question about ebay sellers and local pick up

[tiger tiger]

Once in awhile I'll come across a seller in my city with some items I am planning on bidding. I'll message them about local pick up to save the shipping. Some sellers have been fairly agreeable. Others flat out say no.

I'm just wondering what the reasons are and trying to understand why a seller would say no.

I can think of a few:

1) Don't want the hassle of meeting up
2) Want to stay faceless/safety concerns
3) Want to make a couple of bucks on shipping

Here's my rebuttal to each:

1) There's just as much hassle, packing up the package, addressing it, and going to the PO. Perhaps it's me, but I always bring the package in to get a confirmation on the postage, and a receipt for proof that I shipped something.

I guess you can figure out the postage at home/online, put on a couple of stamps with the appropriate postage. But you'd still have to get a bubble envelope or box.

It may seem like a hassle for a 99 cent auction, but in the end, it's pretty much the same amount to time involved.

2) If you meet at a public place and bring someone along, you should be fine. You can always say that you will contact the buyer to keep your phone number private.

3) Ask for a couple of bucks for "handling". You can ask for cash to save the paypal fees too. I'd sooner give a couple of bucks to the seller instead of a lot more to the post office. Plus if I know that I'm getting a break on the shipping, I will put a higher bid in.

Plus you can hand me the card in a sleeve or WPE or a bag if it's a lot of cards. You save the bubble envelope, box, top loader, etc.


Just want to see what other people think.

 

[iceberg08]

I provided a local pick-up once for someone here on HI, but in general, it is a hassle to arrange given my schedule. It's a lot easier for me to do the packaging in my free time and drop the package off at the post office on the way to work in the morning than it is to find time to meet someone after work or whatever. I guess it depends how busy your life is.

 

[geerhed19]

I let a buyer pay in person/pick up a card once...long story short I couldn't be home when he wanted to come get it and he was quite rude to the people I left it with who were there at the time. He wanted a better deal than what the auction ended for, my roommate told him to get stuffed. He ended up paying for me to send it tracked because it wasn't worth my time. Only takes one bad apple...

 

[tiger tiger]

sorry to hear that. Sometimes I like meeting up with other collectors to chat a little and meet face to face. Maybe I just like that personal touch once in awhile, instead of behind a computer screen.

 

[Rangrsuk]

Don't misconstrue this in any way, but you need to leave this one alone. If someone doesn't want you to come to their home, nuf sed.

Some just don't want that....period. Maybe they are busy with other life things like work, kids, other family situations. We all want our cards yesterday from eBay, but auctions/sales there involve two parties. It doesn't matter how you rationalize it. If a seller says no, leave it at that.

I only let that happen at my home twice as the items were NOT shippable (too large). For the most part, I prefer not to. I have asked sellers if I could pick up in person, but respected their wishes if the answer was no. That's what it is all about, respecting their wishes.

 

[tiger tiger]

I'm not angry about it. I'm just trying to find out the reasoning behind it. I don't treat them as a bad seller or anything, I just have to adjust my bid to factor in the shipping cost.

And it's not because I want the cards in a rush. Sometimes for some high end stuff, I would prefer to pick it up instead of having it go thru the PO system and risk it getting damaged/lost, etc, especially if it's just a 10 min drive away.

I always suggest to meet up somewhere, so it doesn't have to be their home. I totally understand the privacy issue (because you really don't know anything about the buyer).

With local pick up, the shipping rating is always 5 stars (from me, at least).

 

[Zach6668]

sorry to hear that. Sometimes I like meeting up with other collectors to chat a little and meet face to face. Maybe I just like that personal touch once in awhile, instead of behind a computer screen.

There are hobby stores in Vancouver, no?

This is just one medium.

 

[tiger tiger]

Due to high rent in Vancouver, ebay, and online stores, there is now only one that I know of. There are no more than 2 in any of the 7 neighbouring suburbs. Probably 5 of the suburbs have only 1. The closest between any 2 is a good 15 min. drive between them (45 min from Vancouver to one of those 2). The furthest distance to the next closest store is about a 1/2 hr and you have to hit the highway (and one of them is thinking of shutting down.)

The closet one to me is 10 min. away and is in a mall. So it's more for the general public (retail). The employees there may not be hobbyists. They are there as cashiers/clerks.

 

[Amazing Heroes]

As a full time store I offer pick up as a option. this is how I offer it in my auctions.

Any auction won from us can be picked up at our store but there is still a handling fee and it can not be paid for with Paypal.

I don't want to pay Paypal there fee if I don't have to but I do want to get back my eBay fees. That's only fair.

I want people to come into my store. If I don't have what they collect I know for a fact I have more supply options than any store they shop in. As a collector I just love talking to people who share the same hobby as myself.
Steve
Amazing Heroes​

 

[Bryan_Mc]

i just met a fellow boardie last weekend, it didn't involve ebay, but we did make a 80.00 (roughly) trade

as long as both parties are agreeable to it, i think it's always cool to meet fellow card crazed people

 

[cardjim]

And I concur with Bryan, he is wise beyond his ears

 

[Kapital]

i would have to say its more dangerous to meet some random person online, especially if they collect cards theyre probably sexually deprived lol im just kidding, but in a way its true, much safer to stay annonymous than to go face to face with a stranger. take care

 

[Bryan_Mc]

i would have to say its more dangerous to meet some random person online, especially if they collect cards theyre probably sexually deprived lol im just kidding, but in a way its true, much safer to stay annonymous than to go face to face with a stranger. take care

i'm talking about adults, though
im not condoning minors to meet people without parental supervision

 

[tiger tiger]

i would have to say its more dangerous to meet some random person online, especially if they collect cards theyre probably sexually deprived lol im just kidding, but in a way its true, much safer to stay annonymous than to go face to face with a stranger. take care

so I assume that you're saying, in a way, you're sexually deprived.

As I mentioned earlier, meet at a public place, like a McDonalds, Starbucks, walmart, TRU, or Tim Hortons, and not in some back alley or in the back of his white windowless van.

 

[Bryan_Mc]

so I assume that you're saying, in a way, you're sexually deprived.

As I mentioned earlier, meet at a public place, like a McDonalds, Starbucks, walmart, TRU, or Tim Hortons, and not in some back alley or in the back of his white windowless van.

LO freaking L

 

[Kapital]

not really, but all of my in person trades do come with a freeby