Pick up problems

Kia Ora Beth,

I think the answer is simply to state if you intend to pick up the item as initially agreed I require a date/time set, alternatively I am happy to ship once I have payment of purchase and shipping cost, otherwise please confirm your choice not to follow through with your purchase so I can move on and relist the item.

You haven't delayed/detained or swayed from the initial agreement Beth and at the time this was made you hadn't moved therefore there's no requirement to have stated this in your listing - feedback doesn't come into it as you've stuck to the agreement and beyond your end.

Don't take feedback threat onboard and let them know if you don't hear back you have no option but to cancel the Trade. At the same time apply for a success fee refund, I believe TM email your Buyer also to prompt closure and if they don't hear back within 3 days your fees are refunded so you can relist. - All the Best here - Cheers.

No, this is ridiculous, 3 weeks is more than generous. Give him the weekend to come and collect, or to organise a friend to come and pickup, if there is no action, on Monday, apply for a success fee refund, and realist. 

if he gives you a red face, open a feedback dispute with trade me, they will want screenshots of your emails with him, and they will remove any red faces he gives, however, don’t give him a red face, or customer support may not action. 

Frankly maybe he was in hospital,  but with all the people that claim they are in hospital, or need more time because of a dead relative… if I believed all these stories, there must be hospitals on every street corner, with over flowing morgues. 

The cynic in me suspects that your buyer has bid with money he doesn’t have, and is now stringing you along. This is an issue with online auctions, people can bid with money they don’t, even innocently thinking they will get payed on Wednesday, but then other bills turn up…  

Hi Beth. Any update here - did you get things wrapped up over the weekend or still waiting for pick up?

No still waiting. Again has said 'after Tuesday' but no actual day or time.
I will just have to give it away on Facebook I think.

Sorry to read that Beth. You have the option to relist or send out a fixed price offer from your Sold items. You can read about that here.

Kia Ora Beth,

If you apply for your success fee refund now this generates an email to your Buyer from TradeMe, they give your Buyer 3 days to respond to their email before processing further. This may just be the backing required to obtain payment or cancellation from your Buyer. I know feedback is a concern for you however you can respond to this and apply for change/removal in the first 45 days since the listing closed - beyond 45 days feedback can't be placed by anyone nor considered for review by TradeMe.

TradeMe's email involvement to your Buyer may bring closure to this Trade for you - Cheers.

Tuesday has been and gone, I hope this got picked up or you started the refund process. 

Trade Me is such a great platform, but sometimes you just end up with these situations, I personally am not a fan of FB market place, it’s the Wild West of online trading, at least T Me has some rules and a support net work. 

Anyway good luck with whatever you decided to do Beth. 

Thanks for your help- I have a refund from trademe and did not hear anything from buyer...... Which was not surprising!

Awesome Beth - Thank you for letting us know - Much appreciated 😊

Just keep your eye on that feedback should it be placed as it only can within the first 45 days of the listing closing, as TM have helped you out here that will go in your favour though hopefully this is the end of and you can move on - You can add this person to Your Blacklist if you feel inclined which prevents them from asking questions & bidding on your listings coming forward - All the Best - Cheers.

I sold a bed to a lady who was the winning bidder about 2 months ago and she has still not picked up. She paid straight after the auction but has still not picked up. She has contacted a few times. One time it didnt suit. We  were away but the other times she just doesnt turn up. Very frustrating as we need the room. What can we do. She was meant to come on Sunday . Woudnt answer back and give us a time so my wife stayed home from church in case she turned up but no. Then she got back on Sunday evening and said she would come on Monday but once again would not get back with a time and you guessed it didnt turn up again. Im tempted to sell to someone else but I guess I will be the bad guy then. aaaarh!!!

Kia Ora Murray,

What a headache for you there!

You need to refund this Lady before you can relist and sell the bed - I would email stating you can not afford the storage fee's this is now costing you, please pick up the bed by this weekend or alternatively supply your bank and account details so I can refund you and move on. If the bed remains beyond this weekend and I haven't received your bank details you will have to pay ongoing storage costs.

All the Best here - Cheers.

I am having a similar problem...sold a kauri tree on 30th May, he paid on 31st May and still not picked up... He says because he has paid I cant renege on the contract. Grrr!!! I emailed him again last Wednesday and he said his friend will pick it up in the next week or two. Havent heard any more from him. Im feeling a bit intimidated by him, hes very staunch and of course has my address. 

I'm Sorry to hear that Joy,

You can email your Buyer back stipulating pick up by the weekend or charges for storage commence, which is deducted from the purchase price paid - you have full legal right to do so after giving notice. Buyers who drag pick up out just need to be told the option to comply with haste. - All the Best - Cheers.

Kia Ora All,

Coming forward from delayed pick ups it's always a great idea to stipulate in these listings Pick up by (...) Or within (...) - this gives the Buyer the clear message from the onset - if you are flexible to a point and with smaller items you can always add Unless pre-negotiated before auction close. 

I also want to pass on, Never feel intimidated by a Buyer - NZ Police take aggression, harassment and threats very seriously and are able to work with TradeMe in securing Buyer's details as when required.

Happy Trading Everyone - Cheers.

In fact S, a date doesn't usually work, but a number of days after the auction close would be safer. You often see listings that for example say pickup by 14th of April, or similar. Doesn't really work when it's already July.

Better would be, Please pickup within 7 days of winning auction. It may be possible to vary this timeframe but please ask using Q & A before buying/bidding.

Cheers Gary - I see the ones Must pick up by ... - And now my eye will be attuned to those which may have past dates - Thanks so much for your Help! 😊

Hi all, I have sold an item to a person, they paid immediately and we sent a couple of emails to each other about pick up.  The item is just a women's top. I had in my ad that it is "pick up only" and I stipulated the exact area.  I have given timeframes twice a day, 5 days a week, and the person said that unfortunately none of that worked for them.  So I added two additional day options but in a different location to see if this helped.  No reply.  It's been about a month now and I send an email every week offering the same options for pick up.  No reply.  She has asked for it to be shipped but I've said no because I don't have the time and in addition, this is why I strictly stated "pick up only" in the ad.  I don't want to relist and go through all that process, as I believe that this person should follow through with the legal obligation to purchase it at the place that was clearly stated.  Under NZ law, do I have any option to give notice to pick up or the top will be treated as abandoned goods and no refund will be given?  I would not relist the top but give it to charity.  I really needed the money that was paid, I used it, and I am keeping the top safe - but I'm getting really sick of the no replies and the dragging out. I think buyers need to know that they can't do a buy now on a trade, pay for something then just not bother picking it up over a month later and expect to rely on a refund rule - as this means anyone who changes their mind after purchasing will just fall back on this rule.  Can anyone help? : )

Kia Ora Heidi,

Sorry to read of your trouble with that Listing,

You can contact your local CAB, citizens advise burau for advice if you want to take this case further.

If the Buyer has pulled out of the Trade you will have to refund them in full, Apply for your success fee refund & relist or gift the item on. You can send your Buyer a final email stating if the item isn't picked up by XXXX you will have to cancel the Trade and refund their payment. - You can't keep their money, in NZ storage fee's can only be charged if the item is of significant size and the Buyer has been given a weeks notice of incurring the storage fees beyond a stipulated date.

TradeMe have a Book a Courier system which allows you to wrap items in recycled paper or a bag, clearly address the parcel & the courier will pick the parcel up from your front door - you don't even have to be home. - With the chasing you're currently doing and the fact you want the item gone and needed the payment made perhaps this is another option of getting the parcel off - you will of course need to send a courier cost quote through for your Buyer requesting this fee paid upfront Or you could request your Buyer to organise their own courier, you will still need to securely wrap and address the parcel then leave it out for pick up on the date(s) you are provided with.

Coming forward it pays to write in your Listings Pick up within 3, 5, 7, 10 etc. days or payment will be refunded & the item will be relisted. - All the Best - Cheers.

Thanks S!  I've seen your comments on here before and found them really helpful.

This case is more about me enforcing the buyer to go through with the sale (if they've paid for it and if it'[s a pick up only).  I'm pretty certain that they have obligations under NZ law to follow through with a trade that has been paid for, right?  They can't just turn around and say "Oh well I've had personal problems and can't pick it up sorry so can you refund me?".   They haven't asked this yet - but I can feel it's going to happen.  I would never try to charge "storage fees" for a top, but I will insist on them collecting it (i.e. I am not giving a refund simply because they "can't pick it up").  I will keep this top safe for them (and I will keep the money that I relied upon when receiving it) just to prove the point that you can't waste people's time like that.  Obviously, I will not relist or resell but only because I'm keeping the money.  From my understanding of law, they cannot ask for a refund just because they cannot pick it up?  Otherwise any person could enter into a pick up contract and pay for something, see something better, then say to the seller "oh can I have my money back because I can't pick it up?".  This would make future trading seem unreliable right?  Anyway, thanks for your time and feedback : )

Thanks Heidi,

It is TradeMe's Policy that if a Buyer pulls out of a sale they must be refunded in full,

Reference: Buyer has pulled out of the sale – Help - Trade Me

You can contact TradeMe staff through "Live Chat" for assistance in discussing this further if you would like to - they do suggest contacting the Citizens Advice Bureau should your Buyer opt to pull out of the sale.

However if your Buyer arranges their own courier or person to Pick up the item they are fulfilling their end of the contract, as previously suggested. - Pick up can be by anyone nominated by the Buyer, - All the Best - Cheers.

Thanks for the link S, this is great.  It shows exceptions to the rule of refunding a buyer, which I was talking about, and is very helpful.  Thanks again : )