How Do You Reserve a Used Item Before Someone Else Buys It?
On Facebook Marketplace you can only send a message. On Commonplace a $1 hold reserves the item. Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular explains how the hold works.
Watch the episode: Bulky Secondhand Resale: Why Trust, Not Price, Is the Real Barrier to Buying Used, Selling Circular with Garr Punnett, aired October 27, 2026. Listen on Apple Podcasts.
Short answer: On Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist you can only send a message, so a good deal often goes to whoever shows up first. On Commonplace, a $1 hold reserves the item and takes it off the market while it is inspected. If the inspection before pickup is not right, you cancel and owe nothing.
Ari Kimmelfeld explained the $1 hold on Selling Circular with host Garr Punnett.
What Ari said
Have you ever experienced where there was product that you were really interested in. But obviously there were 10 other people that were really interested in. So how do you make sure that you secure that product?
Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 29:59
So that's part of the $1 reservation. Once you reserve it for $1, it's pretty much a buy it now button, that Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist doesn't have, whereas those just have like send a message. Here there's like a commitment. I'm committing, I'm buying it, and then you get all of the video and information.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 30:24
A hold, not a payment
Ari said the $1 holds the item until you approve what the inspection found:
If you don't like it, you can cancel it totally for free, that $1 is actually a hold until you approve the in-person inspection.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 20:46
He said new buyers often ask whether that is too good to be true:
And then they're like, what do you mean? I only pay $1. I don't have to pay until it's delivered, and that's a pretty common point of feedback.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 29:00
Read is Commonplace too good to be true.
How the $1 hold works
- Reserve for $1. The item comes off the market for other buyers. Waiting even a few hours can mean losing it to someone else.
- Inspection before pickup. A 30 to 50 point inspection, with photos and a function video, that you approve.
- Approve or cancel. If it is not right, cancel before pickup and owe nothing.
- Pay the rest. Under $8,000 you pay on delivery. At $8,000 or more you wire the balance when you approve the inspection.
- Delivery. White-glove, free within 100 miles. Commonplace ships nationwide.
Browse used Pelotons, golf carts, or hot tubs. For the full conversation, read Why Do People Buy New?: Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular.
Commonplace is the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp alternative for big items. Listing is free, and Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, secure payments, and a free two-month parts warranty. Labor coverage is available as an add-on. Delivery is free within 100 miles, and Commonplace ships nationwide. See how it works.
Related questions
Is the $1 hold refundable?
If the inspection fails or you decline it, you owe nothing more and the $1 hold is released. You can always cancel before you approve the inspection.
Can I make an offer instead of paying the list price?
Most listings have a Make an Offer option next to Reserve for $1. Commonplace takes your offer to the seller for you.
When do I pay the rest?
For orders under $8,000, you pay the rest on delivery. For orders of $8,000 or more, you wire the balance when you approve the inspection.
Thank you to Garr Punnett for having Ari on Selling Circular. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.