diff --git a/lib/libalpm/alpm.h b/lib/libalpm/alpm.h
index 96e5e643..f72d61a9 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/alpm.h
+++ b/lib/libalpm/alpm.h
@@ -308,6 +308,8 @@ typedef enum _alpm_errno_t {
 	/** Files conflict */
 	ALPM_ERR_FILE_CONFLICTS,
 	/* Misc */
+	/** Download setup failed */
+	ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE_PREPARE,
 	/** Download failed */
 	ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE,
 	/** Invalid Regex */
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/be_sync.c b/lib/libalpm/be_sync.c
index 648a8bd6..c8ce52f0 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/be_sync.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/be_sync.c
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ int SYMEXPORT alpm_db_update(alpm_handle_t *handle, alpm_list_t *dbs, int force)
 
 	syncpath = get_sync_dir(handle);
 	ASSERT(syncpath != NULL, return -1);
-	temporary_syncpath = _alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(syncpath, handle->sandboxuser);
+	temporary_syncpath = _alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(handle, syncpath);
 	ASSERT(temporary_syncpath != NULL, FREE(syncpath); return -1);
 
 	/* make sure we have a sane umask */
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/dload.c b/lib/libalpm/dload.c
index c35faee1..1be36ce7 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/dload.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/dload.c
@@ -1329,7 +1329,7 @@ int SYMEXPORT alpm_fetch_pkgurl(alpm_handle_t *handle, const alpm_list_t *urls,
 
 	/* find a valid cache dir to download to */
 	cachedir = _alpm_filecache_setup(handle);
-	temporary_cachedir = _alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(cachedir, handle->sandboxuser);
+	temporary_cachedir = _alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(handle, cachedir);
 	ASSERT(temporary_cachedir != NULL, return -1);
 
 	for(i = urls; i; i = i->next) {
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/error.c b/lib/libalpm/error.c
index 58842eac..ca97d884 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/error.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/error.c
@@ -138,6 +138,8 @@ const char SYMEXPORT *alpm_strerror(alpm_errno_t err)
 		case ALPM_ERR_FILE_CONFLICTS:
 			return _("conflicting files");
 		/* Miscellaneous */
+		case ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE_PREPARE:
+			return _("failed to initialize download");
 		case ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE:
 			return _("failed to retrieve some files");
 		case ALPM_ERR_INVALID_REGEX:
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/sync.c b/lib/libalpm/sync.c
index 087c48de..afbf7bfe 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/sync.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/sync.c
@@ -780,7 +780,7 @@ static int download_files(alpm_handle_t *handle)
 	alpm_list_t *payloads = NULL;
 
 	cachedir = _alpm_filecache_setup(handle);
-	temporary_cachedir = _alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(cachedir, handle->sandboxuser);
+	temporary_cachedir = _alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(handle, cachedir);
 	if(temporary_cachedir == NULL) {
 		ret = -1;
 		goto finish;
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/util.c b/lib/libalpm/util.c
index 7877b17a..6d486d4c 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/util.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/util.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <dirent.h>
@@ -949,32 +950,53 @@ const char *_alpm_filecache_setup(alpm_handle_t *handle)
 /** Create a temporary directory under the supplied directory.
  * The new directory is writable by the download user, and will be
  * removed after the download operation has completed.
+ * @param handle an alpm handle
  * @param dir existing sync or cache directory
- * @param user download user name
  * @return pointer to a sub-directory writable by the download user inside the existing directory.
  */
-char *_alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(const char *dir, const char *user)
+char *_alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(alpm_handle_t *handle, const char *dir)
 {
+	const char *user = handle->sandboxuser;
+	uid_t myuid = getuid();
 	struct passwd const *pw = NULL;
 
-	ASSERT(dir != NULL, return NULL);
-	if(user != NULL) {
-		ASSERT((pw = getpwnam(user)) != NULL, return NULL);
+	ASSERT(dir != NULL, RET_ERR(handle, ALPM_ERR_WRONG_ARGS, NULL));
+	if(myuid == 0 && user != NULL) {
+		errno = 0;
+		pw = getpwnam(user);
+
+		if(pw == NULL) {
+			if(errno == 0) {
+				_alpm_log(handle, ALPM_LOG_ERROR,
+						_("download user '%s' does not exist\n"), user);
+			} else {
+				_alpm_log(handle, ALPM_LOG_ERROR,
+						_("failed to get download user '%s': %s\n"),
+						user, strerror(errno));
+			}
+			RET_ERR(handle, ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE_PREPARE, NULL);
+		}
 	}
 
 	const char template[] = "download-XXXXXX";
 	size_t newdirlen = strlen(dir) + sizeof(template) + 1;
 	char *newdir = NULL;
-	MALLOC(newdir, newdirlen, return NULL);
+	MALLOC(newdir, newdirlen, RET_ERR(handle, ALPM_ERR_MEMORY, NULL));
 	snprintf(newdir, newdirlen - 1, "%s%s", dir, template);
 	if(mkdtemp(newdir) == NULL) {
+		_alpm_log(handle, ALPM_LOG_ERROR,
+				_("failed to create temporary download directory %s: %s\n"),
+				newdir, strerror(errno));
 		free(newdir);
-		return NULL;
+		RET_ERR(handle, ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE_PREPARE, NULL);
 	}
 	if(pw != NULL) {
 		if(chown(newdir, pw->pw_uid, pw->pw_gid) == -1) {
+			_alpm_log(handle, ALPM_LOG_ERROR,
+					_("failed to chown temporary download directory %s: %s\n"),
+					newdir, strerror(errno));
 			free(newdir);
-			return NULL;
+			RET_ERR(handle, ALPM_ERR_RETRIEVE_PREPARE, NULL);
 		}
 	}
 	newdir[newdirlen-2] = '/';
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/util.h b/lib/libalpm/util.h
index 5090c545..f58704fb 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/util.h
+++ b/lib/libalpm/util.h
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ char *_alpm_filecache_find(alpm_handle_t *handle, const char *filename);
 /* Checks whether a file exists in cache */
 int _alpm_filecache_exists(alpm_handle_t *handle, const char *filename);
 const char *_alpm_filecache_setup(alpm_handle_t *handle);
-char *_alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(const char *dir, const char *user);
+char *_alpm_temporary_download_dir_setup(alpm_handle_t *handle, const char *dir);
 void _alpm_remove_temporary_download_dir(const char *dir);
 
 /* Unlike many uses of alpm_pkgvalidation_t, _alpm_test_checksum expects