@puzzlefurniture,
This is one of the most ludicrous of eBay's current policies! However, in order not to be penalised, you have no choice but to abide to the absolute letter with this no-contact rule.
If someone contacts you with the inevitable request to inspect, you could reply along these lines:
"Dear [member],
Thank you for your interest in this [item]! I should explain that eBay do not allow members to exchange contact information of any kind (including a phone number or an address for the purpose of inspecting an item before bidding or purchasing, even if the item is pick-up only).
eBay have implemented this Member-to-member contact policy because they feel that exchanging contact information prior to a sale on eBay encourages off-eBay purchasing. They do monitor messages, so I hope you understand that I am not able to give you my phone number, email or address before you purchase this [item].
However, eBay do allow contact information between the buyer and seller once the sale has been made. For the purpose of pick-up items, that means eBayers who are definitely interested in an item can hit the buy button, request the phone number of the seller, organise a mutually agreeable time, and come over to inspect the item with the intention of going ahead with the purchase if the item is as they expect.
If it isn't, the "buyer" can walk away without completing the sale, and the seller will send a cancel request through eBay to the buyer.
If it is, the buyer can hand over the payment in cash.
I hope this explains the situation! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any additional information about this item.
Regards,
[seller]"
It's a bit long-winded, but it does point the buyer in the direction of the policy itself so that they can see that you're not making this up, as well as making the process seem as provisional and comfortable as possible.
