Buyer has paid but is making no effort/no contact to collect...

[nicknamenotinuse]

HAve sold a large item (worth £150), buyer has paid but has not contacted me to organise collection despite over 4 emails asking her to get in touch to organise a suitable date and time. I feel a bit in limbo now as don't want to transfer or spend the money until she has collected but I desparately need to as the item I sold was to make some money for Christmas and birthday presents. What do I do? Shall I contact her again and give her a deadline to contact me or I refund and relist? New to ebay so would like some help, it's been over a week since the item ended and no contact at all.

first of all you should refund the money as you never take paypal for a collection item

then you could phone them if they aren't replying to emails

if they don't get in touch you will have to file non paying report or mutual cancellation and then you can relist.

Where does it state on ebay that you never take paypal for a collection item?

It doesn't - but no seller should as a buyer can claim item not received and have your item and have their money refunded. Do you want to lose your item and £150 - because if the buyer collects then files a claim for item not received you have no proof of delivery and you will lose your money.

If you don't believe me go and ask on the eBay community boards.

When I've sold like this before I always get the buyer to sign a receipt confirming details of pick up.

yes but that isn't online proof of delivery so would not be of any use to paypal in the event of a not received claim - they need online proof such as recorded delivery or with a courier.

(Sorry to but in but I'm selling my first collection-only item ATM...)

Doesn't eBay insist you offer PayPal as an option though? I'm sure I saw that when I listed the item.

It's madness that they need proof of 'delivery' for a collection-only item... surely if it's clearly listed as collection only, then surely the onus is on the buyer to, um, collect, not on the seller to 'deliver'. (I believe you, it just seems a stupid rule!)

you have to offer paypal on your listings yes, but you don't have to insist on it for collection items.

Look at other collection items on eBay - they say cash on collection don't they, this is to protect sellers from scammers.

have you refunded your buyer yet?

Look at it another way, what if you were the buyer, paid by paypal then seller didn't let you collect. You would go to paypal for your money back - they wouldn't let the seller keep your money because it was presumed you had got the item would they just because it was a collection only auction.

I'm going to refund the buyer and explain that I'm going to relist the item. It's a complete farce me chasing the buyer up to get them to collect.

you have to cancel or do a non paying bidder report first as you need to get your fees back

then you can relist