PayPal's Seller Protection Program (2024)

If you sell a good or service to a buyer, you may be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program, which terms and conditions are set forth herein and form part of theuser agreement. When it applies, PayPal’s Seller Protection program may result in you retaining the full purchase amount. PayPal determines, in its sole discretion, whether your claim is eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program based on the eligibility requirements, any information or documentation provided during the resolution process, or any other information PayPal deems relevant and appropriate under the circ*mstances. There is no limit on the number of payments eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program. By accessing the Transaction Details page in your PayPal account you can see transactions that may be eligible for protection under this program.

PayPal’s Seller Protection program may apply when a buyer claims that:

• They did not authorize, or benefit from, funds sent from their PayPal account (referred to as an “Unauthorized Transaction” claim), and the Unauthorized Transaction occurs in an environment hosted by PayPal; or
• They didn’t receive the item from you (referred to as an “Item Not Received” claim).

PayPal’s Seller Protection program may also apply when a transaction is reversed because of a successful chargeback by a buyer or when a bank funded payment is reversed by the buyer’s bank.

These terms describe PayPal’s Seller Protection program as it applies to you, but you should also be familiar with theImpact of various purchase protection processes on sellers.

To be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program, all of the following basic requirements must be met, as well as any applicable additional requirements:

• The primary address for your PayPal account must be in the United States.
• The item must be a physical, tangible good that can be shipped, except for items subject to theIntangible Goods Additional Requirements. Transactions involving items that you deliver in person in connection with payment made in your physical store, may also be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program so long as the buyer paid for the transaction in person by using a PayPal goods and services QR code.
• You must ship the item to the shipping address on the Transaction Details page in your PayPal account for the transaction. If you originally ship the item to the recipient’s shipping address on the Transaction Details page but the item is later redirected to a different address, you will not be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program. We therefore recommend not using a shipping service that is arranged by the buyer, so that you will be able to provide valid proof of shipping and delivery.
• The shipping requirement does not apply to eligible transactions involving items that you deliver in person; provided, however, that you agree to provide us with alternative evidence of delivery or such additional documentation or information relating to the transaction that we may request.
• You must respond to PayPal’s requests for documentation and other information in a timely manner as requested in our email correspondence with you or in our correspondence with you through theResolution Center. If you do not respond to PayPal’s request for documentation and other information in the time requested, you may not be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program.
• If the sale involves pre-ordered or made-to-order goods, you must ship within the timeframe you specified in the listing. Otherwise, it is recommended that you ship all items within 7 days after receipt of payment.
• You provide us with validproof of shipment or delivery.
• The payment must be marked “eligible” or “partially eligible” in the case of Unauthorized Transaction claims, or “eligible” in the case of Item Not Received claims, for PayPal’s Seller Protection program on the Transaction Details page.
• In the case of an Unauthorized Transaction claim, you must provide valid proof of shipment or proof of delivery that demonstrates that the item was shipped or provided to the buyer no later than two days after PayPal notified you of the dispute or reversal. For example, if PayPal notifies you of an Unauthorized Transaction claim on September 1, the valid proof of shipment must indicate that the item was shipped to the buyer no later than September 3 to be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program.

To be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program for a buyer’s Item Not Received claim, you must meet both thebasic requirementsand the additional requirements listed below:

• Where a buyer files a chargeback with the issuer for a card-funded transaction, the payment must be marked “eligible” for PayPal’s Seller Protection on the Transaction Details page.
• You must provideproof of deliveryas described below.

For the sale of intangible goods and services to be eligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program, the sale must meet thebasic requirementsand the following additional requirements:

• Integration requirements
  • Where you have integrated a PayPal checkout product, you must be using the current version of that product if you are accepting payments directly via a website or mobile optimized website; or
  • Ensure you are passing session information to PayPal at checkout if you are integrated with PayPal via a third party or if you have a native app integration.
  • Other integration requirements may apply depending on your business model. We will let you know those requirements ahead of time, if needed.
• PayPal has marked the intangible good transaction as “eligible” in the Transaction Details page or otherwise provided notice to you of eligibility in writing.
• Delivered the item and provideProof of shipment or delivery for Intangible Goods.

The following items or transactionsare noteligible for PayPal’s Seller Protection program:

• Real estate, including residential property
• Vehicles, including, but not limited to, motor vehicles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, aircraft and boats, except for personally portable light vehicles used for recreational purposes like bicycles and wheeled hoverboards
• Businesses (buying or investing in a business)
• Industrial machinery used in manufacturing
• Payments equivalent to cash, including stored value items such as gift cards and pre-paid cards
• Payments made in respect of gold (whether in physical form or in exchange-traded form)
• Financial products or investments of any kind
• Art, media, antiques, or collectibles, in physical or digital form, as represented by a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), with a transaction amount of more than $10,000 USD or equivalent value in local currency as calculated at the time of the transaction
• Gambling, gaming, and/or any other activities with an entry fee and a prize
• Donations, including payments received as crowdfunding or crowdlending
• Payments to a state-run body (except for state-owned enterprises), a government agency, or to third-party collecting payment on behalf of a state-run body or government agency
• Payments to any bill payment service
• Items where the buyer claims (either with us or their card issuer) that the item you sent isn’t what was ordered (referred to as aSignificantly Not as Describedclaim)
• Physical, tangible items delivered in person, including in connection with a payment made in your physical store, unless the buyer paid for the transaction in person using PayPal’s goods and services QR code
• Anything PayPal determines, in its sole discretion, is prohibited by this user agreement or PayPal’sAcceptable Use Policy, even if the transaction is initially marked as “eligible” or “partially eligible” on the Transaction Details page
• Payments made using PayPal Payouts (formerly Mass Pay)
• Personal payments including a payment sent using PayPal’s friends and family functionality
• Payments not processed through a buyer’s PayPal account, unless you receive PayPal Guest Checkout transactions and your business account is registered in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Brazil, or Mexico
• Items sent after PayPal advised you not to release the item
• Travel tickets sold by a travel carrier where (1) the buyer claims (either with us or their financial institution) that it was anUnauthorized Transaction, and (2) such claim was filed more than 24 hours before the travel date.