Be careful when trying to help! : eBay Guides

Watch out for buyers who purchase items you have listed as 'LOCAL PICK UP ONLY' & explain AFTER they have won that they intend to use a third party courier at their expense. Trying to help the buyer, I backed down on personal collection, allowed their 'courier' to collect & transport the item over 280 miles to the buyer( & 280 miles away from me!!) only to have them demand a refund knowing the goods were too far for me to collect ecconomically! Worse, the pics of the item they sent in complaint were NOT of the item I sold, but they knew with 280 miles between us, I was not likekey to pop round & prove it! Even more dodgey, the emails demanding the refund were sent OFF EBAYS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM! Indeed, it was only AFTER I reported the scam to ebay that the buyer went 'official' with his response. Needless to say, I did not give him a single penny.

Ofcourse, if they had collected in person, they could not have complained later, as they would have had the chance to approve the item at point of collection & payment. Hence the supposed 'courier'!