Buyer purchased item and he is local

[atoday]

A buyer purchased a 12 lb item from me that I listed as "free shipping".  Turns out the buyer is local and upon purchase, he left a comment saying I am welcome to deliver it to him in town.  I am all for that, yay!  However, he hasn't replied to my messages asking him when/where.  It's like he purchased it and forgot about it, not checking the 3 messages I sent him for over 24 hours now.  I don't want eBay to think I'm a delinquent seller.  I want to be patient with this buyer.  How do I cover my bases on this one?  I know I can mark the item as "shipped" but what if the buyer changes his mind and asks me to ship it?  Any thoughts, suggestions...?

[chevymontecarlo88]

I would ship the item within the stated time of your listing. Might be prudent to send another message thanking them for the purchase and to let them know you would not be able to set up a local pickup.

Obviously you have there address (shipping address) and could drop it off in person but i don't know how you would be able to confirm it was delivered unless you had local pickup as an option.(QR Code scanning) Maybe someone else might shed light on that. Tracking numbers confirm delivery and unless you have the local pickup option on your listing, i am not sure how to safely confirm the delivery.

[wastingtime101]

Your options:

1. Ship within your stated handling time as advertised in the listing.

2. Cancel the sale as buyer requested and relist with local pickup only, then follow eBay's LPU process to confirm buyer has picked up the item. Info here.

3. Leave transaction as-is and try to work out dropping off the item (maybe text or call the buyer), but know this will affect your shipping performance on your seller dashboard, and you won't have any seller protections if the buyer files a non-receipt claim because you'll have no way to confirm delivery on eBay's system.

If the buyer is unresponsive I suggest option 1. If buyer is responsive I suggest option 2.

[redmodelt]

Stop sending messages, if it's the filter set, it just sold yesterday the 13th, give it some time if still within your shipping window. 3 messages in 24 hours may not be appreciated by some. You offer free shipping and if it is still within your shipping window, ship it if it's paid for if the buyer does not respond before that window closes. 

Not sure if when you say "purchased", that means they actually have paid, if it was not paid for yet, you could try sending an invoice updated for local pickup so the buyer will get the code to prove it was paid for and pickup. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

If it's the filtration setup, it was sold on Thursday and has 2-day handling, so even if you ship it, you have until Monday to get it in the mail.  I don't blame you for wanting to avoid shipping for a setup that includes a 1-gallon glass jar!  But I recommend that you stop messaging the buyer and if you haven't heard from them by Monday then just ship it.

[richard1rst]

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@atoday wrote:

A buyer purchased a 12 lb item from me that I listed as "free shipping".  Turns out the buyer is local and upon purchase, he left a comment saying I am welcome to deliver it to him in town.  I am all for that, yay!  However, he hasn't replied to my messages asking him when/where.  It's like he purchased it and forgot about it, not checking the 3 messages I sent him for over 24 hours now.  I don't want eBay to think I'm a delinquent seller.  I want to be patient with this buyer.  How do I cover my bases on this one?  I know I can mark the item as "shipped" but what if the buyer changes his mind and asks me to ship it?  Any thoughts, suggestions...?

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Can you - yes.

Should you - NO.

Even at 12 pounds a local ship can't be that expensive. What is it going to cost you in terms of gas, mileage, lost time, loss of production (you know the work you could be doing if you weren't waiting in a parking lot for someone who is running late) etc. THEN he is going to expect you to refund the entire shipping costs.

And where is your tracking to prove delivery?

[12345jamesstamps]

Wait until the last day you have to mark shipped...Have it ready to be shipped of course just in case.

Buyers are just as busy as sellers and don't always answer emails.

3 messages is a lot...I recommend no more messages..."over 24 hours now"...