The point of this guide is to make sellers aware of the risks of accepting Paypal for goods that are to be collected. This guide explains why, as a seller you SHOULD NOT accept Paypal on items being collected.

WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS GUIDE?
I recently decided I needed a big, widescreen TV but didn’t need a brand new, flat panel one, with a brand new, flat panel price. The obvious solution, as with many bulky items, was to look on eBay.

Sure enough, there was an abundance of large screen TVs, all for collection only. This is very understandable as many items sold on eBay (TVs, beds, fridges etc) are simply too bulky or most people to send through the post. When looking however, what I did find strange was not only people accepting Paypal on collection only items, but some sellers even insisting on Paypal only! As a fairly experienced eBay user, I found this utterly bizarre.

DON’T PAYPAL OFFER ME EXTRA PROTECTION ON MY PAYMENTS?
When using Paypal, they do offer some added features for buyers & sellers on most transactions BUT items that are collected are not covered by any such features. Paypal was designed to send money for items that are being sent to you. If you are selling something that is too big/heavy to post, do not accept Paypal for it, accept cash.

PAYPAL PAYMENTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY PERMANENT!
People are under the impression Paypal is 100% safe & funds are unrecoverable once the payment has been made, this is wrong. Payments can be charged-back, reversed or disputed (either for "item not as described" or "item not received").

AS A BUYER
As a buyer, I understand people may not want to carry large amounts of cash with them when going to a stranger’s house or workplace. This is fair enough, for a buyer maybe Paypal is an option they would consider, afterall, for items sent to you, you can dispute an items' condition however you cannot dispute an items’ condition when it has been collected. Paypal use a stance along the lines of “you saw the item, you left with it, and therefore were happy with it”.

AS A SELLER
This part is the purpose of this guide. When you sell something through Paypal, as part of their “seller protection” programme, you must meet a series of criteria to be eligible for protection or else you may find the payment you thought was safe, being reversed.

One such criteria is when accepting Paypal, you must be able to prove to Paypal that the buyer has received the item. This is why, regardless of value, all my items are sent via a signed for service. If you cannot prove an item has been received, the buyer can open an “item not received” claim against you. If this happens on an item that has been collected, you could not prove this and Paypal would refund the payment in full leaving you without the item and without the money (& maybe a negative balance in your Paypal account & threats of debt-collectors).

DOES THIS APPLY TO ALL ITEMS?
As a side note, yes, this rule applies to all items been paid for through Paypal. As a seller you must meet other such criteria as well (signed for service, appropriate insurance, only send to address provided, buyer’s address must show as “confirmed”, sale must show as eligible for “seller protection”, item must be sent within 7 days of payment etc etc etc), all this must be ensured to be covered by Paypal’s Seller Protection.
 
IS THERE ANY REALISTIC ALTERNATIVE?
Yes, cash! People sometimes forget eBay is part of the real world. Not everything is safe, not everything is covered or insured, not everything is scam free BUT all you have to do is apply the same common sense & rules you would use if you were buying something advertised in the classified adverts in your local paper.
 
NOW I KNOW THAT, AM I SAFE SELLING ANYTHING?
Obviously this guide has been written just to make sellers aware of the possibilities of what can happen when accepting Paypal for an item that is being collected. As with all transaction, the actual chances of such a chargeback/claim being made against you are limited, however it is possible & best to be aware of this.
 
IN SUMMARY
At the end of the day, if you are selling an item to be collected, why take the risk of a chargeback/dispute AND pay 3.4% for the privilege? it doesn't make any sense does it. Knowing this, that is why I chose to take the time to write this guide, in the hope of helping others have a pleasant, scam-free, eBay experience.
 
Writing these guides takes time. I have a wealth of knowledge & helpful hints when it comes to all things eBay but rarely find the time to put it into writing. The eBay forums are an excellent place to learn about eBay & can be found via the "community" link, at the top of every eBay page. There you can get instant advise from similarly experienced & helpful users if you are in doubt of anything eBay related.

Thank you for your time & for reading this guide. If this guide was helpful please select YES on the bar below asking "Was this guide helpful?" Many thanks.