Seller insiting on PayPal before seeing and collecting wardrobe

[Dad164]

I've always accepted cash on collection or paid cash on collection. I've never asked someone to pay up front before they come to my house to check something is as I listed and pay.

The seller of a wardrobe has given me a mobile number which I've left two messages on. I am due to pick it up today, have hired a van but have no idea what the address is, whether it's up 10 storeys or if there's help to load the van - nothing - just "please pay first"

The ebay seller has no negative comments but they're not a business and not that active on ebay. I don't have any name, address for the seller and they haven't answered my recent phone/ebay messages so far.

Is it unreasonable to want to a) to talk to someone in person first and b) want to see the item before paying for it when collecting?

I have always worked on the basis that as bidding is a binding agreement to buy you have no right to insist on seeing the item first.

If it's not as described etc you refuse to take it away and lodge a claim with eBay.

there are several layers of protection for buyer when using Paypal, so if they want Paypal, I would do that and then arrange collection. It won't be too tough to get your money back if you don't like the item when you see it or even if you decide days later that it's faulty.

some sellers prefer paypal because they don't like to handle so much cash. They do have the right to insist on paypal as payment method. It's their call what risk to take. More protection for buyer if you use paypal, anyway.

Seller finally called. They'd given out the wrong number, which didn't help. Didn't understand my concern with paying money in advance of collecting (or even having a surname or address). You only get that "after" you've paid on paypal.

I've taken some comfort from the helpful comments here and paid in advance.

I'm sure everything will be fine now as I've spoken to a real human on the phone.

they are very stupid to take paypal for a collected item - you can just claim not received after you collect it and get all your money back, and they will not have a (wardrobe) leg to stand on.

And if it is not as described you have to prove you returned it via online trackable means, so if you are not happy just walk away and file not received.

Hey butterfly, why not give the OP even more detailed instructions on how to cheat the seller? Sheesh, it's the seller's risk to take. Nothing to do with anybody but OP & the seller.

how utterly ridiculous - I was not telling the OP to cheat the seller! What a horrid tone you use.

It was horrid to call the seller "stupid". And you did give OP instructions how to cheat the seller.

Wardrobe was as described and collected fine.