What actually happened
Two different things produce the same unhelpful error.
- The merchant restricted account countriesMany US sellers configure PayPal to accept only accounts registered in specific countries. Yours isn't among them, so it's refused before payment is even attempted. This is the common one.
- PayPal held it for reviewA first cross-border payment to an unfamiliar US merchant can be flagged on PayPal's side, especially on high-value items.
- You can't tell whichThe message you get is the same either way. That's why people spend an evening changing cards for nothing.
Won't help
- A VPN. Your account's registered country doesn't change with your IP.
- A different card inside PayPal. The block is on the account, not the funding source.
- Opening a "US" PayPal account. See below. Don't.
Works
- Pay a US business instead. You pay us; we pay the merchant with a US account that's already on their list.
- One transaction, not five. The cross-border decision happens once.
Don't open a US PayPal account
A PayPal account has to be registered in the country you actually live in, with matching identity and funding details. Registering against another country's details breaches PayPal's user agreement, and the usual outcome is a frozen account with the balance held while it's reviewed.
We're not going to help you do it, and any service that offers to should worry you.
How you can pay us
Only what we actually accept. Ask before ordering if you need something else.
That's the list. If the only way you can pay is a local method you don't see here — Pix, Boleto, OXXO, UPI — ask us first. We'd rather say no upfront than take the order and find out.
About PayPal Purchase Protection
Other services will tell you Purchase Protection covers what you pay them, and that "either way you're protected." They don't get to decide that. PayPal does.
What PayPal publishes: the programme covers tangible physical goods, excludes services, and requires a claim within 180 days. A shopping-and-forwarding arrangement has a service element in it. Read PayPal's own terms and judge for yourself.
Paying by card gives you your card issuer's chargeback rights, which are a different mechanism with different rules. Neither is a guarantee we can make on your behalf.
What it lands at
Before you pay anyone, know the whole number.
Tick the box above if you want us to pay the store first and settle with you afterwards. Leave it unticked if you'll pre-fund your Selectido wallet.
Rates from the same dataset as our shipping matrix. Courier cost is estimated; you're invoiced the carrier's actual rate.
Refunds, as they really work
- Approved refunds are credited to your Selectido wallet. You withdraw from there.
- Items you approved on a live video call are not refundable.
- Customs duties and import taxes are never refundable by us — we never received that money.
The full terms are on the refund page, and they're short. Read them before you order, not after.
Tell us what failed
The merchant, the item, your country. We'll tell you whether we can pay them, what it lands at, and how you can pay us.
Questions
Usually the merchant, not PayPal. Many US merchants configure PayPal to accept only accounts registered in specific countries, so a foreign account is refused before payment is attempted. Separately, PayPal itself may hold a first cross-border payment for review. The generic error you see does not tell you which of the two happened.
No, and do not try. A PayPal account must be registered in the country where you live, with matching identity and funding details. Opening one against another country's details breaches PayPal's user agreement and gets accounts frozen with the balance held. We are not going to help you do it.
Through Stripe: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, plus iDEAL and SEPA in Europe. Also PayPal, and Wise for bank transfer. You are paying one US business rather than several US merchants, so the cross-border decision happens once. If you need a local payment method you do not see here, ask us before you order rather than assuming. If you have not pre-funded your Selectido wallet and we pay the store on your behalf, we add a 5% advance fee calculated on the item price plus US sales tax — not on duty, VAT or shipping. Book a live video session and there is no advance fee, because you fund the wallet and your shopper spends from it.
That is PayPal's decision, not ours, and we will not promise you coverage we do not control. PayPal's programme covers tangible physical goods, excludes services, and requires a claim within 180 days of payment. A shopping and forwarding arrangement includes a service element. Read PayPal's Purchase Protection terms and decide for yourself. Paying by card gives you your card issuer's chargeback rights, which are a separate thing entirely.
Approved refunds are credited to your Selectido wallet, and you can withdraw from there. Items you approved on a live video call are not refundable. Customs duties and import taxes charged by your country are never refundable by us, because we never received that money. The full terms are on our refund page, and they are worth reading before you order.
It is simpler. Your card or bank sees one transaction with one US business instead of several unfamiliar merchants, so the cross-border risk decision is made once. That is a real benefit. It is not the same as being insured, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
Selectido is an independent shopping and package-forwarding service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, authorised by, or a partner of PayPal Holdings, Inc., Stripe, Inc., Wise, or any merchant named on this page. Their names are used only to describe payment problems our customers report to us. Purchase Protection and chargeback eligibility are determined by PayPal and by your card issuer under their own terms, not by us. Duty and tax figures are planning estimates, not a customs ruling. Our refund terms are set out in full on the refund page.