Meeting someone for a sale

[debs3ajfs60]

I’ve been a seller since 2016 and today I was asked something for the first time and didn’t know how to go about it. Someone where I live wants to purchase a men’s Harley T-shirt for $11. I assume he would pay for it and when that was done then I could meet up and give the shirt to him. BUT how do I do that when there is shipping due, how do I take that off, or is that even aloud? Could someone please give me some advice on this. Thx Deborah 

[turtles-trading-post]

Go to your sold listing and find "Refund".  

Refund for reason  "Shipping Discount"

Then go below the item and you'll see a line for other adjustments.

Refund the shipping money there.

[ebooksdiva]

Sure it’s allowed. You would have to set up a new listing with local pick up.Or add local pick up to the existing listing. But I wouldn’t meet up where you live nor would I do it alone. 
Read here >> Local Pick Up

[mr_lincoln · Accepted solution]

Hi @debs3ajfs60 

eBay provides little flexibility once a purchase has been made.  The path of lest resistance is to message the Buyer and suggest that they ask you to cancel the transaction so you can Relit it with Local Pick up.  Once you do that and they purchase you can exchange contact information to set up the Local Pick up.  

Depending on how Hitech they are they can get the QR code and if you have the eBay phone app you can scan it to confirm the pick up was completed ... or do it the old fashion way and use the pull-down menu on the listing after the exchange and select the Mark as shipped - picked up to alert eBay the deal was completed.

[mam98031]

@debs3ajfs60 

Just speaking for myself, I would never do this.  It could be very dangerous for you.  Not only that, but with the price of gas and running your vehicle it is cheaper to ship the item.  And this doesn't take into consideration your time.  

But if this is something you really want to do, make sure you meet them in a public place where people and cameras are around.  BE SAFE, not sorry.

Believe me, in my personal life I'm a very trusting person.  But with complete strangers I exercise far more caution.

AS to the shipping, if you are sure you want to hand deliver it to the buyer to save them money, just let them pay for the item and then you need to refund them the shipping.  You will need to mark the transaction as shipped.  Without tracking you can't prove delivery, so if the buyer wants to claim they never received it, you can't prove it.  Even if you take a pic when you deliver it.

PLEASE be careful.  

[debs3ajfs60]

THANK YOU for your response. I have a couple of friends who sell on another site and meet the buyers at busy am/pm parking lots and I guess for a moment I thought it was a good idea. I said something last night to my boyfriend and he said “Absolutely not unless I’m with you!!” I’m Not interested in planning a coordinating schedule for everyone. 

I had a couple of other responses that were good, but they still were not clear, but you definitely explained in detail in which I can say, IF at some other time in the future I wanted to  meet up with a buyer, I know how to go about it.

Thank You for your time and Thank You for reminding me, that a $11 tee shirt is not worth putting myself in the danger we all face in this unsettling world of ours. Wishing the best of 2024 for you.

Deborah

[mam98031]

@debs3ajfs60 

I am so glad you were open to my post.  I was trying not to over step or assume to much.  But in our world today, it is expensive to deliver an item and it is just out right dangerous.

You have a boyfriend that REALLY cares about you.  You are a lucky Lady!  😍

[policequilts]

Many years ago I had met up with a buyer at a public place.

She was interest in a set of plates.

I brought a grouping of plates that were similar to the ones that were listed.

I sold them all.

[mam98031]

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@policequilts wrote:

Many years ago I had met up with a buyer at a public place.

She was interest in a set of plates.

I brought a grouping of plates that were similar to the ones that were listed.

I sold them all.

---

There are wonderful good people out there, you just never know what you are going to get.

Besides with the cost of gas now, not to mention the time it takes, it would be much cheaper to ship a shirt like the OP has.

[policequilts]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@policequilts wrote:

Many years ago I had met up with a buyer at a public place.

She was interest in a set of plates.

I brought a grouping of plates that were similar to the ones that were listed.

I sold them all.

---

There are wonderful good people out there, you just never know what you are going to get.

Besides with the cost of gas now, not to mention the time it takes, it would be much cheaper to ship a shirt like the OP has.

---

This nice thing about this was the extra sale and that I was in an area that I was able to get my shopping down.  (  PS : they also had cameras in the area. )

[adkhighker]

I wouldn't do it.  Your buyer gains by saving on shipping cost, but at the very least, all you're going to gain by dealing in person with your buyer is a good deal of inconvenience and time wasted.  

Plus, besides any potential safety issues, it might not be a good idea for the simple reason that the buyer might want to start up a personal buying relationship with you to save on shipping in future purchases from you, which could become a pain in the neck.  Any time you meet up with a stranger, whether it's an honest upstanding citizen or not, it becomes personal, and it's best not to make it personal.  "Would you mind giving me your number so I can text you when I'm on the way to our meetup location?"  Unfortunately, this isn't Facebook Marketplace where you can at least check out the buyer's personal profile.

Worse yet, albeit a remote possibility, is that the person buying your Harley shirt might be some guy looking for a way to meet someone by virtue of the the items the seller has listed, plus they might assume you're a female because of your eBay handle.  Chances are the guy is an honest buyer trying to save on shipping, but you never know.

Maybe you could say something like "Dear buyer, I'm sorry, but my eBay policy has always been "shipping only, with no exceptions, no matter where my buyers reside, but thank you for your interest in the shirt."  I think anyone would understand such a policy.....hopefully anyway.

I've actually seen some listings where it's stated that they do not allow allow local pickup, period, no matter where the buyer might live.

For the price of that shirt, it just isn't worth the inconvenience.

[tdl_collectibles]

This is going to sound horrible but if not too late tell him you are travelling soon or something and that you aren't  available to meet. As easy as it is sometimes is to meet up with someone, if you value your time at all, you are going to lose money. Inevitably someone is going to be late, ran into traffic, drove the wrong place, etc, and it's just so much easier to drop in the mail.