Collecting an item in person

Before you buy

• Check the item location and the distance. A local pickup search shows collection-only items within a set distance of your postcode.
• Make sure it will fit. Measure your car and any doorways for furniture or appliances, and ask the seller for dimensions and weight if they aren't listed.
• Ask about access. Will it be ready by the door, or upstairs? Will you need help carrying it?
• Keep every message on eBay. Agree the time and place in eBay messages, so there's a clear record if anything goes wrong.

Pay through eBay, not at the door

Paying through eBay keeps you covered by the Money Back Guarantee. Paying cash, or by bank transfer, does not.

Your collection code

After you pay, eBay gives you a QR code and a 6-digit code for the order. You'll find them in My eBay and in your order confirmation email. At the handover, the seller scans the QR code or types in the 6-digit code, and the order is marked as collected.

Don't share the code until you've checked the item and are happy to take it. The code is your confirmation that you received it.

Meeting the seller

Often you'll collect from the seller's home, especially for large items. When you can choose, or when you're meeting somewhere else:

• Pick a busy, well-lit public place, such as a café or the entrance to a shopping centre, and stay where other people can see you, especially after dark.
• Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back.
• Take someone with you if you can. It's safer, and you may need the help carrying it anyway.
• Share only the details the seller needs. eBay messages are enough to arrange a time.
• If anything about the meeting feels wrong, leave. You don't have to go through with it.

Check the item before you take it

• Compare it with the listing photos and description.
• For anything electrical, ask to see it switched on and working. Bring batteries, a cable or a disc to test with if that helps.
• Look for damage, missing parts, stains or smells that weren't mentioned.
• For valuable items such as bikes, phones or tools, ask where it came from. A seller who can't or won't say, or a price far below what similar items go for, can be a sign it's stolen.

If it isn't as described

1. Don't share your collection code, and don't let the seller enter it.
2. Ask the seller to cancel the order. If they agree, or you request the cancellation in Purchases, eBay refunds your original payment method, usually within 3 to 5 business days.
3. If the seller won't cancel and the item isn't as described, choose "Return this item" in Purchases.

Sending someone else to collect

eBay's Money Back Guarantee doesn't cover items that someone else collects on your behalf, or collections by a courier you've arranged yourself. If it matters, go yourself.

If you think it was stolen

Citizens Advice says you shouldn't get into trouble if you didn't know an item was stolen when you bought it. Contact the police on 101 or take it to a police station, and don't keep it or give it back to the seller yourself. You're entitled to a refund from the seller. In an emergency, call 999.