Courier offered by buyer for collect in person item, can this work or would it be tricky?

[Artura]

Am selling a car seat, tricky to wrap up, so I'd offered collection in person only. I've received an email asking if they could arrange their own courier. The buyer seems to have excellent ratings and no negative feedback.

Is this likely to be a genuine buyer and straightforward transaction or more likely to be a dodgy scam? Are there any precautions I should take (wondering if I should relist as cash on collection rather than PayPal payment)? Only sold lower price items previously so feeling a bit anxious about this. Thanks!

Nope don't do it. Letting a buyer arrange their own courier is a total head aches and can leave you wide open to having to refund. Unless they ot you by bank transfer (not PayPal) first that is.

Thanks Lottie, thought it sounded a bit complicated, will see if I can get a collect in person buyer instead.

I'm fairly sure that as long as the courier has signed paperwork, you are covered by PayPal. I have had buyers use couriers before without any problems

Crisp butty........ What happens if the item gets lost, or damaged in transit? Letting a buyer arrange their own courier is never a good idea. It opens up a whole Pandora's box of potential problems!

No. Don't do it. They'll claim item not received and then reverse the payment. Arrange your own courier and charge them.

Nope too much hassle. You cant guarantee if they will send a bona fide courier with documents or Bob the long distance van driver who'll call in because he's passing.

Added to that, you also have no idea when they are coming so potentially could be sat from 8am to 8pm waiting for them to turn up.

If I sell anything collection I always state NO COURIERS

Yes, arranging your own courier leaves you in safety mode. Don't take any risks

As a buyer I have arranged for courier collection a few times and I know friends who do the same. I'm sure it's usually just a case of the buyer genuinely wanting the item but being too far away to come and collect it. Tbh, it might be an idea to look up couriers and relist the item offering delivery. Collection only items tend to sell for a lot less as fewer people bid on them, if anyone at all does. Whereas there are courier companies who will deliver large items for less than you might think and it opens you up to more buyers.

SpringerS, that's fair enough, but the fact of the matter is, you're still leaving yourself wide open to being ripped off.

I sell large items on eBay so this happens a lot, I'd seriously limit sales if I didn't accept couriers. The only point to be aware of is that technically, the eBay buyer protection policy does not apply to collection only items, as the buyer has collected and therefore seen the item so can't then complain after they get it home. I had someone who sent a courier then complained, and eBay gave her her money back (nearly £300) but I couldn't get the item back easily because she was three hours away. She claimed that the buyer protection policy DID apply because she didn't collect the item herself. She then tried to claim the cost of the courier back from me too. I think she was probably a clever one who had done this before! I fought it and refused to take no for an answer and in the end eBay refunded me too (at their own cost), then I got late night messages for a week from her as she was so furious I'd got my money back and she had paid out for a courier, even though she had a free item worth nearly £300. It worked out but I could have done without the hassle!

If you decide to arrange your own and get her to pay, drop me a message and I can give you some courier company details.

Prosecco..... As long as th buyer pays by PayPal, they have buyer protection. It doesn't matter if they collect the item their self or not.
This is why sellers are advised NEVER to take PayPal for collection only items, or let the buyers organise their own couriers.

Could you let them send a postal order or make a direct bank payment and then arrange a courier?

I don't know about PayPal, I'm talking about the eBay buyer protection policy rather than PayPal, which doesn't apply to collection only items (I have an email from eBay customer service saying it doesn't which I've saved just in case anyone tries to do the same to me again!).

I don't know about PayPal protection as it's not something I have any personal experience of, I'm talking about the eBay buyer protection policy, which doesn't apply to collection only items (I have an email from eBay customer service saying it doesn't which I've saved just in case anyone tries to do the same to me again!).

Thanks so much for all the replies. Will see if I do get any takers when it auction ends this weekend for collection in person, but if not, will check out courier options. Or do you think gumtree or Facebook selling is a better option?

Facebook is a good bet too if you join a local selling group, but vibe strict as I find you tend to get more time wasters and people who don't turn up (I had one today!)

I sold a dining table and chairs to someone about 300 miles away and she sent a courier, but sent them with cash. Not sure how she managed that but they must have been local or known to her for her to trust them with about £850! Seems it got there safely but I didn't get any feedback at all which was unusual at the time (not so much now though).

I would have cancelled the transaction if she'd paid by Paypal.

This happened to me recently. When I declined a courier the bidder (not even a buyer!) left negative feedback for me saying I had 'refused a courier and had refused to sell'. eBay have so far not removed the feedback despite repeated requests, although I have yet to try phoning them.

It seems you can't win, other that to put "No Couriers' ten feet high on your auction posting, perhaps?

Don't do it. Even if the person is completely honest and not a scammer, the amount achieved in auctions for collection-in-person is often less than would have been achieved if you have offered the item with delivery options as the whole country would be able to bid, so it is fundamentally unfair and against the principles of eBay to arrange a courier on a collection-in-person item. If you are willing to deal with a courier, get a price for parcelling it up and sending it including an insurance premium in case of damage in transit, cancel the existing auction and set it up again with a courier option price. Then you would be covered in case of a scam or accidental damage and the auction would be fair.

But tbh that's a massive faff and it's better to just say no.

Argh, I've got a £400 washer dryer for sale ending tomorrow collection only but people are asking about couriers. I have a courier quote, should I amend the listing and add that? I can see myself ending up £400 out of pocket to a scammer and need to resolve this pronto. It's down as payment on collection as I'm offering any postage options. Any views please?

As I'm NOT offering any postage options. I have just revised the listing to remove reference to the buyer arranging a courier. Cash on collection has to be the safest option.

Brodchengretchen just wondering how would a bidder be able to leave feedback if it wasn't the buyer?

Might be best to add the cost of YOUR courier as a postage option, rather than letting people think they can arrange their own.

Remember that the courier you use must offer an online tracking service though, and also you make sure you pay for adequate insurance for the item.

Cash on collection would definitely be preferable tho. Or bank transfer, if they arrange their own courier. Most buyers are reluctant towards the latter tho, for obvious reasons.