How long is reasonable to wait for buyer to collect item?

[IfItIsntOkItIsntTheEnd]

I have sold a large (very heavy) item - won by a bidder, who immediately paid by paypal. I had a message with the payment saying he will message me separately about collection -but lives nowhere near (over 150 miles away!) and is in no great hurry.

What is a reasonable length of time to give him? I assume I can cancel the transaction if he isn't going to collect it in the near future and somehow refund the paypal? I had envisaged perhaps a couple of weeks for someone to arrange to collect it, but don't want to be stuck with it for ages!

Perhaps I should have put a timeframe in my listing? but I didn't (although did make it very clear it was collection only)

No no no......NEVER EVER accept PayPal for a collection only item! You're leaving yourself wide open to being conned. Buyer an pay via PayPal, collect the item then open a "not received case" and they will be refunded in full, as you don't have any proof it was received. Refund the ASAP and ask them to pay in cash when they collect the item.

As far as I could see, there isn't an option to not accept paypal? I did put cash on collection preferred - but paypal is an automatic option?

Anyway - that is sort of the opposite of the problem that I have - I think it might be a long time before the item is collected, but I have his money!

You just need to make it clear to the buyer that it is cash on collection only, refund their £ and tell them to pay cash on collection only.

If you insist on keeping their PayPal payment, then there is no set time during which they must collect, but they have six months (?) after PayPal payment to open a case or they lose their buyer protection.......

Personally I'd give them a deadline for collection, otherwise the sale will be cancelled (it needs to be within 30 days, or else you won't be able to cancel, I think, and get a refund on your seller fees). Personally I'd say 2 weeks, rather than leave it open ended.....

Thank you! Will give him a deadline then. Can I just cancel the sale without getting agreement from him to do so?

Yes, just select "issue with the buyers address" as the reason.....

If you leave it with him then it's open ended and they have no motivation to collect, you're definitely best giving them a reasonable deadline.

Ok. Thank you for your help!

You need to refund and tell them if they don't collect within x days you will cancel the sale.

Please refund the PayPal payment, this is a well known scam and you are leaving yourself wide open. You could very easily end up without the item or the money.