Chose Local Pick-Up. Seller sent the item to an old instate address.

[stopthinknomagazine]

I bought an item about 10 days ago for a little or $100 and selected local pick up, then I drove to their store the same day. Given that it was early January, I wasn't too surprised when their physical store was closed for the new year and they had a sign saying they would be open on the 10th. 
I called on the 10th at about 9:30 am and was told that even though I selected Local Pick-Up, they had sent it to me that morning anyway and it should be a few days. I didn't mind too much but the item was a birthday present and was already a couple of days late but not really an issue. 
Then I realised that the address they had sent to was 3000km away in another state at an old rental I no longer have access to. I don't have the contact details of anyone living there and I don't know how to get the item. 

Am I being reasonable to ask the seller to refund the money and contact the Post Office to try and retreive the item? I have since bought something else as a birthday present and no longer have any way of obtaining the item as far as I know.

I feel a bit bad about asking them to cancel the order and sort it out themselves but the order details do say Local Pick-Up.

[digital*ghost · Accepted solution]

---

@stopthinknomagazine wrote:

Am I being reasonable to ask the seller to refund the money and contact the Post Office to try and retreive the item? I have since bought something else as a birthday present and no longer have any way of obtaining the item as far as I know.

---

Personally, I think that is a very reasonable request - as a seller it is exactly what I would do if I couldn't replace it immediately and / or you didn't want to now come in and pick up the replacement etc. 

It sounds like the request for pick-up was clear, and a logical-thinking person might wonder why someone wanted to come in and pick up if they indeed lived in another state, so that alone should have made them wait before taking any action.

It's possible the seller thought you'd made a mistake by selecting pick up and that they were actually doing you a favour by just posting it without negotiating postage costs, but at this point they should realise that no matter how well intentioned, it was a mistake not only to assume anything, but to post to an address without confirming it with you first, and in direct contradiction to the method you selected. 

By which I mean to say, the issue with the item being sent to some other address is the seller's issue, not yours, and I think a refund is appropriate while the seller deals with the consequences of their error. 

[davewil1964 · Accepted solution]

However, it might be advisable to update your address details. To avoid issues in future.

[stopthinknomagazine]

Thanks guys. I will change my address. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't being unreasonable.

[eol-products]

If sent via Australia Post if you check tracking I have seen it say you can redirect the parcel.

[racingblondee]

Actually I have had non ebay purchases where we changed our mind. The seller contacted Australia post and got the parcel redirected and got it returned to them (sender) . Your seller could do this for you.

[davewil1964]

Thanks for letting us know you make a habit of that.

[racingblondee]

Haha, it wasn't me actually and it was one purchase. Hubby bought the wrong part for his bike and once he contacted the seller (a big online retailer) they offered to redirect it for him to return to seller, to save him having to post it back. I had no idea that it could be done.

[shoppingbag*]

---

@racingblondee wrote:

Haha, it wasn't me actually and it was one purchase. Hubby bought the wrong part for his bike and once he contacted the seller (a big online retailer) they offered to redirect it for him to return to seller, to save him having to post it back. I had no idea that it could be done.

---

I'm glad you cleared that up, some of us sellers on here were starting to get our backs up, people who change their minds are not popular with us. However, a mistake (as in your case) is another thing entirely.

[davewil1964]

Except that, in an eBay context, the seller has to refund (otherwise INR) all the buyer's funds, leaving them out of pocket for the Paypal flagfall, the postage (at least one way, and possibly two) and eBay fees unless the buyer agrees to a cancellation.

For a mistake/change of mind. No penalty for the buyer, but plenty for the seller.