Buying outside of ebay

[hles.8znsg]

A buyer wants to look at my purse that is listed on ebay and if they like it to give me the cash right there, I don't think that this is right and not something that is allowed, please let me know.

[westernstargifts]

No, it is not allowed.  Let him make the purchase through eBay.  This offers some protection for both you and the buyer.  Ask yourself what the buyer has to gain by buying off eBay.  He does not pay the fees, you do.  He will likely want a discount and you could risk being suspended from selling on this site.

[westernstargifts]

Local pickup is allowed and can be paid in cash as long as the purchase is made on eBay so they can collect the final value fee for the privilege of listing here.  Be careful if you do it that way and arrange to meet the person in a public place rather than your residence.  There is always the possibility that the buyer will then offer you less than the purchase price.  You would still have to pay the final value fee on the original amount.

[momcqueen]

Exactly what the person above said. It's fine as long as you are comfortable with meeting in person and:

1. The purchase takes place on eBay so that eBay can collect Final Value Fees.

2. The payment for Local Pick-up is made in CASH and not via Paypal. Without tracking on an item from a third-party like Canada Post or a courier, you will absolutely lose any Item Not Received case that is opened against you in paypal. Don't accept personal cheques or large bills, either. 

3. Bring two copies of the Sales Receipt and sign the buyer's plus get her to sign yours. Check it against the signature on his/her driver's licence.

4. Warn the buyer above in writing through ebay Messages that the above are your terms for any Cash on Pick-up as an option. It would also be a good idea to revise your listing to re-enforce the terms there too. Do ALL communicating through ebay so that your butt is covered if anything goes wrong with this.

5. Do the meeting in a public place and, if this is an item of value, have a buddy hanging around in the background unseen to ensure you're not being followed to your car to be mugged. Unlikely, yes, but not outside the realm of possible if we're talking about some kind of luxury item. 

6. Follow your instincts. What does this buyer's Feedback Left For Others say about them as a trading partner? If the idea of a Cash on Collection makes your guts twist, it's not worth it.

In my experience, 99 per cent of transactions are conducted without any trouble whatsoever but the one per cent that doesn't go smoothly is likely to keep you up at night. If this is more aggravation than it's worth, don't do it. I too was alarmed at the prospect the first time a local pick-up was posed to me but I've conducted around 35 now and none have been terrible. Sometimes, it's nice to meet other people from your city that share a common interest but, then again, there are some strange people out there and those are the ones better separated from you by bandwidth. 

Good luck as you carry forward.

[rose-dee]

---

@hles.8znsg wrote:

A buyer wants to look at my purse that is listed on ebay and if they like it to give me the cash right there, I don't think that this is right and not something that is allowed, please let me know.

---

The operative words in your description above are "wants to look".  Personally, I'd thank the buyer for their interest, but indicate that you don't conduct "on site" business, and invite them to ask any questions (or request further photos of the item) if they would like to purchase the purse through eBay.  

As has been said above, it is not allowed to sell a listed item outside of eBay, although you can specify that you will allow buyers to pick up in person.  They still have to make the purchase first, through eBay.  

Frankly, even if you change your listing to allow personal pick-up, someone who approaches you in this way is probably going to gripe about the item's condition, colour, price paid, etc. once you meet them and will then attempt to extract a discount out of you (in your cash!).  

The other problem with in-person sales is that either you have to invite them to your home (a really bad idea), or you have to drive/travel to meet them in a public place (more expense for you, on top of your eBay fees). 

My feeling about this:  If you are posting here with your selling ID, having a feedback count of (2) is making you a target for this person, who is hoping you won't know any better and be coerced into making a problematic sale out of fear of losing a potential buyer.  This sounds like a sucker's game to me.  I wouldn't fall for it.  

[reallynicestamps]

Follow your feelings.  And rose-dee's advice.

And do some buying to get your feedback higher. The more feedback you have, the less trouble you will have with bottom-feeders and scammers.

It will also give you a better idea of the customer's viewpoint.

[pjcdn2005]

2. The payment for Local Pick-up is made in CASH and not via Paypal. Without tracking on an item from a third-party like Canada Post or a courier, you will absolutely lose any Item Not Received case that is opened against you in paypal. Don't accept personal cheques or large bills, either. 

I don't think that they would lose. When an item is picked up in person, it is not eligible for ebay or paypal buyer protection.  I've heard (but don't know for a fact)  that the listing must actually show that pick up is an option in order to win the case.

https://www.paypal.com/ca/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full?locale.x=en_CA#13

13.3 Ineligible Items. PayPal Purchase Protection only applies to PayPal payments for certain tangible, physical goods. Payments for the following are not eligible for reimbursement under PayPal Purchase Protection:

Items which you collect in person, or arrange to be collected on your behalf, including at the retail point of sale

[momcqueen]

Right? I asked about exactly that before in another thread and it seemed to be a grey-area. I agree that under the new paypal protection rules it seems like it's not but I wouldn't want to be the first seller to find out that it, in fact, is. It would be marvellous if someone from ebay and/or paypal could wade into this conversation to provide a firm answer. Thank you for raising it again. 

[momcqueen]

(Or maybe the 'catch' is the term 'retail point of sale' where they are talking about attending a business and using your paypal app to pay right there. Jo Blow standing on my doorstep is not likely to count as a 'retail point of purchase' if he paid at his desktop computer at home before coming here. I am skeptical and hardwired to err on the side of caution.)  

[pjcdn2005]

It's not a new rule, it's been in Paypal for as long as I can remember but people on the boards have always warned about accepting paypal for a pickup.  I don't remember reading about anyone having a problem doing that but that doesn't mean that it hasn't happened.

I doubt that anyone from paypal ever read this board and the ebay reps probably don't know for sure. The best way to find out would be to ask on the paypal discussion boards.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@mjwl2006 wrote:

(Or maybe the 'catch' is the term 'retail point of sale' where they are talking about attending a business and using your paypal app to pay right there. Jo Blow standing on my doorstep is not likely to count as a 'retail point of purchase' if he paid at his desktop computer at home before coming here. I am skeptical and hardwired to err on the side of caution.)  

---

It says 'including' at the retail point of sale, that doesn't say to me that it includes 'only' a retail location.

[momcqueen]

I am, in fact, referring to an old thread I read in paypal community.

Let's role-play for a second here. Pretend that you sell me a rare $450 publicity still of Peter Parker signed by Tobey Maguire marked Local Pick-up Only. I pay via paypal while humming the theme from Spider-Man as I sit in my basement eating Cheetos. Then I drive to the address you've given me to pick it up and, lo and behold, it's a half-burned booze can where the only sign of life is crickets chirping. Just like that I'm out-of-pocket? There has to be some recourse for the buyer other than to go to the police and say, 'Hey!' The cops aren't going to hunt you down for that. All that you would have to say is 'this person already has it' and it is nothing more than a game of pointing fingers. There HAS to be manner where a bonded, neutral third-party like the post office is the proof of delivery. 

If not, I have some Peter Parker photos to forge. Hah hah hah. 

I'm joking about the details of this scenario but.... I think what Paypal means is the places where you stroll into a funky hipster coffee shop and then buy art from local artists right off the walls because they are providing Merchant services. Like in their ads. 

[pjcdn2005]

Paypal does not cover all items in all scenarios so yes, according to the user agreement, you would be out of luck. I guess your recourse would be small claims court or to get someone to strong-arm the buyer. 🙂 (just kidding)

But I guess we will have to agree to disagree because I don't interpret  that line the same way you do.  If it means that they don't cover items that are picked up at a retail store then why is the word 'including' in the sentence at all?

In my first post I should have included this statement which is at the bottom of the ineligible items list....

Even if your payment is not eligible for PayPal Purchase Protection, you can file a Dispute and try to resolve the issue directly with the Seller; however, PayPal will generally not find in your favor if you escalate a Dispute to a Claim for an item which is not eligible for PayPal Purchase Protection.

generally not find in your favour? I guess they are saying we don't protect you if you buy the things above but you never know...we might change our mind

[hles.8znsg]

Thanks very much, I appreciate all of the advice and I went with my gut and said that I only wanted to do it through eBay and never heard back. So seems like the right call, thanks again.