Was it right for a seller to cancel my transaction because I live in Tasmania?

[sandypebbles]

Did the seller actually tell you that was the reason?

Do you have a PO Box?

Was it something that cannot be brought into Tasmania? 

[countessalmirena]

There’s nothing stopping a seller from cancelling a sale if they cannot or prefer not to post to an area that is problematic for them.

Did the seller actually tell you that they won’t post to Tasmania and that’s why they cancelled the transaction?

[twyngwyn]

what is the item number?

[neilstreater]

He asked if I was in Tasmania and before I could reply I was in Vic visiting my sister and making plans to pick my purchase up from Qld he cancelled.

[twyngwyn]

so...it was pick-up only??

[countessalmirena]

If it was a pick-up item, and you hadn't communicated beforehand that even though you lived in Tasmania, you would be picking up from Queensland within 4 days, the seller had no way of knowing that.

There is a particular issue with buying through the eBay app on a smart device, wherein the listing of pick-up only items seems to indicate free postage. Buyers end up expecting free postage even though the seller has listed PICKUP only. Sellers get tired of explaining this to buyers, some of whom will get pugnacious and insist that the item be sent free of charge. I'm not surprised that the seller cancelled the transaction.

To avoid this happening, why not contact the seller beforehand, explain that you are aware it's a pick-up item, and that you would be picking up the item within x number of days? (Assuming that x is not an unreasonably long time.)

[papermoon.lady]

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@neilstreater wrote:

He asked if I was in Tasmania and before I could reply I was in Vic visiting my sister and making plans to pick my purchase up from Qld he cancelled.

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How much time elapsed between his message and the cancellation?

If you didn't reply promptly because you were offline, the seller might have thought that you were indeed in Tasmania and unable to pick the item up.

[sandypebbles]

You do realise to many sellers that sounds questionable as?

Especially when you did not ask before buying if the seller was ok with this

And then orginally only post a generic question in the heading, so that the seller instantly looks like they are unreasonable?

Have a search on the forum at how many sellers have posted the have been scammed by buyers who say similar things. You can't expect the seller to 'know' whose such stories are genuine 

They do have the right however to choose not to take the chance 

[springyzone]

A seller can cancel for any reason or even no reason at all, if the truth be known.

You can't force a change of mind sale, same as they can't force a payment if a buyer gets cold feet.

By the sounds of it, this seller is in Qld and sold a pick up item and noticed you are in Tassie.

Immediate red flag. They have thought-oh no, this sale is trouble, no way the buyer  will pick up and I am not interested in working in with couriers etc

As a seller, I have been in that place a few times in the past & to be honest, if I were still selling and it happened, I would immediately cancel too. Too many potential hassles.

What you probably should have done is message the seller either before the sale or immediately upon sale, to say you would like to arrange pick up and would be in Qld. Keep in mind a seller isn't necessarily going to be free on a particular date or time of your choosing either, you have to fit in with them, so you would have had to be flexible enough to be fine with a pick up window over a week.