Buyer wants to Pick Up Item

[happydaysantiques]

Good morning, everyone.  My buyer lives nearby and wants to pick up his purchase.  I'm fine with this, but wonder how I can accommodate ebay's tracking number requirement.  Won't I get a defect for non-shipment?  Thank you for your kind advice.

[banyanteam]

Ask the customer to send you a message confirming they picked up the order. This will allow you to call eBay and have the defect removed.

[ten_o_nine]

Edit the listing and select no shipping/local pickup only.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Did they pay for it yet? 

[happydaysantiques]

Yes, they paid for it immediately.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Then you have to mail it. 

You can cancel and have them repurchase as local pickup. Rather a pain, but you must show shipping for seller protection through ebay or paypal. 

[writertypes]

? Then you have to mail it ?

You're kidding. If the customer wants to pick it up, let them come and pick it up. Let eBay figure out the meaning or accounting.

Who are you serving?

[mr_lincoln]

@happydaysantiques   I had a similar situation in year 1 of Selling ... Buyer realized AFTER they purchased how close we were.  I let him know that I would be sending a small empty box with a tracking number on it to satisfy eBay's shipping on time requirement (I was too green to know any better) and paid him cash when we met for the postage he saved ... seemed like a good idea at the time ... also worked out too and cost me less then $ 3 for the small box.

We arranged for a day and time and I was actually able to drop it off at his house on my way to an appointment 2 days after the sale.

Fast forward to present ... that Same Buyer purchased several items from me this year ... this year he messaged before Buying, I added Local Pick up, he purchased and picked things up on his way home from work ...

[turquoisetulips]

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@happydaysantiques wrote:

Good morning, everyone.  My buyer lives nearby and wants to pick up his purchase.  I'm fine with this, but wonder how I can accommodate ebay's tracking number requirement.  Won't I get a defect for non-shipment?  Thank you for your kind advice.

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No problem here ,, just marked it as '' shipped '' when buyer picks up and pays .. Tulips 

[happydaysantiques]

A very interesting solution, mr_lincoln.  Thank you so much for sharing it.  I'll have to see if I can amend the Shipping Label page to show shipment of a tiny package and, if so, will give it a try.

I'm trying so hard to accommodate my buyer, but just can't absorb a Seller Defect on my account.

Thank you again for your kindness.  And my sincere thanks to all who responded.  Your input is much appreciated.

[happydaysantiques]

Thanks for your input too, tulips.  There wouldn't be a tracking number if I do as you suggest and, without one, wouldn't that cause eBay to give me a defect for non-shipment?  For example, I can mark it as Shipped right now, but that doesn't mean it really IS shipped.

(Am I overthinking this???  If so, my apologies.)

[bigdeals.etc]

A few concerns I thought of about this transaction. The buyer paid already and you plan to hand it to him w/o tracking. The buyer can easily file an INR (Item not Received) and get their money back from you. If this is a small amount and not worth the hassle, I'd take this risk. But if it's expensive, I'd cancel the purchase saying Problem with buyer's address (technically this is true because the buyer's shipping address isn't the address he wants to pick your item up at).

Then relist it as a Pick up only, have the buyer purchase it BUT NOT PAY YOU IN PAYPAL. You will receive cash from him when you meet up. After that, you might have to call ebay about the lack of tracking... I'm not sure because I don't have experience pick ups since 2001.

[packratville]

Just curious, if the buyer leaves feedback isn't there an option there for the buyer to indicate the item was received on time (negating the need for a tracking number)?

[happydaysantiques]

Back again, everyone.  Wow!  Thanks to all of you for your valued input.  You folks are great!

I've finally made a decision.  I'm going to ship it and refund the amount he paid for shipping, by placing it in the box with his item.  (I can't refund through PayPal because, as I understand it, that would cause yet another type of eBay defect.)  Yes, I will have lost the shipping money and the eBay and PayPal fees on it, but this approach will give me peace of mind, which is priceless.

Again, my sincere thank you!

[busybeeshopper12]

I have refunded shipping / shipping overcharges via PayPal many times and do not believe I am getting a defect. Can anyone confirm this please? OP thanks for your original post as I have had a similar situation in the past and am looking for different ways to handle this event in the future. All the replies have been super helpful!