Difficult buyer. Please help.

Fen1

Apologies if something similar has been asked before. I am very stressed and can't think clearly.

I am selling a high value item for the first time on Bay. The item must be collected.

I agreed to the buyer on the website. The buyer has been difficult to contact.  Over the weekend he said that he would come either  today or tomorrow. Yesterday evening he said that he wasn't coming today, and that he would call on Wednesday. Given that he doesn't make contact until the evening and that it might take at least an hour to two hours to get to my home, what is the situation if he decides to try and rearrange the date of the sale ? E.g. come down at the weekend instead?

We agreed to today or tomorrow. I want the sale to be finalised tomorrow. Do I have to extend the sale time or can I cancel? He has been dragging this on for over a week and it is making me ill. 

Also, what happens if he doesn't offer the price to which we agreed on the website? Can I cancel or do I have to accept a lower offer.

I am so sorry for rambling. I have used Bay before for small items before without issue, but this situation is really awful. 

I feel very vulnerable as he knows my home address.

Fen1

We agreed over the weekend that he would come either today or tomorrow. He let me know last night that he wasn't coming today, and that he would phone tomorrow. 

soolin

How long since the sale? After 4 days you can cancel it and buyer gets a strike and you get your FVFs back.

Fen1

Thank you so much for your answer Soolin. I started and agreed to the sale last Monday ( 8 days ago). It is a huge relief that I can cancel.

If he does come tomorrow and offers a lower price, can I still cancel the sale? Or am I bound to whatever he offers?

soolin

Fen1 said:

Thank you so much for your answer Soolin. I started and agreed to the sale last Monday ( 8 days ago). It is a huge relief that I can cancel.

If he does come tomorrow and offers a lower price, can I still cancel the sale? Or am I bound to whatever he offers?

Buyer either pays the price he won it at or goes away empty handed. As it’s been over 4 days sine end of auction if he doesn’t come tomorrow or doesn’t pay then just cancel sale on basis of ‘buyer hasn’t paid’. If you accept a lower offer then you will still pay all the original FVFs so stay firm. 

Fen1

Excellent advice. I am very grateful for your help.

Fen1

Does the 4 day rule and agreed pricing apply to classified ads? Or am I out on a limb with this? 
I've gone round and round the T&C's trying to find the rules for classified.

soolin

Fen1 said:

Does the 4 day rule and agreed pricing apply to classified ads? Or am I out on a limb with this? 
I've gone round and round the T&C's trying to find the rules for classified.

Ah, if your item was listed under classifieds then an entirely different set of rules apply. In that instance you set your own parameters , buyer is merely viewing and can withdraw from the sale, or try and negotiate without penalty.  Buyer cannot be penalised for non payment, it is just an advert with the sale taking place ‘off’ eBay. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/listing-tips/listings/selling/selling-classified-ads?id=4167&st=3&pos=1&query=Selling%20with%20Classified%20Ads&intent=Classified%20ads&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1312

Fen1

Thank you. So won't be penalised if he tries to rearrange the sale day and we refuse?

Nor if we refuse a lower offer if he does turn up?

JetpackVelociraptor

A classified ad is more like a traditional newspaper add, like Loot used to be - you put your product up for sale and the negotiation over price, collection etc is all done between you and the buyer without eBay being much involved. You have no obligation to sell to this buyer, and can happily sell it to someone else if they get there first. Likewise the buyer has no obligation towards you. If I were you I would leave the item listing up so that it's still advertised, and hope someone else buys it. If you've already taken the listing down, put it back up on eBay right away - this buyer hasn't actually bought anything from you yet.

If you're concerned they're going to waste your time with a silly low offer you can just tell them that you're not open to offers on the price.

I've used classified ads to sell vehicles a few times although I'm not a dealer, and usually genuine buyers will a) provide contact details so you can talk to them properly b) show up more-or-less when they say they will and c) are polite when they negotiate. If it's a car, caravan or something similar, trade buyers will sometimes attempt to make you feel bad to try and get the price down - usually by telling you the thing you're selling is faulty in some way. And some people for whatever reason will arrange to come round and then just not show up, repeatedly. Don't let it get you down! A genuine buyer will be along soon.

Norman_Castle

The fact he hasn't yet paid makes it easy for them to mess you about. How convinced are you that he really is interested in traveling to view then buy this item?

Actions speak louder than words.