Buyer didn't show up for an item for local pickup after we made arrangements.

[brianc3784]

I sold an item a few days ago and the buyer hasn't even made any arrangements so today I sent a message to the buyer and we made an arrangement. The buyer asked if a particular time and place would work out and I said yes. The buyer never responded after that, so I assumed it was a go. So I go to the place, which is around the corner from where I live.  I waited for about a half hour and the buyer never showed. What should I do at this point? I'm starting to wonder if this was a fraudulent purchase from a hacked account, although the item wasn't that expensive. Should I offer to ship it?

[ed8108]

As a seller, to be fully protected stay with pick up, cash only.

Politely contact buyer, to reschedule.

[brianc3784]

I contacted the buyer to hopefully reschedule. I didn't know you could require cash for local pickup. But I think I may just stop offering local pickup since I don't really do much of it. 

[missjen831]

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@brianc3784 wrote:

I contacted the buyer to hopefully reschedule. I didn't know you could require cash for local pickup. But I think I may just stop offering local pickup since I don't really do much of it. 

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You can’t require cash for local pickup. You are required to take PayPal or credit cards through your own merchant processor. You can say cash preferred but not cash only.

[cubano4u]

I've had buyers purchase items but take days to pay. I find that many times they use BIN on impulse then get caught up with other things and forget. I simply message them, very politely, to remind them. I would apply the same in your instance. Technically they didn't agree to the time/place to meet and perhaps something legitimately came up. In order to avoid a negative feedback from them, continue to message them as you did. I wouldn't even mention that you waited for them, they may take that as aggressiveness on your part. If in the end they refuse to pay you can open an unpaid item case, which also serves as a reminder to them. Keep it cool, only you can lose here....

[brianc3784]

They already paid with Paypal. They just need to pick up their item. I even offered to ship it. I just said something along the lines of something like perhaps there was a miscommunication or something came up. 

[wrong66]

Cash is the ONLY payment to take for local pick-up. Nobody should ever take a PayPal or credit cards. Most people know that. If he paid through PayPal and was less than honest, all he would have to do is file an INR claim and you would obviously have no tracking information proving it was shipped. You'd be screwed!

[wrong66]

I would ship it first thing Monday morning. Eating the shipping cost might be the least of your problems.

[missjen831]

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@wrong66 wrote:

Cash is the ONLY payment to take for local pick-up. Nobody should ever take a PayPal or credit cards. Most people know that. If he paid through PayPal and was less than honest, all he would have to do is file an INR claim and you would obviously have no tracking information proving it was shipped. You'd be screwed!

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@wrong66 Have you not read the PayPal UA? PayPal does not cover local pickups so NO the buyer could not file an INR and leave the seller screwed. The eBay MBG also excludes INR cases on local pickups. eBay REQUIRES the seller to take electronic payments for local pickups and no most people don’t know that they shouldn’t do that. 

[femmefan1946]

In my limited experience, no shows for pickups are normal.

The most annoying one was the guy in my own neighbourhood who said he didn't know where the Third Avenue Post Office was. He lived on Third Avenue, a block from the PO.

The pickups that worked were those where the buyer came to our B&M store, which required paying for downtown parking, but gave an eight hour window (shop hours) for the meet.

For an awful lot of people, the less they pay, the less they appreciate it.

@brianc3784

You have his money? Let him get in touch with you.

I am old and grouchy.

[wrong66]

You missed the point. Do you think a DISHONEST buyer who paid through Paypal is going to say it was a local pick-up? No, he's going to say he's been waiting for the shipped item that has never arrived, file an INR claim and get his money back and keep the item. I know of nobody that takes a Paypal payment for local pick-up. Except you, perhaps?

[brianc3784]

But they chose pick up as the shipping option, which I offered as an option in the listing, in addition to shipping. The cost of item isn't even that much anyway, so it's hardly worth the trouble of arranging a meet-up. I think I'm just going to remove pick up as an option from my listings, I've only ever done one other pickup, but at least the buyer showed up on that one. 

[missjen831]

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@wrong66 wrote:

You missed the point. Do you think a DISHONEST buyer who paid through Paypal is going to say it was a local pick-up? No, he's going to say he's been waiting for the shipped item that has never arrived, file an INR claim and get his money back and keep the item. I know of nobody that takes a Paypal payment for local pick-up. Except you, perhaps?

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I didn’t miss the point. If the LISTING is for local pickup only, it doesn’t matter if the buyer is honest. The buyer doesn’t get to say whether it was local pickup or not. The listing itself is what PayPal goes by. He can’t file a INR and get his money back. Every eBay seller who offers local pickup takes PayPal. It’s required.