Am I protected when buyer sends courier to collect?

lilyp

Hi all,

I usually post in the Mortgage Free board but occasionally lurk and use all the fab advice offered here as Ebay is a big part of my Mortgage Free plan. I am sure my question has been asked a billion times but I cant find an answer online.

I have an item that has just sold for over £200. It is a heavy item so I stated local pick up only but I received a lot of people asking if I would accept a courier that they had sent as they wanted to bid and didn't live near by.

I really didn't expect the item to receive so much interest or bids but now I am nervous especially as I am sure the buyer has paid well over the actual value of the item. If they pay through paypal and then send their own courier could they claim to not have received the item? How can I protect myself?

Any help gratefully received

Lily xx

No_Eye_Deer

No, you are not covered.

To be protected you must be able prove you delivered to their address. If its their courier then you cant.

lilyp

Thanks No Eye Deer I didn't think I was.

I really don't know what to do. I honestly thought this item would go for £30 not £230. If I back out of the sale the buyer will leave me neg feedback. I do have a local person who wants the item and were outbid:(

No_Eye_Deer

lilyp wrote: »

Thanks No Eye Deer I didn't think I was.

I really don't know what to do. I honestly thought this item would go for £30 not £230. If I back out of the sale the buyer will leave me neg feedback. I do have a local person who wants the item and were outbid:(

What coms have you had with the winning bidder? Did they ask for courier pick up before bidding?

Avoriaz

No, but neither are you protected if the buyer personally collects so it makes no difference.

If the buyer is determined to scam you he can do it either way.

The only ways to fully protect yourself is to accept cash or bank transfer only for collected items but that is difficult with Ebay rules.

I suggest that you contact the buyer and ask that they give you the details of the courier they plan to use and that you arrange that courier or another suitable courier and negotiate who pays. That way you can prove delivery.

Perhaps they will agree. If they won't agree or won't negotiate on the issue that to me suggests they may be planning to scam you. Although an item worth £30 plus all their hassle seems hardly worth scamming. Maybe it is worth £200 plus.

It might be worth you swallowing some or all of the courier costs as it reduces your risk of being scammed. As the item sold for far more than it is worth, you should still be well in profit.

chancesare_2

You need to retain control of the courier.

A signature will be required with delivery showing online to enable Paypal protection.

Read some of the threads on here where couriers have been booked by the buyer, item arrives damaged, buyer unhappy so sends item back. Buyer can claim for the damage and the seller is left with a broken item.

Cash on collection with a discount.
Cash on collection with buyers own courier - this can be done with man and van type couriers.
Pay by paypal, arranged by you on your terms with a courier collecting a signature viewable online.

bxboards

For collection items, ONLY accept cash. If they want to send their own courier, tell them this is only agreeable if they pay by bank transfer. You have no protection from Paypal for collection items, and in addition if / when the buyer claims it was broken in the post or not received you WILL lose all your money if you allow a Paypal payment. You can't even cover yourself with the couriers insurance as the buyer has a contract with the courier not you! I would not allow a buyer to arrange their own courier, as you will still need to pack the item, and put aside a full working day for the courier. Do not allow Paypal for collection only items, and do not allow buyers to send their own couriers unless they are paying by cash or bank transfer - this puts the risk on them, not you.

RainbowDrops

If the item has exceeded what you expected to get for it, then pay for the courier yourself with the profits!

RFW

If the buyer sends a courier and provides you with the details then there isn't a problem.

So if you have the courier details and the tracking number you can give that to Ebay. If it's a reputable courier they would have the details when they collected. Make sure the address is their registered Paypal address, if they are paying by Paypal. Some couriers can pay you cash on collection so there would be no come back there either.

Obviously if the buyer doesn't give you the courier details and pays by Paypal that is dodgy.

bxboards

RFW wrote: »

If the buyer sends a courier and provides you with the details then there isn't a problem.

There is a problem in the loss or damage scenario. A seller who allows a buyer to arrange a courier cannot claim for loss / damage, and it's the buyer who has a contract with the courier.

If the items gets smashed in transit, or lost, it's important that the buyer bares this risk himself with a non-reversible payment method, so a seller doesn't end up footing a bill for a courier incident, as the seller will have no contract with the courier, and would not be able to recover for loss / damage.

daveeeeed

Also worth checking the buyer history and full feedback history of all potential buyers (check for false positives as well).