on 04-02-2019 10:43 PM
Am I obliged to provide my personal details before she pays? She wants my name, address and mobile number before she will pay. She has bid for and won an item that clearly stated pick up only. She can't pick up herself, therefore can't pay cash. She has to pay with paypal (the only payment opti9on I offered). Is right to withhold payment until I give her my personal details? Or am I right to withhold my personal details until she pays?
Thanks for any advice you have.
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on 05-02-2019 03:41 PM
@nechen0414,
There's been some terrific advice (and quite a variety of it) on this thread! It's good to see that you are absorbing a fair amount of the helpful information here.
For future pick-up items, in terms of payment method:
If the sale doesn't go ahead
If the buyer inspects the item before paying, and is dissatisfied, he/she can pull out of the purchase. Some sellers will attempt to send a cancellation request through on the spot, so that they can talk the buyer through the process of accepting the cancellation request. (However, beware of the buyer accidentally connecting to your internet connection on their phone or iPad or what-have-you; you do not want eBay to link your account with the buyer's on the basis of IP, as this may propel eBay into accusations of shill bidding or feedback manipulation. It can be avoided by reminding the buyer to turn off wi-fi in their Settings.)
Because the cancellation request process relies on the buyer physically doing something (accepting the request quickly - otherwise, if no response from the buyer, it's a lengthy process), some sellers will simply go straight for the cancellation process using the only other reasonable option that a seller has: "problem with the buyer's address". It's not accurate, but in lieu of eBay providing a reason that "buyer inspected pick-up item and decided not to proceed with the transaction", it's not hard to see why it's the best of a bad bunch. (Never ever choose the "out of stock/damaged" options if you can possibly avoid it, as the defects flung at sellers who choose this option are very sharp and very painful.) But there's no question that if you can get the buyer to accept the cancellation request on the basis of "buyer requests cancellation" before leaving, that is the best (most accurate) reason to choose.
Here's why you may want to avoid lending a helping hand in lifting, transporting, carrying, helping to support, etc., the goods from their original item pickup location/inspectionpoint.
Quoting from eBay's Money Back Guarantee:
❝🚫 Not covered
Important to note: If the buyer damages the item during the pick-up, he/she has damaged their own item. It's not covered under the eBay MBG. You ensure that you can't be held responsible by not being a carrier who can be blamed if an item's damaged in the process. (Of course it would be your responsibility if the item were damaged at your hands, before the buyer arrived, for instance.)
Re this particular interstate buyer wanting your address, I do not see the harm in that (unless you suspect that the buyer is a blank-eyed knife-wielding psychopath determined to track you down and stab until his clothing is spattered and soaked with blood). I take your point that the buyer only needs to know the exact particulars after making her PayPal payment, as she doesn't need those details for the purposes of payment. However, it isn't an entirely unreasonable request and providing those details would very likely mean that the buyer feels secure enough to make the PayPal payment, organise the courier, and get that item launched on its way away from you and straight to the buyer.
(See the second point that I quote above in eBay's MBG "not covered" list to see why a purchase of a pick-up item where the buyer arranges pick-up/delivery of the item is a good result for the seller.)
on 04-02-2019 11:01 PM
on 04-02-2019 11:09 PM
Thank you for your advice.
She has already left negative feedback for me saying I have refused to give a pick up address and that I just want to relist for more money (which is absolutely not true). I have explained to her that will happily send through all details once she has paid.
Is there a way to request her negative feedback be deleted considering she is refusing to pay?
on 04-02-2019 11:10 PM
Also, in order to cancel the sale, do I need to wait 4 days and open an unpaid item case, and then another 4 days to cancel?
04-02-2019 11:14 PM - edited 04-02-2019 11:17 PM
The buyer, if they are genuine, is in a somewhat precarious position - they are choosing a method that provides no ebay or PayPal buyer protection, and if they are aware of that, it's possible they may be wanting to get some assurance of who they are dealing with. The information they are requesting is also what they'll need to provide to their courier (including the phone number). They may even be wanting to use at least some of the info to get accurate rates (this also raises the possibility of them not knowing the costs before entering into the sale, and wanting to confirm that before proceeding).
However, none of that means you're obliged to provide this info before payment, particularly as it doesn't affect the sale price or funds you'll receive - in this scenario, while the buyer has no eBay / PayPal protection, the seller (i.e. you) has no protection against a chargeback, so each has reason to be wary of the other.
Maybe a phone call would be a good idea, just talking to each other might get things on the right track? That's presuming there are no other red flags about the transaction. (eg is it a high value, desirable item, are they talking about odd payment methods, escrow, or purchasing on behalf of a relative who's not in the country, stuff like that).
on 04-02-2019 11:15 PM
@nechen0414 wrote:
Is there a way to request her negative feedback be deleted considering she is refusing to pay?
Ah, well that's a bit of a bridge burning move...
If you open a UPI and close it without payment, the neg should be automatically removed (if it's not, you can call ebay and request they remove it manually).
on 04-02-2019 11:21 PM
Just wanted to add as an aside, the buyer often gets the seller's address in the item sold email (which is sent upon purchase, not payment), particularly if it's a pick-up item and the seller has a pick-up address on file.
04-02-2019 11:26 PM - edited 04-02-2019 11:30 PM
**I removed my own post content upon reading the next post**
on 04-02-2019 11:27 PM
Thank you again.
Yes I understand she needs that information to book her courier, however she knows the suburb and city I live in as well as the size and weight of the item, so she can estimate the cost to help her decide. And I have explained that as soon as she pays I will give you all the personal details she needs to book the courier.
It's not an expensive item, just a bundle of secondhand toys, I'd be happy to give it away for free rather than waste time disputing it, so it's not about the money, I just want to protect my personal details until I know she is a legitimate buyer and I want to protect my ebay profile.
on 04-02-2019 11:34 PM
I would not contemplate selling to this buyer.
The fact they left a negative would be enough for me to determine that any thoughts I may have had to provide details to facilitate courier delivery would be long gone.
If you are contemplating going through with this transaction if they pay then all I can say is Good luck.