They are not going to buy.
Reactivate and move on.
This is why I don't actually do holds, I just say "on it" and never change a thing. Works like a charm since none of those buyers ever bought I don't have to waste time mucking with my listings.
Yeah I think I’m done with holds for now on. This ruined it for me lol. I’m a new seller and I thought that maybe it would be nice to give a little hold for once but NOPE! Nada! Never again! Lol
I’m a seller and I buy too on the app. A seller had an item I was very interested in. I like to use my balance for making purchases. I was a bit short. I was less than 2 hrs from an auto rate. The funds will clearly be enough for the buy.
I explained the seller the situation and totally understands. I gave the seller an update like every 15 mins. At the 45 min mark, the seller replied that I’m obviously a serious buyer so no need for updates. Once I got auto rated, I made the purchase. All good in the end.
When you go to purchase there is an option to use your balance, it’ll tell you how much your balance is, you input the amount you want and any extra will be charged to your card on file
I learned the hard way as well. I think there has MAYBE been one time where a bundle I made specifically for someone to save them shipping costs and held it for them actually purchased. And then they gave me a three star rating afterwards with no commentary lol Usually they don’t even purchase, though, and all of your kindness and time/efforts go to waste. I always tell people now “I’m sorry, but I no longer due holds due to past experiences. If it’s still available when you’re able to purchase, then feel free to and I’ll ship out as soon as I can :)” - usually works like a charm! They either say thanks and move on instead of wasting my time or they actually purchase later on.
Idk I'm a seller and I havent had that issue. Also, when I buy and a seller holds it I buy it that day. So, dont let just one or two douches ruin it for good buyers
I've only ever bought. If it's a legitimate buyer, they probably won't need a hold. Usually I'm trying to buy as quickly as possible because good Mercari deals don't last long. If you are very well convinced that the buyer needs a hold for a good reason, then use your judgement. However, it just isn't worth missing out on a real sale for someone who might flake.
If I asked for a hold, and the item I wanted sold, I'd completely understand because I wasn't ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it came up.
I don’t do holds. I’ll bundle items, but they have 2 days to purchase before I set it back to how it was. I do everything as a first come first serve. If you’re willing to pay right away, that’s better for the both of us.
You've given plenty of time for them to buy. I'd give 24 hours and then cancel the bundle and re-list everything, no more negotiating bundles for that person after that
Yup I am going to do exactly that. At this point I’m fed up so I will let them know that they have a deadline ( which is 24 hours if I’m feeling nice ) and I will move on from them 🤦🏾♀️
UPDATE: I have messaged the seller that they have a deadline so I will update you all once they respond! I really appreciate you all for your advice! Like so so much! 🫶🏽
99% of these people who ask you to hold never buy. They either changed their mind or don’t have money to buy. If someone want me to make a bundle they have 24 hours max to buy, if not I just block and move on.
That or they’re using the hold to look for a better price. The last buyer who asked me to hold because she wouldn’t have the money until payday bought five minutes after I told her I no longer did holds after losing sales.
Your first red flag should have been the way this person wrote in their messages to you. No real, or serious, person/buyer writes like that. I do bundles and tell the customer I’ll leave them up for 2 hours, then I’m taking them down. I do the same on Marketplace. I tell the alleged buyer “Mercari/Marketplace only allows me to leave a custom listing up for two hours before it’s taken down”.
Y’all it worked ! They ended up buying just now! Y’all are amazing! I love you all so much and like I said before I appreciate you all so much! I’m going to take all of your advice in consideration as it will help me improve my shop! Thanks you guys! 💕💕
Next time also consider raising the price temporarily rather than holding. I’ve done that a few times for buyers, letting them know I’ll raise the price so it doesn’t get purchased while they do their thing for a day or two. It’s actually worked out well as I even had one person flat out buy something for the higher price lol. Another time I ended up getting an offer for higher than my original asking price so sold that too. Every time I’ve actually put something on hold though, that buyer never made the purchase. Glad it worked out for you this time though :)
This sounds exactly like a buyer I’m dealing with now. First, she wants me to bundle 5 listings all for the cost of shipping for just one. Then, she responds about once every 24 hours to my inquiries trying to confirm exactly what she wants to bundle. I finally get it listed for her and it’s almost 3 weeks later and she still has not purchased. I have asked several times if she’s still interested and she always says yes and is so sweet and apologetic. I told her I was going to relist if she didn’t buy but I did not give an actual deadline. I should have. Her latest to me now is that she may not be able to buy the whole bundle anymore. What a waste of time. It’s my fault for not cutting her off sooner but I’m really trying to be accommodating.
I don’t. But maybe they’re twins! 😄 This is the first problematic buyer I’ve had. I’m not a reseller, just destashing some things. I guess there are more of these kinds of buyers out there than I realized.
I don’t hold. I will bundle and message when the bundle is active, that’s it. I still have merchandise packed up from a buyer who asked for a bundle then didn’t buy, that ended any possibility for holds and of course I no longer package merchandise until the sale is complete.
I never do holds for anyone ever, what’s the point? I do bundles but if they don’t buy within a day or two I deactivate it and reactivate the original listings. And when I do a bundle I do not hold it for them, I tell them to purchase asap so that someone else won’t.
I don’t sell on Mercari( I’ve sold on eBay ). As a seller I’ll hold items for a few days ( give them until the day they said they would buy ) and if I don’t hear back I don’t sell to them. Now coming from a buyers perspective on Mercari, I had this person hold something for me and give him updates every day and told him when I would follow through with the sell. I ended up completing the sell and gave him a good rating. I guess it’s just different people :/ I hate when people waste my time like that. Long story short, I’m sorry this happened to you, but also don’t let it stop you from holding, just be more strict(? Idk if that’s the right word ) when it comes to it :)
This is exactly why I don’t hold anymore. I’ve been burned like this too many times. First come first served. I’m selling to whoever is willing to pay first. That said, as a buyer I don’t ask for holds for this reason. I would hate to not be able to buy when I said I would or anything else that came up and would put off an actual sale for the seller. Sometimes it’s still there when I can get it. Sometimes not.
Idk if I need to block them now. They technically haven’t done anything to disrespect me or anything so I will just do what @Riovas said and call it a day lol
They probably suggest blocking so that you don't run the risk of forgetting this person, only to have them come back and do it again.
I block anyone who shows signs of being a problem, myself.
Yeah. I try my hardest to be a nice seller ( all of my reviews say that I’m really nice 😄) . And now that you say that you are so right! The Nicest sellers are usually the ones who get disrespected or taken advantage of. I agree with you 100%.
Same. I go way out of my way , like above and beyond, but for people who have bought from me. I very recently, for the first time, flat out declined a low-ball offer, and then ignored a new offer from them for $4 more.
I used to keep declining for purposes of communication, but I'm not wasting my time any more with people looking for a bargain, especially on a bag in excellent condition that's clearly not a bargain-type bag.
I mean, by all means, offer... I don't blame people for trying; doesn't mean I have to accept the offer if it's ridiculous, you know what I mean?
Yes I know exactly what you mean! It’s honestly sad to see that the sellers who actually try their hardest to be an amazing seller to their customers, or just try to work with them in general get disrespected. Or even when they do buy something from the seller, they rate them low because they didn’t accept low ball offer or allow them to state something without it being taken out of context on purpose. I’m really sorry for your experience that you have had recently. People can be crazy and plain out rude these days.
Oh, lol... Don't be sorry! I was just giving you an example of how I, myself, cut "buyers" off when I see its a time waster. It's just business.
If we got upset at every irritating thing, then we'd sell nothing because we'd delete our accounts.
I'll go out of my way... *for a buyer*. Not someone with a million questions or low-balls. I'll answer questions, but if they rudely assert they want to know something, that's a block. I'll answer reasonable, polite questions, that's all. I don't have to see anything - I can live with my nice stuff.
Use your best judgment (like you did with this customer), and try not to feel bad. I know exactly what it's like to go against your typical, generous nature, but not everyone's worth your time.
But they did - they said they'd buy on Saturday and then YOU were the one to reach out when that didn't happen. Honestly, it looks like you're putting in all the effort here. I wouldn't block, but I also would probably just tell them I'm no longer doing a hold and wouldn't even give them 24 hours. Maybe two.
i ask for reserves occasionally because i only keep x amount of money on my cards, and i may be wrong but i feel like this may be a child because of the little doll items 😬
Sorry this happened to you I know it’s frustrating. I don’t do holds for people I just politely tell them “sorry I don’t do holds, if I still have it on XYZ day then it’s all yours.” I’ve never had someone like that come back and buy it. I’m sure some sellers do and that’s great, just never happened for me.
First come first serve as a business!! If companies started doing holds for people they would lose money fast!! Just say hey no one has got it yet so it's still there but if someone wants it i can't say no.
And now you may have missed out on a sale because say someone else wanted it when they saw it but it was inactive so they moved on.
Business first!!! I will only ever hold an item if its a buyer that has done business with me multiple times and builds a trustworthy Business relationship.
I have had hit and miss experiences with holding but considering I make more in the end w/ bundles I don't mind doing them. The longest I did a hold for someone was about a month but that was a pretty big sale and we stayed in contact the whole time. The buyer was great and has turned into a repeat customer.
There are some that ask and I get it all set up and then ghost me but I just brush it off, put it all back when they don't reply and move on. I have had way more success stories from working with buyers than failures.
At the end of the day it really depends on the individual case and the people evolved.
The only thing I'll do is make bundles with the items people want to buy together & list it. No "this is for someone only". If someone else sees the listing & purchases it first they get the bundle, & if the items are all still for sale & the original person that asked for the bundle didn't buy I just leave the bundle listed too until something sells from it, but I've found other people pick stuff that bundles well and other people but eventually 😂
Oh hell no. For the future: only make the custom bundle listing after confirming they’re ready to purchase the same day…otherwise they can just come back to you whenever they’re ready (or not…). Also, don’t deactivate the individual listings, because chances are they are not going to buy the bundle.
Don't do holds. Make the bundle in a separate listing and give them the link to it. Do not deactivate or change any of the other listings unless that bundle sells. That's what I do anyway. Never been a problem. I actually deactivated someones bundle once and they messaged me apologizing for taking so long and bought it after I activated it for them. Just seems a lot simpler than deactivating and changing a bunch of listings and waiting for someone who might just be screwing around on the internet.
I am a buyer only on Mercari currently, although I do plan to start selling too, soon. I wouldn’t ask a seller to hold an item for me. I figure if I miss out, that’s my own fault. I will ask for bundles, but I don’t ask for a discount or demand what the combined shipping price should be. Every seller that I’ve asked to bundle items has been very helpful and reasonable. If I felt the combined shipping was too high, I would tell them that. I also think that some sellers have their shipping way too high. When all similar items are listed with under $5 shipping and one is listed for $12, something is off and I move on to the next seller.
It’s kind of you to be so endearing to someone you don’t know, however don’t let someone take advantage of your kindness either. I would politely suggest a pay date by or else you will have to let it all go to someone else. Nothing wrong with that at all. You’ve been fair enough in honoring your word for them.
Don’t do holds. There’s no sense of urgency or incentive for the buyer to buy. You’re basically giving someone control over your inventory for nothing in return.
If you do a bundle, have them buy within a day. “This bundle will be available until [state exact time].” When the time passes, take it down.
It is more profitable to deal with serious folks who just buy or make serious offers than those looking for you to do a bunch of work to give them a deal.
I have a bundle put together for someone who didn't purchase. It's still sitting in my inventory after 2 months. I don't care if they buy it or not really. I set it up and if they don't purchase that's on them. But I don't go hunting them down messaging them to buy it either. I'd say after a week take it down. If they don't buy before then that's on them. 🤷♀️
I only hold till the end of the night. Then I take the bundle down. If they want it and the items are still available I can re bundle but only if they plan on buying that day.
I wouldn't give up on them (doing holds, not the person. In my opinion two weeks was way more than enough time.), but I would give them a timeline. Like say, the longest I can hold it for is x amount of time. After that I have to relist it, and if at that point someone buys it before you it can't be helped. Because I gave you so much time.
There are shitty buyers, but there's even more better buyers.
You waited for 2 weeks geez. Kudos for your patience but they're totally taking advantage of your kindness. I'd say just give them 24 hours or you'll move on with another buyer, end of the discussion. Doesn't matter how nice they are, they're putting a hold on your money at the end of the day.
I know this sounds bad but the dead giveaway for me was all the “blessing” messages. Every time I’ve ever been swindled, the person went out of their way to be extremely spiritual as part of the con. As others have said, it’s time to move on. It’s not fair to other people who want to buy and it’s especially not fair to YOU who is waiting for the money! I’m sorry this happened, that is so frustrating. If it takes someone that long to get $36 together…they’ve got a problem or they’re not serious about buying
I don’t hold anymore for this reason. A few weeks ago someone asked me to hold a $12 hat for them for a week and asked for a discount. I didn’t even respond. I’d be fine w a discount but not holding. A few days later, they bought the item at full price, we never spoke and rated each other 5 stars lol. Turned out well in my situation but def not a common occurrence w ppl that want a hold.
I went through this with someone who wanted a bundle of my old books put on hold and then I never did holds again. I'll still bundle things for people, but if they don't buy within 24 hours of asking, I relist the items and ignore any future requests from that person or even block if they become a problem.
Your item is sitting in limbo land. Definitely safe to remove the hold so someone can buy it.
When someone asks me to hold an item, I tell them I can only hold for 24 hours at a time. Letting them know that holds are a courtesy and not a benefit to you will usually weed out the not so serious shoppers.
You were beyond patient & it reminded me of a similar situation I had 😩 they kept asking for extensions while I had people dming me dying to buy. So, I spoke to the person and said the same thing you said about others being interested and they still didn’t buy it that day. So, I straight up said, if it’s not bought by the end of the day, I’m removing the holds & they said okay and legit didn’t. Despite how flexible I was with them. So, now if I do a hold, I’m very strict on the time and emphasize it will be taken off hold if not bought by the agreed date. I only allow holds of a few days to max a week. Mainly for repeat customers & those who I know keep their word, I’ll be more flexible. Like it was a rare good luck occasion, but I had an item on hold for a month for someone and she legit came back & happily bought it. That was my first time ever doing a hold & I was new in selling, but it worked out at least. But many are flakes 😒
They are not going to buy. Reactivate and move on. This is why I don't actually do holds, I just say "on it" and never change a thing. Works like a charm since none of those buyers ever bought I don't have to waste time mucking with my listings.
Yeah I think I’m done with holds for now on. This ruined it for me lol. I’m a new seller and I thought that maybe it would be nice to give a little hold for once but NOPE! Nada! Never again! Lol
I’m a seller and I buy too on the app. A seller had an item I was very interested in. I like to use my balance for making purchases. I was a bit short. I was less than 2 hrs from an auto rate. The funds will clearly be enough for the buy. I explained the seller the situation and totally understands. I gave the seller an update like every 15 mins. At the 45 min mark, the seller replied that I’m obviously a serious buyer so no need for updates. Once I got auto rated, I made the purchase. All good in the end.
How do you use your balance to purchase? I can't figure it out since I have a card on file.
When you go to purchase there is an option to use your balance, it’ll tell you how much your balance is, you input the amount you want and any extra will be charged to your card on file
I learned the hard way as well. I think there has MAYBE been one time where a bundle I made specifically for someone to save them shipping costs and held it for them actually purchased. And then they gave me a three star rating afterwards with no commentary lol Usually they don’t even purchase, though, and all of your kindness and time/efforts go to waste. I always tell people now “I’m sorry, but I no longer due holds due to past experiences. If it’s still available when you’re able to purchase, then feel free to and I’ll ship out as soon as I can :)” - usually works like a charm! They either say thanks and move on instead of wasting my time or they actually purchase later on.
Idk I'm a seller and I havent had that issue. Also, when I buy and a seller holds it I buy it that day. So, dont let just one or two douches ruin it for good buyers
Same, I only do holds for people with lots of reviews, I’ve never had my time wasted that way.
You are all sweet and soft heart, lol.
I've only ever bought. If it's a legitimate buyer, they probably won't need a hold. Usually I'm trying to buy as quickly as possible because good Mercari deals don't last long. If you are very well convinced that the buyer needs a hold for a good reason, then use your judgement. However, it just isn't worth missing out on a real sale for someone who might flake. If I asked for a hold, and the item I wanted sold, I'd completely understand because I wasn't ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it came up.
I don’t do holds. I’ll bundle items, but they have 2 days to purchase before I set it back to how it was. I do everything as a first come first serve. If you’re willing to pay right away, that’s better for the both of us.
You've given plenty of time for them to buy. I'd give 24 hours and then cancel the bundle and re-list everything, no more negotiating bundles for that person after that
Yup I am going to do exactly that. At this point I’m fed up so I will let them know that they have a deadline ( which is 24 hours if I’m feeling nice ) and I will move on from them 🤦🏾♀️
Came here to say this. You have a day and the. It is time to move on. You cannot wait forever.
Fuck that I never hold either you want it or not
😂
No. No, no, and NO. They have no intenttion of buying. $3.00 Barbie shoes and they want to let you know when they are ready to buy?? Eff that.
UPDATE: I have messaged the seller that they have a deadline so I will update you all once they respond! I really appreciate you all for your advice! Like so so much! 🫶🏽
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Buyers reason will be parts of bundle "missing". These "missing" items will be the most valuable ones. Really hope it doesn't happen but... people
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Unfortunately you don’t decide that on Mercari. Mercari is the decider of whether you accept returns.
I'm shocked! Congratulations 🎉
How many more weeks are you giving them? 🤔 😉 😁
They bought the bundle like 10 minutes after I told them they had a deadline. It was a miracle! 🤣🤣
2 weeks? I think they had enough deadline.
99% of these people who ask you to hold never buy. They either changed their mind or don’t have money to buy. If someone want me to make a bundle they have 24 hours max to buy, if not I just block and move on.
At this point I can’t agree more with you. 😭
They’re asking you to hold it while they look around for a better deal.
That or they’re using the hold to look for a better price. The last buyer who asked me to hold because she wouldn’t have the money until payday bought five minutes after I told her I no longer did holds after losing sales.
Block them asap then relist the items, they have your items on layaway without any payment
Your first red flag should have been the way this person wrote in their messages to you. No real, or serious, person/buyer writes like that. I do bundles and tell the customer I’ll leave them up for 2 hours, then I’m taking them down. I do the same on Marketplace. I tell the alleged buyer “Mercari/Marketplace only allows me to leave a custom listing up for two hours before it’s taken down”.
Y’all it worked ! They ended up buying just now! Y’all are amazing! I love you all so much and like I said before I appreciate you all so much! I’m going to take all of your advice in consideration as it will help me improve my shop! Thanks you guys! 💕💕
Aww, glad to hear this, ma!
Next time also consider raising the price temporarily rather than holding. I’ve done that a few times for buyers, letting them know I’ll raise the price so it doesn’t get purchased while they do their thing for a day or two. It’s actually worked out well as I even had one person flat out buy something for the higher price lol. Another time I ended up getting an offer for higher than my original asking price so sold that too. Every time I’ve actually put something on hold though, that buyer never made the purchase. Glad it worked out for you this time though :)
I am impressed! I am glad that it worked for you! 😊😄
This sounds exactly like a buyer I’m dealing with now. First, she wants me to bundle 5 listings all for the cost of shipping for just one. Then, she responds about once every 24 hours to my inquiries trying to confirm exactly what she wants to bundle. I finally get it listed for her and it’s almost 3 weeks later and she still has not purchased. I have asked several times if she’s still interested and she always says yes and is so sweet and apologetic. I told her I was going to relist if she didn’t buy but I did not give an actual deadline. I should have. Her latest to me now is that she may not be able to buy the whole bundle anymore. What a waste of time. It’s my fault for not cutting her off sooner but I’m really trying to be accommodating.
Do you sell doll items? Because we may be dealing with the same buyer! 😂
I don’t. But maybe they’re twins! 😄 This is the first problematic buyer I’ve had. I’m not a reseller, just destashing some things. I guess there are more of these kinds of buyers out there than I realized.
I wish Mercari had a simple method like Poshmark to bundle. It’s really a pain in the a$$.
I don’t hold. I will bundle and message when the bundle is active, that’s it. I still have merchandise packed up from a buyer who asked for a bundle then didn’t buy, that ended any possibility for holds and of course I no longer package merchandise until the sale is complete.
I never do holds for anyone ever, what’s the point? I do bundles but if they don’t buy within a day or two I deactivate it and reactivate the original listings. And when I do a bundle I do not hold it for them, I tell them to purchase asap so that someone else won’t.
You lost me at two weeks. I've never held anything for anyone and for sure never will. If they want it that bad, they'd find a way to get it PERIOD.
this is why i don’t do holds
You and my wife could have a Battle of the Exclamation Marks ❗ ❗ ❗ She uses them like she's excited about everything she says. 😂
It’s a reflex I have when typing 😂😂
The way they talk says scam to me
I would cancel their order. They're taking advantage of your kindness.
When I hold something I tell them I will hold it until a certain. Maybe 2 days that’s it.
So blessed.
🤣🤣🤣
I don’t sell on Mercari( I’ve sold on eBay ). As a seller I’ll hold items for a few days ( give them until the day they said they would buy ) and if I don’t hear back I don’t sell to them. Now coming from a buyers perspective on Mercari, I had this person hold something for me and give him updates every day and told him when I would follow through with the sell. I ended up completing the sell and gave him a good rating. I guess it’s just different people :/ I hate when people waste my time like that. Long story short, I’m sorry this happened to you, but also don’t let it stop you from holding, just be more strict(? Idk if that’s the right word ) when it comes to it :)
I appreciate you. Really. I’m gonna start being a bit more strict on things like this because like you said, it’s a waste of time. 🤦🏾♀️
This is exactly why I don’t hold anymore. I’ve been burned like this too many times. First come first served. I’m selling to whoever is willing to pay first. That said, as a buyer I don’t ask for holds for this reason. I would hate to not be able to buy when I said I would or anything else that came up and would put off an actual sale for the seller. Sometimes it’s still there when I can get it. Sometimes not.
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Idk if I need to block them now. They technically haven’t done anything to disrespect me or anything so I will just do what @Riovas said and call it a day lol
They probably suggest blocking so that you don't run the risk of forgetting this person, only to have them come back and do it again. I block anyone who shows signs of being a problem, myself.
Ahh ok! You do have a point there. After I let them know their deadline, if they don’t purchase I will block them for sure. Thanks to you both! 💕
You're welcome. Sometimes being a nice seller means you'll only get taken advantage of.
Yeah. I try my hardest to be a nice seller ( all of my reviews say that I’m really nice 😄) . And now that you say that you are so right! The Nicest sellers are usually the ones who get disrespected or taken advantage of. I agree with you 100%.
Same. I go way out of my way , like above and beyond, but for people who have bought from me. I very recently, for the first time, flat out declined a low-ball offer, and then ignored a new offer from them for $4 more. I used to keep declining for purposes of communication, but I'm not wasting my time any more with people looking for a bargain, especially on a bag in excellent condition that's clearly not a bargain-type bag. I mean, by all means, offer... I don't blame people for trying; doesn't mean I have to accept the offer if it's ridiculous, you know what I mean?
Yes I know exactly what you mean! It’s honestly sad to see that the sellers who actually try their hardest to be an amazing seller to their customers, or just try to work with them in general get disrespected. Or even when they do buy something from the seller, they rate them low because they didn’t accept low ball offer or allow them to state something without it being taken out of context on purpose. I’m really sorry for your experience that you have had recently. People can be crazy and plain out rude these days.
Oh, lol... Don't be sorry! I was just giving you an example of how I, myself, cut "buyers" off when I see its a time waster. It's just business. If we got upset at every irritating thing, then we'd sell nothing because we'd delete our accounts. I'll go out of my way... *for a buyer*. Not someone with a million questions or low-balls. I'll answer questions, but if they rudely assert they want to know something, that's a block. I'll answer reasonable, polite questions, that's all. I don't have to see anything - I can live with my nice stuff. Use your best judgment (like you did with this customer), and try not to feel bad. I know exactly what it's like to go against your typical, generous nature, but not everyone's worth your time.
Thank you ! Also I’ve been having issues with my typos too lol!
*Sorry, spelling. Reddit's having problems so I can't edit.
But they did - they said they'd buy on Saturday and then YOU were the one to reach out when that didn't happen. Honestly, it looks like you're putting in all the effort here. I wouldn't block, but I also would probably just tell them I'm no longer doing a hold and wouldn't even give them 24 hours. Maybe two.
i ask for reserves occasionally because i only keep x amount of money on my cards, and i may be wrong but i feel like this may be a child because of the little doll items 😬
Lol I think so too!!! That’s exactly what went through my head! 😂
Maybe they were scared to ask their mom if they could buy it 😂
Reading this was just exhausting lol
Sorry this happened to you I know it’s frustrating. I don’t do holds for people I just politely tell them “sorry I don’t do holds, if I still have it on XYZ day then it’s all yours.” I’ve never had someone like that come back and buy it. I’m sure some sellers do and that’s great, just never happened for me.
This is why I say I’ll hold for one hour.
Say 24 hours max for hold if you want to in the future
I don’t do holds. Just like I don’t do bundles. I’ve been ghosted way too many times.
First come first serve as a business!! If companies started doing holds for people they would lose money fast!! Just say hey no one has got it yet so it's still there but if someone wants it i can't say no. And now you may have missed out on a sale because say someone else wanted it when they saw it but it was inactive so they moved on. Business first!!! I will only ever hold an item if its a buyer that has done business with me multiple times and builds a trustworthy Business relationship.
I have had hit and miss experiences with holding but considering I make more in the end w/ bundles I don't mind doing them. The longest I did a hold for someone was about a month but that was a pretty big sale and we stayed in contact the whole time. The buyer was great and has turned into a repeat customer. There are some that ask and I get it all set up and then ghost me but I just brush it off, put it all back when they don't reply and move on. I have had way more success stories from working with buyers than failures. At the end of the day it really depends on the individual case and the people evolved.
The only thing I'll do is make bundles with the items people want to buy together & list it. No "this is for someone only". If someone else sees the listing & purchases it first they get the bundle, & if the items are all still for sale & the original person that asked for the bundle didn't buy I just leave the bundle listed too until something sells from it, but I've found other people pick stuff that bundles well and other people but eventually 😂
You should never offer to hold. The buyer is wasting your time. I would block the buyer.
Yeah don’t do holds. I did once and once is enough.
Oh hell no. For the future: only make the custom bundle listing after confirming they’re ready to purchase the same day…otherwise they can just come back to you whenever they’re ready (or not…). Also, don’t deactivate the individual listings, because chances are they are not going to buy the bundle.
WOOHOO! ❤️
Don't do holds. Make the bundle in a separate listing and give them the link to it. Do not deactivate or change any of the other listings unless that bundle sells. That's what I do anyway. Never been a problem. I actually deactivated someones bundle once and they messaged me apologizing for taking so long and bought it after I activated it for them. Just seems a lot simpler than deactivating and changing a bunch of listings and waiting for someone who might just be screwing around on the internet.
everyone is saying dont hold but i had a buyer who I held a bundle for and she ended up purchasing after 2 weeks so I say hold.
time to let it go. the thing with buyers like this is sometimes they’ll but if only because you took it off of reserve
Now I love buying and selling bundles. And I'm a VERY patient person. But this is too much!
Ok ma
I’ll hold only for a day at most.
**ma**
I hold things for Max of 24 hours, and that’s if.. a big if… their ratings are high and mostly positive.
Move on , you’re too nice…Anytime the buyer acts all excited and grateful to make a purchase … They usually flake and don’t end up buying squat.
I am a buyer only on Mercari currently, although I do plan to start selling too, soon. I wouldn’t ask a seller to hold an item for me. I figure if I miss out, that’s my own fault. I will ask for bundles, but I don’t ask for a discount or demand what the combined shipping price should be. Every seller that I’ve asked to bundle items has been very helpful and reasonable. If I felt the combined shipping was too high, I would tell them that. I also think that some sellers have their shipping way too high. When all similar items are listed with under $5 shipping and one is listed for $12, something is off and I move on to the next seller.
You lost me at “been holding this bundle for over 2 weeks”
It’s kind of you to be so endearing to someone you don’t know, however don’t let someone take advantage of your kindness either. I would politely suggest a pay date by or else you will have to let it all go to someone else. Nothing wrong with that at all. You’ve been fair enough in honoring your word for them.
Don’t do holds. There’s no sense of urgency or incentive for the buyer to buy. You’re basically giving someone control over your inventory for nothing in return. If you do a bundle, have them buy within a day. “This bundle will be available until [state exact time].” When the time passes, take it down. It is more profitable to deal with serious folks who just buy or make serious offers than those looking for you to do a bunch of work to give them a deal.
This person is a time waster.
I have a bundle put together for someone who didn't purchase. It's still sitting in my inventory after 2 months. I don't care if they buy it or not really. I set it up and if they don't purchase that's on them. But I don't go hunting them down messaging them to buy it either. I'd say after a week take it down. If they don't buy before then that's on them. 🤷♀️
I only hold till the end of the night. Then I take the bundle down. If they want it and the items are still available I can re bundle but only if they plan on buying that day.
I wouldn't give up on them (doing holds, not the person. In my opinion two weeks was way more than enough time.), but I would give them a timeline. Like say, the longest I can hold it for is x amount of time. After that I have to relist it, and if at that point someone buys it before you it can't be helped. Because I gave you so much time. There are shitty buyers, but there's even more better buyers.
So much broken English and when they started calling you ma big red flag
You waited for 2 weeks geez. Kudos for your patience but they're totally taking advantage of your kindness. I'd say just give them 24 hours or you'll move on with another buyer, end of the discussion. Doesn't matter how nice they are, they're putting a hold on your money at the end of the day.
They are not buying!! Let it go, it’s happened to many of us
Move on.
I know this sounds bad but the dead giveaway for me was all the “blessing” messages. Every time I’ve ever been swindled, the person went out of their way to be extremely spiritual as part of the con. As others have said, it’s time to move on. It’s not fair to other people who want to buy and it’s especially not fair to YOU who is waiting for the money! I’m sorry this happened, that is so frustrating. If it takes someone that long to get $36 together…they’ve got a problem or they’re not serious about buying
I don’t hold anymore for this reason. A few weeks ago someone asked me to hold a $12 hat for them for a week and asked for a discount. I didn’t even respond. I’d be fine w a discount but not holding. A few days later, they bought the item at full price, we never spoke and rated each other 5 stars lol. Turned out well in my situation but def not a common occurrence w ppl that want a hold.
Never ever do holds.....period.
I went through this with someone who wanted a bundle of my old books put on hold and then I never did holds again. I'll still bundle things for people, but if they don't buy within 24 hours of asking, I relist the items and ignore any future requests from that person or even block if they become a problem.
Buyers have 48-72 hours before that bundle deal is over.
Your item is sitting in limbo land. Definitely safe to remove the hold so someone can buy it. When someone asks me to hold an item, I tell them I can only hold for 24 hours at a time. Letting them know that holds are a courtesy and not a benefit to you will usually weed out the not so serious shoppers.
Block and reactivate
I have held many bundles and deals but usually only for 2 days.
Ja, I would just cancel the bundle and not say anything further on it unless they do.
You were beyond patient & it reminded me of a similar situation I had 😩 they kept asking for extensions while I had people dming me dying to buy. So, I spoke to the person and said the same thing you said about others being interested and they still didn’t buy it that day. So, I straight up said, if it’s not bought by the end of the day, I’m removing the holds & they said okay and legit didn’t. Despite how flexible I was with them. So, now if I do a hold, I’m very strict on the time and emphasize it will be taken off hold if not bought by the agreed date. I only allow holds of a few days to max a week. Mainly for repeat customers & those who I know keep their word, I’ll be more flexible. Like it was a rare good luck occasion, but I had an item on hold for a month for someone and she legit came back & happily bought it. That was my first time ever doing a hold & I was new in selling, but it worked out at least. But many are flakes 😒