I'm So Sick of Marketplace Flakers (And What I Did About It)

"I'll be there at 2pm."

It's now 2:47pm. I've sent three texts. I'm sitting in a Target parking lot with a dresser in my truck bed, and this buyer—let's call him Chad—has vanished into the void.

Again.

This was my 47th no-show in four months.

If you sell on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or Craigslist, you know exactly how this feels. The rage. The helplessness. The soul-crushing realization that you just wasted another hour of your life waiting for someone who was never going to show.

I was done.

The Breaking Point

I started selling on Facebook Marketplace as a side hustle. Extra cash, clear out some clutter, maybe help people find good deals on furniture. Seemed simple enough.

The first few sales went fine. Then the flakers showed up.

At first, I thought I was doing something wrong. Maybe my listings weren't clear? Maybe I picked bad meetup times? I optimized everything—better photos, detailed descriptions, flexible scheduling.

The no-shows got worse.

Here's what a typical week looked like:

Monday: "I'll take the coffee table!" Tuesday: Confirm pickup for Thursday 6pm Wednesday: "Still good for tomorrow?" "Yes!" Thursday 6pm: Sitting in parking lot, Chad doesn't show Thursday 6:45pm: "Hey you coming?" Read receipt, no reply Friday: Relist the coffee table Saturday: New buyer ghosts too

Rinse. Repeat. Forever.

I was spending 4-5 hours per week just waiting for people who never showed up. That's 200+ hours a year. Over a week of my life. Gone.

For nothing.

Why Are Marketplace Buyers So Flaky?

I needed to understand what was happening. So I started tracking every buyer interaction for a month. (If you want the full psychology and data behind why buyers ghost, check out this deep dive into why buyers don't show up).

The data was depressing:

• 68% of confirmed buyers never showed up
• Average wait time before I gave up: 32 minutes
• Number of "I'm on my way" messages from people who never arrived: 23
• Hours wasted that month: 18.5 hours
• My sanity level: dangerously low

I dove into marketplace forums, Reddit threads, seller groups. Everyone had the same story.

The reasons buyers ghost:

1. They forgot — "Saturday" sounds far away on Tuesday
2. They found something cheaper — They messaged 10 sellers and bought from #3
3. They changed their mind — Impulse interest faded
4. They were never serious — Bored teenagers, tire-kickers, scammers
5. Something came up — The only semi-acceptable excuse

But here's the thing that made me furious: None of these people bothered to send a simple "Sorry, can't make it" text.

The disrespect. The entitlement. The complete lack of basic courtesy.

I was ready to quit selling entirely.

The Strategies That Didn't Work

Before I found what actually worked, I tried everything.

"Please Confirm the Day Before"

I sent polite confirmation texts 24 hours ahead.

Result: They'd reply "Yes!" and still ghost. Confirmation means nothing when there's no commitment behind it.

"Firm Price, First Come First Serve"

I thought eliminating negotiation would attract serious buyers.

Result: Flakers don't care about your pricing strategy. They ghost at any price point.

"I'm Tired of No-Shows, Please Be Serious"

I added desperate pleas to my listings and messages.

Result: Made me look weak. Flakers ignored it. Serious buyers felt awkward.

Blocking Repeat Offenders

I started blocking every buyer who ghosted.

Result: They just created new Facebook accounts. No accountability.

Keeping Backup Buyers

Smart strategy, right? Tell buyer #2 they're next if #1 flakes.

Result: Buyer #2 would often ghost too. Sometimes I'd burn through 3-4 "backups."

Nothing worked because I was treating symptoms instead of the disease.

The One Thing That Changed Everything

I was venting in a reseller Facebook group when someone mentioned they'd started requiring deposits.

"Deposits?" I thought. "That sounds complicated and scammy."

But I was desperate. So I tried it.

How It Worked

1. Buyer agrees to purchase my item
2. I send them a PayPal request for 20% deposit
3. Deposit is non-refundable but applied toward total price
4. Once deposit is paid, pickup time is confirmed
5. At pickup, buyer pays the remaining 80% in cash

Example:

• Selling a couch for $300
• Buyer pays $60 deposit via PayPal
• At pickup, buyer pays $240 cash
• Total: $300 (same price, just structured differently)

If they no-show: I keep the $60 deposit as compensation for my time.

The First Test

My next listing was a $250 dresser. I mentioned deposit requirement in the listing.

What happened:

• 3 people messaged interest
• 1 complained about the deposit ("This seems sketchy")
• 2 were fine with it
• First person paid the $50 deposit within 10 minutes
• Showed up exactly on time
• Transaction took 5 minutes

No ghosting. No drama. Just a clean, respectful transaction.

I was stunned.

The Results After 3 Months

I implemented deposits for every item over $100. Here's what happened:

Before deposits:

• No-show rate: 68%
• Hours wasted monthly: 18-20 hours
• Completed sales: 12 per month
• Stress level: Through the roof

After deposits:

• No-show rate: 11%
• Hours wasted monthly: 2-3 hours
• Completed sales: 22 per month
• Stress level: Actually manageable

I reclaimed 15+ hours per month. That's nearly 200 hours per year—a full work month.

But more than time, I reclaimed my sanity. No more sitting in parking lots wondering if someone would show. No more anger at being disrespected. No more wanting to quit.

Why Deposits Work

The psychology is simple: When people have money on the line, they show up. (For specific tactics on implementing deposits and other commitment strategies, read how to make buyers actually commit).

Without a deposit:

• Buyer has zero commitment
• No-show costs them nothing
• They treat your time as worthless

With a deposit:

• Buyer is financially committed
• No-show costs them real money
• They treat you with respect

Deposits don't just reduce no-shows—they filter out flakers entirely. The tire-kickers self-select out. Only serious buyers pay deposits.

Common Objections (And The Truth)

"Won't requiring deposits scare away buyers?"

Yes—it scares away flaky buyers. That's the point.

I went from 30 inquiries/month with 68% no-shows to 18 inquiries/month with 11% no-shows. Fewer messages, way more completed sales.

"Isn't it complicated to collect deposits?"

Not with the right tools. PayPal takes 2 minutes to set up. ShowdUp automates the entire process.

"What if buyers think it's a scam?"

Serious buyers don't. I had exactly ONE person call it sketchy in three months. They were going to ghost anyway.

Real buyers understand deposits prove you're serious too.

"Do I really need deposits for cheap items?"

Under $50? Probably not worth the friction.

$100-$200? Your call based on no-show rate.

$200+? Absolutely yes. Non-negotiable.

How I Automate Everything Now

Manually sending PayPal requests for every sale got tedious. So I found ShowdUp.

Here's my current process:

1. List item on Facebook Marketplace with "Schedule pickup here: [ShowdUp link]"
2. Buyer clicks link and sees my available time slots
3. They choose a time and verify their phone number
4. For items over $150, they pay deposit through ShowdUp's PayPal integration
5. ShowdUp sends automatic SMS reminders at 24h, 2h, and 30min before pickup
6. I get notified when someone books
7. I show up at the scheduled time
8. Buyer is already there (because they're actually serious)
9. 5-minute transaction, done

I spend zero time on:

• Back-and-forth scheduling messages
• Sending confirmation texts
• Waiting for no-shows
• Relisting items

My no-show rate is now under 8%. That's 92% of appointments actually happening.

I can't go back to the old way. Ever.

What This Means for Your Business

If you're still dealing with constant no-shows, you're leaving money and time on the table.

Run this calculation:

1. How many no-shows do you get per month? _______
2. How long do you wait before giving up? _______ minutes
3. What's your time worth per hour? $________

Monthly cost: (No-shows) × (Wait time in hours) × (Hourly rate) = $________

Annual cost: (Monthly cost) × 12 = $________

For me, it was over $2,400 per year in wasted time. Plus the mental cost of constant frustration.

ShowdUp Pro costs $49/month.

• Annual cost: $588
• Time saved: 15+ hours/month
• Mental sanity: Priceless

The ROI is obvious.

My Advice If You're Fed Up

If you're reading this because you're frustrated with marketplace flakers, here's what to do:

This Week

1. Start requiring phone verification—"Text me at [number] to confirm"
2. Send manual reminder texts 24 hours before pickup
3. Track your actual no-show rate (it's probably worse than you think)

This Month

1. Implement deposits for all items over $150
2. Use ShowdUp to automate scheduling and reminders
3. Stop accepting vague pickup times—specific slots only

This Quarter

1. Require deposits for everything over $100
2. Raise your prices slightly (serious buyers don't care)
3. Enjoy your reclaimed time and sanity

The Hard Truth

Marketplace buyers will continue being flaky as long as there are zero consequences for ghosting.

You can't change them. But you can change your system.

Deposits create accountability. Automation saves time. Together, they eliminate 90% of the frustration.

I'm not perfect—I still get the occasional no-show. But it's rare enough now that it doesn't ruin my day.

I went from 47 no-shows in four months to 3 no-shows in the last two months.

The difference between frustration and freedom is one simple change: making buyers commit.

Stop Letting Flakers Control Your Life

You deserve better than sitting in parking lots waiting for people who don't respect your time.

You deserve buyers who show up when they say they will.

You deserve to actually make money instead of burning hours on no-shows.

Try ShowdUp free for 15 days and see what happens when buyers have skin in the game.

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