address.

· A copy of a recent utility bill, bank statement, or credit card statement showing your name and address exactly as they appear on your PayPal account.

· A full description of the item or service the buyer is paying for. 
· The venue or URL where the item or service is advertised or described. 
· Confirmation that you performed the service or delivered the item you have received payment for. You'll also need to provide tracking information if you shipped the item. 
· If you have not delivered the item or performed the service for your buyer, please provide the anticipated date. 
· Any information regarding the relationship or business affiliation you may have with the above party or parties. 
· Any email or written communication which further confirms the details you've provided regarding the below transactions.
 

Pretty similar to the eBay restriction in October. Even though Paypal already has my photo ID, social, & proof of address on file like 3 times since they have asked for that much at various trigger levels of payments received, I submitted all of the information again.

However, unlike the eBay review, this Paypal review has just gotten insane with their new email:

We have reviewed your account and unfortunately cannot lift the limitation at this time. We need additional information from you before we can proceed with the appeal process. Please complete the steps below:
  
· Provide your most recent 2 years of financial statements including: 
· Balance Sheets
· Income Statement
· Cash-Flow Statement 
 
· Provide the last six months' bank statements for the bank account ending in XX70. 
 
The statement you provide must show your name, address, and account number exactly as they appear on your PayPal account.

· Provide the last 6 months' merchant processing statements from the company who previously processed your credit card payments. 
 
Please be sure that the monthly statements include the following information:
 
o Total dollar amount of payments processed
o Total dollar amount of chargebacks received
o Total dollar amount of refunds and returns 
 
This information is typically found on the summary page of your processing statement.

I don't have any of this! I am not a company! Only an accountant would know how to make balance sheets, income statements, & cash-flow statements & I am not an accountant! Since I am not a company there is no need for any of this!

Provide the last 6 months of merchant processing statements from the company who previously processed your credit card payments!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? WHAT IS THIS???? There is no merchant processing statements! There is no company that previously or currently processed credit card statements! I do not process credit cards! The buyers pay through eBay checkout & the money is in my paypal account! Paypal is my only processor! 

Providing a bank statement of last 6 months is all I can provide!!! From anti PP websites, my understanding is that if you cannot provide what they are asking for, then you are just wasting your time playing their game. 

How can I even attempt to beat this appeal? My balance is over $5,000 & rising every day as I continue to accept orders for my items. I figure worst case scenario, in 28 more days when I cannot provide them the outrageous documents they are requesting, they will restrict my account, & the funds will stay locked for 180 days, at which point I will then be able to cash out.

In the meantime, should I just transition to my co-workers established Paypal account? Again, I have a very powerful & established eBay account, but it seems Paypal is trying to cut me off from doing business with them. I assume because corporate sellers like Best Buy, Buy Dig, WayFair, etc are whispering in their ear to cut me off because my prices for re-certified drives are preferred by a large market over their retail priced brand new drives.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this Paypal appeal? Or just give up on it, let $20,000 build up in the balance over the next 28 days because my average sales is $20,000+ a month lately, & cash it out in 180 days, and have well moved on with a substitute Paypal account. I know others with established Paypal accounts, so why should I even concern myself with this nonsense that Paypal is throwing at me?  Should I just go back to using my personal account that I have had since 2010 and had no issues during the $30,000 I had received in it over 3 months last June - August!?!?! I thought I was supposed to use a business account if sales were going to be more then $5,000! Please someone advise. 

Or maybe a Paypal rep themselves can resolve this insanity for me.

[kernowlass]

@timeclock3

Sorry that was too long to wade through and no one here can help you, only customer services.

So its best you contact them direct.

[timeclock3]

OK how is this:

I am a Top Rated Power Seller on eBay.

Recently just did 30K in sales in January.

The spike caused Paypal account to get limited. They are asking for insane documents that don't exist. I am not a company:

Balance Sheets
Income Statement
Cash-Flow Statement

This limitation came about around the 75K of payments received over the past 6 months for me.

So, looking to meet someone that has received over 100K of Paypal payments in a year, that way, I know you are not going to be hassled by them.

I project sales of 250K this year through my eBay account. I just need to put someone's PP account on my listings and have you receive all the funds, and cash me out every 2 weeks, minus your 10%. Do the math, thats 25K for you over the course of the year.

Txt me *removed* if interested

[kernowlass]

@timeclock3

You are not a company?

But you do have a business account?

And if you are NOT a company and only have a premier account then you should only be selling "odds and sods" from around the house etc.

[timeclock3]

I guess i will ask them to convert my account to a premiere account.

[kernowlass]

@timeclock3

You are selling on a personal account ?????????????      

Not only is that against the rules but it also means you have NO paypal seller protection.

A personal account is for sending funds to family and friends OR buying items.

A premier account is an INDIVIDUAL selling items they no longer want around the house.

BUT if you are selling that amount of stuff you must be a BUSINESS seller and so that is why paypal want that info from you.

[timeclock3]

i have a business account!!!!

But i am an individual!!!

CAN'T INDIVIDUALS SELL A LOT OF STUFF???????? I GET GREAT DEALS ON ELECTRONICS AND I SELL THEM!!!!!

[timeclock3]

A premier account is an INDIVIDUAL selling items they no longer want around the house.

You are completely wrong about that.

[kernowlass]

@timeclock3

All PayPal accounts allow you to send and receive payments.

• Personal: Recommended for individuals who shop and pay online, or wish to send or receive personal payments for shared expenses such as splitting of dinner bills or rental charges.
• Premier: Recommended for casual sellers or non-businesses who wish to get paid online, and who also make online purchases.
• Business: Recommended for merchants who operate under a company/group name. It offers additional features such as allowing up to 200 employees limited access to your account and customer service email alias for customer issues to be routed for faster follow-ups.

So >>>

If you are selling that amount of stuff in 6 months you are NOT a casual seller and that is why paypal are expecting you to provide BUSINESS INFORMATION.

[timeclock3]

I don't know where you copied that info from, but the definition of premier account does not say casual anywhere from this page:

Premier accounts are for members who will have a high transaction volume, need to accept credit card payments, or would like access to our special features not offered with Personal accounts. Premier accounts include all the benefits of Personal accounts, as well as our special features.

Business accounts allow you to do business under a company or group name, accept all payment types for low fees, and accept payment from customers without PayPal accounts. Business accounts include all of the benefits of Premier accounts, as well as our special features.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/personal_vs_business-outside

It appears that I should not have opened a business account, & should have just a premier account.

Premier accounts are for members who will have a high transaction volume. HIGH TRANSACTION VOLUME is definitely me.

 Why Paypal did not tell me after $20,000 sales in August, or $20,000 sales in September, or $20,000 sales in October, or Nov or Dec, and only after $35K in January is beyond me..... will they fix this for me????