Delayed payment and shipment

[pedzsan]

My buyer is going to send me 25% of the price via PayPal outside of eBay because, as far as I know, there is no standard way to do this within eBay.  If there is, then I’ll do it that way.

He wants me to hold it until late May and send it to him there.  Assuming he pays the 25%, that gives me enough trust that he is legitimate and I’ll not send him the laptop until he pays in full — again probably via PayPal.

What I was planning on doing is marking the item as paid for.  eBay will charge me the sellers fees — fine.  And come late May when I get the final payment and shipping address, I’ll mark it as shipped along with the tracking number.

Does all that sound like the best approach of this odd ball situation?

[redmodelt]

NO!
By accepting a payment off the site (via Pay-Pal in this case), you are breaking eBay rules. By not shipping within the ship by date you have shown in the listing, you are messing with YOUR sellers metrics. 

The buyer needs to pay on eBay only. If they have not paid by the end of 4 days, on day 5 cancel the sale for non payment and add the buyer to your blocked seller list. There is no "make payments thing" on eBay. Sounds like you are being setup for a scam. 

[kensgiftshop]

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@pedzsan wrote:

Does all that sound like the best approach of this odd ball situation?

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No.

The buyer needs to pay through Ebay, all at one time.

If you do it that way, it's gonna cause all kinds of problems.

If they don't pay, on the 5th day, cancel the order for nonpayment.

[dryophelia]

@pedzsan 

You are being groomed for a scam. 

Buyers do not need your PayPal information. Remember, your PayPal info is your email address. 
Once they have your email, they can send you messages outside of eBay. They will send you messages that flash PayPal and eBay logos. These are not real. These messages contain nothing but lies (and bad punctuation and spelling errors)

New seller with an expensive item for sale will always attract scammers. This is because new sellers don’t know what they are up against. 

New sellers may still associate eBay and PayPal as one entity. These two companies went their separate ways 5-6 years ago. 

I would cancel the listing, making sure to choose unpaid as the reason. 
If you want to try again, list as fixed price, Buy It Now, with immediate payment required. 

That does not prevent them from receiving the item, claiming it is defective and returning a box containing their old laptop. 

[dreamweaverwith2]

That is not a binding agreement and you are not protected. If the buyer is looking for an affordable payment plan they could try to get approved for PayPal credit. Your auction shows that available to them. What they proposed sounds like they are trying to dupe you.

[mtgraves7984]

If you're showing it as 'Sold', then eBay will expect shipment within your time frame stated on the listing.

I also take pause with your statement, "Assuming he pays the 25%..."

If this is the Apple sold 7 days ago, and you've received no funds... cancel the order, citing 'Buyer didn't pay' and relist.

[buyologist-3]

NO!  NO!  NO!  Read the answers you've gotten for reasons.  I can't improve on them.

You'll sleep better.  No...this stinks to high-heaven.

[divwido]

No, no no and no.  how many rules do you want to break? 

Follow the rules, follow the plan.  NO to all of this nonsense.

[pedzsan]

I get they might send me a bogus email but I can go to PayPal, log in, and check ... which I would do anyway.  I don't even click on 99% of the emails I receive.  I go to the web site, log in, and see if what the email is saying is true.  e.g. I just got something from Microsoft about Office 365.  Something about "Simplify your log in experience" ... And I bet it is legitimate but I'm never going to trust it -- especially if it was from Microsoft -- the ultimate scammers of the universe.

But... I really do appreciate your replies.  It heightens my suspicions.

[evry1nositswindy]

I get they might send me a bogus email but I can go to PayPal, log in, and check ... which I would do anyway.  I don't even click on 99% of the emails I receive.  I go to the web site, log in, and see if what the email is saying is true.  e.g. I just got something from Microsoft about Office 365.  Something about "Simplify your log in experience" ... And I bet it is legitimate but I'm never going to trust it -- especially if it was from Microsoft -- the ultimate scammers of the universe.

^^^^^^

NONE of this matters.  You will mess up your seller account by doing this.  eBay is unforgiving, so one mistake can get your account suspended for life.  DO NOT DO THIS!  Block this 'buyer' after you report them for not paying.

[fab_finds4u]

Why oh why would a buyer offer to pay you directly with PayPal for an item that wouldn't be eligible for PayPal protection? If you didn't  send the phone they could not get their money back from PayPal. Friends and Family payments can't be refunded.  

This offer of theirs doesn't pass the smell test.

[pedzsan]

So, you guys were right.  When I started to insist that he pay the $500, he just disappeared.

I've canceled the sale and offered second chances.  Is it possible for me to leave negative feedback after I've canceled the sale?  I've yet to find a way.

[fab_finds4u]

No, sellers can only leave positive feedback with a positive comment or no feedback. They get a non payment strike.

[laperlalady]

No. 

Buyer pays. You ship. 

There is no layaway on eBay. 

Tell the buyer he can repurchase in May if still available. 

[stehen669]

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@pedzsan wrote:

So, you guys were right.  When I started to insist that he pay the $500, he just disappeared.

I've canceled the sale and offered second chances.  Is it possible for me to leave negative feedback after I've canceled the sale?  I've yet to find a way.

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You really need to learn how things work here.