/General Questions
Question
Terrified of PayPal/Stripe holds and bans
Posted by •11/23/2025
Not gonna lie, half of my anxiety comes from horror stories about:
- PayPal freezing €5k–€10k
- Stripe shutting people down “for high risk”
- Money being stuck for 90+ days
I get that:
- Long shipping times
- High dispute rates
- Sketchy communication
…are the main triggers.
But practically speaking, as a **new** store:
1. What can I do from day 1 to reduce the chance of getting limited/banned?
2. Is it safer to use Stripe only at first, or always offer PayPal?
3. What dispute/refund rate is “safe” vs “danger zone” in your experience?
- PayPal freezing €5k–€10k
- Stripe shutting people down “for high risk”
- Money being stuck for 90+ days
I get that:
- Long shipping times
- High dispute rates
- Sketchy communication
…are the main triggers.
But practically speaking, as a **new** store:
1. What can I do from day 1 to reduce the chance of getting limited/banned?
2. Is it safer to use Stripe only at first, or always offer PayPal?
3. What dispute/refund rate is “safe” vs “danger zone” in your experience?
2 Replies
•12/11/2025
make money first then worry about it once u have it
•11/23/2025
Think of PayPal/Stripe like this: they hate **surprises** and **complaints**.
Stuff that keeps them happy:
1. **Realistic shipping expectations on-site**
- Don’t say “3–5 days” if it’s actually 15.
- Clear shipping page + clear confirmation email.
2. **Fast, friendly support**
- Answer angry emails before they turn into disputes.
- It’s cheaper to refund a few orders than to get your account flagged.
3. **Low dispute rate**
- Aim for:
- Chargebacks under 1%
- PayPal disputes under 1–2% of transactions
- When you see issues:
- Fix the root cause (shipping, product quality, wrong targeting)
4. **Gradual scaling**
- Don’t go from $0 to $20k/week in 3 days.
- Increase volume over weeks so it looks natural.
5. **Proper business info**
- Fill your PayPal/Stripe profiles with:
- Real address (or business address)
- Clear website URL
- Refund policy
- When they ask for documents, respond quickly.
PayPal holds are often temporary “because you’re new”. That sucks, but it’s different from being banned. Build a small buffer so a 21-day rolling hold doesn’t kill your cash flow immediately.
Stuff that keeps them happy:
1. **Realistic shipping expectations on-site**
- Don’t say “3–5 days” if it’s actually 15.
- Clear shipping page + clear confirmation email.
2. **Fast, friendly support**
- Answer angry emails before they turn into disputes.
- It’s cheaper to refund a few orders than to get your account flagged.
3. **Low dispute rate**
- Aim for:
- Chargebacks under 1%
- PayPal disputes under 1–2% of transactions
- When you see issues:
- Fix the root cause (shipping, product quality, wrong targeting)
4. **Gradual scaling**
- Don’t go from $0 to $20k/week in 3 days.
- Increase volume over weeks so it looks natural.
5. **Proper business info**
- Fill your PayPal/Stripe profiles with:
- Real address (or business address)
- Clear website URL
- Refund policy
- When they ask for documents, respond quickly.
PayPal holds are often temporary “because you’re new”. That sucks, but it’s different from being banned. Build a small buffer so a 21-day rolling hold doesn’t kill your cash flow immediately.