Your balance says one thing.
Your bank account says another.
If you freelance or sell across borders, earning the money is the easy part. Getting it home is where things stall. Receive limits freeze up, a conversion markup eats a slice you only spot after the fact, and a "helpful" stranger offers to cash out for you. Lithos exists to make that last mile boring and safe.
Receive limits, not send limits
In several countries PayPal lets you pay out but not fully take money in or withdraw it. We spell out what actually works in your country today.
Fees hiding in the exchange rate
The headline fee is rarely the real cost. The currency markup is. We separate the flat fee, the percentage and the exchange-rate spread for every route.
Scams aimed at people getting paid
Overpayment "refunds", fake buyer-protection emails, P2P chargebacks. We show the exact playbooks so you spot them before the money moves.
Every method, peeled back to what it really costs you
We don't rank by who pays us. Every option gets the same four-part breakdown, so any two methods are actually comparable.
Real fees
Flat charge, percentage, and the exchange-rate markup, with the date we checked, because these move.
The limits
Receive caps, hold periods, KYC documents and which countries are actually supported.
Who it's for
And who it isn't. A method that's great for a US-paying client can be useless for a EUR one.
The traps
The specific scam or mistake that costs people money on that exact route, and how to avoid it.
Payout routes, side by side
Indicative ranges for a freelancer receiving from an overseas client, checked June 2026. Treat every figure as a starting point, and confirm the current number with the provider before you rely on it.
| Route | Typical cost | Speed to local cash | KYC | Best when… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal → bankwhere supported | ~3–4% + FX markup high | 1–5 business days | Medium | Client insists on PayPal & payout is enabled for you |
| PayoneerUSD receiving account | ~2% + ~$3 withdrawal medium | 1–3 business days | Medium | Marketplaces & clients who can "pay to Payoneer" |
| Wiselocal account details | Mid-market + ~0.4–0.7% low | 0–2 business days | Medium | Client can send a normal bank transfer in USD/EUR/GBP |
| Grey / GeegpayAfrican fintech USD accounts | ~1% convert + small flat low | Mins–1 day | Medium | Freelancers in Nigeria/Kenya/Ghana wanting fast local payout |
Want the full breakdown with limits and scam notes? See the complete comparison →
Country guides, written for the rules you live under
PayPal behaves differently in every market. Pick yours for the methods, documents and gotchas that actually apply.
Nigeria
How to check whether PayPal withdrawal is actually available, plus the fastest low-fee routes for freelancers and sellers. Our most detailed guide.
Read the Nigeria guide →Indonesia
Receiving USD as a freelancer, Wise vs Payoneer vs local rails, and converting to rupiah without losing a chunk to spreads.
Read the Indonesia guide →Pakistan
Why PayPal still doesn't operate here, what freelancers actually use instead (Payoneer, Wise), and how to stay clear of "PayPal workaround" scams.
Read the Pakistan guide →Bangladesh
The real status of PayPal, the role of Payoneer and bank remittance incentives, and how freelancers get paid legally and cheaply.
Read the Bangladesh guide →For Pakistan and Bangladesh we publish information only and do not point readers to any exchange, because we are not comfortable suggesting one there.
The scams that target people about to get paid
Getting your money out is the moment you're most exposed. The most common losses we see don't come from PayPal at all. They come from people who promise to help.
Read the full safety guideFour you'll meet first
- The overpayment refund. A "buyer" sends too much and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment later reverses; your refund is real.
- The fake PayPal email. "Payment is held until you ship / upgrade / send tracking." PayPal does not gate your money behind emails like that.
- The cash-out middleman. Someone offers to "withdraw your PayPal for a small fee." You hand over access; the money and your account vanish.
- The P2P release trap. On crypto P2P, a buyer shows a fake transfer receipt and pressures you to release coins before the cash actually lands.
Guides worth your time
Questions people actually ask
Can I withdraw my PayPal balance directly to my bank in Nigeria?
It depends on your account. Many Nigerian accounts have historically been able to send but not fully receive and withdraw. Check the withdrawal options inside your own PayPal account first. And if anyone offers to "withdraw it for you", stop right there. That is the most common way people lose both the money and the account.
What's the cheapest way to get paid from abroad?
There isn't one universal answer. It turns on the currency, the client and your country. A normal bank transfer into a Wise account is often cheapest when the client can do it. Payoneer suits marketplace payouts, and African fintechs like Grey or Geegpay are fast for local cash-out. We give the real numbers per method on the comparison page so you can match it to your situation.
Is this site about investing or trading crypto?
No. We only cover getting paid and moving money you already earned. We never predict prices or promise returns. Where an exchange with KYC and a dispute process is a realistic way to turn crypto a client sent you into local cash, we explain it plainly — and we say plainly where our OKX invite code and its one sign-up link sit. That's it.
How current are your fees and rules?
Every guide carries the date we last checked it, and payout policies move fast (PayPal's most of all). We re-verify the high-traffic guides quarterly, but you should always confirm the live figure on the provider's own site before acting. If you spot something stale, tell us and we'll fix it.