Marketplace pickups

A sofa listing moving from a seller to a Boxra collection van

eBay and Facebook Marketplace pickup guide

Confirm the item, seller window and access before you pay for delivery. Keep the seller payment separate.

Written by Boxra · Updated 2026-08-02 · 7 min read

You have found the item. The next job is making sure it can actually be collected.

A good marketplace pickup connects three plans: the seller, the driver and the delivery address.

Confirm the item before booking

Ask the seller for:

  • a recent photo
  • the exact quantity
  • width, height and depth
  • whether parts can be removed
  • whether the item is already dismantled
  • the collection floor
  • lift and parking details

Listing photos often hide scale. “Large sofa” is not enough information for a van or doorway decision.

Example: collecting a second-hand sofa

Imagine a customer buys a sofa that looks compact in the listing.

The seller later explains that it is a corner sofa in two sections. The pickup is upstairs. One section only fits down the stairs when the feet are removed. The seller can only meet between 6 pm and 7 pm.

Those details change the job:

  • there are two pieces, not one
  • dismantling status matters
  • access matters
  • the collection window is fixed
  • the delivery doorway must fit the largest section

Confirm all of this before paying for the delivery.

Keep seller and delivery payments separate

Pay the seller using the method agreed on the marketplace.

Pay Boxra for the collection in the Boxra app. The driver is collecting the item. The driver is not buying it for you and must not ask for cash or a bank transfer.

Agree the collection window

Do not book a driver before the seller confirms when the item will be ready.

Share a realistic window. Tell the seller that the item should be accessible, emptied and dismantled as agreed before the driver arrives.

Add the right booking notes

Useful notes include:

  • the seller's first name
  • the listing or collection reference
  • gate, reception or buzzer instructions
  • the agreed dismantling state
  • where the driver can stop

Do not place unnecessary payment information in the notes.

Check the delivery address too

The purchase may fit through the seller's door and still fail at yours.

Measure the main doorway, tight turns, stairs and lift. Decide where the item will be placed before it arrives. Clear the route through the property.

When the seller changes the item

A different item, extra pieces or an added stop changes the booked scope.

Update the booking before the job when possible. During the job, any extra cost must be handled through a Change Order in the app. The driver cannot create a new cash price at the door.

Book your pickup.

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