取り置き and 専用 Etiquette
When buyers ask you to "hold" an item or make a "private" listing — what these mean and how to handle them.
These are two of the most confusing requests for foreign sellers. 取り置き (hold for me) and 専用 (private/reserved listing) are unofficial customs Mercari technically doesn't support, but Japanese sellers do them anyway. Refusing them sounds rude. Accepting them carelessly leaves you stuck if the buyer ghosts.
取り置き — "please hold this for me"
A buyer asks you to NOT sell the item to anyone else for a period of time, usually because they need to wait for payday or check something.
コメントありがとうございます。 ○月○日まででしたらお取り置き可能です。 それまでにご購入手続きをお願いいたします。
| What it means | Thank you for your comment. I can hold it for you until (date). Please complete your purchase by then. |
| When to send | If you're willing to hold the item, but want a hard deadline. |
| Tone | Practical. Always set a deadline — open-ended holds get abused. |
コメントありがとうございます。 申し訳ございませんが、お取り置きは行っておりません。 他にご質問がございましたらお気軽にどうぞ。
| What it means | Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry, but I don't do holds. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. |
| When to send | If you don't want to hold items at all. |
| Tone | Polite refusal. Mercari technically doesn't support holds, so refusing is fully acceptable. |
Mercari has no official 取り置き system. If you hold an item and the buyer ghosts, you've lost selling time AND can't easily prove they promised to buy. Set short deadlines (max 3 days) and don't hold for repeat unreliable buyers.
専用 — the "private listing" workaround
When you've agreed on a deal with one buyer and need to make sure no one else snipes the item. The seller modifies the listing title to include the buyer's username.
○○様 専用
| What it means | Reserved for [buyer's username]. |
| When to send | Add to the front of the listing title after agreeing on terms with the buyer. Replace ○○ with the buyer's actual username. |
| Tone | This is a title modification, not a message. Once added, other buyers know not to purchase. |
○○様、お待たせいたしました。 専用ページに変更しましたので、こちらからご購入いただけます。 よろしくお願いいたします。
| What it means | (Buyer name), thank you for waiting. I've changed this to a private listing for you, please purchase from here. Thank you. |
| When to send | Send as a comment after modifying the title. |
| Tone | Notify the buyer the listing is ready. They should buy within a reasonable time (24 hours). |
When the senyou buyer doesn't follow through
It happens. The buyer agreed, you made the listing private, and they disappear. Here's how to recover gracefully.
○○様、お返事がないため、明日中にご購入確認が取れない場合は専用を解除させていただきます。 何卒ご了承ください。
| What it means | (Buyer name), since I haven't heard from you, if I can't confirm your purchase by tomorrow I'll have to remove the private listing. I appreciate your understanding. |
| When to send | After 24+ hours of no response. Gives them one more chance. |
| Tone | Firm but polite. Sets a clear deadline. |