The buyer booked a van and did not show. What now?

What if the buyer booked a van and never came?

You stayed in for the handover. The buyer said they had booked a van, then never arrived. Keep the item. Do not hand it to someone else who turns up unpaid. Do not enter a PIN for a meeting that did not happen. Entering the PIN completes the order.

A message that only says "is this still available" is not a collection plan. Read how to sell furniture locally and the stairs and car measuring guide before you agree another time.

Who pays for the van the buyer booked?

The hire agreement is between the buyer and the hire company, if the buyer signed it. The marketplace order, if there is one, is about the item. It does not mention a van from a hire company, and it does not repay that invoice.

You do not owe that invoice for a van you did not book. Keep the item.

SilentSale® Terms: payment is processed through Stripe when the buyer confirms checkout (section 10A.2.1). Stripe holds the funds until the item is delivered or collected (section 10A.2.2). SilentSale® does not directly hold the funds (section 4.1.4). Funds are not released to the seller until pickup is completed (section 10A.2.4). After checkout the buyer is issued a 6-digit PIN (section 7.5.2). The buyer must inspect the item before handing that PIN to the seller (section 7.5.3). The seller enters it in the app (section 7.5.4). Entering the PIN is acceptance, the order is then complete, and no dispute window applies (sections 7.5.5, 7.5.6, 15.2.3 and 10A.7.3). Source

What happens to the order if the buyer does not attend?

On SilentSale®, PIN Pickup is the in-person handover. If the buyer does not attend within 48 hours, the order cancels automatically. The buyer gets the item price back. The seller does not receive the item price. The first recorded no-show is refunded in full. From an account’s second no-show, only the buyer’s SilentCover® contribution and any shipping cost are retained. The party who attended is refunded in full and is never penalised.

The buyer can cancel in the app before the PIN is entered, and is then refunded in full. None of that pays the van the buyer booked. Read how PIN Pickup works and selling locally without cash.

SilentSale® Terms section 15.6.1: if a buyer does not attend a scheduled PIN Pickup within 48 hours, the order is cancelled automatically. Section 7.7.1(b): the buyer is refunded the item price. The seller does not receive the item price. Section 15.6.2: the first recorded no-show is refunded in full. From that account’s second PIN Pickup no-show, only the buyer’s SilentCover® contribution and any shipping cost are retained. The party who attended is refunded in full and is never penalised. Section 7.7.2: if the seller does not attend within 48 hours, the buyer is refunded in full, including the item price. Source

SilentSale® Terms section 10A.5.3: a buyer may cancel a PIN Pickup order in the app until the acceptance PIN has been entered, and is then refunded in full. Section 10A.5.5: once the seller has entered the PIN, voluntary cancellation in the app is no longer available. Source

What if you were the buyer and the seller was out?

That is the other case. The hire company still charges the person who booked the van. On a SilentSale® PIN Pickup, if the seller does not attend within 48 hours, the buyer is refunded in full, including the item price. The seller does not receive the item price. That refund is the order, not the van.

Do not send a cash deposit to a new address to "keep the sofa". Compare the recorded handover with Facebook Marketplace.

Pay.UK says that once a Faster Payment has been sent it cannot be cancelled. Where money was sent by mistake, banks follow the Credit Payment Recovery process. Source