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Hey all,
Just wanted to get some thoughts on the below...I don’t think it’s a scam but wouldn’t mind your thoughts.
Bought a second hand watch for £500ish earlier in the week. Paid using credit card via PayPal. Seller just messaged to say he lives nearby and can deliver in person...
“would you like me to drop the watch off to you in person so there is no danger of it being lost in the post?
i have paid for the postage so i can send it if you like. but i can deliver it tomorrow?
whatever you prefer”
Sounds fine to me... but he’s also attached a Royal Mail Tracking number on eBay. On eBay it says ‘DISPATCHED - tracking number provided’.... on Royal Mail it says ‘an update will be provided when we attempt to deliver your package.
I’m guessing its because he’s prepaid for delivery. He’s got good feedback (234 items, 100%) so sure it’s good. Just seemed a bit weird with the tracking number. Am I missing anything or is this all sounding ok?
Ebay does indeed (automatically) provide buyers with tracking info and mark as dispatched prematurely like that when you purchase shipping through them.
I think the risk with this sort of thing is on the seller if the buyer collects then claims not delivered. The good feedback would also give me some confidence.
In this case sounds like he's just being nice.
The risk is his. If he delivers in person he loses out on proof of delivery - you could claim it never arrived. There might be something else going on here though.
I have delivered locally on ebay before. Got a pic of the person with the item and a pic of their driving license.
As above, he's the one who stands to lose so I would say it's fine if he wants to do it.
Can't help with ebay advice, but out of sheer nosiness what's the watch?
Ebay does indeed (automatically) provide buyers with tracking info and mark as dispatched prematurely like that when you purchase shipping through them.
Yes, it's a bit annoying sometimes. You order something at 9pm and get an email saying it was dispatched at 11pm, expect delivery in two days and when it eventually arrives see from the postmark that it wasn't actually posted for 3 days.
But for the OP, I see no problem, maybe the seller is looking forward to a socially distanced chat with a fellow watch enthusiast.
I have delivered stuff before if the buyer lives close by, nothing dodgy about it and as others have said I am taking the risk as have no proof of sending.
Also he has a timeframe to get a refund on his shipping label so he is not going to lose out by delivering it by hand, if it's pricy he may not have realised how much insured postage that covers watches can cost. If he doesn't turn up he won't have a proof of delivery either way so can't see the loophole here.
I suppose the only issue would be that if it's hand delivered, you have a chance to inspect the goods so that may null any return or not as described option if it turns out to be faulty or fake.
Thanks all, I thought it might be all good, but just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious.
Watch is a Baltic Aquascaphe for those interested...
https://baltic-watches.com/en/products/aquascaphe-black-silver