Buyer wants to use their prepaid shipping label via UPS - nearest UPS is 3 hours away

[hn_projects]

Buyer said they wanted me to use their shipping label, i told them ok, but has to be a canada post label. 

The buyer paid and sent a UPS label and said they would schedule a pickup. 

I don't have a civic address; just a township and section number. that's how rural i am. the nearest town is 30 minutes away, the nearest UPS location is 3.5 hours away, and the last km to my place is a literal dirt road. i tried telling this to the buyer a multiple times and the buyer insisted on UPS pick up.

Well, the buyer scheduled a pickup for tomorrow... 

What are the chances that UPS will show up? 
What do i do if they dont show up?

[ypdc_dennis]

Odds are pretty good, if they can find your location.

If I remember correctly, UPS only allows pickup for addresses they can pickup at.

You could double check with UPS to be sure. The label tracking number should yield details.

-;-

[ypdc_dennis]

Additional thought, you might want to do a google search for "prepaid UPS shipping label scam" -- the buyer might be legit, but they could also be a scammer. You could get scammed because it is "their" UPS label (not "yours").

-;-

[ricarmic]

Yes this appears to be an electronics category situation, which seems to be "less safe" from some of the stories that have showed up on the boards.... although what is really safe anymore???

[fergua3]

yes, i'd be very careful here.  It could be ligit, the buyer might be using a UPS acount from where he works to get free shipping for himself, but as others have warned this could be a scam of some kind. 

I hope you will be home when UPS picks up....you can make sure it is an actual UPS driver that picks up the package.  And you must have a tracking number by now....check it on UPS site to make sure it's ligit.

I've had the occassional buyer request UPS shipping (or Fedex etc)....i always refuse their request.  Politely.  I say i only offer CP shipping, if you'd like to cancel the purchase just let me know..  The buyer should have contacted you  before purchasing, rather than just presume he could foist his shipping choice on you.

[femmefan1946]

What did the buyer pay?
If he didn't pay the whole amount you charged him, he has not paid.

I really doubt UPS will ever turn up.

How much can UPS make sending a truck to pick up from you?

And given that you sell electronics, and your last few have been pricey, I would certainly be suspicious.

The seller chooses the method of shipping, not the buyer*.  This is one of our few Seller Protections.

*Some sellers choose an assortment of services but the buyer is restricted to those only.

[recped]

Shipping on someone else's account is VERY DANGEROUS unless you know them well.

1 - It could be a stolen account

2 - the buyer would control the shipment entirely, forward it to wherever

3 - If there is any issue about payment for shipping UPS will charge YOU the shipper for the unpaid bill.

Sometimes it's legit but the risk is high.

[femmefan1946]

@hn_projects 

Has the driver shown up yet?

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

How expensive is the item? You should check that the label has the same address as the one you were provided at checkout on the item details page. If the address is not the same, you are not covered by seller protection. A common scam that is used on less experienced eBay accounts is to ask them to ship to a different address. Scammers assume that the seller won't know that they have to ship to the exact address that was provided at checkout. Once the item is shipped, the scammer can get a refund and they also get the item. 

Looking at your sales history, you're selling a lot of IT devices like Ethernet Ports. While you have sold some expensive items, if it is something like that $20 PSU, I doubt it is a scam. It might be a business who needs the part overnighted and doesn't trust your Canada Post shipping to get it there within this decade. 

If they don't show up, and the sale never materializes, you can likely cancel due to a problem with the buyer's address. If the buyer leaves you a negative feedback, you should be able to have it removed since the buyer is technically asking for something that was not included in the listing (UPS shipping, when you stated the item had to ship via Canada Post). 

At this point, it's really up to you. If you're going to be home and it's not an imposition, by all means, wait for the pickup. If this is a big hassle, with the buyer not listening to you, just cancel the sale due to a problem with their address and explain to the buyer you cancelled because you are unable to accomodate a UPS pickup as originally stated. 

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Just replying as I'm curious on how it went! 

[hn_projects]

well... UPS contacted them, and then eventually got in contact with me.

Ended up dropping it off to a location along their route; in the middle of no where, most people out here arent on any courier routes like me, and a local store volunteers for people to use their address for packages. so we (ups/me) agreed dropped it off there for them to pick up. 

Package should arrive by the end of the week, will know if scam or not 😛 the label did match the sellers address.