eBay

newjerseypicker08836 · ‎10-02-2017

Do any local pick up sellers have a system they use now for sharing contact information in local pick up only cases where the buyer wants/needs to inspect the item before commiting 100% to purchasing?

As many may know or not know, eBay is sending warning emails for selling outside of ebay if you share your address or phone number to let the buyer look at an item.

I thought that by clearly stating in my listing that Paypal payment must be made prior to pick up that eBay might get the message I was not selling outside of the market place.

I prefer to have the items paid before pick up for two reasons.

1. I dont have to deal with sellers looking for lower price negotiations which happen better than 80% of the time.

2. The seller tends to show up on time and I dont end up wasting half a day when buyers cant show up on time?

I think eBay threw the baby out with the bath water when they came up with the idea of blocking the sharing of information. I also understand that eBay is losing money to outside sales on this issue but the way they implimented this just makes it such a pain in the A)) that potential buyers just say forget it.

I tell them they have to pay for the item first and if there is a problem when they they come look at and test the item that I will promptly cancel the sale for them. Is there a better way? I dont want to deal with cash for the above stated reasons.

Anonymous · ‎10-03-2017

@jonathankirkland wrote:

@Anonymous

Care to weigh in here?

A seller should describe and picture the item in full detail so a physical inspection is not needed prior to committing to purchase. If the buyer shows up and finds the seller's description was not accurate, they would be able to request a refund at that time either through a cancellation or a return request/item not received case. Any of these options would perfectly fine. I do recommend communicating through eBay messages even when an in person discussion has occured so that eBay is privy to the details of the transaction.

mistwomandancing · ‎10-03-2017

trinton@ebay wrote:

A seller should describe and picture the item in full detail so a physical inspection is not needed prior to committing to purchase. If the buyer shows up and finds the seller's description was not accurate, they would be able to request a refund at that time either through a cancellation or a return request/item not received case. Any of these options would perfectly fine. I do recommend communicating through eBay messages even when an in person discussion has occured so that eBay is privy to the details of the transaction.

Not too important if the item is a $15 Corning Grab It bowl. BIG difference if it's that $5000 mid-century furniture piece. Believe me, twelve little photos isn't nearly enough to show me everything I would want to see about that!

atikovi · ‎10-03-2017

The bigger issue is that Ebay requires an online payment method to create a listing even with local pick up. When is Ebay going to allow sellers to list local pick up only items for cash on pickup without requiring also the Paypal option?

alcoforever · ‎10-03-2017

@slippinjimmy wrote:
@alcoforever wrote:
hidy-hoo's answer is all well and good but how do you handle it when a potential bidder wants to come look at a local pickup item before buying?
Obviously you won't be able to anymore just as it's pretty obvious that in this situation the seller and buyer are going to take the transaction off eBay.

Do you expect anyone to believe that if a POTENTIAL buyer is at your door and inspects an item they are going to pull out their phone and click the buy button? How about if they don't have a mobile device would you tell them to go home, make the on eBay purchase and come back later? Would you ask them to log into their account on YOUR computer and click the buy button?

This exact situation arose with me about a week ago. I had on offer a rare piece of railroadiana that a potential bidder wanted to look at before committing. I sent him my phone number, he came and looked. The auction closed about 5 days later and that persion sniped the winning bid. So where was the sale taken off ebay?

Funny part is that I didn't get the nastygram until about 4 days after the initial exchange of phone numbers. In its benevolence, ebay did not suspend my account.

d-k_treasures · ‎10-03-2017

@Anonymous wrote:
@jonathankirkland wrote:
@Anonymous

Care to weigh in here?
A seller should describe and picture the item in full detail so a physical inspection is not needed prior to committing to purchase. If the buyer shows up and finds the seller's description was not accurate, they would be able to request a refund at that time either through a cancellation or a return request/item not received case. Any of these options would perfectly fine. I do recommend communicating through eBay messages even when an in person discussion has occured so that eBay is privy to the details of the transaction.

Words fail me ..........

_____________________________
"Nothing is obvious to the oblivious"

jerzee908 · ‎10-03-2017

Same thing......had a car listed. The buyer wanted to look at the car before buying.......gave him our address and phone number to our shop. He came and looked at the car and said he would think about it. While thinking about it, we ended up selling the car to someone else.

If there's ever a meeting over at ebay, someone say, "raise your hand if you would buy a car without physically seeing the car and/or driving it".

I could see a 100 pictures of a car and I still won't buy it unless I see it with my own eyes.

alcoforever · ‎10-03-2017

@Anonymous wrote:
@jonathankirkland wrote:
@Anonymous

Care to weigh in here?
A seller should describe and picture the item in full detail so a physical inspection is not needed prior to committing to purchase. If the buyer shows up and finds the seller's description was not accurate, they would be able to request a refund at that time either through a cancellation or a return request/item not received case. Any of these options would perfectly fine. I do recommend communicating through eBay messages even when an in person discussion has occured so that eBay is privy to the details of the transaction.

There aren't enough words or pictures in the world to describe the texture and feel of an item. Sometimes you just have to hold it and look at it.

mistwomandancing · ‎10-03-2017

trinton@ebay wrote:
A seller should describe and picture the item in full detail so a physical inspection is not needed prior to committing to purchase. If the buyer shows up and finds the seller's description was not accurate, they would be able to request a refund at that time either through a cancellation or a return request/item not received case. Any of these options would perfectly fine. I do recommend communicating through eBay messages even when an in person discussion has occured so that eBay is privy to the details of the transaction.

There are just things where this is OH, so not possible!!! Twelve photos can't begin to show all the nuances of grain and color in certain items, and color is of great importance in certain things, which absolutely can't be depended upon to be accurate, either from the seller, or through the monitor settings. You can't tell me that this is truly eBay's stand on this when it's absolutely not a one-size-fits-all situation with so much that is Local Pickup Only. Often enough, THAT is a whole different ballgame because of what is being offered for sale. And obviously if this IS eBay's stand on this subject, there will simply be a segment of previous offerings here that will likely not be showing up so much anymore.

atikovi · ‎10-03-2017

@jerzee908 wrote:

If there's ever a meeting over at ebay, someone say, "raise your hand if you would buy a car without physically seeing the car and/or driving it".

I could see a 100 pictures of a car and I still won't buy it unless I see it with my own eyes.

Sold over 80 cars here and over 95% of the time the buyer didn't look at it in person. But then, I usually have well over 100 pictures.

pargran3 · ‎10-03-2017

Yes. Don't use eBay for those items.

Really. Not a good venue for that kind of sale.

Radine

newjerseypicker08836 · ‎10-03-2017

@Anonymous.com

Hi!

"A seller should describe and picture the item in full detail so a physical inspection is not needed prior to committing to purchase."

This reasoning does not consider that the item could be non-running, dis-assembled, or for parts only not working. A certified Diesel mechanic could look at a generator and be able to assess its problems in much greater detail than a non certified desiel mechanic seller. Ebay always assumes the seller knows everything about an item simply because it is in their possession. The above example should help you see that is not at all true.

"If the buyer shows up and finds the seller's description was not accurate, they would be able to request a refund at that time either through a cancellation or a return request/item not received case."

I will use the case of a large generator in pieces that needs re-assembaly. If the mechanic came and noticed hairline cracks in the head or a million other problems that could happen to an engine, using eBays logic it is the seller that did not describe the item accurately. That is not the case at all and is the reason that eBay over simplifies its methedology in regards to local pick ups and the open sharing of address information. Cant you and the eBay team see the importance in any of this!? Programing a bot to do the work of a human may sound great and get the job done in regards to stopping off ebay transactions but at the same time you are infringing on the ability of sellers to get an item sold that they are paying ebay to get sold on the platform.

Its not as easy as setting up a bot and calling it a day. "We look into further detail" after the bot spots something suspicious is not a good answer. Its just an answer. Sellers should have been notified of this new process that you have decided to impliment without any further explanation and using full reliance on a computer bot hoping that will fix this issue.

It will not fix this issue. Losses will still continue for eBay using this oversimplified logic.

alcoforever · ‎10-03-2017

@pargran3 wrote:
Yes. Don't use eBay for those items.

Really. Not a good venue for that kind of sale.

Radine

That's nice but what do you do if you list an item with shipping and it turns out a buyer down the street is interested?

pargran3 · ‎10-03-2017

And what happens to the seller protection if an electronic purchase is made on a local pickup/

Have I missed something? No proof of delivery, no protection.

Is that not correct anymore?

I love eBay. Have been here for years but would not even consider listing a local pickup item here.

Radine

pargran3 · ‎10-03-2017

I have had that happen. Not down the street but 50 or a 100 miles away that thought I would meet them and do away with shipping costs. Really???

Rare. No brainer. Nope.

Radine

alcoforever · ‎10-03-2017

@pargran3 wrote:
And what happens to the seller protection if an electronic purchase is made on a local pickup/
Have I missed something? No proof of delivery, no protection.
Is that not correct anymore?
I love eBay. Have been here for years but would not even consider listing a local pickup item here.

Radine

This is kind of OT, but, there is no seller or buyer protection on local pickup. It is strictly caveat emptor.