I forgot to add that the seller has 100% feedback with 800+ transactions.

Is this his first transaction on eBay? It seems as though he doesn't know how things work. If he is a 'seasoned seller', this DOES seem odd, but I'm sure that if you report the transaction to eBay, they will find in your favor. If you chose not to do that, I'd write the man back and tell him what time you will be there in the AM, but that you have already paid for them.

It's possible that if he IS new to eBay, that he doesn't accept credit cards (I have no idea how you paid) and was expecting a cash payment through eBay. Have you asked him why he is asking for cash where you've already completed the transaction? I'd come right out and ask him why...

Thanks My3dogs. I read his feedback. Of 830 positive ratings, 91 were as a seller. Only about 9 sales this year, mostly small items like cigarette coupons, etc. I did use the credit card payment through Paypal.

If I accept the cancellation and refund, and agree to meet and pay with cash, I believe the transaction is then outside of Ebay. In addition, once I accept the cancellation I lose the ability to leave any feedback. I guess none of that is that important. I just hesitate to waste my time (I need to drive to Boston to get these chairs tomorrow, which is a couple hours away for me).

I will follow your advice and ask why he wants to convert this to a cash sale. He keeps saying its so I can make up my mind once I see them. Don't know why he's so concerned about that when I've already put the payment in his account!

I guess the question I have for myself is if these chairs are a good enough deal to go through a hassle!

Thanks Dee--I didn't think about it that way! I guess I'll go ahead and cancel and see how that all shakes out. If the chairs weren't meant to be mine it will work out, I guess. It was a rather impulsive purchase anyhow!

If I wanted the chairs, I would accept the fact that he had cancelled the PayPal transaction (double check this first) and go get the chairs with cash in hand.

there are some people who expect more and faster communications on Buy It Now transactions then on Auctions.

Check PayPal to see if the transaction is completed. Yes, this would be 'outside of eBay' and you know that is cautioned against. I'd go though eBay to get his phone number, if he won't give it to you, and ask why he's insisting on breaking the eBay 'rules'.

I think Dee is right. He just is avoiding ebay fees since you will ultimately be dealing with each other in person. I don't think it's a big deal.

Thanks everyone. The refund is pending through Paypal. Once the money is back in my account I will try to complete the purchase in person with cash. I can't imagine why this guy needs to avoid the Ebay fees on such a small purchase price!

I hope this isn't track-able by eBay in any way, as he's making both of you 'break their rules'.

Good point, M3dogs. All communication has been through Ebay messaging, so I assume that's track-able. My biggest discomfort now is rethinking my plan to go by myself to pick up these chairs. I may just bow out, because the whole thing feels off.

I agree-I would agree to cancel and go look at them. It is also possible that he is worried the chairs are not in great shape and that you might be unhappy with them when you see them. By leaving ebay and having you inspect them first, he avoids a negative rating. For $50, I wouldn't stress about this at all. It seems like a great deal, and if you don't like them when you see them, you can walk away.

Yes, this is totally fine if you want to have a transaction with someone who is essentially committing fraud.

He is using eBay as a national service provider to get his auction items seen by a large audience and then defrauding eBay of their fees for providing this service by cancelling the transaction and selling to you on the side.

Forget the chairs. Cancel the sale. This is not correct and both eBay and paypal will protect you. I would not purchase from this buyer. It is asking for grief. These are not the only two chairs in the US.

Well, even though I had visualized these chairs redone and sitting in my living room (maybe a subtle animal print with ebony finish) I agree that it's best to move on. If I could drive across town and take a look I might pursue it, but I don't need to create extra problems in my life. Back to the never ending hunt!

A nearby suburb allows the parking lot of their police department, on camera, to be used for eBay/craigslist type of transactions. Thinking they must get a number of calls when things go wrong.

http://www.npr.org/2015/03/27/395586863/police-departments-open-up-safe-lots-for-craigslist-transactions

The most likely scenario is that he doesn't want to pay the fees of going through e-bay and just wants cash under the table. This is illegal according to e-bay rules and I would let him know that I will only do it the legal way. Of course that is your call but what he's doing is trying to cheat the system.

I would not trust someone under these circumstances, and I would generally consider notifying E-bay. However, can this person identify you? If so, I would anonymously inquire first if they can monitor the individual without implicating you. - I would be concerned over retribution.

Well, it's getting weird now. He keeps sending me all caps emails telling me accept the cancellation and refund. There is no such option on Ebay. The messages from Ebay tell me the seller canceled the order and has refunded the money, email confirmation to follow. He seems really stressed about me "accepting". Three emails in 20 minutes. Ugh. Wish I never clicked "buy it now"!

Suggest notify eBay and PayPal now.

I have over 1000 eBay purchases since 1999. I have purchased lots of stuff through eBay. I agree with rococogurl. I would not try to figure out the whys and how to make it work. I would simply look for other chairs. Seller is squirrelly.

I would report it to ebay and Paypal and move on. I also wouldn't click on any links he may send you -- never know where that might lead. I would not drive 2 hours for something fishy -- even if he is just trying to avoid fees, it's not like he couldn't have charged a few dollars more for the chairs and it would have been a deal breaker to someone who wanted them. And anyone who sends three messages in 20 minutes, yelling in all caps or not, sounds like they have some issues I might not want to deal with, much less drive 2 hours to deal with. Once trust is broken, it's hard to get it back. You will find chairs.

He should have listed under 'make offer', and included instructions in his listing, for cash only at
time of pick-up. It's my understanding that cash is actually preferred for
local pick-up only--you inspect in person, you make your decision, and
you pay. You then have no grounds to file an 'item not as described'
case, because you accepted the item as is. eBay uses the shipment
tracking # in making decisions about 'item not rec'd' cases. No shipment
= no tracking, so there would be no proof that you ever received your
item. If a buyer pays through eBay/PayPal, and picks up his item, he could then say that he never
received the item, and eBay would refund the buyer automatically,
because there is no tracking to prove that the item was delivered. When
you pay in cash, the seller has his money, and has no need to prove
delivery.

If I were an eBay seller I would insist on cash for local pick-up. I'm not a seller, but my late husband was, and sold a few things for local
pick-up only.

The 'buy it now' option asks for immediate
payment to complete the transaction--the seller might not have realized
that, and he might be anticipating a negative feedback from you, for trying to protect himself. I've read recently that negative feedback can result in a seller paying higher fees (losing discounts) or being suspended, so he might very well be panicking.

He can relist under 'make an offer', with local pick-up, and
accept your offer for $50. You pick up within eBay's time limit, pay cash, and
everyone is happy. However, if the seller does not want
to relist and allow you purchase through eBay, then take your refund
and forget the chairs, as has been advised. You'll know he wasn't being
honest, whether it was because he rec'd a better offer, or because he's
trying to cheat eBay out of their fees. If he relists, and the chairs are worth it to you, make your
offer, and after he accepts, take a friend and meet the seller in a public parking lot. Good luck, and I hope it works out for you.

I don't understand why he would try to escape the fees which I think would only be $5 for a $50 transaction. But maybe he is. The thing that is weird is that he keeps sending emails. I would just walk away from this.

Don't accept anything! If you got messages that the seller cancelled, leave it at that, and I agree with some others, to contact EBay and PayPal, to let them know he's harassing you. This is harassment, and you don't have to put up with it. I buy and sell on EBay and I've never run into anything like that.

Thank you, mama goose, for your excellent explanation. You offer an important seller's perspective on this. I've decided just to back out of this deal. I thought I was pretty savvy about dealing with ebay/craigslist transactions, but I've learned that there are more opportunities for problems than I thought. It used to be fun for me to shop this way, but not any longer. I'd be really hesitant to buy any big ticket items through Ebay.