PayPal is one of the most commonly used payment tools for foreign trade and cross-border e-commerce. This guide starts with account registration and explains, step by step, how to receive payments, pay, transfer funds and withdraw money, along with common reasons for account freezes and ways to reduce the risk, helping you move cross-border funds safely.
PayPal is one of the most widely used tools for cross-border payments. It is commonly used for cross-border e-commerce receipts, deposits on foreign trade orders and freelancer settlements. In real-world use, however, many users run into issues such as account limitations, frozen incoming payments or withdrawals, and unclear transfer fees.
This guide follows the sequence “registration → receiving payments → paying → transfers → withdrawals → freeze prevention” and walks through PayPal’s core operations from start to finish. Fees and limits can change at any time, so any specific figures mentioned are for reference only. Always rely on the latest rates on PayPal’s official website and the information shown in your own account.
1. How to Register a PayPal Account
Open the PayPal website (www.paypal.com), click “Sign Up,” and first choose an account type:
- Personal account: suitable for small payments, cross-border shopping and transfers between individuals;
- Business account: suitable for merchants receiving payments. A business license is required during registration, and the account can generally qualify for lower receiving-payment rates.
Using a business account as an example, registration generally involves these steps:
- Prepare the business owner’s information, a scan of the business license, proof of identity for the legal representative, a business email address and a corporate bank account;
- Enter the legal representative’s name and email address, set a password, and complete email verification;
- Continue by entering the business name, business type, main activities and other information, then upload the business license and the legal representative’s ID;
- Wait for review. The result is usually provided within 1–3 business days;
- After approval, activate the account and complete these three steps in the dashboard: “enter user information → verify email → link a bank account or card.”
When linking a bank account, you need to provide the bank name, SWIFT code, branch address and account number. To link a bank card, enter the card number, card type, expiration date and security code, then complete mobile-phone verification. Once all steps are complete, the PayPal business account is ready for normal use.
2. How to Receive Payments with PayPal
PayPal offers several flexible ways to receive money:
Payment links. After logging in to PayPal, go to “Tools” → “Create a payment link,” enter the amount, currency and product description, and send the generated link to the payer. The payer does not necessarily need a PayPal account. This works well for small freelancer payments and deposits for customized services.
Professional invoices. Go to the “Invoices” page and create a new invoice. Enter the customer name, email address and item details, then set taxes, shipping fees and the payment due date. After the invoice is sent, the system automatically tracks payment status, making this suitable for B2B trade and corporate customer orders.
Website payment integration. Connect PayPal to an independent website or an e-commerce platform such as Shopify or WooCommerce, and embed the payment button on the checkout page. Buyers can pay directly with PayPal or a credit card. This requires business-account permissions; obtain credentials from the PayPal Developer Center or configure the integration using an official plugin.
QR-code payments. In the PayPal App, tap “QR code payments,” set the amount and let the payer scan the code. This is suitable for face-to-face scenarios such as trade shows and physical stores.
Payment requests by email. Under “Send & Request,” choose “Request payment,” enter the recipient’s email address, amount and note. The customer can complete payment by clicking the payment link in the email. This is useful for repeat customers and targeted payment reminders.
When receiving payments, keep a few points in mind: maintain a stable login environment and avoid frequently switching networks or devices within a short period; complete email, phone and bank-card verification plus two-factor authentication soon after registration, otherwise your receiving limits may be restricted; regularly export transaction records and cross-check them against bank statements to catch differences caused by exchange rates or refunds; and keep tracking numbers and proof of delivery because a high dispute rate may trigger account restrictions.
3. How to Pay and Transfer Money with PayPal
Payments and transfers are operationally similar, but their purposes differ:
Friends and family transfers. When sending money to family, friends or partners, log in, click “Send,” enter the recipient’s email address, phone number or PayPal account, and choose “Friends and Family.” These transfers generally do not include commercial purchase protection. Fee rules are subject to what PayPal shows on the transaction page.
Goods and services payments. For commercial transactions, choose “Goods and Services.” The recipient pays the fee, while the payer can open a dispute within the applicable period. This is suitable for external transactions where there is some trust risk.
Cross-border purchasing and business payments. A business account is recommended when paying overseas suppliers. Enter the supplier’s PayPal account or linked email address on the payment screen and choose the settlement currency. If the currency differs from your account balance, PayPal will convert it automatically and charge a currency conversion fee. For large payments, you may consider splitting them into several transactions to reduce the likelihood of triggering risk controls.
Online shopping and subscriptions. At checkout on an e-commerce site that supports PayPal, select PayPal and log in to authorize the payment. Subscription services charge automatically on a recurring basis. Regularly review the “Preapproved payments” list and cancel authorizations you no longer use to avoid unwanted charges.
The full transfer process is usually: log in → click “Send” → enter the recipient’s email address, phone number or PayPal.Me link → set the amount and currency → choose the funding source (balance, bank card or a combination) → add a note → review the details and confirm the transfer.
4. How to Withdraw Money
Before withdrawing, make sure the registered name on your PayPal account (personal name or business name) exactly matches the name on the bank account. Otherwise, the withdrawal may be rejected. The general process is:
- Log in, click “Wallet” in the top menu, and choose “Withdraw funds”;
- Select “Transfer to your bank account” and choose the target bank from the linked-account list;
- Enter the withdrawal amount and currency. If the PayPal balance currency differs from the bank-account currency, PayPal will convert it using its exchange rate for the day and charge a currency conversion fee;
- Check the bank account name, account number and other details, then submit the request. PayPal usually processes it within 1–3 business days.
Minimum withdrawal amounts, arrival times and fees vary by country and region, so check the withdrawal page for the rules that currently apply to your location. Frequent small withdrawals and infrequent large withdrawals have different cost structures, so choose a withdrawal method based on your own cash-flow needs.
5. Common Reasons PayPal Accounts Get Frozen and How to Reduce the Risk
Account freezes are one of the biggest concerns for cross-border sellers. PayPal monitors login devices, IP addresses and environment information. If multiple accounts frequently log in from the same device, IP address or browser environment, they may be identified as “linked accounts,” potentially triggering restrictions, freezes or transaction monitoring. New accounts may also attract risk-control attention if they suddenly receive large payments within a short period, have a high dispute rate or have incomplete verification information.
To reduce the risk, focus on the following:
- Keep the environment and IP stable: avoid frequently switching login devices and networks. PayPal monitors unusual changes in login location, and constantly changing IP addresses can easily trigger risk controls;
- Scale up new accounts gradually: avoid large inflows and outflows shortly after registration and let the account first build a normal transaction history;
- Control the dispute rate: keep tracking numbers and proof of delivery, and retain communication records for transactions;
- Complete account verification: finish email, phone and bank-card verification and enable two-factor authentication as soon as possible.
If you need to manage multiple PayPal accounts at the same time—for example, separate China-region, U.S.-region and business accounts—you can create an independent browser environment for each account in the PurpleMark web workspace, with separate proxy and login settings for every environment. This makes each account appear to log in from an independent computer, prevents environment data from interfering with one another, and helps you assign a relatively stable network exit to each account, reducing linkage risk caused by mixed environments. PurpleMark also supports grouping environments by account purpose. For team collaboration, member permissions and activity logs can show clearly who is responsible for each account and what actions were performed.
If several people on a team need to operate the same PayPal account, instead of sharing the username and password, it is better to share the environment with designated members and keep activity logs. This makes collaboration easier and also improves traceability when problems occur.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are PayPal withdrawal fees?
Fees for withdrawals to bank accounts vary by country and region. Bank-account withdrawals may be free in some regions, while withdrawals to credit or debit cards may be charged as a percentage. Check the PayPal page for your account region for the exact current policy.
Does PayPal have transfer limits?
Yes. Limits depend on verification status, transaction history and account type. Verified accounts generally have higher limits. You can view the specific limits in your account settings.
How can I keep my PayPal account secure?
Use a strong password and change it regularly, enable two-step verification, review account activity regularly and respond quickly to anomalies, keep your device software updated, and avoid logging in to PayPal on public computers or unsecured networks.
Can one device log in to multiple PayPal accounts?
Technically yes, but frequently logging in to multiple accounts from the same device and network increases the risk that the accounts will be identified as linked. If you need to manage multiple accounts, it is better to prepare an independent, stable login environment for each one.
