Interesting Thread on Seller Forum
Summary: Participants discussed the idea of a 'hold' feature on eBay that allows buyers to reserve items. Many expressed disapproval, likening it to delayed purchasing without commitment. simply-the-best-for-you mentioned being frequently asked to hold items as a seller but generally refused. They and others, including roccotacodad54 and stainlessenginecovers, expressed concerns about the feature being impractical and disadvantaging sellers. A suggestion was made about a 'pay now, ship later' system, but many doubted its feasibility.
There is some discussion about an idea for a 'hold' feature on eBay that would allow a buyer to put something on hold (reserve) for a period of time.
As a buyer, have you ever asked a seller to hold an item until you decided if you wanted to buy it?
mmadigan
·3 weeks agoAs a buyer no. As a seller, yes. Prior to Ebay I would issue book catalogs and a customer received the latest list and called and wanted five books. The problem she had was she budgeted her spending to $100 for books per month and already reached her limit. She asked if I would hold the books and she would send payment (in the days of checks) in a week. I said sure and she became a regular customer.
fabrics24
·3 weeks agoI could only see myself supporting this if it was done as a "pay now, ship later" thing; lots of buyers seem to want their item to ship at a later date (especially in summer because of vacations), which I would be fine with if eBay found a way to make that happen so sellers don't get dings. Unlikely that this would happen, but that's the only way I'd support something adjacent to this.
I'm not a fan of buyers asking me to "put it on hold so I can decide if I want it or not"; why should I put something aside for someone who might not even buy it? I'm not promised a sale and the buyer can back out at any time, so unless you pay me some kind of holding fee, that does nothing for me as the seller but tie up inventory and possibly waste my time.
mudshark61369
·3 weeks ago@grann-4629 ,
That topic mentions holding an item while a buyer makes up their mind which is ridiculous. If a seller has several of an item, a buyer can add the item to their Watch list. However for a one of listing, why would a seller risk possibly losing a sale because a buyer wants to make up their mind?
However, sellers do get asked if they will delay shipping because the buyer will be away, which is problematic because they can receive a defect on their account if they do not ship within their handling time. All of the 3 main shippers offer delayed delivery options. USPS 3-30 days, FedEx up to 14 days, UPS 5-7 days. The thing is that people have to create accounts with FedEx and UPS to be able to request delivery holds. One can go to a P.O. and fill out a delivery hold card or sign up to use Informed delivery or go to USPS online and request delivery holds.
stainlessenginecovers
·3 weeks agoTerrible idea.
Good thing it isn't a thing and even a Better thing it will NEVER happen!
roccotacodad54
·3 weeks ago"As a buyer, have you ever asked a seller to hold an item until you decided if you wanted to buy it?"
No. That is what I use my watchlist for.
Asking a seller to take something off the market while one decides to buy or not is................selfish, entitled?, I could go on and on.
simply-the-best-for-you
·3 weeks agoNo, but as a seller, I've certainly been asked to hold items. Many times! Hold until payday or SS day or whatever. They are usually not high priced items though like that OP was referring to & I will almost never entertain it.
kensgiftshop
·3 weeks agoNo.
dbmm-media
·3 weeks agonope. kind of like buyers buying something and not paying..a 4 day hold