There are a few reasons why PayPal needs to be sure you’ve received the payment before crediting the buyer’s account. First, PayPal wants to make sure the payment has actually gone through. If the buyer disputes the payment, PayPal can’t help resolve the dispute until it’s sure the payment went through. Second, PayPal wants to protect itself from fraud.
If someone tries to use a fraudulent payment to steal money from a buyer’s account, PayPal can stop the transfer before it happens. Finally, PayPal wants to make sure buyers aren’t charged for payments they didn’t actually receive. If a buyer’s PayPal account is charged for a payment that wasn’t actually sent, PayPal can refund the money back to the buyer’s account.
