Ebay local pick up question

[Scott Shepherd]

I have an item on ebay and it's listed for local pick up only. Someone made me an offer on it, but they are out of state. I had listed it and accepted Paypal. I googled to see how local pick up worked with all of that and found many topics on ebay's help forums saying that for local pick up, you should only accept cash because there's no way to prove that they picked up the item. They said that the people would pay, pick up the item, then file a dispute with Paypal and say that they never got it.

I can't imagine that there isn't a way to protect yourself from it, or if it's such a scam that ebay wouldn't even allow you to post a local pick up without making it cash only.

I have had PM's with the person and they asked the right questions about the item, and they said they plan to travel here to pick it up. However, they are about 6-7 states away and it's only a $2,000 item.

At this point, 50% of me says "Take the offer and see what happens" and 50% of me says "Decline the offer, it's a scam". The bidder as about 20 transactions on ebay with no negative feedback, no purchases in the last 12 months, but a ebay member for 16 years.

Any thoughts from those that deal with this more than I do?

[Jon Nuckles]

No experience, but you could always make the buyer sign a receipt for the item.

[Mike Henderson]

Bunch of ways to handle it, but perhaps the simplest is to have them sign a receipt for the pickup. You could also take pictures of the item in their car or truck (or if it's a car or truck, with them in it).

Mike

[Doug Garson]

Don't have any first hand experience but since the item is prepaid it would be reasonable to ask for ID from them when they picked it up and to make a photo copy for your records. That plus having them sign for it "item received in good condition" should give you the evidence you would need to defend yourself if there was a dispute without appearing overly suspicious.

[Dan Hintz]

I would get a photocopy of their driver's license and a pic of their license next to the item in question.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I'd refund the PayPal purchase and have them bring cash.
I don't sell any high dollar items through Ebay anymore, as it's too easy for the scammers to rip you off. PayPal always sides with the buyer, unless you have ironclad proof.

[Wade Lippman]

There is no reason not to insist on cash. Why get Paypal involved in it when neither of you needs protection?
Besides, shipping doesn't give you any protection. I bought a counterfeit Rosetta stone and got my money back; my son sold a perfectly good SSD and lost his money when the purchaser lied and said it was defective. Definitely get cash whenever you can.

I sold a $1,500 sailboat to someone 600 miles away. I don't understand how it was worth the drive for him, but it worked out fine. Well, at least I assume it did. He would have been up for like 35 hours when he got home and the weather was lousy, but I assume he made it.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have bought many classic VW's on eBay and shipped them to the VI, sending a contract carrier to pick them up and take them to the shipping dock in Florida and shipping by boat. I usually try to find cars near Florida, but have bought as far away as Kansas. I travel through Miami a lot, so I have also met the person for pickup and payment in person. Also I bought some wood on eBay and the guy was only an hour drive from mom and dad's house in TN, so on my Christmas visit to mom and dad, I drove out and picked up my wood. The guy said that's the farthest anyone had ever come- 2,000 miles to pick up some wood!

...So you never know- they could be legit, but I would certainly get a drivers license and have them sign not just a bill of sale, but a document showing they received the item. Better yet- as someone said already- refund the money and have them bring cash.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Guys, I solved the problem by counter offering to include shipping, which he accepted.

Now we'll have all the right info needed to back up a claim and he doesn't have to drive 1300 miles to get it.

[Brian Henderson]

It's very easy. Take pictures. Get a signed receipt. Have an eyewitness. eBay will accept all of that as proof if someone is stupid enough to try to claim they didn't pick it up. Just make sure you don't allow someone else to get it for them, only put it into the hands of the person who actually bid.

[Mac McQuinn]

I've done this twice and only accepted cash, A couple wooden boats, too big to ship.
Good luck,
Mac

[roger wiegand]

Sounds like the problem is solved, but out local police have an interesting solution. They put a designated Craigslist/Ebay exchange area out in front of the station--basically a marked parking space with signs and obvious CCTV cameras. I imagine that completing the sale in such an area would be discouraging to the scammers!

[Dan Hintz]

Sounds like the problem is solved, but out local police have an interesting solution. They put a designated Craigslist/Ebay exchange area out in front of the station--basically a marked parking space with signs and obvious CCTV cameras. I imagine that completing the sale in such an area would be discouraging to the scammers!

That might discourage them from trying to rob you, but hardly any discouragement for cheating you after the fact.

[Chris Padilla]

That might discourage them from trying to rob you, but hardly any discouragement for cheating you after the fact.If I met someone at the police station in a specially designated area like that, I sure wouldn't try anything after the fact. I'm sure my face is right there on the various cameras along with my acceptance of the item. And if the seller is smart or perhaps the police have a system setup, copies of ID would be exchanged. Sounds good to me.

[Dan Hintz]

If I met someone at the police station in a specially designated area like that, I sure wouldn't try anything after the fact. I'm sure my face is right there on the various cameras along with my acceptance of the item. And if the seller is smart or perhaps the police have a system setup, copies of ID would be exchanged. Sounds good to me.

But you have no right to the video taken in such a place, and the police won't release it without a court order... good luck getting that with a civil case. Those police spots are there to prevent violent acts... theft after the fact isn't their priority. Exchange of ID is a good idea, but it still does not prevent them from claiming you never finalized the deal and wanting their money back.

[Chris Padilla]

I guess it depends on how the police have structured this specially designated area. I don't know anything about it having never used one but I might check into it with the locals.