Hey "made and offer" on a listing and It was pick up only, do I pay on pick up or do I pay upfront?

[joh-184593]

Hey so I made an offer for a listing and it was pick up only and I was wondering if I pay on pickup or do I pay upfront through PayPal..? I am concerned as PayPal doesn't cover items I pick up and I rather not pay first and screw my self over. 
I am student and I don't own a car so I have to travel a bit to pick up the school books and I was wondering what I should do in the event the seller doesn't show up or flake?

[padi*0409]

It's better for both you and the seller to pay cash on pick-up, that way the seller doesn't have tp pay Paypal fees and you get to see the books before buying.

Just message the seller and arrange a time to pick up the items.

[joh-184593]

Hey, I did message him asking to arrange a time to meet up and all but I was wondering what happens in the event that I travel an hour-ish to meet him and he doesn't show up..? at that point am I free to find a different seller..? Thanks in advance!

[lyndal1838 · Accepted solution]

Oh for goodness sake....you should have thought of this before buying.

If you were confident enough to buy the item at least follow through and make arrangements to meet up with the seller.

If he doesn't show you have only wasted your time.....you haven't lost any money.

 and you are free to buy elsewhere.

Don't look for potential problems that will probably never happen.

[imastawka]

I hope you clicked on Buy it now.

You don't have to pay.

But if you message the seller without clicking on Buy it now, ebay may see that as buying 'off ebay', and the seller will be punished with a suspension.

A suspension means they can't answer you.  No messages back and forth.

[joh-184593]

You're right, sorry for causing you some trouble ahaha it's just that I don't usually buy stuff online and I wasn't sure how things worked. Thanks for helping me out though! 

[joh-184593]

Hey thanks for getting back to me (: this has cleared a lot of things up! 

[imastawka]

FYI........If seller is not answering you, the suspension you triggered is usually a week

[brerrabbit585]

It's usually the buyer who doesn't show up, not the seller. I'd imagine they'd be keen to sell their books and would make an effort to meet you.

[chameleon54]

This may sound a bit dumb, but was your offer accepted by the seller ? ( you dont say in your post )  If so they should be messaging you to arrange to meet up for pick-up and discussing the best payment option. If they are not talking to you it may be that your offer wasnt actually accepted.