eBay Buyer Paid with PayPal but Wants to Pick up Item in Person - Seller Protection?

DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 21:20

so i just sold an item on ebay, the buyer paid straight away with paypal, however they sent a message asking if they can pick up the item in person

i noticed that the seller protection fine print says "this item is eligible for seller protection. to remain eligible, ship the item to the address below. please note, items delivered in person or to a different address are not covered by seller protection"

does this mean i have to mail the item to the buyer even if they do want to pick up the item in person

im trying to avoid getting scammed, im thinking they want to pick it up in person and then do a paypal reversal of some sorts

the buyer does appear to have good feedback. however these might just be small $1 or $2 items they have purchased to make it look that way.

thanks

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Comments

  • Savas on 16/01/2018 - 21:23
    +2

    if they wanted to pick it up that's something i would've asked before buying it

  • smuggler on 16/01/2018 - 21:32
    +10

    Just say no. Delivery only.

    If he is non-compliant then refund him his money and get on your bike, mike

  • DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 21:36
    +8

    yes thats what im thinking. did some quick googling and it seems that the scammer picks up the item, and then lodges a paypal claim that they never got the item. paypal asks me for a delivery reciept, however since there isnt one, they immediately refund the buyer, who also now has my item.

  • bobbified on 16/01/2018 - 21:38
    +5

    Guess when he comes around, you could take a video of him and his driver's licence, car and iPad.

    Even if Paypal says that you're not eligible for protection, knowing that you've got such video might put him off actually lodging that claim.

    Alternatively, refund the PayPal money and ask for cash only.

    • DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 22:02
      +8

      according to some googling paypal doesnt care how many photos or videos you may have taken. their rules are post to the address listed, anything else and your stuffed. which catches a lot of innocent buyers out.

      • PissLUR on 16/01/2018 - 22:46
        +6

        Innocent sellers perhaps?

        • DiscoJango on 17/01/2018 - 09:48

          Yep, typo on my behalf

      • bobbified on 17/01/2018 - 09:38

        It's more just a step to try and discourage the buyer from lodging a claim knowing you've got video evidence of them picking it up (regardless of whether paypal accepts it).

        There's never a 100% fail proof method. As the seller or buyer, one just needs to take steps to mitigate the risks.

    • JIMB0 on 17/01/2018 - 08:59

      No way I'd be posing for a photo or handing over my license for copying when picking up an item.

  • CyberMurning on 16/01/2018 - 21:44

    Nah just say no. Just quickly send it then give tracking number. they can't do anything.

    • DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 22:04

      only thing with mailing it out is they can still claim all sorts of paypal disputes: item is wrong, item is damaged etc

      ive been burnt in the past by someone saying an ipad (which i bubble wrapped the crap out of) came completely shattered and broken, and paypal instantly gave them their money back.

  • thatonethere on 16/01/2018 - 21:46
    +5

    I had this scenario. I said happy to do a cash exchange but no paypal. They immediately requested to cancel their purchase (which I did. They had previous positive feedback saying they were time wasters).

  • DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 22:01
    +6

    buyer replied back, agreed to paypal refund and cash on pickup

    maybe hes not a scammer after all?

    in this instance the item is around $900 so i want to completely minimise my risk

    i actually started the listing and only put cash on delivery and bank deposit as an option, however ebay forced me to use paypal which i really did not want to because of situations like this

    • PissLUR on 16/01/2018 - 22:47

      Are you paying any ebay fee for selling this item?

      • DiscoJango on 17/01/2018 - 09:49

        I shouldnt be, as there was an ebay promo for no fees

        However i might get stung with the $20 paypal fee, even tho i refunded the money straight away

        • Aniseed Steed on 17/01/2018 - 10:55

          If you issue a full refund of the transaction payment, PayPal will retain the full fixed fee portion of the transaction fee.

          The transaction fee = 2.6% + $0.30 of the amount you received, and the fixed fee is $0.30.

          I've had this happen to me once a few years ago, so I feel your angst. In my case, it was furniture I was selling and I had specified "cash on pick-up" in the listing. However, I had to have PayPal as one of my methods of payment on my eBay listing. As luck would have it, the buyer immediately made a PayPal payment as soon as the listing ended. In the end, I refunded the buyer's PayPal payment and we agreed to cancel the transaction. Of course, the buyer left me negative feedback.

  • whooah1979 on 16/01/2018 - 22:04

    so i just sold an item on ebay,

    you can include local pick up for pp seller protection.

    • DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 22:05
      +1

      can you? ive noticed that they iphone app omits a lot of details the full website shows?

      anyway, too late now as the item is finished, however ill look into it for future ads, thanks.

      • whooah1979 on 16/01/2018 - 22:13
        +2

        https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full?cou…
        S5.1 The PayPal Seller Protection Policy will not apply to a transaction if:
        The item is delivered in person or picked up in person;

        PayPal Buyer Protection Policy
        What is the PayPal Buyer Protection Policy?
        S10.2 Any item you collect in person or arrange to be collected on your behalf is not eligible to be claimed as not received.

        • DiscoJango on 16/01/2018 - 22:16
          +5

          just so you understand, what you initially said and just posted contradict each other

          bottom line: local pickup = no seller protection

        • Daabido on 16/01/2018 - 22:39

          @DiscoJango: More to the bottom line - eBay insists on accepting PayPal even for local pick up items only. If you try to say in the listing that it is cash only, they will clamp down on your listing. It really is annoying to have to go through the process of negotiating to refund the PayPal, but is necessary for seller protection.

        • whooah1979 on 16/01/2018 - 23:58

          @DiscoJango:

          bottom line: local pickup = no seller protection

          the seller protection is that there is no buyer protection for items collected in person.

        • Quantumcat on 17/01/2018 - 06:54

          @whooah1979:
          Also no seller protection

          S5.1 The PayPal Seller Protection Policy will not apply to a transaction if:
          The item is delivered in person or picked up in person;

          The buyer can just say they never picked it up and are waiting for delivery

        • whooah1979 on 17/01/2018 - 06:56

          @Quantumcat:

          the seller protection is that the buyers loses their paypal buyer protection when they collect the items in person or get an agent to.

        • Quantumcat on 17/01/2018 - 07:04

          @whooah1979: Do you not understand that the buyer can say they never agreed to pick up the item and are waiting for delivery?

        • whooah1979 on 17/01/2018 - 08:55

          @Quantumcat:

          Which is why eBay allows sellers to include a local pick option when listing.

          This will protect the seller from an inr dispute.

        • DiscoJango on 17/01/2018 - 09:47
          +2

          @whooah1979: whooah1979 i think your confusing ebay policy with paypal policy, as well as buyer protection along with seller protection

          Yes, as a seller, ebay does let me choose local pickup as an option

          However ebay also forces me to list paypal as a payment option.

          paypal then says that seller protection does not apply if the item is picked up in person. Seller protection only applies if the item is mailed out to the exact address the seler has listed

          The system is therefore semi broke /stupid, allowing scammers to easily rip off an honest seller

  • KaTst3R on 16/01/2018 - 23:08

    They want to pick in person but dont wanna deal in cash? Pretty obvious scammer here.

    Edit: Saw OP reply that transaction will be dealing in cash.

  • Axelstrife on 16/01/2018 - 23:08

    Tell them no and give them two options.
    1. you send them the item.
    or
    2. You refund them and they pay cash on pick up.

    • DiscoJango on 17/01/2018 - 09:55
      +4

      Its not a scam to pay with paypal and then pickup in person

      However the chance for a scammer to take advantage of this is so high and easy to do, it puts a lot of sellers of from doing business this way

      If we lived in a perfect world, then yes this process would be fine

      Also, paypal fees are crazy, especially for high value items. No problems as a buyer, however as a seller, why would i want to be stung with a $20 processing fee when cash is free

    • bobbified on 17/01/2018 - 10:32
      +4

      After you get ripped off the first time, you'll understand.

  • KaraZorEl on 17/01/2018 - 10:04
    +1

    Maybe you can ask them rate you on ebay, right there. That way it would be a proof that he received the item.

  • DiscoJango on 17/01/2018 - 12:31
    +4

    Well this story ended well, buyer just picked up the item and paid in cash. Also turns out to be a customer of my work. Small world. In this instance he wasnt a scammer, but like any skeptic, going by the immediate paypal payment and request for pickup, my spidey sense went off.

  • Member 0230 on 28/10/2019 - 13:50

    Unsure if this was available at the time you posted OP, but eBay addresses your question of seller protection for pick-up items in Offering local pickup:

    Getting proof of collection like a signed receipt/invoice or an eBay message from the buyer can protect you against item not received cases.

    More specifically:

    In item not received cases, you'll be protected if you have proof that the buyer collected the item. For example:

    • Confirmation from the buyer in eBay messaging that the item was picked up
    • An invoice or other receipt signed by the buyer indicating the item was picked up.

    Along the same lines as KaraZorEl in fact.

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