Selling high value and bulky item - meet up/transaction advice please

[dd1061984]

I'm considering listing a high value collectable figurine set - WDCC. The issue is, it consists of multiple large boxes and obviously are fragile.

The value is a few thousand.

I'm probably going to have to stipulate collection in person by the buyer - given the high value, I'm worried about safety and security of conducting the transaction if it sells.

Can anyone offer any advice? No joke, I can only think of meeting in a police station parking lot - in broad daylight. I'm very reluctant to ask a buyer to come to my home address. Paypal and bank transfer are options.

I'm considering consignment also, but this item is quite niche and the consignor I reached out to doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence either - likely offers are for instalment plans, potentially they'll have custody of my item for a while until all payments are cleared.

Thanks in advance.

[tressygirl]

The rules for collection items has changed recently.

Cash / bank transfer on collection is n, ot allowed,  and a buyer after having purchased the item,  has to pay via eBay checkout, which includes various card payments and PayPal,  you will not know the method of payment the buyer has selected.

I doubt the Police would be impressed of having any deal let alone one with large boxes being completed in front of their premises. A public place may be preferable but if these are large boxes might not be possible to transport the items to a public place.  If offering a collection only option for large items personally I think this does need to be conducted from your home.

The important factor here, is that the buyer receives a collection code when they pay.  They Must bring this with them and you scan or enter the numbers alongside ....  Confirms Collection on the Order Details.  Send the buyer a message after payment they Must bring this code with them , you cannot release the item wirhout this code.

It proves collection and also releases the payment made.

@dd1061984 

[*vyolla*]

All payments must be made via eBay checkout, it's no longer possible to ask for cash on collection or bank transfer (except for a vehicle).

I would advise to only ever list what you can afford to lose, as there are ways for a buyer to get a refund and end up keeping part or all of the collection.

[dd1061984]

Thank you for the collection code information. Do you know if there's a presumption that the buyer is satisfied with the condition of items received based on this code procedure?

[*vyolla*]

The collection code confirms that the buyer has collected their item and is in possession of it, it prevents them from raising an item not received claim with eBay or a not received chargeback via their card provider.

Your buyer still has 30 days under eBay's Money Back Guarantee to return an item that they consider to be not as described, and has 120 days to issue a not as described chargeback.

[dd1061984]

I see your point about not listing what I can't afford to lose - which is depressing.

[*vyolla*]

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@dd1061984 wrote:

I see your point about not listing what I can't afford to lose - which is depressing.

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It is, great day and age we live in, eh?

Whilst most transactions do go ahead without a hitch, you should be aware of what can go wrong. If you take a look at some of the threads here on Seller Central there are some good examples. 

[jckl1957]

Even if the buyer collects in person and has a look at everything, they can still open a case stating that the items are not as described in the listing.

Then it would be your responsibility to get everything back.

That can be tricky - would you be happy to visit the buyer's home to collect the items?

Or, alternatively, arrange for a courier to collect everything and trust the buyer would be cooperative and pack everything carefully?

Then, of course, money paid to you would be taken back and returned to the buyer.

(This is assuming you had received payment.  A large, valuable transaction is likely to be subject to a payment hold of up to 30 days.)

Personally, I would find a good bricks and mortar auction house to sell the items through.  A bit of research will show you charges etc.  Most auctioneers have online sales, use platforms that attract overseas buyers and will show your items to a wide audience.

[myriad*seller]

The buyer can in theory collect the items

Open a case for "not as described" 

Seller is forced to pay return postage and refund the buyer in full regardless of what they return

eg broken figurine/house brick

[vinylscot]

I would agree with @jckl1957 here. For an item worth a few thousand pounds, a bricks and mortar auction house is a better option than eBay.

Their fees may be higher than eBay's, but if you do some research, and choose an auction house with experience in selling this type of item, they may be able to secure a higher price, making up for the higher fees. (With something worth a few thousand pounds, you may be able to negotiate lower fees.) They will also be able to advise whether you would be better selling the items individually, or in smaller groups, rather than in one big lot. (Be aware that this may involve extra charges, as they may charge a fee for each lot, plus fees for photographs, so make sure to choose what is best for you.)

There are a number of sites which aggregate sales from b&m auctioneers, so, searching on them should give you an idea of who is likely to get the best price. Some auction houses even have regular sales devoted to items like this. Try The-Saleroom or Easy Live Auctions; both are decent aggregators - there may well be others.

[eastern-lights]

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@jckl1957 wrote:

Personally, I would find a good bricks and mortar auction house to sell the items through.  A bit of research will show you charges etc.  Most auctioneers have online sales, use platforms that attract overseas buyers and will show your items to a wide audience.

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I agree. Much less fraught.

[signs_and_vintage]

Yep damn the auction house fees, I'd not be selling that sort of value stuff on here any more.

[johnwash1]

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@signs_and_vintage wrote:

Yep damn the auction house fees, I'd not be selling that sort of value stuff on here any more.

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Strongly agree.  It shows how ebay are shooting themselves in the foot.  If they paid attention to the cases where the seller is being scammed there'd be lots more high value sales here, more commission for ebay.

[4_bathrooms]

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@dd1061984 wrote:

I'm considering listing a high value collectable figurine set - WDCC. The issue is, it consists of multiple large boxes and obviously are fragile.

The value is a few thousand.

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Every transaction involves risk. Now that eBay have removed cash on collection as a payment method - therefore placing all such transactions under the remit of eBay's (oft-abused) Money Back Guarantee and exposing such sellers to the additional threat of a future chargeback - the risk has increased by an order of magnitude.