EBay Seller - Problem

Spoonie_Turtle

vacheron said:

soolin said:

subjecttocontract said:

I don't have a printer either. Owning a printer &/or a mobile phone are not a requirement for using Ebay. I will need to make more effort when the next pick up from a house with no number happens.

Before we had fancy phones we used to look places up on Google maps on the PC before we left home as you can get a street view. I worked freelance and often had to go to random offices and buildings and it was a nightmare sometimes, but if I knew what sort of building I was looking for, what was next to it etc it was much easier. I did a lot of my navigation with an A-Z and a handwritten note to myself to turn onto the street with the sweet shop on the corner and the building I wanted would be tucked away behind the one with the big red doors. 

Sometimes I would drive off and be away for a week and not call home once until I arrived back home again, so nobody knew if I’d even arrived.

We always had to let certain family members know we'd arrived safely.  Even after visiting for a day/afternoon, we'd 'give three rings' when we got home (let the phone ring three times then hang up - on landline of course).


On the actual subject, it's easy to say the OP should have pushed for a house number to be able to look it up in advance (my first reaction, admittedly), but the reality of it depends on how stubborn the seller was in withholding it.

soolin

Spoonie_Turtle said:

vacheron said:

soolin said:

subjecttocontract said:

I don't have a printer either. Owning a printer &/or a mobile phone are not a requirement for using Ebay. I will need to make more effort when the next pick up from a house with no number happens.

Before we had fancy phones we used to look places up on Google maps on the PC before we left home as you can get a street view. I worked freelance and often had to go to random offices and buildings and it was a nightmare sometimes, but if I knew what sort of building I was looking for, what was next to it etc it was much easier. I did a lot of my navigation with an A-Z and a handwritten note to myself to turn onto the street with the sweet shop on the corner and the building I wanted would be tucked away behind the one with the big red doors. 

Sometimes I would drive off and be away for a week and not call home once until I arrived back home again, so nobody knew if I’d even arrived.

We always had to let certain family members know we'd arrived safely.  Even after visiting for a day/afternoon, we'd 'give three rings' when we got home (let the phone ring three times then hang up - on landline of course).


On the actual subject, it's easy to say the OP should have pushed for a house number to be able to look it up in advance (my first reaction, admittedly), but the reality of it depends on how stubborn the seller was in withholding it.

The buyer holds the power though, if seller won't give a proper address then don't bother collecting and get the sale closed. 

cymruchris

Spoonie_Turtle said:

vacheron said:

soolin said:

subjecttocontract said:

I don't have a printer either. Owning a printer &/or a mobile phone are not a requirement for using Ebay. I will need to make more effort when the next pick up from a house with no number happens.

Before we had fancy phones we used to look places up on Google maps on the PC before we left home as you can get a street view. I worked freelance and often had to go to random offices and buildings and it was a nightmare sometimes, but if I knew what sort of building I was looking for, what was next to it etc it was much easier. I did a lot of my navigation with an A-Z and a handwritten note to myself to turn onto the street with the sweet shop on the corner and the building I wanted would be tucked away behind the one with the big red doors. 

Sometimes I would drive off and be away for a week and not call home once until I arrived back home again, so nobody knew if I’d even arrived.

We always had to let certain family members know we'd arrived safely.  Even after visiting for a day/afternoon, we'd 'give three rings' when we got home (let the phone ring three times then hang up - on landline of course).


On the actual subject, it's easy to say the OP should have pushed for a house number to be able to look it up in advance (my first reaction, admittedly), but the reality of it depends on how stubborn the seller was in withholding it.

The seller hasn’t withheld it. The op says they got the full address, but they weren’t able to find it with sat nav, and didn’t use a mobile to be able to reach the seller. The seller hasn’t been uncooperative - the buyer just couldn’t find it. 

Spoonie_Turtle

cymruchris said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

vacheron said:

soolin said:

subjecttocontract said:

I don't have a printer either. Owning a printer &/or a mobile phone are not a requirement for using Ebay. I will need to make more effort when the next pick up from a house with no number happens.

Before we had fancy phones we used to look places up on Google maps on the PC before we left home as you can get a street view. I worked freelance and often had to go to random offices and buildings and it was a nightmare sometimes, but if I knew what sort of building I was looking for, what was next to it etc it was much easier. I did a lot of my navigation with an A-Z and a handwritten note to myself to turn onto the street with the sweet shop on the corner and the building I wanted would be tucked away behind the one with the big red doors. 

Sometimes I would drive off and be away for a week and not call home once until I arrived back home again, so nobody knew if I’d even arrived.

We always had to let certain family members know we'd arrived safely.  Even after visiting for a day/afternoon, we'd 'give three rings' when we got home (let the phone ring three times then hang up - on landline of course).


On the actual subject, it's easy to say the OP should have pushed for a house number to be able to look it up in advance (my first reaction, admittedly), but the reality of it depends on how stubborn the seller was in withholding it.

The seller hasn’t withheld it. The op says they got the full address, but they weren’t able to find it with sat nav, and didn’t use a mobile to be able to reach the seller. The seller hasn’t been uncooperative - the buyer just couldn’t find it. 

Just re-read and yes I misunderstood, I interpreted it as the seller refusing to give a number but actually it seems the house simply doesn't have one, only a name.

In that situation a screenshot of a map showing exactly where on the road the house was might have helped.  A shame the seller's instructions were not as clear as they thought.

theoretica

Another good option for sharing locations is 'what three words' which you can use on a computer without needing a phone and may be a good option is someone can't screen shop a map with a pin in the right place what3words.com

But I guess you want to know that finding 'Treetops' is not as easy as the seller says before you ask for lots more directions - maybe check google streetview first to get an idea of where you are going and if there is only one driveway or not.

HHarry

I have some sympathy - having just moved to Wales, house names are much more common, and a single postcode can cover a much larger area than I’m used to.

JetpackVelociraptor

For most places it seems normal to have the house name written on the outside somewhere, so you could drive down the street looking for it. Or you could ask the seller for the names/numbers of the houses on either side of them, maybe their next door neighbour has a number on their house? Or you could ask them for directions from a nearby landmark that your sat nav can find, like a pub or corner shop or something like that.

If you have a smartphone, you have access to the eBay messaging app, your emails, the ability to call and/or text the seller, and google maps for directions to the seller's house wherever you are. Not saying OP should get one, but these days people tend to assume that everyone has access to this information and won't provide additional info unless you ask. So you need to ask.

As for the sat nav finding it, if you have this problem a lot you might need a software update. Sat navs need updating periodically to account for things like new build houses, road layout changes etc.

If all else fails you can always ask people while you're out and about. Depending on the time of day a local post office, nearby corner shop or even a pub might contain someone who knows how to get to the house. Or just stop and ask someone on the street, especially if they're a delivery driver of some kind.

lisyloo

If it was me I’d knock on a door and ask if they knew where it was.