What to Do When a Buyer or Seller Doesn't Show Up

A no-show is frustrating but usually not malicious — plans change, and sometimes people simply forget or get delayed. Here's how to handle it well when it happens, and when it's worth being more cautious.

First steps when someone doesn't show

• Wait a reasonable amount of time (10-15 minutes is generally fair) and message through Kaubaplats to check in before assuming the worst.
• Keep the tone neutral rather than accusatory in your first message — a genuine mix-up deserves the benefit of the doubt.
• If there's no response within a reasonable window, it's fine to leave and consider the meetup cancelled.

Rescheduling vs. moving on

A single no-show with a genuine apology and explanation is usually worth rescheduling once. A pattern of no-shows, vague excuses, or unresponsiveness afterward is a different signal — at that point it's reasonable to simply move on to another buyer or seller rather than repeatedly accommodating the same person.

Protecting your own time

• Confirm the meetup shortly before the agreed time, especially for anything arranged more than a day in advance — a quick "still good for 3pm?" message filters out a lot of no-shows before they happen.
• For sellers juggling interest from multiple buyers, being upfront that you're coordinating with others reduces the odds of everyone assuming they have first claim.

Reducing the impact of a no-show entirely

For higher-value items where a wasted trip or held item is a real inconvenience, using RahaKaitse escrow to secure payment before a meetup, or before shipping, removes most of the practical downside — a no-show becomes an annoyance rather than a financial risk, since nothing has changed hands and no payment has been lost.