Seller request for alternative delivery address

[cjv-cvr-7mrrxak]

Hello, I'm new to ebay and looking for some advice.

I purchased an item on 24th February, emailed the seller today to confirm item shipped and he said his supplier doesn't ship to my area.  He said I'd need to give an address in another area or he will refund.

I'm disappointed because I'm positive the listing had nothing about any areas being excluded, I thought it was Australia wide.  I know I put my postcode in the shipping calculator bit and it showed a flat rate shipping charge.  I've never had trouble having things delivered here before.

Anyway, I do want the item but am unsure about changing the delivery address at this stage.  Would it affect my buyer protection, or is that only on the seller's protection?

[digital*ghost · Accepted solution]

Honestly, my first thought is that it's a little unusual that the seller hadn't notified you of this issue until prompted by your query. If there was a shipping calculator in the descroption area of the listing, then I'm guessing the seller is using a courier to ship their items, and it is true that many won't cover all areas, but usually these calculators are provided by the couriers themselves, so I'd expect to get a "N/A" result or similar if my area wasn't covered... 

Where to go from here, though, is really up to you. If you go ahead with the order, and provide an alternative address, then technically* your protection via eBay / PayPal won't be compromised. 

*I only say technically because there's nothing in eBay or PayPal's protection policies that would compromise your protection in these circumstances, but it's near-impossible to provide categoric guarantees where either of them are concerned. 

[puddlebears]

Ask them to send by Aust post they deliver everywhere

[cjv-cvr-7mrrxak]

Thankyou for the replies, much appreciated. 

He had said that Australia Post said the box was too big to send through them.  With regard to communication, he told me he emailed me twice (directly, not through ebay messaging).  I was a bit doubtful about that, having had no issues with receiving emails in all the years I've had my email account.

I decided to ask for a refund and to the seller's credit, it was done promptly.  I also politely suggested updating the listing to show the areas excluded (should have been done as soon as he identified there was a problem, imo).  This has not been done and is unfair to buyers paying upfront for an item possibly not deliverable to them.  In future I will message a buyer beforehand if an item is big/bulky and make sure there's no issues, rather than relying on what is on the listing.