How to Stop No-Shows When Selling on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji

Ask anyone who sells regularly on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji what annoys them most, and scams usually come second. First place goes to the no-show.

You agree on a price, pick a time, turn down three other people, and wait in a Tim Hortons parking lot for 40 minutes. Then nothing. No message, no apology, and your listing has dropped off everyone’s feed.

Why buyers ghost

It isn’t always bad manners. Most no-shows come down to one thing: it costs the buyer nothing to back out. They messaged five sellers about the same couch, booked two pickups, and went with whichever came first. Or they found one $20 cheaper on the way.

When there’s no cost to cancelling, some people won’t bother telling you.

5 ways to cut no-shows

1. Confirm the morning of. A quick “Still good for 6pm?” filters out a lot of ghosts. No reply by noon usually means no show.
2. Keep a backup list. Don’t tell other interested buyers “sorry, it’s sold” until the money is in your hands. Say “someone is coming tonight, I’ll message you if it falls through.”
3. Meet somewhere you’d be anyway. Pick a spot near your work, gym, or grocery store so a no-show wastes 5 minutes, not an hour. In the GTA, a police safe exchange zone is even better.
4. Ask for the buyer’s name and a quick question about the item. People who’ve taken the time to ask about tire wear or drawer sizes are far more likely to show up than a one-line “I’ll take it.”
5. Ask for a deposit. This is the one that actually changes behaviour. Even $20 turns a casual “maybe” into a commitment.

The problem with deposits

Most sellers know deposits work, but asking for one is awkward. Buyers worry (fairly) that you’ll take the deposit and disappear, especially when they’re sending an e-transfer to a stranger. So they say no, and you’re back to hoping.

How LockNDeal handles it

LockNDeal was built around this exact problem:

• Sellers set a deposit amount on their profile, along with their preferred hours, so it’s clear up front.
• The buyer locks payment in the app before the meetup. The money is held by LockNDeal, not sent to you, so the buyer isn’t trusting a stranger with it.
• If the buyer doesn’t show, you get a no-show fee from the deposit and they’re refunded the rest.
• If you don’t show, you get a strike on your account. Accountability goes both ways, which is why buyers are comfortable locking funds in the first place.
• When the deal happens, you give the buyer your code and you’re paid instantly.

The result is that the people who turn up are the people who meant it.