VendorSnap

Guide

How to avoid double selling

Double selling is the one real risk of crosslisting: the item sells in two places and one buyer gets a cancellation. It is avoidable.

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Why it happens

  • Timing. The other listing stays up for minutes or hours after the first sale, and a second buyer checks out.
  • In-person sales. The item sells in person at a market on Saturday, and its eBay listing is still up on Sunday.
  • Quantity. A listing for several of an item keeps selling after the last one is gone.

What it costs you

  • eBay: cancelling because the item is gone counts against your seller performance.
  • Etsy: repeated cancellations can hurt your shop's standing and reviews.
  • Facebook Marketplace: a cancelled shipped order can cost you ratings.
  • Everywhere: a disappointed buyer, and your time.

Habits that work

  • End the other listings before you pack the order, not after.
  • Keep in-person stock and online stock in one list, and update it the same day.
  • Set quantity to what you really have, and recount before markets.
  • Hold back one-of-a-kind pieces from the table while they are listed online, or record table sales right away.

Tools that take listings down for you

Crosslisting apps take the other listings down when an item sells, in one of two ways. Browser-extension apps watch your marketplaces every 10 to 15 minutes, only while your computer is on. API-based apps end listings from their servers, any time.

VendorSnap takes the second route and covers in-person sales too: ring the sale up on the Register, or tap Mark as Sold and say where it sold, and the eBay and Etsy listings end in seconds. Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Depop and Poshmark have no API for it, so your phone takes those listings down for you while VendorSnap is open.

If it already happened

Fill the first order. For the second, cancel quickly on that marketplace and send a short, honest note:

"Hi, I'm so sorry: this item sold a few minutes before your order came through, so I've cancelled and you will get a full refund right away. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you'll find something else you like in my shop."

A point of sale register for every table, booth and pop-upA free register for flea markets, antique booths and pop-ups: scan QR tags, take cash, card, Venmo or Zelle, add tax and discounts, and send receipts.One inventory for in person and onlineOne inventory for what you sell in person and your eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Vinted, Depop and Poshmark listings. A sale in person takes them down.How to crosslist, step by stepWhat crosslisting is, whether it's allowed, the manual way and the app way, and how to keep one item from selling twice. With a checklist.

Questions and answers

What should I do if an item sold twice?

Ship the first order, cancel the second right away with a full refund, and send the buyer a short apology. Then end any other listings still up for that item.

Does auto-delist work for in-person sales?

Only if your app records in-person sales. VendorSnap does: a sale rung up on its Register ends the eBay and Etsy listings in seconds.

VendorSnap for iPhone and Android

Listed before you're out the door.

Snap it in the aisle, Price Check it against live eBay listings, and list it on eBay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Depop and Poshmark, all from your phone. Free on the App Store and Google Play.

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