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What to do when a buyer doesn't pick up paid items?
Summary: othans777 has a problem with a buyer who doesn’t pick up a paid item and doesn’t respond to messages. meinehexe11 suggests either canceling the purchase or waiting, since the buyer may be unavailable. bootyooty points out that eBay only releases the payout after pickup has been confirmed and possibly recommends terminating the contract for non-performance. perfect-sally emphasizes that the terms and conditions must be respected and points to the possibility of a payout without a pickup code, which could take up to 30 days.
Hello everyone,
I'm facing a problem: A buyer has paid for an item but hasn't picked it up yet. My messages are going unanswered. I'm wondering what steps I should take to sort out the situation.
Have you had similar experiences? How did you handle it, and what solutions did you find? Are there any special eBay policies I should keep in mind?
I'm looking forward to your opinions and advice!
Best regards,
A concerned member
meinehexe11
Mentor2 weeks agoHi, hi @othans777
Canceling the purchase and refunding the money would be an option.
You can also just wait it out. If the buyer wants their item, they’ll get in touch. Maybe something happened and they’re tied up right now.
What you definitely shouldn’t do is offer the item for sale again. Because it no longer belongs to you, but to your buyer. Then you have an obligation to keep it for three years.
othans777
OP2 weeks agoThanks for the info.
I’ll just "wait it out"
perfect-sally
Mentor2 weeks agoThen I wish you good "sticking power"! Because if the buyer doesn’t get in touch, you must keep the item until at least 31/12/2029 and only then can you do whatever you want with it.
bootyooty
Mentor2 weeks agoHi @othans777 the problem is probably that you only receive the payout from eBay after 30 days, or maybe not at all.
The buyer has to give you the pickup code or have it scanned first, only then does eBay see that it was picked up and releases the money.
othans777
OP2 weeks agoGot it.
othans777
OP1 week agoI doubt that the article belongs to the buyer. He may have paid, but the money is still not available to me. The same principle applies here: monetary debts are debts to be brought to the creditor.
perfect-sally
Mentor1 week agoAsk a lawyer, they’ll tell you exactly! And here on eBay, the item belongs to the buyer once they’ve paid. If eBay hasn’t paid out the money to you yet, that’s not the buyer’s problem!
othans777
OP1 week agoEven though we're on eBay here, that doesn't mean it's a lawless space. eBay isn't allowed to put itself above applicable law either
perfect-sally
Mentor1 week agoThis is not about applicable law, but about the terms and conditions you accepted.
You will get your money back even without a code; it can just take up to 30 days.
bootyooty
Mentor1 week ago@othans777 strictly speaking, one has to take into account here that the buyer not only has the obligation to pay, but that the purchase agreement is fulfilled when he actually comes to pick it up! Because that is also part of his obligations.
For a large bulky item, after setting a deadline for pickup, one could also consider whether to claim storage costs if he doesn't pick it up, but that probably isn't the case for you now, is it?
I would actually consider refunding the money and then canceling the purchase agreement due to non-fulfillment (pickup), because then he no longer has any claim, you no longer have an obligation to store it, and you can then list the item for sale again.
othans777
OP1 week agoThanks for the heads-up. Debts for goods are debts to be collected
bootyooty
Mentor1 week agoI know that, that's not what this is about, is it?
Since you're pretty knowledgeable legally when it comes to the BGB, you'll know how to choose the correct course of action for you.
All the best
othans777
OP1 week agoThank you very much for the support. I will set the buyer a deadline by when they should pick up the goods. After that, I will initiate the refund.