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Drano
Interested in getting people's $0.02:
I PM seller re bike for sale thread which states shipping via courier (and that the bike is being sold for a friend and non member). Offer to pay asking price and any additional shipping cost for postage to Ireland. Ad states that payment is to be made via bank transfer only. I note this and say I'm willing to proceed as the bike was a great opportunity to size down in track bike which I badly needed at a competitive price I could afford, that and I'd never been burnt here before when purchasing so I decided it was worth the punt.
Seller comes back and says that's fine but it'll be an extra £54 to have it delivered via courier, I reply saying I'd get back the next day as I was in work til late and wanted to mull it over. Seller says no rush.
I get back the next morning saying that's fine and to send on payment details.
2 days pass. The seller gets back saying that whilst I may not be keen, a payment via Paypal gift is being proposed. This is a bit odd obviously and a red flag but considering the seller has been a member for 5 years I decide to try and push forward with the sale by requesting a G&S Paypal sale.
I get back within a few hours asking if we can do Paypal Goods and Services, saying that whilst most people decide to go Gift to circumvent the 4% Paypal charge I would gladly pay the 4% if it meant we could go through Goods and Services. I would ultimately have paid gift due to the sellers' long history on the forum (not exactly iron clad proof that I wouldn't be screwed, but I was smitten with the bike and was willing to roll the dice).
Seller gets back quickly saying that he was on nights and had to go to bed but would get back quickly. Feeling pretty confident in my reasonable request.
2 days pass which brings us to today. I get a one liner:
"Sorry Sean but it's gone to someone local that could collect. I hope you find one soon. Regards *****."
Surely this is pretty crap form? It's a pain to pack up and ship a bike vs selling it to someone local but that's par for the course when you specify courier as your primary form of delivery and then agree a sale via that method? We had agreed on a price that I would pay and were settling on payment method when the seller shirked the deal, that paired with the fact that it took the guts of a week to reach this point, leaves a pretty bad taste.
Absolutely frustrating. I feel like I'm stewing internally on this so if I need a reality check, please let me know.