eBay

teabrush · ‎21-11-2016

Hi all,

I sold an item today for $100 – accepting the “best offer” option.

At the top of my listing, I specify I prefer COD so that the buyer can inspect the item upon pick up and pay in cash once they are happy with the item.

As the item is very heavy and awkward to wrap, box up and post, I chose the “pick up only” option – no postage.

The buyer paid via PayPal anyway, and when I checked the funds, they are “on hold” for up to 21 days, and I’m being asked by PayPal and eBay to ship the item, provide tracking and mark as posted – where they then say “in some cases your funds can be available sooner.”

So frustrating, and complicated. I had hoped to avoid all this with the COD option – a simple exchange of goods for cash.

My questions are, should I go into my PayPal account, refund the money to the buyer, and carry on as planned – the buyer comes, inspects and pays if happy? Or is that not possible now?

Or, do I need to lodge a complaint with The Financial Services Ombudsman? Is it a successful outcome if one lodges a complaint with TFSO?

Thanks for any advice.

*tippy*toes* · ‎21-11-2016

For a start, COD is not cash on pickup. It's an expensive Aust Post service. You can contact the buyer and ask if they would be happy to be refunded, then pay on pick up. If not, you will have to wait for the payment to clear. You can't withhold the item until then though.

You also have to hope the buyer is honest and doesn't turn around and open a not received dispute. When they come ask to copy their licence and also take down the rego number of their car. That way if they do try to make a claim you can report them for fraud.

I'm not sure the FOS would step in in this situation as PayPal haven't done anything wrong.