Pick up only item
I sold an item listed as LOCAL PICKUP ONLY. Buyer sent a 3rd party to collect it, then claimed it was “not as described.†I offered a return — buyer refused to return the item. eBay stepped in and said I needed to issue the buyer paid postage. How am I supposed to mail a 5ft over 150 lb wooden bench in the mail ??? I’m a little unhinged as my appeals are going nowhere as no one can understand this.
eBay refunded them anyway. Now they have my item AND my money.
How is this not theft? If I have to I’m taking the buyer to small claims court. It’s $700+.
40 comments
ryry-jj
·1 year agoWow...this is terrible, and that policy needs to be revised. I have never done local pick up and so never really paid too much attention to it, but it sounds like a very easy way to get a large, expensive items for free and eBay is happy to help see that that can happen
sextons-sweet-deals
·1 year agocash at pick-up! None of that QR code junk for such an expensive item.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@sextons-sweet-deals
The QR code scan is to notify eBay that the item has been delivered, as I understand it.
a_c_green
·1 year agoI think you mean "picked up" rather than "delivered" in this case...?
The OP did not deliver it, though Customer Service seems to think that he did, so they are now telling him that he has to spring for return shipping, even though he never shipped it in the first place; the buyer collected it.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@a_c_green
Reading eBay policy on shipping options, they talk about local pickup as one of the delivery options.
Delivery means to provide or hand over, so I was using it that way.
What they've done to OP will have a chilling effect on local pickup listings, so I sure hope this is sorted out.
sextons-sweet-deals
·1 year agoTrue. I think the QR is more to make sure eBay to get their fees. When I have a pick-up with cash, I will mark the order so and leave feedback to the buyer.
I'm just trying to avoid a buyer who pays electronically, uses the QR code, and then later possibly file an issue with eBay or their payment provider.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@sextons-sweet-deals
You make a great point. I'll have to incorporate that cash option.
Is there a way to specify payment at time of purchase for shipping, but cash payment in person for local pickup?
sextons-sweet-deals
·1 year agoIf I have an item that is pick-up only, I will set the listing for that and then in the description area, I will also state something like:
THIS LISTING IS FOR PICK-UP ONLY (PAY THEN) DUE TO SIZE, WEIGHT, SHIPPING COSTS
THIS LISTING IS FOR PICK-UP ONLY (PAY THEN) AFTER YOUR APPROVAL
If I'm shipping an item, I will also click the pick-up option and state in the description area:
PICK-UP IS ALSO AN OPTION / PAY THEN
plumeriabreeze
·1 year agoIf I recall long ago, local pickup was local pickup and there were no returns. Once the item was approved in person and the buyer provided the code it was a done deal. It appears the link the ebay rep provided reads now that local pickup returns are like any other item "shipped". In theory a buyer could buy a car, pay "one of the approved electronic methods at local pickup", hauls the car away across the USA, gets home and does not like it for any reason. At this point they can raise an Item not as described return and the buyer now has to arrange for USPS or Fedex (lol) instead of a transport company to pickup the car and hope it comes back like it was and be out the transportation fees and the price of the car. CASH IN PERSON ONLY no electronic payments might be the only way around return on local pickup?
Managing returns and item not received requests
Returns for local pickup listings should be treated the same as other delivery options. If the buyer returns an item because it's faulty or it isn't as described in the listing, they can return it to you even if your return policy states you don't accept returns.
bonjourami
·1 year ago"If I recall long ago, local pickup was local pickup and there were no returns"
I was told many. many, years ago that returns on local pick ups were decided on a case to case basis.
elizabeth@ebay
Hi @jonathanbrightlight. For local pickup, returns should be handled the same way as other delivery options. More on this can be discovered here. Only one appeal is alllowed per case, which seems to have already taken place.
tools*
·1 year agoOkay, I'll say it again: You just can't let eBay control the money with an in-person sale.
a_c_green
·1 year agoBut, @elizabeth@ebay, this was a documented Local Pickup. Why then is the seller being told that he must pay to have it shipped back? It was not shipped to the buyer in the first place.
If the buyer wants to return a Local Pickup, he must at minimum do the return himself in the same manner that he collected it originally, not at the seller's expense. Is that correct?
silverstarvintage
OP1 year agoThanks for the response Elizabeth, but I want to clarify a few things publicly since this situation has now cost me significant time, money, and inventory:
This was a local pickup-only sale for a large wooden bench—clearly marked as such in the listing. There was no shipping option involved. Yet I was told to accept the return and issue a postal return label, which obviously makes no sense for a large, hand-delivered item. There’s no carrier that would even accept this.
To make matters worse, I’ve gone through two separate appeals, and in both cases the eBay reps I spoke to expressed confusion as to why the refund was even issued—especially without the buyer ever returning the item. So now the buyer has both the bench and their money, and I’m left with nothing.
This doesn’t feel like a misunderstanding—it feels like a misapplication of policy or system failure. And quoting the return policy for shipped items doesn’t help in this context. Local pickup is fundamentally different and should be treated as such.
I’m requesting a real review of this case, not just a boilerplate reply or another dead-end appeal. This has real consequences for sellers who follow the rules.
Would appreciate further escalation and insight from eBay staff or anyone who’s had success resolving something similar.
a_c_green
·1 year ago@silverstarvintage , @elizabeth@ebay : Any further developments in this saga? I see eCommercebytes is following this story too:
https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2025/6/1750470728.html
tools*
·1 year agoYou just can't let eBay control the money with an in-person sale.
babyabuys
·1 year agoSorry for your troubles. Ebay has changed. They are not the same company from the past. They don't back up their buyers (or sellers either). I recently bought a *clearly* fraudulent product on this site, have provided the seller and ebay indisputable evidence via photos and screenshots, and ebay wouldn't refund my money without returning the fake product back to the fake seller so he can just sell it to someone else. Further, they wouldn't remove the fraudulent listing either. The final straw....they recently removed the negative feedback I left for the seller and the negative feedback of another woman who had figured out that the product was fraudulent too. I mean, they're literally protecting the fraudulent seller (who is using a dead man's name and a funeral home's address), so he can rip off more people and earn them more fees. It's just unbelievably disappointing. It's pretty bad when a new bank (my credit card company) backs you up over the company you've had a business relationship with for almost 20 years. I have 100% positive feedback here.
bonjourami
·1 year ago" I recently bought a *clearly* fraudulent product on this site, have provided the seller and ebay indisputable evidence via photos and screenshots, and ebay wouldn't refund my money without returning the fake product back to the fake seller so he can just sell it to someone else."
Its not your job to protect other prospective buyers, all buyers have Ebays 30 day MBG protection. To receive a refund, you must return the item first,fraudulent or not. Of course Ebay removed your negative fb, you lost the case when you refused to return the item. And all buyers have 100% perfect fb, because thats all sellers can leave them.
krazzykats
·1 year agoI can't pull up the listing either. I tried Worldwide, Active, Sold and completed. Nothing...
á“šá˜á—¢
kennys-kollectibles
·1 year agoWhen you do local pick up, you need to only accept CASH.
Then you avoid this. This sounds like a scam to me.
Third party, etc....and ebay, their response?? Seriously.
Yes, take it to small claims court.
You did everything right.
Judge Judy did an ebay scam one time
on her show, and she favored for the seller like you
who got scammed out of their item and money.
She said, "you can't keep the item and get a refund".
That would be a great case for the judge judy show.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@kennys-kollectibles
Are you required to offer Pay on Pickup or can you omit that option?
a_c_green
·1 year agoDo you mean cash? I believe you can do that but you are also required to offer a means of electronic payment as well.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@a_c_green
Yes, I was wondering if I could just offer one option of having the buyer pay at the time of purchase on eBay instead of also offering a second option of paying in cash/whatever at time of pickup.
I want the payment made before the pickup.
kennys-kollectibles
·1 year agoI don't know because I was just stating a way to avoid the scam.
My point is...CASH paper money or no sale.
In fact I amend my original post....do not sell expensive benches on ebay via local pick up.
If you are going sell something with local pick just put it on facebook or craigslist.
I am a big believer in avoiding unnecessary problems in life.
ryry-jj
·1 year agoAs @kensgiftshop says, when picked up by a third party I believe that voids EMG. Something else is going on. Was there a QR scan at the time of the pick up?
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoIf buyer had a shipping company come pick it up, that's supposed to void their MBG.
silverstarvintage
OP1 year agoThey used Uship.com. They asked me to set it up for them but I declined so I never handled any of those funds. They arranged shipping completeky.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@kensgiftshop
Yes, I do see the policy now under the MBG section. Thanks.
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·1 year agoany 3rd party, shipper or not
Where are the blues on this? This transaction isn't even covered under the MBG .
This a very big dropped ball situation here that needs to be taken care of.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@silverstarvintage
Sorry this happened to you, because one of the benefits of local pickup is to handle any issues that may arise on the spot, and when a third party picks up, that benefit is eliminated.
I wonder if it's permitted to specify that only the actual buyer can do the pickup? I checked the eBay policy and didn't see anything on that issue.
bashort
·1 year agois it the iTero Element Intraoral Scanner Unlocked Complete Excellent Cond ?
If so one thing that might be a problem is that listing offers either free ground advantage or free local pickup.
You possibly should of selected "no shipping" local pickup only, looks like a gray area
Also that was sold 4/8, that should be outside the 30 day window
a_c_green
·1 year agoDoubtful; the OP states that it was a "5ft over 150 lb wooden bench."
@silverstarvintage : What was the listing number for the item we're talking about here?
It doesn't seem correct that you would be required to provide a return shipping label for something that was recorded as a Local Pickup, regardless of whether Shipping methods were also offered.
silverstarvintage
OP1 year agoNo it doesn’t seem correct at all. But I’m out over $700 and the item. Because I never sent the buyer a USPS label.
item number 267090236045
itsjustasprain
·1 year agoSeems like something got seriously mishandled on the Ebay side. This is one time when I think you might need to contact the Ebay team on Facebook. You mentioned appeals already - what have you tried so far?
silverstarvintage
OP1 year agoTwo appeals so far. Both times the person from eBay said obviously there is an issue but BOTH times they kept original response. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! There is so much wrong with this exchange. Definitely this should void Buyer Seller protections, and it was impossible to send a postal we code for something that required freight shipping to begin with.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year agoSo much isn't making sense.
1. When was the sale? Was it over 90 days ago? I ask because the item number isn't coming up.
2. When the buyer chose local pickup, was there a QR code?
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year ago@albertabrightalberta @krazzykats
Here is a link to the item:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267090236045
That loads for me, though I have to click View Original Listing to see the details.
silverstarvintage
OP1 year agoApril 27 th was sale date.
no we code scanned at pick up but details about pick up are in messages , sale page is set for pick up only
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoIf you did not scan or enter the code at pickup (if the buyer was having a third party pick it up, they should have provided that code to the third party), you have no proof that eBay will accept of the pickup. In the future, always get that code or do not allow the item to be taken, for your protection.
That said, it should not prompt eBay to force you to issue a return shipping label by my understanding, it would be needed for an Item Not Received claim, which would mean you would have to issue a refund. This situation is a good bit more unusual.
@kyle@ebay
@elizabeth@ebay
@devon@ebay
Is there someone who can take another look at this, since the OP has already reached out to customer service twice and was not actually helped through this situation?
silverstarvintage
OP1 year agoNope. As I mentioned it was pick up only and a bench.