Suspension of my listing while negotiating

[rposeattle]

I have a listing for a hot tub.  It is a simple sale but the buyer needs to arrange a crane andHGV transport as well as arrange for the electrical power to be extended into his garden.  Until he has everything lined up and contracted for, he is reluctant to pay up front, a position I can empathise with.  No help on this topic online in eBay

[jckl1957]

What do you need to know?

You cannot exchange contact details until the seller has paid.

The seller can agree to buy the item and you can wait for payment if you choose to do so.

[rposeattle]

The potential buyer is facing a buy-it-now cost of £225.  However, the cost of shipping it to his home is approx £1,500, but the shipper has yet to confirm. The cost of runnning a high power cable from his home to the site where the tub is likely to be sited, is another £450. If the total exceeds £3,000 the buyer will withdraw.

I want to give him the time to get his costs firmed up, but I am getting other eBay members contact me with questions and I'm worried that one of them will agree the price and hit the buy it now button, leaving my preferred buyer stranded and me having to go through the shipping and power provision with another person.

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

You're trying to hard to accomodate this buyer.

The reaity is that he's stringing you along while he sorts out transport and installation, but still leaving  himself the option to say "Thank you and goodbye" if he decides it's not worthwhile. Which I suspect is very likely, given the absurd cost of removing and reinstalling this 15 year old hot tub in one piece.

If he was really committed to it he would have bought it for the £230 sale price, and asked you to keep it and bear with him while he arranges collection.

If he's your preferred buyer you could if you want cancel the listing, and relist it at an agreed buy-now price when and if he's ready to proceed.

[rposeattle]

Thanks that's very helpful