purchased item...payment on pickup...seller asking for deposit

[steptoeseagull]

do i need to pay deposit

[digital*ghost]

As in, a small portion of the price before you pick the item up, presumably by bank deposit or PayPal?

They can ask for it, but unless it was a condition of purchase (stated in the listing), I can't see that you'd have an obligation to pay one. At best, it would only serve to reassure the seller you're genuine. (i.e. they're asking for a 'good faith' payment, which would actually be understandable if it was going to be a long time before pick-up and full payment was made).

The problem, if any, would be in the risk of any money sent not being protected should anything go wrong. Even if you sent a part-payment via PayPal, any protection is forfeited a) because it's a part payment and b) because it's a pick-up. (Funding with a credit card may give you access to some protection, depending on the limitations of your card provider).

It's really up to you if you agree, but take everything into consederation before deciding one way or another, like the seller's feedback/selling history, how much of a deposit is being asked for and would you be prepared to risk it, time that will pass before pick-up will be made and so on.

[davewil1964]

No, you don't. And don't.

Payment on pickup is exactly that. You pay when you pickup after determining the item is as described, what you want, working. Real.

The chances of getting a deposit refunded would be low, so a less than honest seller could easily not have the item available, or it's a heap of junk, or doesn't exist. All those deposits would add up fairly quickly.

I would message the seller through eBay, so you have a record you can show eBay, if necessary. Let them know there is no requirement by eBay for a deposit to be paid, and you will not be doing so.

How they respond will determine any further action you can/should take. Come back if there a further issues.

[lyndal1838]

There is rather more to this story than is being posted here.

The item in question is a trailer worth around $2000.  Seller is getting plenty of negs for asking for hundreds of $$$$ for deposits before the trailer is even built (or so it appears from the feedback).

This is not a transaction I would do on ebay....I would not even consider buying one of these trailers unless I could see the finished product and judge to quality.

But I can also see the seller's point of view...it would be an expensive item to build just in case the buyer goes ahead with the purchase.

[davewil1964]

My understanding is that eBay require sellers to be able to provide a tangible item.

Surely a promise to build a trailer on receipt of a deposit would fulfil the definition of an intangible, thus the item is a prohibited item?

Or the seller is a mug, or thinks potential buyers are mugs?

[digital*ghost]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

My understanding is that eBay require sellers to be able to provide a tangible item.

Surely a promise to build a trailer on receipt of a deposit would fulfil the definition of an intangible, thus the item is a prohibited item?

Or the seller is a mug, or thinks potential buyers are mugs?

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This specific seller aside, a trailer is a tangible item, and the listing just says that there is a 1-week lead time for construction. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that and I have in the past listed items that were made to order, but there is so much potential for things to go wrong with this case since it involves pick-up and the seller is asking for a deposit.

Now that I've looked at the listing and seller's feedback.... I wouldn't go near it. It seems they are having trouble fulfilling orders when deposits have been made, so it would either be pay on pick-up once the trailer has been fully, and properly, constructed, or nothing.