Why I prefer not to allow pickups.

[jvdv]

 This is a gripe!

Some people really don't get it - sometimes when I sell an item I'll get a message from the buyer telling me that as they live nearby can they pickup the item and generally I agree and arrange a convenient time. Often they will either turn up late or I get another message saying they can't make it and asking if they can arrange another time.

So last week I did a sale for which there were several bidders but after 3 days I still hadn't been paid. So I send a reminder and get a message the following day asking if he can pickup the item on Saturday. Well Saturday isn't all that convenient but as I wanted to get paid I suggested a time late in the afternoon when I could arrange to be home. We agreed on a time and I came home to be here when he arrived and guess what - no show - and no message - no nothing. And this is someone with several hundred possitive feedbacks.

I would like to now offer the item to the second highest bidder but of course can't do so until I see if the winning bidder will eventually pay or if I will have to cancel the order. Pity you can't just do a "second chance offer" after 3 or 4 days regardless - and then leave a negative feedback for the person who messed you around.

[shepherdsrule]

I would open NPB now and close as soon as you can, then you can offer to other bidder. Perhaps message the other bidder to let them know you are doing this so they can advise if they are happy to wait etc etc.

I agree, very rude and quite thoughtless on the buyers part, sadly nothing to be done but grin and bare it.

[*tippy*toes*]

Open an unpaid item dispute immediately. Then go back 4 days later (not a second before) and close it. You get your fees back and the buyer gets a well deserved strike on their account. NEVER do a cancellation in these situations. Why let the buyer get away with it?

[springyzone]

You've been unlucky, not all buyers are like that. I've picked up several items and always aim to be there at the appointed time or within a very few minutes of it.

Plain rude of your buyers, totally unacceptable.

As others have said, open an unpaid item dispute, don't mess around with them.

 I know if I win a pick up item, I always message the seller pretty immediately or at least within 12 hours of the win and I ask when an agreeable time for them would be. I like to get the ball rolling.

My gut feeling would be this: If someone wins an auction & isn't in touch for days, if you are the one who has to initiate proceedings days later, then they are not really keen.

In those circumstances, if your item was not sold with pick up as an option, I would probably say no, sorry, pick up isn't available. That stops the delaying tactic.

If someone wins and almost immediately is in touch, offering to pick up next day or whatever, they are probably genuine and (with luck) you shouldn't have this trouble.

Mind you, people really should check about pick up before bidding, I would have thought.

[goodthingsforsalerobert]

have picked up items myself all good so far

Have had some items picked up but only give pickup address after payment in full first

a good insentive for the buyer to pickup as agreed

If it goes wrong i let them know that its their item sitting here and it will then be at my convenience for pick up

seems to work ok

[justkidzbiz]

The problem with NPBs, you have to wait 4 days to open a dispute, allow 4 more days before you can relist or offer a second chance, and quite often other bidders have sourced the item elsewhere, leaving you with no sale.

i agree too, pick ups can be a real pain. I had one, I said between 11.-12pm no later as I had to go out and couldn't be late. I didn't have to leave until 12.20pm but give a cut off time because of late ppl. She turns up at 12.20pm as I'm walking out the door, (it was for kids basketball so couldn't be late). And then there have been the no shows which is a real pain. You sit around waiting and they don't even give you the courtesy of a phone call 😡😡😡😡😡😡

[sydneybristowwine]

I never allow them! Mainly for security reasons!!! You just don't know these days...I know of people who have robbed etc.

Forget it!

[shepherdsrule]

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@justkidzbiz wrote:

The problem with NPBs, you have to wait 4 days to open a dispute, allow 4 more days before you can relist or offer a second chance, and quite often other bidders have sourced the item elsewhere, leaving you with no sale.

i agree too, pick ups can be a real pain. I had one, I said between 11.-12pm no later as I had to go out and couldn't be late. I didn't have to leave until 12.20pm but give a cut off time because of late ppl. She turns up at 12.20pm as I'm walking out the door, (it was for kids basketball so couldn't be late). And then there have been the no shows which is a real pain. You sit around waiting and they don't even give you the courtesy of a phone call 😡😡😡😡😡😡

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It has been over 4 days as per the OP, so getting onto it now is my advice.

[chameleon54]

I dont do local pick ups either. ( hate them )  In the past I have found that the people who are happy to drive 50-100 km. to save on $15 postage are the same people who have nothing to do in their lives. They have no time deadlines and think others have got nothing else to do but wait around the house for them.  Some get quite antsy demanding reasons why they shouldnt be allowed to come to my house and pick something up.

It gets back to another thread running on the sellers forum on how to make ebay pay as a business. Local pick-ups are not an efficient use of sellers time, resulting in very poor $$$ profit returns per hour.

[*tippy*toes*]

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@sydneybristowwine wrote:

I never allow them! Mainly for security reasons!!! You just don't know these days...I know of people who have robbed etc.

Forget it!

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I don't allow it either. However, I'm usually happy to meet someone locally to hand deliver, like at the supermarket carpark or Bunnings or somewhere else neutral. One lady lived not far from me and I offered to deliver. She wasn't comfortable with that but said she was going to Officeworks later that day. I said as it happened, I needed to go there that day as well, so we met out the front. She handed over the money, I handed over the goods and then stood there for the next hour listening to her life story and her messy divorce. Sometimes it's easier just to post!