Collection only - potential buyer wants to send courier

[CatThiefKeith]

How does that work? Seriously concerned after all the warnings to not accept paypal for collection items.

If they cancelled the payment would the fact I had sent a courier cover my arse?

Help please!

no it wouldn't - bank transfer is ok, but paypal no chance. If courier breaks it you can't claim for the loss but buyer will claim refund from paypal so you are scuppered, and you won't have a tracking number either so no proof of delivery. Ask them to pay extra and arrange courier yourself, or say yep arrange courier but bank transfer the money first. No paypal charges then either.

I have bought something & had it couriered, which I arranged - paid seller by BACS before collection, arranged courier via www.anyvan.com (highly recommended) which meant paying website a small deposit upfront by paypal & the balance in cash to courier on delivery

Worked v well apart from difficulty in me arranging mutually convenient time between seller & courier! (A lot of emails went back & forth)

Don't touch it with a bargepole.

But if you do:
(a) The other issue is that your item was adertised as Collection Only and that affected who bidded for it and what the final price was. If you DID want to offer postage by courier, you should in any case cancel the transaction and relist the item as you may get a higher price if it isn't collection only.
(b) If you were to use a courier you should certainly be the one who books it and pays, so that you are the customer, and include in the P&P fee you quote for the buyer a cost which includes insurance so that if it is damaged in transit you get your money back.

But if it were me I would just be cancelling the transaction and selling to someone who can read. Collection only means collection only.