Local Pickup Buyer Too Far Away?

[hg3bay]

I don't have a box for my old laptop and I don't want to see it damaged in shipping. But I wanted to sell it so I listed it for "Local Pickup Only" and it was sitting for a while but someone just bought it and they're about 635 miles away, even though local pickup is the only option listed. I doubt they're driving that far to pick up an old laptop.

[pjcdn2005]

You should contact them, thank them for their purchase and mention that the item was for local pick up only.  Ask  when they would like to arrange for pick up. It's possible that they are planning a trip there in the new future but it's also possible they just didn't notice that it was pick up only. If that's the case offer to cancel and use the reason 'problem with address'.

[slippinjimmy]

Contact the buyer and ask them if they intend to pick up given that you will not ship the item. If not then cancel using Buyer Requested as the reason.

A few possibilities....

The buyer can actually pick it up.

The buyer didn't realize or understand it was local pick up only.

The buyer intends to try to scam you.

The actual reason really doesn't matter, they either pick it up or you cancel.

Watch out for any signs the buyer intends to try to take the transaction off eBay (asks for your email address or phone number for example).

[soh.maryl]

There are SO many buyers who either don't understand the meaning of "Local Pickup" or just don't read that part of the listing.  Contact your buyer immediately and explain the issue.  

[70-erag]

Just cancel it saying wrong address or the like. Then block them on your site to prevent future headaches for yourself, because they're either an impulse buyer or whom just don't pay enough attention to what's on your listings.

[pennpicker]

If they really really want it, offer to take it over to your local UPS Store so they can pack it up and ship it. Your customer will give them their credit card info over the phone so you'll need their telephone number in advance. Helps to have a rough quote for the shipping and packing charges so your customer is aware of the potential fees. They can do that themselves if you send them the local store's contact info. No different than buying off LiveAuctioneers (for those auctioneers without in-house shipping) and arranging shipping with one of their recommended shippers.

[pennpicker]

Forgot to add, you'll want to stick around while UPS packs as you will need the tracking number. Once you're back online, mark the item as shipped and add the tracking number. Nice and easy.

[hg3bay]

Yeah I just cancelled it, it's been 2 weeks and no response whatsoever. I revised the the new listing to include LOCAL PICKUP ONLY in the title so hopefully everyone sees it.

[mpgregor6]

it's because the first 100000 listings for anything when you sort "price + shipping low to high" it shows "free local pickup" first no matter where you live.  i live in NC and the first gajillion results are all free local pickup in california.