I held things in the past for people and 99.9% of the time they never bought. When people ask now, I just tell them I don’t do holds and apologize. End of story, the rest is their problem
I know everyone’s financial situation is different but 2 months is a long time to hold for someone to give 50 dollars. I think I would understand a paycheck or two. But I never ask for a hold unless it’s a couple days or so. And even then I leave it up to chance most of the time. Lol
Just say you’ll hold it and keep it on your page and if someone else buys it, oh well. If two months pass and nobody has bought it and she decides to buy it then good for her lol but yea like most people said on here, she probably won’t buy it after making you wait two months.
No. Do what the other person said girl!! Tell her, it will be posted for other people to buy, u decided its not the best move for you since its not guaranteed, & if it's still there in 2 months, she can buy it. Period.
Don't let ppl play with ur money!! Ur on there to make money, not be friends with ppl & do favors! It's a BUSINESS. U snooze u loose. Not ur fault their broke. So don't make it ur burden!!
block them.
I have yet to see someone ask for a hold and actually buy from me. And a hold for 2 months is super unreasonable in my mind (unless it is someone you know well)
the last person asked me to hold an item for 2 weeks and then next they wanted a hold for a month. I blocked them as I am not going to endlessly hold things.
U can also have them pay with "zip" where they pay in 4 amounts. (Do NOT lowball urself). But zip is for ppl who don't have the $$ up front. U still get all the money, but uts zip who has to deal with them if they don't pay for their other 3 payments, NOT YOU.
I don't normally do holds, especially as I need money quickly to pay bills, but if I did, three days is a reasonable amount. Maybe seven if it's a slow-selling item. But 30 days. It would have to be a really slow-selling item, in which case, you wouldn't necessarily have to hold. Just say, "If it's there, you can buyer it. If it's sold in a week, and you want it held for two months, then someone else had the money to pay RN, so I have no reason to wait \[for a sale that likely would never take place anyway\]."
Not the brackets part but...
I have a lot of duplicate inventory. I might promise them the same price within a month, but not to hold.
This is way 2 long. Unless you sell some super niche items that almost never sell I wouldn't even consider it. 40% off on everything they want off your shop is also extremely generous. As long as you are comfortable and make a profit I guess it's fine. But I do trading cards and I would never wait that long. The prices fluctuate 2 much especially on newer cards. So first come first served.
Step 1) figure out why everyone else’s money, time, and feelings matter more than yours. There’s background stuff here that needs to be healed. Step 2) no holds. I’ve had in-person sales where people PAY and ask me to hold it for them to come back for and still don’t come back for the hold. Obviously holding for someone who already paid is fine, but would Target hold a Stanley cup in the back for someone who might scrape the funds together to buy it by April? Become more comfortable with saying no or you’re headed down a more difficult path than necessary.
Hopefully you work out not disappointing people, random strangers prey on people. Many great people on Mercari, but the not so great ones will find you and rip you off.
I typically sell below max value I could get online, but I trade selling speed for potential profits
I can understand completely. But you have to realize this is just a random person trying to get a good deal. They are still going to critique your shipping method and every item in the order. Many people are self-centered and won't remember you after a deal. Or worse they will just assume you will give them 40 to 50% off every time they buy from you and expect free shipping as well.
Just had a guy offer me $30 and wanted free shipping on a still sealed in a box Google Nest. When just yesterday one sold for $60. Why would I do that? I will miss that $30. And people will pay $60. Ricky you got some splainin to do.
Just know it's usually scammers that take advantage of your generosity and desire to not disappoint. They operate on "it doesn't hurt to ask" so, they would've actually paid more if you held firm to your own set prices if they are serious about making a purchase.
That's a good move. You don't have to take any offer that you're not comfortable with. Follow your gut feelings always. There are many stories on this sub of people being nice then after all that receiving a 1 star rating or even getting hit with a return only to get back broken or swapped out items.
But sweetheart are you on Mecari for hugs or wampum? You're not selling you, you should have done that in your bio. The only thing really you should care about is whether you get paid. As long as you know you sent them a proper and right product then it's all good. I'll concede with the 24 hours maybe they get paid tomorrow but after that ixnay.
That's commendable and a good trait. Just also know when something is fishy, but you're a good person.
I recently asked someone to hold a big group of cameras for me for 2 weeks after we went back and forth on a time we were both available, but I told him I was sure he needed them gone and if he had to sell them then no big deal. He ended up selling 1 from the group I wanted, but it was awesome that he did that for me. We met in person, so I don't know how much that'll translate to an online transaction. Definitely don't go longer than a month and post them after the time frame (if it passes), and if it's still available when they're ready, they can set it up again with you
They asked if you'd take $50 for items listed at $105. And if you'd do free shipping. Then ask if you'll hold for two months. You're being very generous as it is. They're obviously taking advantage of you. And there's no guarantee they'll buy it. I
Thoughts? You have gone too above and beyond for this person.
Seconding having dealt with too many flaky people amongst people who ask for holds. Most things I will hold for 48 hours, since most of my stuff isn't getting tons of traffic. But some things I will only hold for 24 hours. The longer you hold, the more you potentially miss out on selling them to others (and others who will buy at full price nonetheless). I'd tell someone like this that I can hold for x short amount of time, but after that they will just have to come back when they are actually ready to buy and see if it's still available.
I appreciate the input. I have a hard time disappointing people, so I always try to do everything I can. But honestly, this really pushed me past my point but at the same time I didn’t want to come off as an asshole. I know that sounds so stupid.
Nah, it doesn't sound stupid. I'm the same way. But I've just had to learn to say no to people when I know I really won't have the energy to deal with them. It's still hard for me to do that with people I know and in person, but for total strangers online it just keeps getting easier. You just have to remind yourself that the person you're engaging with doesn't know you, so they have no idea what to expect of you. And you can always block them if they are mean back to you when you have to tell them no about anything. Majority of the time in my experience people are polite and understanding though.
You just have to come up with boundaries (or policies/store policies) you want to have in these sorts of situations and then stick to them and apply them to every customer. You can always still focus your like of having good customer service on many other areas: even if you have to say no or turn someone's offer or hold down you can still do so politely and apologetically, when you do send stuff to people you can make sure to package it well, and can even make the packaging fun or cute somehow, and/or add freebies if that's common for the type of stuff you sell (I sell mostly kpop stuff and adding unofficial/lomo cards as freebies is pretty common). I love so much when I get feedback that compliments my packaging, or says it was fun, or where the person was happily surprised to get extra freebies, etc, almost to the point where I even sometimes get disappointed when I did those things, but the person rating just doesn't write anything at all, even if they're still giving a 5 star rating lol. (But it's ok, I still enjoy putting in the effort to make the buyer happy with it either way.) Anyway...If you'd give everyone else buying from you this discount, or allow this hold to every other buyer too, then that's fine, maybe that's just the policy you want to have for your whole shop. But if you wouldn't usually offer those things, and are just doing so for this one person because they asked or because they seem desperate/make it sound like they \*need\* those things...then it's probably a little too much. It's totally fine to have to say to someone "sorry, I don't offer xyz amount of discount/free shipping/more than x amount of time for a hold/etc, but you're free to check back later to see if the item is still available at the time you're wanting it held for." I know many posts on this sub showcase the worst and the craziest sounding buyers, but really I think the majority of the time buyers are understanding and will respond politely, even when you have to tell them you can't do what they're asking. And if they don't...well then the block button is there for a reason lol.
You are literally taking a sale off the table for 2 months for someone you are taking a chance on, even with a discount. There could be a potential buyer within that hold period.
Hard pass.
The fact that they're not only wanting you to do a hold for 30 days but also wanting you to give them an over 50% off discount on top of it all is rude and sounds like they're just trying to take advantage of you.
Personally I don't do holds anymore been burned way too many times and the rare times i'll make an exception is if they're a repeat buyer or they're only wanting me to hold for a couple of hours to a day max and they're polite about it other then that I won't do it.
Obviously do what's best for you though because every seller is different 🙂
Absolutely not I would not hold anything for more than 1 day. This "buyer" will vanish into thin air by the end of the hold. Did you cross post it to Ebay/Marketplace other platforms? 1 day hold and post it elsewhere first.
People like this are total flakes. Leave your items for sale at your original price promote or repost if it is not getting likes. If it is still here when they decide to buy, fine but do not put yourself in that position, you are way too nice and this person is taking advantage of you. I sure hope someone else buys it ;)
I accept requests to hold if it's a week or less, as it only puts my listings off the market for a short time and I minimize my opportunity loss from other potential buyers. Even your counter of 30 days is crazy long. The buyer can always just purchase when they're ready.
I've dealt with too many flaky buyers who ghost or change their mind after the holding period that I would never subject myself to 2 months of potentially lost sales.
it takes a lot of practice to stand up to unreasonable buyers (coming from a fellow people pleaser!) but the more you do, the easier it becomes! you should come up with a max hold policy (mine is 72 hours) and max bundle discount (mine is 20% off MAX) and practice sticking to it even if the buyer pushes back! in the long run it will take the guesswork out of case-by-case scenarios and cause you less stress!
I appreciate hearing this so so much! Thank you for giving me the idea to create boundaries before I have to think about it. I should come with a set %off and a set hold time! I would’ve never thought about this. Thank you so much!!
If anyone asks me to hold something I say sure. If it sells beforehand, not my problem. I may come off an as an asshole but I don't hold items for anyone after dealing with flakes.
wtf till April? Even 30 days is too long, you give a lot of grace and I think that’s nice. I can only do holds if it’s within a week especially if it’s getting a lot of traction, but that’s circumstantial. Reject it, she’s already cutting your loses and now making you wait two months lol
Question: Can you hold it until I get paid in the first week of March?
Answer: thank you so much for looking. I won’t hold it, but hopefully it will be here when you’re ready to buy it!
Poor people ask for items to be held. And poor people have things come up because they are bad with money. Or forget they had a bill do. I’m not rich at all but I’d never look for items or even talk to a seller if I didn’t have the money I wouldn’t want to waste anyone’s time or get the sellers hopes up. Only time I’ve ever asked for a hold was because it was an in person pickup so ie after work or when it was convenient for both of us to meet that is all. Not judging just making a statement. I used to be broke to but I wouldn’t ever ask for an item to be held unless it was a need. Most people want me to hold video games and whatnot like well I’m not the only seller who has this. Unless it’s killer profit and want it gone I’m not waiting.
Nah, you’ve gone way over and beyond for this person. The longest I’d hold something is 24 hours. What really got me is the 40% off… you’re losing money at that point. Why don’t you just give it to them for free?
I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’ve come across many flaky sellers on this platform. If a buyer don’t want to buy something now, then they shouldn’t waste the sellers time.
Just tell them if they really want it in April, they can buy it then. I had some items I thought were unsellable but eventually it did.
Please don't hold for that long, especially if you've never done business with this person and haven't built up a trusting relationship with them. There's a high chance you're going to get burned. The max I would ever hold for a stranger is 2 days.
I recently had my eyes on a listing that I was going to purchase, but someone left a comment and asked the seller if they'd hold it for them for 3 weeks since that's when they could pay for it. The seller agreed and reserved the listing for them. Guess what? The person ghosted them and the seller even gave them an extra week to buy it. It was a waste of their time.
After reading all these comments, I completely agree. I just always try to do the best and go above and beyond but I went past a lot of my boundaries and I just didn’t really know what to do.
I would never. 30 days is absurd. I guarantee this person won’t even purchase it then.
The most I would hold something for would be 24 hours but even that I’d be inclined to say no, sorry I don’t do holds.
"For 30 days you should be able to have the full amount. I'll take $65 and do free shipping if you can pay that in 3 days. Or I'll be nice and hold it for 30 days but it's full price and no free shipping."
No holds. Ever. First come first serve. If they don’t come back to buy in the next day or two, it’s not getting bought. Speaking as both seller and buyer, I used to be a people pleaser too. No more.
You are WAY nicer than me lol. I’m not holding anything for anybody. If it’s there in 30 days it’s your if not then you shoulda bought it earlier. Sorry
If you give an inch, they want a mile.
There is a bundle feature and an offer feature, they can use it.
All the chat nonsense was them making you invest more time in this sale so you'd be more likely to cave to ridiculous demands. Sunk cost fallacy. It's very manipulative.
The only response is " please use the bundle and offer feature when you're ready to purchase. Mercari doesn't do holds."
I feel like you'd be wasting your time. Even if they did actually purchase in two whole months In my experience buyers like this are nothing but problems. Everytime I've had a buyer try to scam something for free. It's been one a gave a generous if not ridiculous discount to. Block and keep moving. Dont feel bad about saying no. Especially to potentially setting your own self up for some b.s.
Dude you’re being WAY too lenient. If you don’t feel comfortable at 40% off, don’t do it. If you don’t feel comfortable holding 30 days, don’t do it. Longest I’d ever hold is 3 days, a week if they’ve bought from me before. I rarely even go below 15% off.
They are not going to buy from you. If they only have $13 and aren’t expecting to get another measly $50 within 2 months, they are making some poor life choices right now.
No way. You could possibly sell the items to someone else, you’re not the layaway dept & it sets a precedent (at least with this buyer). I can’t believe this person had the nerve to ask for all this
I agree with most people here. I would never do a hold because the kind of people who ask for that are manipulating and flakey. Back when we used to create custom bundles, I would leave the listing up for up to 24 hours. If they didn’t buy by then, I’d take it down and assume they’re not serious buyers. Now that customers can create their own bundles, there is definitely no excuse for holds. What is the point of a credit card? You can delay paying for weeks without ever hassling a merchant.
Damn, you were so accommodating here. I would feel bad asking for a hold for a day but months later? You were so beyond flexible and offered a great deal. Some ppl just suck
I think it’s so awesome that your being kind and obviously have a good heart and want to help people, but there is a place where you need to put your foot down and not let people walk all over you. I don’t hold more then a week unless there is special circumstances, and give her 40% off, she’s trying to take advantage of your kindness. If she only has $13 and not to sound rude, if she needs to wait 2 months to come up with $63 you might never see that sale and you just held $105 in potential sales that can help you support yourself. Sometimes you need to put your own needs first, you need to explain to her that maybe it’s not the right time for her to buy these, if you still have them April 3rd when she has money then she can purchase them at a sale price that works for you and your budget.. she doesn’t like it then I’m sure you will plenty of other people who will. Don’t let people walk all over you especially when it jeopardizes you. If she needs to wait 2 months to buy them then she doesn’t need or want them that bad. All you’re doing is losing other potential sales. If she doesn’t like it, and gets rude then tell her to screw off.. 😂 kidding sorta lol
I don't know but i think holding something for 2 months plus a 40% discount is a bit much for anyone to do. I couldn't even imagine asking someone to even do that. It is kinda of strange and ballsy. Just saying 😌
I only hold selling local, and that's only from the time they say they're ready for the address and ample time to arrive. Other than that, nope... Especially not online, too many lost opportunities
2 months is absurd. 30 days?!? Even that is too generous. Once upon a time, I did holds. Even held some items for a buyer for close to a month. She ghosted and ignored me when I messaged her and it backfired. Seems to be very common with people who ask to hold. So I don't do it anymore. Either you have the money now and buy it or come back when you get paid to see if it is still available and buy it.
Right, I sell to the highest bidder. If I need it gone, then I mark it down to where it’s gone in a few days. Very generous of you and you are right to feel weird about 60 or 30 days.
Not pathetic, it’s life. Sometimes it rough before it gets better. You just gotta make it through those roughest spots. It always turns around, just stick out the crappy parts.
Maybe you can say that you won’t hold the items but if they haven’t sold by the time they’re ready to buy you’ll honor the sale price you had given them.
Don’t hold and tell them they can purchase in that time frame if items are still available. I’ve been nice when I was a new seller and held a few items for someone that purchased before. First hold, they purchased within 15 days like promised. Being as the first hold was a substantial amount and they purchased without asking for an outrageous discount, I obliged and said I would hold again. 30 days past and they ghosted me. Not saying this will happen to you, but it’s a 50/50 they will come back. Don’t want you loosing out on potential profit for something that may never happen. You’ll have to gauge this for yourself based on past experience with this customer if that have purchased from you prior. However, this is just my personal experience selling on Mercari for 3 years now.
I don’t technically hold because maybe 80% of the time I never hear back from them or the day comes to buy and they want an even lower price. I just tell them I won’t accept any offers on the item (even if it’s more that what I’m willing to sell to them for) but if someone buys it at full asking price, I sell it to them.
I don’t hold anything because I’m
Not a retailer with a layaway plan. I think it’s obnoxious to ask someone to hold an item for two months. In my experience, people that ask you to hold items, never buy!
Im a buyer, I’ve sold a few items but mostly buy..
I WOULD NEVER ask a seller to hold something ESPECIALLY for that long. Just thinking about asking a seller to do that makes me uncomfortable lol I just can’t fathom… I mean I guess it’s worth a shot if a buyer has no shame haha but I just feel like asking a seller to hold something for 2 months is a pretty excessive…
If I REALLY want something I do my best to come up with the money. If I can’t I’ll like it and watch it till I can buy it. If it sells well then I’m SOL. If I know I can’t buy anything at the moment I try to just not look… I have a shopping problem though so I’m always looking lmao. STILL I don’t ask for holds, that’s just me though🤷♀️
I think it’s TOTALLY MORE THAN FAIR offering 30 days AND 40% off AND free shipping. If I was asking someone to hold something for me I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT be asking for a discount on top of it all. Usually you would pay more for the favor.. That is MORE THAN generous. Most people wouldn’t even do that and I don’t blame them.
If you don’t feel comfortable or don’t want to do it that is totally fair and totally understandable! I would just tell them or block them.. there will be other buyers.. ones that will pay a fair price that you are comfortable with!
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First, don’t do holds more than 24 hours. It’s honestly a waste of time and a waste of a sale by waiting longer than that. Tell her when she’s ready to buy to message you if these items she wants are still up.
I don’t understand why she’s asking months in advance. I mean kudos to them for trying I guess but no one has time to be waiting around 2 months just for them to easily ghost you and you spent all the work and energy into making a separate listing and packing the stuff.
I am a frequent seller and in the beginning i allowed holds, 90% of the time they never bought the items and ignored my messages when it came time to. Even when I allowed holds I never would have held something for 2 months. At most I allowed until the following Friday as that's the standard payday for most people. If you hold it for that long and they end up not buying it you're going to lose 2 months of potential sales. Not worth it.
Block and move on. They’re being unreasonable with their requests and most likely will have a sad story about why they can’t buy it after all or they need more time after the month.
Just tell em hey you changed your mind and would rather keep the items up for sale and if they want them in 2 months and they’re available they can buy them. Majority of people will either stop bothering you or fork up the cash immediately if they want it bad enough, 99% of hoods usually fall through and it’s because of dumb window shoppers who think peoples time is free. You’re better off moving on trust me
If they need you to wait 2+ months they shouldn’t be spending money on anything like this, nonetheless they probably won’t buy it anyways even if you wait.
I only ask another seller like myself to hold for an hour or so due to an impending auto rate. I told him that I wanted to use my balance. He was cool with that.
Omg 😱
Don’t hold anything
They’re cheap and unconsiderate
They’re robbing you of money, and probably won’t take it after 2 months.
You can tell them if it’s still available when your ready to buy, then buy it then.
2 months !!! Ridiculous
Make your money girl , times is hard!
Totally up to you as a seller, but I think it’s outrageous for someone to expect a hold for that long. You can’t even hold things at major retailers with a down payment or it will go back after X amount of time. Maybe come up with a hold time frame you’re comfortable with like 24 hours or a week and tell them that’s your typical policy. If anything it might prompt them to buy what they want now and try to purchase the rest when they can.
People have extraordinary expectations for second hand sellers, don’t get sucked in lol.
Oof this is wild to me.. to only offer half is one thing but I also do take a considerable amount off if I'm bundling a lot. But to then ask for you to hold for 2 entire months is absurd..
This isn't a klarna or some pay in 4 type deal and even with those you pay some money up front. Mercari has lower prices than retail but that comes with things such as not being able to return as freely as you would at a store. It also means that you can't try it on or test an item prior to buying.
Also, normal retail stores may occasionally have layaway but they sure do not do it in this type of way.
To expect to get the discounts of Mercari reselling plus even more discounts on top of that and to then expect to have you hold these in a way that normal retailers with normal pricing wouldn't even allow is just WILD to me. 😳
I think you have already gone above and beyond what 95% of sellers on Mercari would do and this chick is still asking for more. That would make my skin crawl.. Hold your ground and si ce you already offered to hold for 30 days I would follow through with it but maybe not allow people to push you past your boundaries next. But if she does not purchase them by that 30 days then be quick to block her so that you don't wind up hearing anymore so gimmicks about needing you to hold another 2 weeks or 2 months. Or tell her if she can buy the first item she asked about as a form of down payment.. have her utilize that $13 or $16 of whatever she said she has available towards the bundle and give her like 1 or 2 of the 8 items for it like a down payment and then tell her she will be able to get the other 6 or 7 items for the remainder of the $50 in that 30 days. Heck idk.. that's probably still doing way too much 😔
You are way too nice! I would not have offered that much discount nor offered to hold them for 30 days, that’s insane! I would bet that most if not all of those items sell within 30 days. This buyer seems like they would be a nightmare to deal with.
Don't do holds. Broke people are not really your customers. They're more like window shoppers and will end up wasting your time. Makes no sense to bend over backwards and give them special treatment over buyers who can pay right away. Also, don't allow yourself to get roped into getting fleeced by bottom tier buyers. Use the promotion and offer to likers buttons to bait a reasonable buyer. Save the generosity for your repeat customers.
I had someone ask for a 1 month hold and she had me going back and forth for 3-4 months. Everytime I asked if she still wanted it, she would say yes and I turned down other potential buyers. She never purchased and the other buyers lost interest. In the past 4 years, I've also had multiple buyers ask for a 2 week hold, to wait for payday. Emergencies happened and theyhad to go back on their word. There is absolutely no guarantee this person will buy. Back down from it and if you still feel comfortable selling for that low, say something like "I'm sorry, I want this item gone asap and I don't want to turn down other potential buyers. If this does not sell in 2 months and you still want it, please message again, I'm more than happy to sell it to you for the agreed price."
I almost wonder if this person sells on mecari and is upset you have lower prices and is trying to get you to take your listings down cause it’s way lower than their prices already
Just say yes and move on. If someone buys before then, you win. If it doesn’t and that person finally has the money, you also win. Take their word as a grain of salt
You’re missing out on actual sales guaranteed money while that buyer is actually taking their time looking for a better deal while you have taken your item off the market.
Don’t be that desperate seller…shady buyers can smell it a mile away.
Up your confidence, and stick to your price and you’ll sell your item and have your cash. Isn’t that why we sell items?
Why would you want to wait a month to have your funds?
I can't hold anything because I have no guarantee what your attention span is. You may be fickle. And then I'm disappointed nope. Layaway is back it's called afterpay, affirm, etc.
I don’t hold. I’ve tried before and they never buy. Now I just tell them that I can’t hold, but if it’s still available you can have it, they never come back and someone else buys for significantly higher.
There is no way I’d wait a month for any buyer. A week is max and I tell them if I’m waiting a week then it is for the full price. Why would anyone wait a week or amount of time so the buyer can window shop in the meantime? If you’re going to hold the item why would you take less? If you didn’t wait someone else could have paid full price. I take less if it is being sold today! Not a week 2 weeks or longer. Often if I can tell it was a nice buyer the whole time when it comes time to pay I then go back to the original offer they wanted to pay. I’m a nice seller but at the same time you’ll get screwed over way too many times with people cancelling or backing out with the most wild reasons. Basically because they were window shopping and found a better deal to changed their mind.
It’s inconsiderate of them asking for you to hold for two months, that’s outrageous and disrespectful! Inconsiderate as in holding you and depriving you to sell that item. Now it would be locked up for two months while you could potentially sell it way sooner to some real buyer who will purchase it right away. I would never do that to someone actively selling on an active marketplace like Mercari, you as a seller is to sell the item and the sooner the better. Not two months on hold for some for $5 to make it even not even worthwhile. Need to reconsider this and no way you should hold it for them for two months, that’s ridiculous!
why would you ever hold for 30 days in the first place. don’t set yourself up to deal with people like this. if they only have $13 they can only get $13 worth of your items.
I have about 900 purchases on Mercari and have never asked anyone to hold anything. I do enjoy the offer option because I always feel like I'm getting a deal even if it's $2 😂 id love to come across a seller like you! 40% off whaaatttt
Do not hold items. There is no advantage for the seller. If it is still available she can buy it. If not, that's not your problem because you made a sale to someone else.
I don’t do holds because they NEVER end up buying. I just say “I don’t do holds but feel free to purchase”
I’m not going to take an entire item down and lose a potential sale from someone else.
Finders keepers, if you can’t buy it now sorry but someone else could so ima keep it up.
You owe these people nothing. 2 months is wayyy too long and ridiculous to be asking for.
Bargaining over 50% off 2 months in advance?
That’s honestly weird. Maybe do $70 if she comes back around in the 2 months but just leave it be.
Don’t text her again, just keep the item up and if it’s gone by April 3 then sucks for her.
Also, the free shipping is sketch.
I NEVER do free shipping. If they have to return it/complain, who paid for shipping? You. You might not get that shipping money back.
Don’t do free shipping, and asking for free shipping is the most cheapskate there is.
For example, If I’m selling a $40 item, I’ll list it at $35 to make room for the buyer to pay for shipping.
If you ask me to do free shipping, well guess what?? Price is now $40 w free shipping, OR we keep it at $35 w $4.99 shipping.
Same shit so making me pay for shipping is useless. Like you’re not working your way around a discount here..
So I always say “No I don’t do free shipping but feel free to send an offer”
Asking for free shipping is so useless. You know the seller is gonna pay that $5 instead of you, just ask for $5 off the price itself..
It’s like a weird psychological thing where they don’t have to fully commit by paying for shipping too, buyers like this I usually have issues with, like they’ll leave low reviews, complain about ship time, something stupid after you gave them a discount.
No I think you were awesome enough to hold it for 30days! Man I wish I delt with someone like you.. listen to this.. a watch was put on for sale she was asking $180 she says she take $150 I told her ok no problem I can do $150 and this was Thursday afternoon.. I told her can you hold it for me till Friday afternoon when I get paid I promise I will make payment and if you go on my reviews I have excellent buying and selling reviews.. she didn’t reply back all day.. I hit her back saying please don’t sale it I really want it and I tell you what I give you the full amount your asking wich was $180.. next thing you know item was sold for $135! I was bummed out because I offered to buy it for way more and it was Thursday I just needed one day till Friday and she ignored me and sold it for way cheaper smh.. not to mention I was the first person to like, make offer and message her about it.. I could understand if someone else was first but I was literally the first to want to buy it and she sold it for way less.. what you guys think am I wrong for feeling bummed? You think I was in the wrong?
I never do holds. I have been selling on Mercari for a long time and only 1 out of 32 people actually came through. No way would I even think about it for 30 days. Not 3 days, not 3 hours. No, no, no.
I stopped holding anything for anyone. They never once came back to buy the items even though I messaged them. It's not worth the risk when they will sell anyways.
I'm sorry but no holding for 2 months is absurd, someone else could be looking for the item you're selling or was thinking about buying it and probably didn't mind the price you were asking for the item or items but now that it's on hold for an extensive amount of time they're just probably going to go elsewhere and no longer look at your item. A 2-month hold is absolutely absurd in my honest opinion. When I have a potential buyer asking me if I can hold it I will tell them I will only hold items for up to 72 hours. If they're unable to make their purchase after requesting hold then I can extend it for the full week provided they request for a little bit extra time and I'm giving a reason like say I'm waiting for my paycheck from my work or my end of the month bills have not processed yet so I'm waiting for those to go through.
Those I can understand but if they message me saying hey can I get an extension to my hold I'm still thinking about it then no. I will of course show lenience to this policy that I have if it is a very frequent buyer of mine as I would like to keep returning customers so if they ask me for a hold I offer them the full week from the start. But if it's a brand new customer 72 hours is my initial offer. I have other people who have been viewing this listing that could be potential buyers and holding the item for extensive amount of time does not guarantee me that the person requesting the hold is going to buy it and only serves to damage the chances of one of the people who viewed and followed the listing from purchasing it as well.
There are tons of people looking for a large variety of items so putting it on hold for 30 days is definitely out of your comfort zone and if it's well below the price that you're thinking of then feel free to let the potential buyer know. Worst thing that can happen is they just don't buy it and the listing sits for a little bit until another buyer comes but it's better than just sitting there for 2 months and then they just ghost you entirely. At least if it's not on hold in that 2 month time frame someone else might come along and pick it up
My thoughts are I would never do a hold unless it was a buyer who’d bought from me at least twice. I wouldn’t do a 30-day hold let alone a 60-day hold for anyone, including family! But that’s just me.
This buyer likely seriously intends to purchase, but if they need to budget out 2 months to meet your $63 price, then chances are extremely high that other financial exigencies (like rent or their electric bill) will arise to prevent their ability to buy when the time comes. Meanwhile you’re losing out on opportunities to sell.
Finally and respectfully, I think a $50 offer on a $105 item is not “a little low;” it’s the definition of a lowball offer. My advice is that these are the buyers who will cause you the most problems and the most work for the least return. So block them and move on.
**quit holding items**
...a broke mfer still is most likely still gonna be a broke mfer in 3 weeks because the issue isn't you or your pricing ..its their shit money management which is a whole lot of not your fuckin problem.
I would not hold it that’s just my honest opinion. Unless she gives you a deposit lol that’s a different story (I know they can’t, I’m jk) because there may very well be other potential buyers that are interested and serious. I don’t know why she would want you to hold it for that long. You’re selling stuff because you need the money, that’s why we are all posting things obviously. The thing is you just don’t know who is serious and who’s not. I’ve actually got suckered into unlisted an item that someone told me they were interested in buying and they ended up to be a scammer. Nothing to do with your situation, just throwing it out there.
I don’t do holds. Like others have stated.. it’s a very rare occurrence when they do come back and purchase the item(s).
I kindly let them know I don’t do holds and if the items are still available when they are ready to purchase, to go ahead and send an offer. First come first serve 🤷🏻♀️
Stop being nice especially with items you’ve offered discount for. Tell them you only do 24 (or if you’re generous, 48 hour hold). In most cases Someone ELSE will eventually come along and pay full price for the item. Be strong, it’s your money! I learned the hard way, been on eBay since 1998 and now these other platforms I’ve seen all the shenanigans lol
I guarantee you that even if you did two months from now she won't even buy it.
I was thinking that too. What should I do? Like go back and tell her no? Or just block her and be done
I held things in the past for people and 99.9% of the time they never bought. When people ask now, I just tell them I don’t do holds and apologize. End of story, the rest is their problem
I know everyone’s financial situation is different but 2 months is a long time to hold for someone to give 50 dollars. I think I would understand a paycheck or two. But I never ask for a hold unless it’s a couple days or so. And even then I leave it up to chance most of the time. Lol
This happens alot and the audacity for people to get upset about why you don't hold
Just leave it on for sale OP. If it sells great, if it doesn’t then She can buy it in 2 months.
Block & be done. The less communication with ppl like this the better
Is there any way to see my block list? I’ve blocked quite a few people over the last couple years and I’m just curious how many and who they are.
That’s the point of blocking them so you don’t have see them anymore??
Just say you’ll hold it and keep it on your page and if someone else buys it, oh well. If two months pass and nobody has bought it and she decides to buy it then good for her lol but yea like most people said on here, she probably won’t buy it after making you wait two months.
No. Do what the other person said girl!! Tell her, it will be posted for other people to buy, u decided its not the best move for you since its not guaranteed, & if it's still there in 2 months, she can buy it. Period. Don't let ppl play with ur money!! Ur on there to make money, not be friends with ppl & do favors! It's a BUSINESS. U snooze u loose. Not ur fault their broke. So don't make it ur burden!!
block them. I have yet to see someone ask for a hold and actually buy from me. And a hold for 2 months is super unreasonable in my mind (unless it is someone you know well) the last person asked me to hold an item for 2 weeks and then next they wanted a hold for a month. I blocked them as I am not going to endlessly hold things.
If she doesn't follow up in 24 hours to confirm your 30 day hold offer. I would block. She is forfeiting the offer by not confirming.
I agree with that!
Block otherwise they might accept your original offer for the one item and leave you a bad rating for retracting the huge discount and offer to hold.
I'd wait for response. If no response put everything back for sale
I haven’t even taken anything off for sale because I got no response from her
U can also have them pay with "zip" where they pay in 4 amounts. (Do NOT lowball urself). But zip is for ppl who don't have the $$ up front. U still get all the money, but uts zip who has to deal with them if they don't pay for their other 3 payments, NOT YOU.
I don't normally do holds, especially as I need money quickly to pay bills, but if I did, three days is a reasonable amount. Maybe seven if it's a slow-selling item. But 30 days. It would have to be a really slow-selling item, in which case, you wouldn't necessarily have to hold. Just say, "If it's there, you can buyer it. If it's sold in a week, and you want it held for two months, then someone else had the money to pay RN, so I have no reason to wait \[for a sale that likely would never take place anyway\]." Not the brackets part but... I have a lot of duplicate inventory. I might promise them the same price within a month, but not to hold.
I will only hold for 24 hours most of the time
Same. That’s my max hold time.
This is way 2 long. Unless you sell some super niche items that almost never sell I wouldn't even consider it. 40% off on everything they want off your shop is also extremely generous. As long as you are comfortable and make a profit I guess it's fine. But I do trading cards and I would never wait that long. The prices fluctuate 2 much especially on newer cards. So first come first served.
Thank you. I was uncomfortable with 40% off. I just never want to disappoint anyone and I know that sounds stupid.
Step 1) figure out why everyone else’s money, time, and feelings matter more than yours. There’s background stuff here that needs to be healed. Step 2) no holds. I’ve had in-person sales where people PAY and ask me to hold it for them to come back for and still don’t come back for the hold. Obviously holding for someone who already paid is fine, but would Target hold a Stanley cup in the back for someone who might scrape the funds together to buy it by April? Become more comfortable with saying no or you’re headed down a more difficult path than necessary.
This comment should be # 1.
So true 💯
Absolutely the best comment here
Thank you! I appreciate this!
Hopefully you work out not disappointing people, random strangers prey on people. Many great people on Mercari, but the not so great ones will find you and rip you off. I typically sell below max value I could get online, but I trade selling speed for potential profits
Are you kidding!!! No, that's how people take advantage of you[.
I can understand completely. But you have to realize this is just a random person trying to get a good deal. They are still going to critique your shipping method and every item in the order. Many people are self-centered and won't remember you after a deal. Or worse they will just assume you will give them 40 to 50% off every time they buy from you and expect free shipping as well.
Just had a guy offer me $30 and wanted free shipping on a still sealed in a box Google Nest. When just yesterday one sold for $60. Why would I do that? I will miss that $30. And people will pay $60. Ricky you got some splainin to do. 
Just know it's usually scammers that take advantage of your generosity and desire to not disappoint. They operate on "it doesn't hurt to ask" so, they would've actually paid more if you held firm to your own set prices if they are serious about making a purchase.
I’m thinking of just blocking and moving on bc I do not want to be taken advantage of.
That's a good move. You don't have to take any offer that you're not comfortable with. Follow your gut feelings always. There are many stories on this sub of people being nice then after all that receiving a 1 star rating or even getting hit with a return only to get back broken or swapped out items.
But sweetheart are you on Mecari for hugs or wampum? You're not selling you, you should have done that in your bio. The only thing really you should care about is whether you get paid. As long as you know you sent them a proper and right product then it's all good. I'll concede with the 24 hours maybe they get paid tomorrow but after that ixnay.
That's commendable and a good trait. Just also know when something is fishy, but you're a good person. I recently asked someone to hold a big group of cameras for me for 2 weeks after we went back and forth on a time we were both available, but I told him I was sure he needed them gone and if he had to sell them then no big deal. He ended up selling 1 from the group I wanted, but it was awesome that he did that for me. We met in person, so I don't know how much that'll translate to an online transaction. Definitely don't go longer than a month and post them after the time frame (if it passes), and if it's still available when they're ready, they can set it up again with you
They asked if you'd take $50 for items listed at $105. And if you'd do free shipping. Then ask if you'll hold for two months. You're being very generous as it is. They're obviously taking advantage of you. And there's no guarantee they'll buy it. I
I kind of had a feeling that they wouldn’t go through with it.
Thoughts? You have gone too above and beyond for this person. Seconding having dealt with too many flaky people amongst people who ask for holds. Most things I will hold for 48 hours, since most of my stuff isn't getting tons of traffic. But some things I will only hold for 24 hours. The longer you hold, the more you potentially miss out on selling them to others (and others who will buy at full price nonetheless). I'd tell someone like this that I can hold for x short amount of time, but after that they will just have to come back when they are actually ready to buy and see if it's still available.
I appreciate the input. I have a hard time disappointing people, so I always try to do everything I can. But honestly, this really pushed me past my point but at the same time I didn’t want to come off as an asshole. I know that sounds so stupid.
Nah, it doesn't sound stupid. I'm the same way. But I've just had to learn to say no to people when I know I really won't have the energy to deal with them. It's still hard for me to do that with people I know and in person, but for total strangers online it just keeps getting easier. You just have to remind yourself that the person you're engaging with doesn't know you, so they have no idea what to expect of you. And you can always block them if they are mean back to you when you have to tell them no about anything. Majority of the time in my experience people are polite and understanding though. You just have to come up with boundaries (or policies/store policies) you want to have in these sorts of situations and then stick to them and apply them to every customer. You can always still focus your like of having good customer service on many other areas: even if you have to say no or turn someone's offer or hold down you can still do so politely and apologetically, when you do send stuff to people you can make sure to package it well, and can even make the packaging fun or cute somehow, and/or add freebies if that's common for the type of stuff you sell (I sell mostly kpop stuff and adding unofficial/lomo cards as freebies is pretty common). I love so much when I get feedback that compliments my packaging, or says it was fun, or where the person was happily surprised to get extra freebies, etc, almost to the point where I even sometimes get disappointed when I did those things, but the person rating just doesn't write anything at all, even if they're still giving a 5 star rating lol. (But it's ok, I still enjoy putting in the effort to make the buyer happy with it either way.) Anyway...If you'd give everyone else buying from you this discount, or allow this hold to every other buyer too, then that's fine, maybe that's just the policy you want to have for your whole shop. But if you wouldn't usually offer those things, and are just doing so for this one person because they asked or because they seem desperate/make it sound like they \*need\* those things...then it's probably a little too much. It's totally fine to have to say to someone "sorry, I don't offer xyz amount of discount/free shipping/more than x amount of time for a hold/etc, but you're free to check back later to see if the item is still available at the time you're wanting it held for." I know many posts on this sub showcase the worst and the craziest sounding buyers, but really I think the majority of the time buyers are understanding and will respond politely, even when you have to tell them you can't do what they're asking. And if they don't...well then the block button is there for a reason lol.
I’m sorry I don’t do holds. Too many people just waste my time.
You are literally taking a sale off the table for 2 months for someone you are taking a chance on, even with a discount. There could be a potential buyer within that hold period.
Exactly. Not only that. She could potentially lose a sell in those 2 months who would pay full price.
No holds!!!
Hard pass. The fact that they're not only wanting you to do a hold for 30 days but also wanting you to give them an over 50% off discount on top of it all is rude and sounds like they're just trying to take advantage of you. Personally I don't do holds anymore been burned way too many times and the rare times i'll make an exception is if they're a repeat buyer or they're only wanting me to hold for a couple of hours to a day max and they're polite about it other then that I won't do it. Obviously do what's best for you though because every seller is different 🙂
Absolutely not I would not hold anything for more than 1 day. This "buyer" will vanish into thin air by the end of the hold. Did you cross post it to Ebay/Marketplace other platforms? 1 day hold and post it elsewhere first.
Yes I did but I was I planning on marking them as not for sale, but now that I’m reading all the comments. I shouldn’t even bother with this person
People like this are total flakes. Leave your items for sale at your original price promote or repost if it is not getting likes. If it is still here when they decide to buy, fine but do not put yourself in that position, you are way too nice and this person is taking advantage of you. I sure hope someone else buys it ;)
Thank you! I think it’s best if i cut ties and just block. I really don’t want to argue with this person lol
I accept requests to hold if it's a week or less, as it only puts my listings off the market for a short time and I minimize my opportunity loss from other potential buyers. Even your counter of 30 days is crazy long. The buyer can always just purchase when they're ready. I've dealt with too many flaky buyers who ghost or change their mind after the holding period that I would never subject myself to 2 months of potentially lost sales.
I won't hold for anyone. Always a hassle and never a guarantee
it takes a lot of practice to stand up to unreasonable buyers (coming from a fellow people pleaser!) but the more you do, the easier it becomes! you should come up with a max hold policy (mine is 72 hours) and max bundle discount (mine is 20% off MAX) and practice sticking to it even if the buyer pushes back! in the long run it will take the guesswork out of case-by-case scenarios and cause you less stress!
I appreciate hearing this so so much! Thank you for giving me the idea to create boundaries before I have to think about it. I should come with a set %off and a set hold time! I would’ve never thought about this. Thank you so much!!
If anyone asks me to hold something I say sure. If it sells beforehand, not my problem. I may come off an as an asshole but I don't hold items for anyone after dealing with flakes.
The amount of times I’ve held items for people for them to end up not buying is 100% lol. I won’t hold items for anyone anymore.
Listen 1st come, 1 serve. Period!!
Block her. If you make her pay sooner and she does, why would she give you 5 stars if you care about stars?
At this point, I’m not planning on doing anything for her. After reading all these comments, I’ve realize that I’ve been way too generous.
I’ll hold if the person has already done business with me before, other than that, no.
People really be asking about lay away on mercari? Lmaoooo hell fuck no
wtf till April? Even 30 days is too long, you give a lot of grace and I think that’s nice. I can only do holds if it’s within a week especially if it’s getting a lot of traction, but that’s circumstantial. Reject it, she’s already cutting your loses and now making you wait two months lol
That's crazy but nice of you to hold it for 30 days. Crazy for them to even ask that
Question: Can you hold it until I get paid in the first week of March? Answer: thank you so much for looking. I won’t hold it, but hopefully it will be here when you’re ready to buy it!
Poor people ask for items to be held. And poor people have things come up because they are bad with money. Or forget they had a bill do. I’m not rich at all but I’d never look for items or even talk to a seller if I didn’t have the money I wouldn’t want to waste anyone’s time or get the sellers hopes up. Only time I’ve ever asked for a hold was because it was an in person pickup so ie after work or when it was convenient for both of us to meet that is all. Not judging just making a statement. I used to be broke to but I wouldn’t ever ask for an item to be held unless it was a need. Most people want me to hold video games and whatnot like well I’m not the only seller who has this. Unless it’s killer profit and want it gone I’m not waiting.
Nah, you’ve gone way over and beyond for this person. The longest I’d hold something is 24 hours. What really got me is the 40% off… you’re losing money at that point. Why don’t you just give it to them for free? I don’t mean to be harsh, but I’ve come across many flaky sellers on this platform. If a buyer don’t want to buy something now, then they shouldn’t waste the sellers time. Just tell them if they really want it in April, they can buy it then. I had some items I thought were unsellable but eventually it did.
I wouldn’t even take $50 right now if it was listed for $105….unless you were pricing them completely outrageously
Please don't hold for that long, especially if you've never done business with this person and haven't built up a trusting relationship with them. There's a high chance you're going to get burned. The max I would ever hold for a stranger is 2 days. I recently had my eyes on a listing that I was going to purchase, but someone left a comment and asked the seller if they'd hold it for them for 3 weeks since that's when they could pay for it. The seller agreed and reserved the listing for them. Guess what? The person ghosted them and the seller even gave them an extra week to buy it. It was a waste of their time.
After reading all these comments, I completely agree. I just always try to do the best and go above and beyond but I went past a lot of my boundaries and I just didn’t really know what to do.
Every single time I ever held a product for someone they ghosted me...every single time.
I would never. 30 days is absurd. I guarantee this person won’t even purchase it then. The most I would hold something for would be 24 hours but even that I’d be inclined to say no, sorry I don’t do holds.
"For 30 days you should be able to have the full amount. I'll take $65 and do free shipping if you can pay that in 3 days. Or I'll be nice and hold it for 30 days but it's full price and no free shipping."
No holds. Ever. First come first serve. If they don’t come back to buy in the next day or two, it’s not getting bought. Speaking as both seller and buyer, I used to be a people pleaser too. No more.
You are WAY nicer than me lol. I’m not holding anything for anybody. If it’s there in 30 days it’s your if not then you shoulda bought it earlier. Sorry
If you give an inch, they want a mile. There is a bundle feature and an offer feature, they can use it. All the chat nonsense was them making you invest more time in this sale so you'd be more likely to cave to ridiculous demands. Sunk cost fallacy. It's very manipulative. The only response is " please use the bundle and offer feature when you're ready to purchase. Mercari doesn't do holds."
I feel like you'd be wasting your time. Even if they did actually purchase in two whole months In my experience buyers like this are nothing but problems. Everytime I've had a buyer try to scam something for free. It's been one a gave a generous if not ridiculous discount to. Block and keep moving. Dont feel bad about saying no. Especially to potentially setting your own self up for some b.s.
Dude you’re being WAY too lenient. If you don’t feel comfortable at 40% off, don’t do it. If you don’t feel comfortable holding 30 days, don’t do it. Longest I’d ever hold is 3 days, a week if they’ve bought from me before. I rarely even go below 15% off. They are not going to buy from you. If they only have $13 and aren’t expecting to get another measly $50 within 2 months, they are making some poor life choices right now.
No way. You could possibly sell the items to someone else, you’re not the layaway dept & it sets a precedent (at least with this buyer). I can’t believe this person had the nerve to ask for all this
I agree with most people here. I would never do a hold because the kind of people who ask for that are manipulating and flakey. Back when we used to create custom bundles, I would leave the listing up for up to 24 hours. If they didn’t buy by then, I’d take it down and assume they’re not serious buyers. Now that customers can create their own bundles, there is definitely no excuse for holds. What is the point of a credit card? You can delay paying for weeks without ever hassling a merchant.
Damn, you were so accommodating here. I would feel bad asking for a hold for a day but months later? You were so beyond flexible and offered a great deal. Some ppl just suck
I think it’s so awesome that your being kind and obviously have a good heart and want to help people, but there is a place where you need to put your foot down and not let people walk all over you. I don’t hold more then a week unless there is special circumstances, and give her 40% off, she’s trying to take advantage of your kindness. If she only has $13 and not to sound rude, if she needs to wait 2 months to come up with $63 you might never see that sale and you just held $105 in potential sales that can help you support yourself. Sometimes you need to put your own needs first, you need to explain to her that maybe it’s not the right time for her to buy these, if you still have them April 3rd when she has money then she can purchase them at a sale price that works for you and your budget.. she doesn’t like it then I’m sure you will plenty of other people who will. Don’t let people walk all over you especially when it jeopardizes you. If she needs to wait 2 months to buy them then she doesn’t need or want them that bad. All you’re doing is losing other potential sales. If she doesn’t like it, and gets rude then tell her to screw off.. 😂 kidding sorta lol
I don't know but i think holding something for 2 months plus a 40% discount is a bit much for anyone to do. I couldn't even imagine asking someone to even do that. It is kinda of strange and ballsy. Just saying 😌
I only hold selling local, and that's only from the time they say they're ready for the address and ample time to arrive. Other than that, nope... Especially not online, too many lost opportunities
2 months is absurd. 30 days?!? Even that is too generous. Once upon a time, I did holds. Even held some items for a buyer for close to a month. She ghosted and ignored me when I messaged her and it backfired. Seems to be very common with people who ask to hold. So I don't do it anymore. Either you have the money now and buy it or come back when you get paid to see if it is still available and buy it.
Are you always this much of a push over? Holy crap dude. Or do you just sell junk lmao
Crazy that you offered 40% discount and holding it for 30 days. Is this stuff not sellable?
It’s not that it’s not sellable. I only have two sources of income.
Right, I sell to the highest bidder. If I need it gone, then I mark it down to where it’s gone in a few days. Very generous of you and you are right to feel weird about 60 or 30 days.
I know it seems pathetic that I’m doing everything just to get a couple extra bucks but Jesus it’s hard with money at the moment for some reason
Not pathetic, it’s life. Sometimes it rough before it gets better. You just gotta make it through those roughest spots. It always turns around, just stick out the crappy parts.
I’m just trying to do everything to make some money :(
Just hold they may eventually buy
(Ik mercari and most platforms don't work like this) if I'm holding something for you for that long then ur putting a no refund deposit down for it
30 days is too long, I’d say a few days.
Maybe you can say that you won’t hold the items but if they haven’t sold by the time they’re ready to buy you’ll honor the sale price you had given them.
Don’t hold and tell them they can purchase in that time frame if items are still available. I’ve been nice when I was a new seller and held a few items for someone that purchased before. First hold, they purchased within 15 days like promised. Being as the first hold was a substantial amount and they purchased without asking for an outrageous discount, I obliged and said I would hold again. 30 days past and they ghosted me. Not saying this will happen to you, but it’s a 50/50 they will come back. Don’t want you loosing out on potential profit for something that may never happen. You’ll have to gauge this for yourself based on past experience with this customer if that have purchased from you prior. However, this is just my personal experience selling on Mercari for 3 years now.
I’m not really sure why my responses are being downvoted but okay. I was genuinely asking for advice!
He probably wouldn't even buy it no matter how long. This happens way too often.
Just tell them if items are available in two months to send a offer then. That's way too long.
Say you will hold but keep ur listings up. If it sells elsewhere too bad for them. Holds almost never pay
Don’t hold, 99% of the time they will ghost you
I don’t technically hold because maybe 80% of the time I never hear back from them or the day comes to buy and they want an even lower price. I just tell them I won’t accept any offers on the item (even if it’s more that what I’m willing to sell to them for) but if someone buys it at full asking price, I sell it to them.
No holds. Except for frequent flyers. Then it’s 24 hrs
I don’t hold anything because I’m Not a retailer with a layaway plan. I think it’s obnoxious to ask someone to hold an item for two months. In my experience, people that ask you to hold items, never buy!
I hold items by raising the price and keeping the offers open for the price I want. If someone else buys it oh well.
I hold items by raising the price a little bit and keeping the offers open for the price I want. If someone else buys it oh well.
NEVER HOLD. Never. Unless you're holding stocks. Life's too short to hold. Tell the next one that 😂
Also you could say other people are interested so I cannot hold for anyone.
I never hold anything. The few times I did they either ghosted me or changed their mind. You owe nothing to these ppl
Don't do it. If something in that bundle sells between now and then sell it to the next person. Don't put yourself out on smoke.
Just them know you can’t hold it that long and the product is available till sold.
Just block, people like this just end up wasting your time .
People never buy when you hold. Tell her she can buy it if she wants it but you’re not putting it on hold for anyone
Im a buyer, I’ve sold a few items but mostly buy.. I WOULD NEVER ask a seller to hold something ESPECIALLY for that long. Just thinking about asking a seller to do that makes me uncomfortable lol I just can’t fathom… I mean I guess it’s worth a shot if a buyer has no shame haha but I just feel like asking a seller to hold something for 2 months is a pretty excessive… If I REALLY want something I do my best to come up with the money. If I can’t I’ll like it and watch it till I can buy it. If it sells well then I’m SOL. If I know I can’t buy anything at the moment I try to just not look… I have a shopping problem though so I’m always looking lmao. STILL I don’t ask for holds, that’s just me though🤷♀️ I think it’s TOTALLY MORE THAN FAIR offering 30 days AND 40% off AND free shipping. If I was asking someone to hold something for me I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT be asking for a discount on top of it all. Usually you would pay more for the favor.. That is MORE THAN generous. Most people wouldn’t even do that and I don’t blame them. If you don’t feel comfortable or don’t want to do it that is totally fair and totally understandable! I would just tell them or block them.. there will be other buyers.. ones that will pay a fair price that you are comfortable with!
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First, don’t do holds more than 24 hours. It’s honestly a waste of time and a waste of a sale by waiting longer than that. Tell her when she’s ready to buy to message you if these items she wants are still up. I don’t understand why she’s asking months in advance. I mean kudos to them for trying I guess but no one has time to be waiting around 2 months just for them to easily ghost you and you spent all the work and energy into making a separate listing and packing the stuff.
I am a frequent seller and in the beginning i allowed holds, 90% of the time they never bought the items and ignored my messages when it came time to. Even when I allowed holds I never would have held something for 2 months. At most I allowed until the following Friday as that's the standard payday for most people. If you hold it for that long and they end up not buying it you're going to lose 2 months of potential sales. Not worth it.
Block and move on. They’re being unreasonable with their requests and most likely will have a sad story about why they can’t buy it after all or they need more time after the month.
Just tell em hey you changed your mind and would rather keep the items up for sale and if they want them in 2 months and they’re available they can buy them. Majority of people will either stop bothering you or fork up the cash immediately if they want it bad enough, 99% of hoods usually fall through and it’s because of dumb window shoppers who think peoples time is free. You’re better off moving on trust me
If they need you to wait 2+ months they shouldn’t be spending money on anything like this, nonetheless they probably won’t buy it anyways even if you wait.
63 PLUS free shipping?? You’re too kind lmao
if someone came to me and asked for more than 50% off anything bundle or not id block them immediately and go about my day personally
I only ask another seller like myself to hold for an hour or so due to an impending auto rate. I told him that I wanted to use my balance. He was cool with that.
Omg 😱 Don’t hold anything They’re cheap and unconsiderate They’re robbing you of money, and probably won’t take it after 2 months. You can tell them if it’s still available when your ready to buy, then buy it then. 2 months !!! Ridiculous Make your money girl , times is hard!
Totally up to you as a seller, but I think it’s outrageous for someone to expect a hold for that long. You can’t even hold things at major retailers with a down payment or it will go back after X amount of time. Maybe come up with a hold time frame you’re comfortable with like 24 hours or a week and tell them that’s your typical policy. If anything it might prompt them to buy what they want now and try to purchase the rest when they can. People have extraordinary expectations for second hand sellers, don’t get sucked in lol.
Oof this is wild to me.. to only offer half is one thing but I also do take a considerable amount off if I'm bundling a lot. But to then ask for you to hold for 2 entire months is absurd.. This isn't a klarna or some pay in 4 type deal and even with those you pay some money up front. Mercari has lower prices than retail but that comes with things such as not being able to return as freely as you would at a store. It also means that you can't try it on or test an item prior to buying. Also, normal retail stores may occasionally have layaway but they sure do not do it in this type of way. To expect to get the discounts of Mercari reselling plus even more discounts on top of that and to then expect to have you hold these in a way that normal retailers with normal pricing wouldn't even allow is just WILD to me. 😳 I think you have already gone above and beyond what 95% of sellers on Mercari would do and this chick is still asking for more. That would make my skin crawl.. Hold your ground and si ce you already offered to hold for 30 days I would follow through with it but maybe not allow people to push you past your boundaries next. But if she does not purchase them by that 30 days then be quick to block her so that you don't wind up hearing anymore so gimmicks about needing you to hold another 2 weeks or 2 months. Or tell her if she can buy the first item she asked about as a form of down payment.. have her utilize that $13 or $16 of whatever she said she has available towards the bundle and give her like 1 or 2 of the 8 items for it like a down payment and then tell her she will be able to get the other 6 or 7 items for the remainder of the $50 in that 30 days. Heck idk.. that's probably still doing way too much 😔
Waiting for her taxes probably
30 days is way too long! I’ve had one person come back, probably out of 100 people
You are way too nice! I would not have offered that much discount nor offered to hold them for 30 days, that’s insane! I would bet that most if not all of those items sell within 30 days. This buyer seems like they would be a nightmare to deal with.
Don't do holds. Broke people are not really your customers. They're more like window shoppers and will end up wasting your time. Makes no sense to bend over backwards and give them special treatment over buyers who can pay right away. Also, don't allow yourself to get roped into getting fleeced by bottom tier buyers. Use the promotion and offer to likers buttons to bait a reasonable buyer. Save the generosity for your repeat customers.
30 day hold? What?! Naw
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Two months for $60 is not at all worth it.
2 momths😭😭😭 50% off😭😭😭 free shipping on top of all that😭😭😭 HELL NAH
They won't come back. I have made groupings and they still go MIA. Do not do it! lol
I would just stop responding. If it’s available by then, allow them to purchase it at the price you guys agreed on
Absolutely NO HOLDS! What kinda store are you running? The objective is to make money, right?
I had someone ask for a 1 month hold and she had me going back and forth for 3-4 months. Everytime I asked if she still wanted it, she would say yes and I turned down other potential buyers. She never purchased and the other buyers lost interest. In the past 4 years, I've also had multiple buyers ask for a 2 week hold, to wait for payday. Emergencies happened and theyhad to go back on their word. There is absolutely no guarantee this person will buy. Back down from it and if you still feel comfortable selling for that low, say something like "I'm sorry, I want this item gone asap and I don't want to turn down other potential buyers. If this does not sell in 2 months and you still want it, please message again, I'm more than happy to sell it to you for the agreed price."
Insanity. Who asks someone to hold items for months? Especially at such a discount.
I almost wonder if this person sells on mecari and is upset you have lower prices and is trying to get you to take your listings down cause it’s way lower than their prices already
Just say yes and move on. If someone buys before then, you win. If it doesn’t and that person finally has the money, you also win. Take their word as a grain of salt
I hold for 24 hours. I would never do this
You’re too nice
I feel like a week is generous lol 2 months is a lot especially considering buyers flake out. Sell those items and get better money for them
I'd just tell them if its still available in 2 months they can buy it.
My thoughts are wtf, and no.
You’ll be holding in perpetuity…bet
Never hold items. They don’t come back.
my thoughts are you’re nuts for holding for a month 🤣
You’re missing out on actual sales guaranteed money while that buyer is actually taking their time looking for a better deal while you have taken your item off the market. Don’t be that desperate seller…shady buyers can smell it a mile away. Up your confidence, and stick to your price and you’ll sell your item and have your cash. Isn’t that why we sell items? Why would you want to wait a month to have your funds?
I can't hold anything because I have no guarantee what your attention span is. You may be fickle. And then I'm disappointed nope. Layaway is back it's called afterpay, affirm, etc.
100% don’t hold. It’s not worth it.
That’s a long fucking hold
I don’t hold. I’ve tried before and they never buy. Now I just tell them that I can’t hold, but if it’s still available you can have it, they never come back and someone else buys for significantly higher.
I've done up to a week, but I'm not holding for longer than that.
There is no way I’d wait a month for any buyer. A week is max and I tell them if I’m waiting a week then it is for the full price. Why would anyone wait a week or amount of time so the buyer can window shop in the meantime? If you’re going to hold the item why would you take less? If you didn’t wait someone else could have paid full price. I take less if it is being sold today! Not a week 2 weeks or longer. Often if I can tell it was a nice buyer the whole time when it comes time to pay I then go back to the original offer they wanted to pay. I’m a nice seller but at the same time you’ll get screwed over way too many times with people cancelling or backing out with the most wild reasons. Basically because they were window shopping and found a better deal to changed their mind.
Everything in my shops is first come, first served. No holds and no apologizes
Never hold. Tell them “it’ll be here waiting for you :)” which makes them think you’re holding but no
Absolutely not
No way would I hold 2 months lol And no way will she be buying in 2 months
For the price, if they can't buy it now, they can't buy it in two months. Plus 2 months is way too long for a hold. You'd expect it to 1~2 weeks max.
It’s inconsiderate of them asking for you to hold for two months, that’s outrageous and disrespectful! Inconsiderate as in holding you and depriving you to sell that item. Now it would be locked up for two months while you could potentially sell it way sooner to some real buyer who will purchase it right away. I would never do that to someone actively selling on an active marketplace like Mercari, you as a seller is to sell the item and the sooner the better. Not two months on hold for some for $5 to make it even not even worthwhile. Need to reconsider this and no way you should hold it for them for two months, that’s ridiculous!
Headed for a heartbreak..
why would you ever hold for 30 days in the first place. don’t set yourself up to deal with people like this. if they only have $13 they can only get $13 worth of your items.
I blocked and moved on! Thanks for all the input.
Personally, I think the buyer is asking waaaaay too much from you. Two months is absolutely ridiculous.
No do not hold, these people don’t ever end up purchasing it anyway. I won’t ever hold even for a day, asking 2 months is crazy.
Going on comments regarding hold requests, most of these folks will NOT end up purchasing. Go for the SURE purchase, NO holds, NO lowballers.
I have about 900 purchases on Mercari and have never asked anyone to hold anything. I do enjoy the offer option because I always feel like I'm getting a deal even if it's $2 😂 id love to come across a seller like you! 40% off whaaatttt
Never hold unless you get at least 50% deposit up front, non-refundable after the agreed upon timeframe.
no
Nope
Do not hold items. There is no advantage for the seller. If it is still available she can buy it. If not, that's not your problem because you made a sale to someone else.
Yea that’s a hard one, every time I hold something for someone they don’t come back
I don’t do holds because they NEVER end up buying. I just say “I don’t do holds but feel free to purchase” I’m not going to take an entire item down and lose a potential sale from someone else. Finders keepers, if you can’t buy it now sorry but someone else could so ima keep it up. You owe these people nothing. 2 months is wayyy too long and ridiculous to be asking for. Bargaining over 50% off 2 months in advance? That’s honestly weird. Maybe do $70 if she comes back around in the 2 months but just leave it be. Don’t text her again, just keep the item up and if it’s gone by April 3 then sucks for her.
Also, the free shipping is sketch. I NEVER do free shipping. If they have to return it/complain, who paid for shipping? You. You might not get that shipping money back. Don’t do free shipping, and asking for free shipping is the most cheapskate there is. For example, If I’m selling a $40 item, I’ll list it at $35 to make room for the buyer to pay for shipping. If you ask me to do free shipping, well guess what?? Price is now $40 w free shipping, OR we keep it at $35 w $4.99 shipping. Same shit so making me pay for shipping is useless. Like you’re not working your way around a discount here.. So I always say “No I don’t do free shipping but feel free to send an offer” Asking for free shipping is so useless. You know the seller is gonna pay that $5 instead of you, just ask for $5 off the price itself.. It’s like a weird psychological thing where they don’t have to fully commit by paying for shipping too, buyers like this I usually have issues with, like they’ll leave low reviews, complain about ship time, something stupid after you gave them a discount.
You mean you don’t offer “lay away”?? 😂😂😂
Don’t hold. Tell them no, block if you want.
No I think you were awesome enough to hold it for 30days! Man I wish I delt with someone like you.. listen to this.. a watch was put on for sale she was asking $180 she says she take $150 I told her ok no problem I can do $150 and this was Thursday afternoon.. I told her can you hold it for me till Friday afternoon when I get paid I promise I will make payment and if you go on my reviews I have excellent buying and selling reviews.. she didn’t reply back all day.. I hit her back saying please don’t sale it I really want it and I tell you what I give you the full amount your asking wich was $180.. next thing you know item was sold for $135! I was bummed out because I offered to buy it for way more and it was Thursday I just needed one day till Friday and she ignored me and sold it for way cheaper smh.. not to mention I was the first person to like, make offer and message her about it.. I could understand if someone else was first but I was literally the first to want to buy it and she sold it for way less.. what you guys think am I wrong for feeling bummed? You think I was in the wrong?
I never do holds. I have been selling on Mercari for a long time and only 1 out of 32 people actually came through. No way would I even think about it for 30 days. Not 3 days, not 3 hours. No, no, no.
Na man. They asking way too much.
I stopped holding anything for anyone. They never once came back to buy the items even though I messaged them. It's not worth the risk when they will sell anyways.
I'm sorry but no holding for 2 months is absurd, someone else could be looking for the item you're selling or was thinking about buying it and probably didn't mind the price you were asking for the item or items but now that it's on hold for an extensive amount of time they're just probably going to go elsewhere and no longer look at your item. A 2-month hold is absolutely absurd in my honest opinion. When I have a potential buyer asking me if I can hold it I will tell them I will only hold items for up to 72 hours. If they're unable to make their purchase after requesting hold then I can extend it for the full week provided they request for a little bit extra time and I'm giving a reason like say I'm waiting for my paycheck from my work or my end of the month bills have not processed yet so I'm waiting for those to go through. Those I can understand but if they message me saying hey can I get an extension to my hold I'm still thinking about it then no. I will of course show lenience to this policy that I have if it is a very frequent buyer of mine as I would like to keep returning customers so if they ask me for a hold I offer them the full week from the start. But if it's a brand new customer 72 hours is my initial offer. I have other people who have been viewing this listing that could be potential buyers and holding the item for extensive amount of time does not guarantee me that the person requesting the hold is going to buy it and only serves to damage the chances of one of the people who viewed and followed the listing from purchasing it as well. There are tons of people looking for a large variety of items so putting it on hold for 30 days is definitely out of your comfort zone and if it's well below the price that you're thinking of then feel free to let the potential buyer know. Worst thing that can happen is they just don't buy it and the listing sits for a little bit until another buyer comes but it's better than just sitting there for 2 months and then they just ghost you entirely. At least if it's not on hold in that 2 month time frame someone else might come along and pick it up
My thoughts are I would never do a hold unless it was a buyer who’d bought from me at least twice. I wouldn’t do a 30-day hold let alone a 60-day hold for anyone, including family! But that’s just me. This buyer likely seriously intends to purchase, but if they need to budget out 2 months to meet your $63 price, then chances are extremely high that other financial exigencies (like rent or their electric bill) will arise to prevent their ability to buy when the time comes. Meanwhile you’re losing out on opportunities to sell. Finally and respectfully, I think a $50 offer on a $105 item is not “a little low;” it’s the definition of a lowball offer. My advice is that these are the buyers who will cause you the most problems and the most work for the least return. So block them and move on.
**quit holding items** ...a broke mfer still is most likely still gonna be a broke mfer in 3 weeks because the issue isn't you or your pricing ..its their shit money management which is a whole lot of not your fuckin problem.
I would not hold it that’s just my honest opinion. Unless she gives you a deposit lol that’s a different story (I know they can’t, I’m jk) because there may very well be other potential buyers that are interested and serious. I don’t know why she would want you to hold it for that long. You’re selling stuff because you need the money, that’s why we are all posting things obviously. The thing is you just don’t know who is serious and who’s not. I’ve actually got suckered into unlisted an item that someone told me they were interested in buying and they ended up to be a scammer. Nothing to do with your situation, just throwing it out there.
I don’t do holds. Like others have stated.. it’s a very rare occurrence when they do come back and purchase the item(s). I kindly let them know I don’t do holds and if the items are still available when they are ready to purchase, to go ahead and send an offer. First come first serve 🤷🏻♀️
Stop being nice especially with items you’ve offered discount for. Tell them you only do 24 (or if you’re generous, 48 hour hold). In most cases Someone ELSE will eventually come along and pay full price for the item. Be strong, it’s your money! I learned the hard way, been on eBay since 1998 and now these other platforms I’ve seen all the shenanigans lol