How long is it reasonable to wait for a buyer to collect? One month?

[Gforgumbrella]

Can anyone please help me with an ebay issue?

I have just sold a cotbed and changing table on Ebay, having stipulated that the buyer must collect, but not having given any time frame for collection.

My buyer has just emailed to say that owing to the fact that her partner works shifts and that she has three young children, she cannot collect them until mid-April. What can I do about this? I really didn't expect to have to wait more than a week or so before they were taken away. Would it be unreasonable of me to refuse to complete the deal, given that she has indicated that she simply can't come any sooner.

Also, is it unreasonable of me to be swayed in my decision by the feedback on her profile? I suspect that she isn't being straight with me about the delay. While she is obviously a very reliable 100% positive Ebayer, she does seem to be trading in nursery furniture - the feedback indicates that she bought three other cotbeds in February alone, as well as a whole host of other children's goods! I feel as though she simply wants me to hold on to her business stock until she's in a position to get rid of it. What would you do?? My instinct is to refuse to complete the transaction and give the cotbed and changing table away to charity instead. Would it be within my rights to do this? If I felt that she genuinely couldn't come for them before April and needed them for her own use, I would hang on to them, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Any advice very welcome! Thank you.

i would ask advice from ebay... they have an online chat thing you can use.

i don't think it would be unreasonable to say thatr you need them collected sooner though

Thanks, I'll take a look at the online chat. Wish I'd just given them away - Ebay isn't really my thing.

I would cancel it TBH.

Mid APRIL? Bloomin hell. I'd say 1 week would be reasonable, 2 weeks generous.

I agree - 1 week is plenty. Open an unpaid item dispute and get your fees back then relist

And block her from bidding again too.

I might allow 2-3 weeks, am fairly laid back about such things, but if Mid April means >= 3 weeks I'd say that's quite unreasonable.

I would expect collection within 1 week. A month is far to long.

Open an unpaid item dispute and block her from bidding on your items.

Thanks all, for your wisdom. I'll politely suggest that she finds a courier or that we cancel the transaction and see where we go from there. I'm not very good in a fight...

Do you really want the hassle of packing everything up for a courier and then having to wait all day for collection? I assume that you didn't want to do this when you listed your items, so did local collection only.

Plus you are taking a risk if the buyer arranges the courier, as you (most likely) will not have the tracking info, so an unscrupulous buyer could claim not to have received the items.

I personally would email her once more time and politely but firmly say that you need the items out of your house within the week, so please could she arrange to collect them or you will have to go through eBay to recover your fees and will then relist them. It really doesn't need to turn into a fight - I assume at this stage she hasn't actually paid anything?

She is either trying to get you to store them as she is running a business like you suggest or more likely she bid on multiple items and won them all, and is now panicking because she obviously only needs one of each thing and is trying to string you along in the hope that you eventually give up. Has she had any feedback from the other auctions that she won for similar things?

I wouldn't even bother emailing to be honest - just open an unpaid case, if she was going to pay by now she would have.

I'm confused by that fergoose?

The buyer can pay instantly but not necessarily collect till mid april.

What fergoose said, if you just mutually agree not to go through with the sale you'll be charged listing and final value fees.
Tea a seller should only ever accept cash on collection in these cases as an unscrupulous buyer can pay via Paypal and then claim they didn't receive the item as there's no electronic proof of delivery.

yes never take paypal for collection - also if a buyer does pay by paypal you have to dispatch by trackable means within 7 days. Obviously if they don't want it until April you cannot do this. But that is by the by - collection is cash only - non negotiable. If you wait until mid April you may be too late to get your fees back which is 10% of the item price.