PayPal and card payments: verification, limits and when they're unavailable
PayPal and card top-ups cost 5%, share a 30-day limit ($300 for new accounts, up to $1,200), and need a matching address and your own account. Why PayPal can be switched off, and how to verify a card.
PayPal and card top-ups cost a 5% fee and share one limit for any 30 days, which grows as you ship with us. They aren't available on every account. Before your first card payment, you verify the card with a US$1.00 charge.
PayPal
The Paypal, credit card option sends you to PayPal. We are a Hong Kong company, so PayPal charges you in Hong Kong dollars; your balance is credited in US dollars. The 5% fee is added to the amount.
- Your PayPal shipping address must match your Tiptrans address. If it doesn't, we put the payment or your account on hold.
- Only your own PayPal account. We don't accept payments from someone else's account, for example a family member's.
- Talk to us before you open a PayPal claim or a chargeback. We may close accounts that skip this step.
When PayPal isn't offered
If Paypal, credit card is missing from the Top up page, PayPal is switched off for your account. This happens automatically when:
- you activate Drop Shipping, because PayPal requires us to ship to the address used for the payment,
- you order a third-party pickup before you have shipped anything to your own address,
- you registered with an address in Russia.
We may also switch PayPal off after a payment from someone else's account, after a PayPal claim, or for security reasons. Use another method on the Top up page instead.
Debit or credit card
The Debit, Credit card option takes card payments in US dollars, with a 5% fee. Before the first card payment, verify your card:
- Click Verify card next to the card option, then Continue to payment. We charge US$1.00 to your card and add it to your balance as a normal card top-up (the card fee applies).
- If your bank asks you to confirm the payment (3D Secure), the card is verified straight away.
- Otherwise, find the line "TIPTRANS* CODE" with a 4-digit code in your banking app or card statement, then click Complete verification and enter the code. You have 5 attempts.
If you don't complete the verification within 7 days, the US$1.00 is refunded automatically. If the card option isn't shown at all, card payments aren't available for your country or your account. Use another method, or contact us if you think this is a mistake.
Limits for PayPal and card
PayPal and card top-ups share one limit for any 30 days, payment fees included. It grows as you ship with us:
| Your account | PayPal + card limit |
|---|---|
| New account | $300 in any 30 days, and $600 in total |
| At least 1 shipped package and the account is 30 days old | $600 in any 30 days |
| At least 3 shipped packages and the account is 75 days old, or identity verified | $1,200 in any 30 days |
- A shipped package counts 14 days after it was shipped.
- If a top-up is over your limit, the Top up page tells you how much you can enter now, when more becomes available, and whether Verify identity can raise your limit.
- Bank transfers and Bitcoin don't count toward this limit. Use them to top up more.
- A few accounts have a monthly limit for all methods. The amount field then shows the maximum.
For the steps, see How to top up balance. If a payment wasn't credited, see Payment failed or not credited: what to do.