Buyer of expensive item seems certain it will be destroyed in shipping (long)

[coltranefan]

I listed a fairly expensive "high-end" audio component on ebay recently (BIN or best offer). A guy with a zillion good feedbacks made a very good offer that I accepted.

Immediately after he paid, the messages began. Wanted fed-ex shipping, when I listed UPS ground as the shipping. I try hard to accommodate buyers, but I've had great success with UPS ground, both as buyer & seller. And have had weird experiences with fed-ex ground (It's a somewhat heavy item, so fed-ex air would be really expensive). Also I have a UPS acct., there's a UPS store 4 miles for drop-off from where I live, etc.

(And WHY don't buyers read the TOS?)  So I emailed him back saying some of that, he said OK, send UPS.  And then just a series of dire messages (very polite tho) about UPS not paying off if there is damage. Which I know --I've shipped probably hundreds of delicate items (crystal, china, etc.) over the years. Plus probably dozens of audio components, some keyboard, computers, etc. etc.

The guy is "putting the zap on my head"--making me almost fearful of shipping it, when I never would have been. I mean, I'm always concerned about shipping expensive items, but I do great packing, & have never had a problem as long as the item is shipped properly.

Also, this $1900 audio component has all the original factory packaging, that is the best packing I've ever seen on an audio component. I even took pics of the various stages of packing the double-box with the elaborate packing & sent to him.  His response was more warnings about how UPS won't pay off if damaged, etc.

He just can't seem to believe that the item will survive shipping, or that it's packed well enough. And yet he's SO polite. A friend of mine said, well as long as he gets it OK, things should be fine. But I don't know if he's setting me up to later claim that something's wrong with it? I've had some neurotic buyers, but this guy is creeping me out. I usually ship quickly, but I've been dragging my feet on this--instead of feeling good when I drop it off at UPS, I just think I'm gonna feel really nervous.

I mean, if he's this neurotic now, what can he find to be neurotic about once he get it? The thing is beautiful, but maybe he'll imagine there's damage?

I'm sorry to go on so long, but I've been buying & selling used audio equipment (for my own system) for a very long time, & this is kind of a new one.....

TIA for any advice

[gracieallen01]

The way this thread was first presented and has evolved, one could speculate or suspect almost ANY scenario imaginable as being possible.

[papyruspapillo]

Yesd, many UPS stores are franchises.

[jonathankirkland]

@coltranefan

Hey there. I was wondering whatever became of this scenario? I realize it has been a few weeks, but I was following this thread intently.

I checked your sold listings and don't see it there, should I assume you decided to just cancel the sale and sell the item a different way?

[coltranefan]

---

@jonathankirkland wrote:

@coltranefan

Hey there. I was wondering whatever became of this scenario? I realize it has been a few weeks, but I was following this thread intently.

I checked your sold listings and don't see it there, should I assume you decided to just cancel the sale and sell the item a different way?

---

Well, a couple of days after my last post, I got an (understandably probably) angry message from the buyer, kind of a rant, saying to ship, or refund his paypal payment.  So I cancelled the sale, giving as reason (I think) that buyer requested to cancel. Then I got this last (I hope) message from the buyer:

"This has turned out as I expected. When you are denied a damage claim you will get it. it happened to me many times. But, we will never be on the same page,..................."

So, somehow this guy was traumatized  b/c of all of his denied  damage claims? Was it stuff he shipped? Anyway, I'm glad I undid the deal--it was too much to have a terrified buyer on the other end expecting the item to be wrecked in shipping. If he'd have been OK

SO THEN: P.2. After having the item on *C*L* for a few weeks, got a whole bunch of emails from a semi-local guy, bragging about his $30K system (which is fine, I love to talk & listen to audio discussions). Set a day fo him to come over & pay cash for the item, then the day it was, well, he didn't know when he could get away b/c of waiting around for contractors, & he didn't know if he could get that much out of his ATM (?), but wanted to meet at some weird convenience store someplace to do the deal. This went on all morning by email & then I had to leave.

Next week, he supposedly still wants the item, & I offer to meet him at a major shopping area to do the deal. Then it was: Well, he couldn't get that much cash out of his ATM, his bank was an hour each way, & would I accept a Paypal Friends and family payment (for $1500)? This was 20 minutes before we were to meet to exchange the cash & the item. He's an adult; most people know if they can get together $1500 cash or not.

Then, he's telling me how he's the GM of a new car dealership, like that's supposed to convince me at the last minute to take paypal for local p/u? And right before he tried change the deal from cash, to me taking paypal, he said: "You don't do a lot of selling, do you"? Meaning.......that he thinks I'm a schmuck, & he really never intended to bring cash.

I didn't bother to look into Paypal Friends and family payments. It seemed like a colossally bad idea; along with the fact that after 2-3 weeks of emails back & forth; he tried to spring it on me at the last minute.

BTW, I've sold a ton of stuff on *C*L* over many years; I know it can be "challenging", but this guy was a piece of work......

[coltranefan]

---

@jonathankirkland wrote:

@coltranefan

Hey there. I was wondering whatever became of this scenario? I realize it has been a few weeks, but I was following this thread intently.

I checked your sold listings and don't see it there, should I assume you decided to just cancel the sale and sell the item a different way?

---

Well, a couple of days after my last post, I got an (understandably probably) angry message from the buyer, kind of a rant, saying to ship, or refund his paypal payment.  So I cancelled the sale, giving as reason (I think) that buyer requested to cancel. Then I got this last (I hope) message from the buyer:

"This has turned out as I expected. When you are denied a damage claim you will get it. it happened to me many times. But, we will never be on the same page,..................."

So, somehow this guy was traumatized  b/c of all of his denied  damage claims? Was it stuff he shipped? Anyway, I'm glad I undid the deal--it was too much to have a terrified buyer on the other end expecting the item to be wrecked in shipping. IIf he'd have been OK with it once he got it in perfect condition............I just expected a flood of complaining emails--about something--after he got it.

SO THEN: P.2. After having the item on *C*L* for a few weeks, got a whole bunch of emails from a semi-local guy, bragging about his $30K system (which is fine, I love to talk & listen to audio discussions). Set a day fo him to come over & pay cash for the item, then the day it was, well, he didn't know when he could get away b/c of waiting around for contractors, & he didn't know if he could get that much out of his ATM (?), but wanted to meet at some weird convenience store someplace to do the deal. This went on all morning by email & then I had to leave.

Next week, he supposedly still wants the item, & I offer to meet him at a major shopping area to do the deal. Then it was: Well, he couldn't get that much cash out of his ATM, his bank was an hour each way, & would I accept a Paypal Friends and family payment (for $1500)? This was 20 minutes before we were to meet to exchange the cash & the item. He's an adult; most people know if they can get together $1500 cash or not.

Then, he's telling me how he's the GM of a new car dealership, like that's supposed to convince me at the last minute to take paypal for local p/u? And right before he tried change the deal from cash, to me taking paypal, he said: ""You don't do a lot of selling, do you"? Meaning.......that he thinks I'm a schmuck, & he really never intended to bring cash.
I didn't bother to look into Paypal Friends and family payments. It seemed like a colossally bad idea; along with the fact that after 2-3 weeks of emails back & forth; he tried to spring it on me at the last minute.

BTW, I've sold a ton of stuff on *C*L* over many years; inc. expensive audio equip. & keyboards. I know it can be "challenging", but this guy was a piece of work......

[lookng2015]

NEVER accept PP on a local pickup for a pricy item...and especially not through Family & Friends (which means zero protection, not to mention being against PP rules).

Sorry you keep getting these types and hope you can eventually sell it to an honest and straightforward buyer.