Classic & Vintage - Local ebay seller refuses local pick up. Is that weird?

I am looking at an item on the bay that is local to me, like 10 miles away. I figure why not save a $60 shipping charge and bid higher. The seller says no local pick up.
Has anyone ever run across this? I haven't and it seems odd, as if the seller would be afraid when the buyer sees the item in person there would be an immediate problem with it. What is the consensus on this please.

I think it's pretty understandable. Possibly doesn't want to deal with scheduling according to someone else's availability. And not that it's necessarily a POS upon close inspection, but seller might not want to go through the awkwardness of meeting the buyer and standing there while they inspect the item.

Or he's afraid of being robbed at the drop off.

I have encountered this. My experience was that the seller had good reason not to want to look the buyer in the eye.
Alternately, if it is very close their may be some small profit in the pack/ship/handling transaction beyond the fee that ebay collects.

I think it's pretty understandable. Possibly doesn't want to deal with scheduling according to someone else's availability. And not that it's necessarily a POS upon close inspection, but seller might not want to go through the awkwardness of meeting the buyer and standing there while they inspect the item.

That is a very good explanation and I just had not thought about it in that way. I suppose my immediate reaction was because it's a repainted frame. I asked the seller this, "Could you tell me who/where the repaint was done please?"

His response, "The frame was painted by a frien of mine that is a retired motorcicle painter." The photos look good and decals seems to all be present but I don't think I will bid big $$$ on this one.

That is a very good explanation and I just had not thought about it in that way. I suppose my immediate reaction was because it's a repainted frame. I asked the seller this, "Could you tell me who/where the repaint was done please?"

His response, "The frame was painted by a frien of mine that is a retired motorcicle painter." The photos look good and decals seems to all be present but I don't think I will bid big $$$ on this one.

any chance the ebay handle has an 811 or 911 as part of the moniker?

any chance the ebay handle has an 811 or 911 as part of the moniker?

Nope. I wouldn't be starting a thread about it but I wanted some input before bidding $500+ on a repainted frame.

I would regard this as a yellow light, at least, on the transaction.

Packing a bike to ship (safely) is a PITA, especially if you have to go find a box, and it's not like you can mark up the shipping $50 to compensate yourself. There are plenty of ways to do a safe handoff: in a neutral location, with someone else present, etc. And the seller could (potentially) get paid in cash, thereby saving the PP fees. The reasons to NOT want an in-person handoff, by comparison, strike me as weak.

Could be they have some profit built into the shipping?

So how much to drop it off???

He could be running a meth lab and not want any visitors.

Having just sold a bike on eBay, I had a buyer ask me about local pickup. I told him sure, but the item was already boxed, which it was. His was not the winning bid.

In my occasional ebay listings, I say that local pickup is encouraged. Much easier than packing and going to the Post Office.

Nope. I wouldn't be starting a thread about it but I wanted some input before bidding $500+ on a repainted frame.

Reason I asked was that I purchased one from a Southern California seller that I was able to pick up... as long as I paid cash... but he was really hoping I would back out of the deal... (greener pastures elsewhere?)
I won another a year later that he would not allow local pickup... and there was a good reason, the bike was crashed and the damage artfully imaged around.
Took a while to unwind that. Probably only because I knew where he lived.

One could read a lot into why the seller doesn't want a pick up and it may be paranoia on my part. I mean if I was to buy the frame, he ships it and it's not as described I would still have some recourse. The guy has 100% feedback and a page full of bike items for sale.

It could be as simple as Schwinnsta said, it's already packed and it's not going to get unpacked for the buyer to inspect it. Or the repaint could SUCK.

I've seen this before and my understanding is that the seller doesn't want to give you their address because if there is any dispute you could settle in person, rather than having to rely on ebay's system which from my experience vastly favors the seller. Hence, this is a reason to be suspicious of this seller. There's no point in checking their "feedback" score because that is meaningless. A seller can never get negative feedback because a seller never leaves feedback until the buyer leaves feedback. Most buyers don't want negative feedback so they give the seller positive feedback (or like me, no feedback). It should be compulsory for the seller to leave feedback as soon as they receive payment.

His response, "The frame was painted by a frien of mine that is a retired motorcicle painter."
While there are certainly legitimate reasons for not wanting to meet a buyer in person, this response makes me suspect the honesty of the seller just a little bit.


I would regard this as a yellow light, at least, on the transaction.
+1

While the denial of local pick-up is not a dealbreaker for me, I would definitely be suspicious of whether the seller is trying to hide something. I wouldn't bid too much on the listing.

Could be they have some profit built into the shipping?

That's what I'm thinking. No local pickup is a red flag for me. Understandable not to meet at a person's residence, but not even in a public location? I wouldn't bid.

I've seen this before and my understanding is that the seller doesn't want to give you their address because if there is any dispute you could settle in person, rather than having to rely on ebay's system which from my experience vastly favors the seller. Hence, this is a reason to be suspicious of this seller. There's no point in checking their "feedback" score because that is meaningless. A seller can never get negative feedback because a seller never leaves feedback until the buyer leaves feedback. Most buyers don't want negative feedback so they give the seller positive feedback (or like me, no feedback). It should be compulsory for the seller to leave feedback as soon as they receive payment.


Sorry Jim, but the eBay system greatly favors the buyer, not the seller. If the buyer is unhappy with a purchase eBay may and often does intervene on their behalf and give them a refund, taking money from the seller's Paypal account to do so. The latest eBay policy, in effect this month, requires sellers to guarantee the funds to do so, even if they intend to sell with a 'no returns' policy. (What eBay is doing is taking the ability to set those policies away from sellers.) And sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers, not for some years now.

And has been pointed out several times, the seller doesn't have to give his address to the buyer, but could arrange to meet in another location.

Aside from that, excellent post. :thumb:

(It is of course possible that eBay.au has different policies that are more evenly balanced between buyer and seller.)

(Also...REALLY not trying to start another eBay thread.)

Maybe he's an unsightly fellow.

Maybe he's an unsightly fellow.
:lol:

It is probably worth noting that I assumed you told the seller you would bring cash, so that the seller can make even more by not paying both ebay and paypal fees.

I would guess that any sort of profit built-in to the shipping cost would be much less than the amount of additional profit from not paying fees, so I definitely suspect that the seller is trying to hide something.

If he has a very large amount of positive feedback (e.g. 99% or more), then I would be more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe he's an unsightly fellow.

That's the ticket!! A troll like individual that sells from under a bridge.

I got a response from the seller and to paraphrase, he doesn't have time to meet buyers at their convenience.
I also did a little research. The frame had sold previously. The buyer must have backed out. It sold the first time for over $700. Chances are the folks that bid the first time will be back.

I would not see this as a red or yellow flag. I've gone through a few nightmare-ish pickup experiences where I had to endure multiple reschedules from buyers who simply didn't have their act together. One of the major reasons I sell on ebay vs. craigslist is amount of time spent waiting for now-shows, weirdos, and deadbeats. Beyond this, there are a host of reasons for not wanting to invite stranger over to your property.

What stopped you from asking if local pickup was available before bidding? No reason to vilify the seller for not offering this option.

...The guy has 100% feedback and a page full of bike items for sale.
Got a link to the auction?

I don't think fear of robery is a great reason to not meet locally. I offered to meet at a police station parking lot one time. I would assume nobody is stupid enough to rob somebody there.

I don't see it as any type of 'flag' on the sellers behalf but I do on the buyers. I dread local pick-up, I think it's a convenient way for buyers to weasel out of a transaction.

I offered to meet at a police station parking lot one time. I would assume nobody is stupid enough to rob somebody there.

I don't know about this. "In plain sight" is often pretty darn stealthy.

-G

it's not that weird to me.

I've denied local pickup before. It's because I already had the item packed and sealed up with tons of packing tape ready to be dropped off at the post office. Much easier just to drop if off a the post office then have someone coming over and who knows, open it up, maybe try to haggle the price lower.

That is a very good explanation and I just had not thought about it in that way. I suppose my immediate reaction was because it's a repainted frame. I asked the seller this, "Could you tell me who/where the repaint was done please?"

His response, "The frame was painted by a frien of mine that is a retired motorcicle painter." The photos look good and decals seems to all be present but I don't think I will bid big $$$ on this one.
The local pick up refusal thing works both ways. If you win and they want to "drop it off at your house" REFUSE TO ACCEPT UNLESS IT IS SHIPPED. If they drop it off, claim you never received it and ask for the shipping papers to prove they shipped it. I've had sellers refuse local pick up or insist on full payment prior to pick up and I've refused to get into something like that unless I really want the bike or part.

Mixing face-face with eBay is an odd collision of the procedures.

Let's look at it from the eBay side:
a-you bid against other folks for an item none of you have seen, and only know through pictures and communications.
b-you have to win the auction; the price is not set, but is agreed upon once the auction ends.
c-you have to pay before you've seen it.
d-if, AFTER delivery, you are not satisfied, you have to go to dispute, claim, etc via eBay to get your money back.
e-eBay's rules protect you overwhelmingly against the seller, whether he's honest or not.
f- there is an insulation between you and the seller, and nothing is personal.

Let's look at it from the face-face side:
a-you actually see the item before you make a buying decision.
b-you reach an agreed price with the buyer without the pressure of other buyers/and the opposite for him-no benefit of other suitors.
c-you see it and agree to pay for it.
d-there is no dispute; you either buy it or you don't.
e-you don't need eBay's rules, because you don't have to buy if you don't want to.
f-there is no insulation between you and the seller. It's personal.

Now, let's look a the mix:
a-you're making a best guess decision regarding the item's quality and condition.
b-you're competing against other people who have the same limited information you do. You're competing against hope.
c-you have to pay for it before you've seen it.
As you can see, a through c favors the seller.
d-you cannot refuse it. Under eBay's rules, you have to take it and await resolution of the dispute (which you'll win 99.999% of the time)
e-you need eBay's rules, otherwise you'll never see your money back
f-it's personal.

I can understand why the seller is favoring eBay, because a-d protects him in the event that's he's misrepresenting the item.
Local pickup inhibits the convenience/hassle/PITA factor that probably wipes out 1/3 of returns from dissatisfied buyers.
eBay is the allegedly disinterested 3rd party that protects him from your whims UNTIL the sale occurs, then it protects you.
However, to get that protection, you also have to go through eBay.

eBay gets him the price he wants without having you or other buyers low-ball him locally, expands his market, provides the venue for the transacted money. eBay protects you, almost 100% in favor of your whims, once that transaction begins.

There is no disinterested 3rd party that can document delivery and damage, etc. If you pick it up directly from him, and don't want it, you still have to take it. The only thing you gain is that it's cheaper to return if you ask eBay for your money back in a dispute, and now you've got to deal with his dissatisfaction with you.

All those are just fluffy words, but the bottom line is, if it's worth selling for that much on eBay, it should be good enough to let a buyer pick up in person, since eBay's handling the money. Any objection to that, for me, would be a deal breaker.

roccobike is right: Documentation of delivery and pickup and damage, however, may well be worth the $50 to both of you.

Robbie that is quite the analysis. From the sellers response I think it just boils down to the fact that he probably doesn't have time to deal with scheduling local pick up from the buyer and the headache that might ensue and/or he has it packed already and it's going to be shipped right after the sale.

Someone mentioned why I didn't ask about local pickup befor bidding? I did ask and in post #5 I say I won't bid big $$$ on it. It sold the first time for over $700 which is too much IMO. More than it's worth to me anyway.

If there is anything about an on-line deal that feels fishy, I stop fishing and hook elsewhere! To that, add this...

The thought of buying a repainted frame set, without having seeing it in person, is absolutely out of the question, for me, unless I know the seller. And even then, I had better appreciate the seller's expertise before I would buy any bike, or frame, unseen.

Here's the item. It went for less than the first time. No, I did not buy it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280891024628#ht_523wt_1022


The repaint looks pretty good in the photos but I am no expert in that area. It possibly had a chrome chain stay originally.

Looks like the guy is a stand-up seller. Don't see why you need to go after him.

I am a seller on the bay who no longer does this regularly due to a few things:

1) I try to cover some costs with shipping an extra 5-10 bucks (bid accordingly, you know beforehand)
2) When people local pickup, sometimes they wine and moan. I sold a drumset a few years back which was perfectly photographed and explained... when he got out to see it, he decided he actually didn't like it as much afterall... and offered me $100.00 less!

is it a small frame? maybe he is a troll!

oh saw the link... too big for a troll.

Interesting discussion. I hadn't considered some of the points re why a seller might refuse local pick-up. For me, it seems that packing a bike and risking that it would be refunded due to damage during shipping would be enough that local pick-up would be preferred. About a year ago, I won an auction for a Duall Colnago w/ C-record--one crummy photo and minimal description led to a very low final price. When I tried to arrange for local pick-up, the seller said he no longer had the bike and cancelled the auction. Mind you, he never informed me about the lack of bike until after the auction closed and I contacted him about pick-up, which was listed as an option. Perhaps I'm still jaded from that experience, but a local seller who refuses local pick-up does at least raise a caution flag with me.

By the way, is it just me, or in pic #7 does the steerer on the Merckx look unusually long for that frame plus have an odd angle at the top? Also, in pic #7, does that DT Eddy Merckx decal look crooked? Does to me. IMHO, the paint has a bit too much sparkle.

I am a seller on the bay who no longer does this regularly due to a few things:

When people local pickup, sometimes they wine and moan. I sold a drumset a few years back which was perfectly photographed and explained... when he got out to see it, he decided he actually didn't like it as much afterall... and offered me $100.00 less!excellent point. humans are sometimes insufferable and should be put down.

Even if it's exactly as described, the "I want it less or I'll say it wasn't as nice as you said it was" phenomenon tends to dominate.

No problem. I'll refund your price via eBay, less whatever the 2nd chance offer is, and get the hell out of my driveway.

I once sold a set of shifters, properly represented, which worked in my hands. The buyer pointed out they didn't match, which was represented in my ad, so that was a moot point to me. However, they actually didn't work, which was 100% grounds for a refund, and I paid return shipping, too. I've got them about 85% "working," but wouldn't want anyone to have to fix something I represented as functional.

With local pick-up, there's no proof of delivery to satisfy Paypal. If they pay in cash upon pick-up, there's no proof of payment either.
The one time I sold with local pick-up, the guy paid via Paypal, then when he came by, I said ok here's your item, see ya, bye. He responded with "Wait, I want to check it out first", so I informed him he already bought it.