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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

They sold something that I reserved

38 replies

Mylovemine · 12/04/2025 18:15

I reserved furniture in a second hand furniture shop that I needed last week for this coming Monday and I have just told been told that it has been sold to someone else on Friday. So I don’t have enough places for everyone to sit. I don’t know how it’s happened and am really disappointed as I could have got something else but now I need to wait for them to get new furniture in.

OP posts:
Annascaul · 12/04/2025 18:16

Did you pay a deposit?

lnks · 12/04/2025 18:16

Had you paid for it?

rubyslippers · 12/04/2025 18:16

Did you leave a deposit?
sounds annoying but if they could sell it and get more space for new stock then can’t blame them

TwentyTwentyFive · 12/04/2025 18:16

I don't really think you've got any recourse unless you paid for it unfortunately.

It was probably a miscommunication, annoying but these things happen.

Original poster
Mylovemine · 12/04/2025 19:07

What is the point in reserving something if they’re just going to sell it to someone else

OP posts:
SaladSandwichesForTea · 12/04/2025 19:09

Mylovemine · 12/04/2025 19:07

What is the point in reserving something if they’re just going to sell it to someone else

But did you pay a deposit?

Did you collect it in time frame?

Viviennemary · 12/04/2025 19:11

Somebody came along amd saw it and offered a higher price. Not on really but it happens. Or maybe they were a regular customer, maybe it was sold by mistake, what excuse did they come up with.

justasmalltownmum · 12/04/2025 19:11

We have a huge extended family. At gatherings, everyone sits on the floor. But this is also normal in our culture.

MesmerisingMuon · 12/04/2025 19:12

Mylovemine · 12/04/2025 19:07

What is the point in reserving something if they’re just going to sell it to someone else

If you paid for it in full then no they can't.

If you just reserved it without paying then yes they can sell it.

I reserved (and paid in full) for a table but couldn't collect until 4 days later at the weekend as I needed a bigger car to collect.

dogcatkitten · 12/04/2025 19:14

Pay when you reserve then it's sold. A 'promise' to buy is not enough you may never come back as far as the shop is concerned.

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 12/04/2025 19:14

If you hadn’t paid anything then I’m not sure they’re in the wrong. You could just as easily not have bothered to collect and they’d have lost the sale. Did they offer to reserve it for you or did you ask? Why couldn’t you collect it last week?

carlmotl · 12/04/2025 19:29

Mylovemine · 12/04/2025 19:07

What is the point in reserving something if they’re just going to sell it to someone else

So you didn't pay a deposit or pay for the item in full then?
You seem to have studiously ignored the other posters' questions.

Annascaul · 12/04/2025 19:33

Why would they take a chance on you coming back next week, if they had someone willing to pay in full actually standing in the shop?
If you’d paid a deposit, they would have held it for you.

MargaretThursday · 12/04/2025 19:47

If it was last week, then I'm assuming you meant over 7 days away, so I'd expect anywhere to have assumed you didn't want it by then.
Ours reserves no more than 3 days because they're short of space (and you pay in advance). However if you get them to deliver it, you can ask for up to a week away.

LoreOfBabylon · 12/04/2025 20:02

Mylovemine · 12/04/2025 19:07

What is the point in reserving something if they’re just going to sell it to someone else

Mistakes happen. Hope you find something else soon.

Layla30 · 12/04/2025 20:10

I work in a second hand shop and unfortunately it does happen. It’s never intentional but sometimes the reserved sign falls off or another staff member hadn’t realised and sold the item.
we also only reserve items for 48 hours then put them back up for sale so it may have been that too.

Tandora · 12/04/2025 20:13

I geT what people are saying but surely the shop shouldn’t have told OP she could reserve it if she couldn’t? Or if she needed to pay in full to reserve it surely they should have told her that ?

Lavender14 · 12/04/2025 20:16

If you paid a deposit and were within the collection window then yanbu and that's frustrating. If you hadn't paid a deposit or were late in collecting your items then this is on you.

BlondeMummyto1 · 12/04/2025 20:25

For all they know you may have never went back for it.

Fruby · 12/04/2025 20:31

Mistakes happen. Little shops are busy places and it’s easy to for a reserved sign to fall off something

lnks · 12/04/2025 20:38

You didn’t reserve it if you didn’t pay a deposit.

Thepossibility · 12/04/2025 22:43

Have you looked into renting some furniture? That's what I do if I'm hosting something bigger than my existing furniture can accommodate.

pinklimefish · 12/04/2025 22:47

Often a reserved item will only be reserved for a day, two max before it’s put out for sale again. If you really want it, best bet is to pay for it and arrange collection - then it’ll have a massive Sold tag on and will be set aside.
Take it as a lesson learned, OP!

saveforthat · 12/04/2025 22:49

justasmalltownmum · 12/04/2025 19:11

We have a huge extended family. At gatherings, everyone sits on the floor. But this is also normal in our culture.

What is the point of your post? I'm assuming OP is from a culture where guests expect to sit on a chair or she wouldn't have ordered some.

FuckityFux · 13/04/2025 08:09

You can’t reserve stuff indefinitely and until it’s paid for, then the shop can choose to sell it to someone else.

If you part paid for it, then they entered into an agreement to sell it to you but I assume you didn't do that?