Seller cancelled order an hour before courier was due, should they pay?

[lara3194]

A seller cancelled my order less than an hour before the courier was due to arrive, I have been refunded for the item, but not the courier, is this acceptable?

[m25jet · Accepted solution]

Given that you had already paid for the item it was not acceptable for the seller to have cancelled your order without first contacting you and giving you a valid reason as to why he/she was cancelling the transaction, as the item was your own property at that point due to the fact that you had already paid for it.  Therefore the seller has no right to refuse to send it unless, of course, he/she had contacted you to explain that something had gone wrong and both you and the seller had agreed to a total refund and a cancellation of the transaction.  Although you have been refunded the payment for the item you've still lost out on the costs for the courier and I doubt if the seller will reimburse you for those costs, so make sure that you leave appropriate feedback for the seller that accurately reflects how you felt about the transaction.

With regards to the fact that you were sending a courier to collect the item for you, in general it is not a good idea to send a courier to collect an item for you, as if the item is a Collection In Person Only item then the point at which you actually get to see the item first-hand for the first time, as opposed to only in photos, is supposed to be your chance to inspect the goods before accepting them, and it's also the last point at which you can change your mind if you spot a fault with the item that was not shown in the photos and which the seller failed to disclose in the item description.  It's also best to collect anything advertised as Collection In Person Only yourself and pay for the item in cash on collection, as that way if you do change your mind when you see the item in person you've still got your money and you can just submit a request to cancel the transaction once you get back home.  If a courier collected the item for you and the item was damaged when you recieved it then you would have no way of proving whether the item was like that before it left the seller's premises or whether the item was damaged in transit.

[rusticrye]

Yes, it's perfectly acceptable. I would have cancelled the order too, as soon as I discovered you were planning to send a courier. Collection items are for personal collection only, with payment in cash or by bank transfer on collection.

If a seller is happy to package a large or fragile item to withstand the rigours of courier delivery, and wait in all day for a courier to arrive (which most absolutely will not be), they will offer courier delivery on the listing, and add the packaging and time costs into the shipping price. That will garner more interest (and therefore a higher price if listed by auction).

You should thank your lucky stars that they have cancelled, as sending your own courier negates Ebay's buyer protection. So if the item had arrived damaged or not as described, you wouldn't have had a legal leg to stand on. For all Ebay knows, your courier could have damaged it, or switched it in transit for a completely different item. Sellers cannot be held responsible for a courier they have not arranged themselves, as they have no contract with them and so cannot lodge a claim with them to recoup their loss.

@lara3194