Can't send crypto

[dshannon21]

s it even possible to send crypto to an external wallet, I only get a very general error from paypal even thou i have bitcoin, have a valid bitcoin address to send to, have verified my personal info. Only get some general error message like "cannot do this transaction at this time" what a joke! I;m very experienced and am doing this all correctly and its obvious its a problem within paypal. So all said and done i got ripped off for fees having to sell my bitcoin back to cash and just use my current exchange. Utterly zero help from paypal and zero knowledge from customer service, that means zero chance that you have my business going forward. Thanx for no help with your services

[AA1990]

I bought BTC for the first time last week. I am experiencing the same issues as everyone else. They say it's a security lock for repeated attempts but don't explain why it didn't work the first time I tried and not to mention the error message says to try again! One rep suggested I sell it back to myself?  Huh??  And pay more fee's again??  That's not a solution, that is an unfair option. I can't believe people have been writing about this for over a year and it's still not resolved?? I am an App developer and publisher and this is not a "bug", it's intentional. This is clearly some calculated scam on PP's part, (not the best use of words but you get my point) since they know it exists. The excuses from reps folks have been sharing on these threads are unbelievable. Almost scary. Can you imagine how much $$$ they've generated with customers giving up and selling their crypto??   And it's not some rocket science tech. Hundred's of other wallet platforms, some from small countries, have the transfer feature and it works perfectly.  I use 3 others.  No problems, ever. BTW I just opened a Robinhood account since they have a similar way to fund the crypto account with fiat currency as PayPal, which is the only reason why I bought BTC through PP in the first place lol. Funded the account via ach transfer, $1000 was immediately available for use, 5 mins later I purchased BTC, the next day I was able to transfer it to my primary non-custodial wallet easily. It may have gone through that same day, but I normally wait a day before sending to my main wallet.  If anyone has figured out a work around, pls lmk. I can't believe there has not been a class action lawsuit or an investigation by the SEC or the Crypto regulatory agencies that PP and the other US based providers must adhere to! Finally, this long standing policy of locking up accounts and denying access to funds for months in the name of "security" is criminal.  But this crypto transfer scam is taking it to a new level.  As soon as I can sell my BTC, I'll be closing my account and never using PP or Venmo again!

[PlexBex]

This is still happening.  I had no problem sending a tiny test transaction to an external account, but every attempt to send larger amounts gets that generic error.

Paypal is the black hole of crypto.  

[PayPal_Meghan]

Hello @PlexBex and everyone, 

Thanks for joining the PayPal Community! 

I understand you're having difficulty sending crypto, and I'm sorry to hear that. I have a few troubleshooting steps that will hopefully help. When sending any sort of payment, including crypto, please make sure you're using one consistent device with your location services enabled. Now, double-check you have a strong internet connection. Restarting your device and router, or mobile data, can help to ensure that. After you've done that, clear your cache and cookies on your favorite browser or the cache in your PayPal Mobile App. You can find the App's Cache in your phone's App Settings. If you're still unable to send the crypto after that, please wait 48 hours and make one attempt. If that attempt is unsuccessful, please contact Customer Support here. 

I hope you're able to send the cryptocurrency soon! 

- Meghan

[Frustratedsendr]

This is a useless generic copy and pasted response they always send! You’re WRONG and you’re stealing our money with fees because we have to buy and then sell it without doing any transferring, not to mention sending it back to the bank. This is fraud. Plain and simple.

[PlexBex]

Sorry Meghan, but none of that will do anything.  

This is 100% a programmed and deliberate blocking of crypto transfers by Paypal.  I've been in contact with Paypal Customer Service.  They call it a "security program" but Paypal will not say exactly how this automated program makes its determinations.  All they can say is to try again later.  

I have now managed to transfer all my crypto assets off Paypal.  It took several days and many transactions.  Some days, I could only get one small transfer through before Paypal blocked me.  Other days, I could get a couple larger sized transfers and then a couple smaller ones before Paypal blocked everything.  You have to guess what will get approved and guess how much time to wait before trying again.

It is all dumb.  I will NEVER use Paypal again.  And I would not recommend it to anyone.

And one last point.  Paypal repeatedly claimed this is a security protocol so that account owners have time to respond in case of unauthorized activity or something nefarious.  However, at no point did Paypal ever contact me to warn me about any attempted crypto transfers.  No emails, texts, or calls asking me if the transactions were legitimately initiated by me, the account holder.  So the "security" narrative is completely baseless if they do not take any steps to notify the owner. 

This has been a horrible experience. There should be a class action lawsuit.  This cost me a lot in un-necessary fees.

[Temp20240114b]

Echoing the concerns expressed here. I've had 5 different conversations with support representatives and they send me down the same rabbit hole each time. There seems to be a concerted effort internally to block transfers and to feign ignorance on why it happens. 

[Temp20240114b]

Update: after pressing for the latest customer service representative for clarity, escalation or a solution they ENDED the chat and said this: 

"Again I do apologize we don't have a definite answer for you. The crypto is new to our system and as of now our security system is unpredictive with it. Hopefully within the near future we would have a better answer for you."

Seems clear PayPal is trying to block this action and have instructed their teams to deflect or end exchanges as quick as possible. 

This thread is over a year old yet they claim Crypto is 'new to [their] system' and we clearly see PayPal employees responding here, so it's not a big secret. 

DO NOT TRUST PAYPAL WITH YOUR CRYPTO. 

[Frustratedsendr]

Facts. I demand every fee be reimbursed. Happens every single time I try no matter what the amount I send to external wallets. ANY wallets external to PayPal.

[Damionreuben]

Hi is there any other way to get your profits from bitcoin other than using paypal? as I'm in the same position as you with paypal not accepting crypto or bitcoin

[YatB]

What a ripoff. I bought crypto through PayPal, then was unable to send it to an external wallet, including my own wallet on an exchange. General error without so much as a description. I just paid PayPal about 15 dollars for the privilege of buying crypto and selling it back to myself 15 minutes later when I found out their service does not work as described. It's like they say: not your keys, not your coins.