How can a cash transaction be done in a way that eBay has proof of payment?

[gretschwhtfalcon]

Just thought about this. If not using PayPal in arranging payment for a pick-up only item, how can it be worked? I've read somewhere here that a buyer said ebay continues to send out notices of item not being paid for. Perhaps put another way - how does eBay prefer that local pick-up only item be paid for? 

[sharingtheland]

a return for an item picked up locally would be handled like any other return; if the seller offers free returns or is responsible for return shipping because of the return reason, then they would need to cover the cost of the return. 

So, in one of those worse-to-worst case scenarios, a buyer wants to return a washing machine (snad) that was local pickup but just doesn't want to put it in her/his truck and drive 10 miles.   Just because s/he doesn't want to do that.  The seller is supposed to pay for return shipping?

[Anonymous]

---

@sharingtheland wrote:

a return for an item picked up locally would be handled like any other return; if the seller offers free returns or is responsible for return shipping because of the return reason, then they would need to cover the cost of the return. 

So, in one of those worse-to-worst case scenarios, a buyer wants to return a washing machine (snad) that was local pickup but just doesn't want to put it in her/his truck and drive 10 miles.   Just because s/he doesn't want to do that.  The seller is supposed to pay for return shipping?

---

Hi @sharingtheland, in your worse-to-worst case scenario, if a buyer wants to return a washing machine for a snad reason that was local pickup, and doesn't want to put it in their truck and drive 10 miles, then the seller can drive the 10 miles to pick it up.

A seller is responsible for arranging the return when the item is not as described. We can discuss all the terrible and stressful situations that can be imagined because of this responsibility, but at the end of the day this has been the expectation for some time now and I've yet to personally speak to a seller who has run into an issue like what you have proposed. Is it possible that a customer will refuse to work with their seller to return an item? Anything is possible, but even before these types of transactions were handled the same as any other sale, the local pickup transactions where a return were requested that I personally reviewed always showcased the buyer and seller working together to resolve a concern without an issue. 

I won't be addressing any hypothetical scenarios related to this topic moving forward and can only continue to provide reassurance that issues related to local pickup transactions are rare, and in all of the local pickup transactions I've reviewed myself, the buyer and seller had no problem working out an amicable resolution. If anyone has a current transaction where they are running into trouble, I'm happy to help have them reviewed 

[coffeebean832]

I actually think the worst case scenario would be where the buyer drove several states to pick up an item. Although- I have to believe that if a buyer went through that effort they would be extra diligent about inspecting the item before taking it home.

My concern would be that a buyer would not cooperate in a seller's efforts to arrange a return pickup, in which case- assuming Trinton's information about this being treated like other returns is accurate- eBay would see all of the seller's attempts and they would not escalate to a case or automatically refund the buyer. Instead they would likely leave the request open until the buyer and seller worked it out or the request timed out on its own.

In the end I actually don't think this is a big deal. I've sold several items local pickup and never had an issue. One time a buyer arrived at the meet and said they thought the size would be different- despite listed measurements- so we cancelled the transaction. I was curious to learn more since the policy had been adjusted but I think the worst case scenario here is very unlikely to occur. Maybe with a vehicle- but motors transactions are a whole other ballgame.