I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

so i sold a trailer around 3 months ago and the buyer payed instantly using paypal which is great but it has never been picked up and is still sitting at my house i have messaged him through ebay but to no avail. 

im renting and was asked to remove it last inspection 3 months ago and i had another inspection yesterday and they wher not happy it was still here what can i do 

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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

3 months is past the point they can make a paypal claim, so I'd be inclined to advise them you are onselling the trailer, resell it, then deduct all sales and paypal fees from both sales, deduct a fair and reasonable cost for storage over 3 months (a lot of places charge $10 a week for similar things long term) and then offer to refund the balance once the new transaction is all finalised. I had a similar thing with a car part - its been so long I can't even access the info via ebay any more or reply to the messages originally sent. I just got sick of it eventually, resold the item and if the buyer ever shows up again (its now been 6 months) I'll refund them less costs.
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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

It sounds to me, that something may have happened to the buyer. If it were me, I would send him another message and give him a absolute deadline to collect and if he didn't, I would resell it. Make it very clear, that it must be collected.

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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

cq_tech
Community Member
Firstly, trying to resolve the matter via eBay messages is time-consuming and haphazard at best, so go through Advanced Search at the top of this page and pull his contact details. You'll probably find that once you're in a position to contact him by phone any time you like, he will prove to be far more amenable to a rapid solution, particularly if you explain to him exactly what you said above about the inspection and the fact that the owners want the trailer gone from their rented premises immediately.

You could offer him a refund minus the listing and final value fees that you had to pay eBay and which are now unrecoverable, plus storage fees at the rate of $10 per week for the 3 months in which he's failed to collect it (assuming there's anything left to refund after that) then try relisting it in the hope of a quick sale and disposal, or you could simply tell him that you will be moving the trailer out onto the street and he'd better come and pick it up before somebody steals it.

There are also certain state laws pertaining to uncollected goods which you may want to google so that you know exactly where you stand in relation to refunding moneys and/or disposing of the goods, and make sure that whatever you ultimately do, you keep within those guidelines, but obviously the first thing you need to do is to talk to the buyer and ask him what his intentions are.
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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

But I'd be relisting and reselling before refunding. You are refunding what is left out of the price you eventually get for it, not the price you originally sold it for, minus costs etc - so if he originally paid $500 for it but its only worth $300 now, you can't be left short. Advise them you plan to resell it by a certain date, then do so at no reserve to move it, then work out what he gets back.
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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

You have sold the item you should refund the money now, not if they turn up. It's been 6 months. You do realise it is theft to keep it. Just refund the payment through paypal.


@letscleanupmycupboards wrote:
3 months is past the point they can make a paypal claim, so I'd be inclined to advise them you are onselling the trailer, resell it, then deduct all sales and paypal fees from both sales, deduct a fair and reasonable cost for storage over 3 months (a lot of places charge $10 a week for similar things long term) and then offer to refund the balance once the new transaction is all finalised. I had a similar thing with a car part - its been so long I can't even access the info via ebay any more or reply to the messages originally sent. I just got sick of it eventually, resold the item and if the buyer ever shows up again (its now been 6 months) I'll refund them less costs.



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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

OP Just give a deadline for pickup. then refund the buyers payment less reasonable costs.relist the item.



 

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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

Can't you just take a Sunday afternoon drive over to where they live, and unhitch it?

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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

Just as long as the OP does not lose money. If an item is auctioned and the buyer defaults, generally the seller has a given right to resell the item unreserved, as per the various unclaimed goods legislations, this should be similar. Why they waited 6 months though is beyond me.
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I sold a trailer 3 months ago person payed instantly using paypal but have not collected trailer

The buyer may be too embarrassed to contact you, which is quite possible given the amount of time that's elapsed since they bought the trailer. If this is the case there's a fair chance that you'll never hear from them again.

One quick way to find out what the law is regarding auctions would be to speak to someone who conducts auctions - under Auctioneers in the yellow pages, or a stock & station agent that does clearing sales on farms. They should know the law pretty well, but make sure you speak to someone who definitely knows what they're talking about. A stock & station agent might be the best bet because people are more likely to leave things behind on farms rather than at an auction house (after they've paid). If you can find an auction house that does estate sales at people's houses, that'd be the same situation.

I'd probably be inclined to just resell it and take a chance that they won't come back, in which case I wouldn't contact them (let sleeping dogs lie). Unless there was a lot of money involved they're not likely to take you to court over it, and they've got no proof that they never picked it up. Just be prepared to refund their money, minus any fees and other costs. If the law allows it, only refund the amount you sell it for the second time, minus costs.
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