Buyer has paid but not responded to emails regarding collection

Metranil_Vavin

Hi there - a bit of an odd one.

I sold a sofa bed on eBay, the auction ended on Sunday, and it had loads of interest and ended at £180, which was a heck of a lot more than I was expecting!

The buyer paid me pretty much immediately by PayPal...all fine there. I then sent a mail asking when she wanted to collect it, and gave her a choice of days/times etc. In the meantime she had emailed me (crossed emails) asking when she could collect, our address and a contact number. I gave her all this and my mobile number and again asked her to let me know when would be convenient for her to collect etc.

OH and I both work full time so I do need to have a rough idea of when she wants to collect!

Since then I've heard nothing from her. I've emailed her 3 times since then, and mentioned that we go on holiday in a couple of weeks and so wont be about for a fortnight...still nothing.

I'm not sure what else I can do really! I guess I just have to wait to hear from her.

She's paid me..no problems there, but If it was me and I'd spent a fair whack of money on something, I'd want to arrange collection asap.

ANyone else had this happen?

satan666wayne

You could request her contact info from ebay.

Also you should not take paypal for collections.

Metranil_Vavin

Really? I wasn't aware of that. Why not out of interest?

Thanks for the tip though..will maybe wait till the end of tomorrow to see if she gets in touch and if not contact ebay.

frivolous_fay

If someone pays by paypal then collects an item, they can later claim they didn't get the item. You are unable to prove delivery, they win the dispute, they are refunded.

nitr02007

Also Paypal take a cut of your money. If you're gonna be face to face with that person get the cash direct - but maybe take a holding deposit via paypal .

cyberbob

As much as taking Paypal for collection items is bad for the seller. because ebay states you have to offer paypal the buyer can insist on it. If you refuse they could report you as a NPS. Most buyers are happy to pay cash on collection though. If they insist on paypal for collection items warning bells should ring. Ebay is not really geared up properly for collection items

babyharry5

The buyers phone number should be on the order details ( when you send invoice) perhaps give her a ring.
Also, may sound daft , but for £180 I would video her collecting the item

justevi

Would getting the buyer to sign for item when collected cover you? You could type out your own form and ask for identification eg
I ......... collected (auction item number and whatever it was) from ........ on (date) and you both have a copy.
Would that work?

soolin

justevi wrote: »

Would getting the buyer to sign for item when collected cover you? You could type out your own form and ask for identification eg
I ......... collected (auction item number and whatever it was) from ........ on (date) and you both have a copy.
Would that work?

For amusement maybe but not for paypal.

It is always best to know the paypal rules if you sell on ebay. The only way to defend a chargeback for item not received is to prove delivery using an online method like RM or DHL secure tracking.

cyberbob

justevi wrote: »

Would getting the buyer to sign for item when collected cover you? You could type out your own form and ask for identification eg
I ......... collected (auction item number and whatever it was) from ........ on (date) and you both have a copy.
Would that work?

As Soolin aid it wont work for Paypal, but the buyer may not know that and if you have to consider small claims at a later date it may be usedful

Metranil_Vavin

Thanks for the replies chaps...that'll teach me not to do my research!

Quick update - Got her mobile number and OH finally managed to make contact with her today. She sounds quite young so I'm hoping that she isn't some kind of scammer. She apologised for not getting back to me but is waiting on her friend with a van. She said she would be collecting in he next few days anyway.

Fingers crossed she isn't a scammer..last thing I need at the moment!