How long should you hold stock for an unpaid order?

Short answer: for most chat sales, 4 hours works well. Go shorter during a live sale or when stock is scarce; go to a day for expensive items, pre-orders or buyers who pay in the evening. Hold too long and stock waits for people who never pay; too short and buyers who meant to pay miss it.

How to choose

• 2 hours: live sales, one-off pieces, a queue of buyers
• 4 hours: everyday chat sales; time to finish work and transfer
• 12 hours to 1 day: expensive items, buyers who check with family first or pay at night
• 3 days: pre-orders and made-to-order, where nobody is waiting for the same piece

A polite reminder before the bill runs out does more than a longer hold. See buyers who order and don't pay.

The buyer pays after it expired

Check your banking app first. If the money is in and the item is still there, ship it. If it has sold, refund the buyer and say clearly when you sent it back.

What Nava does

In Nava stock is held the moment the bill goes out, so nobody can buy the same piece twice. Bills last 2 hours, 4 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 3 days (default 4 hours), set in Settings → Payments or changed per bill when you create the order. Nava reminds the buyer 2 hours after the bill and again 1 hour before it expires (once on a 2-hour bill), and tells the shop 30 minutes before it expires (if that alert is on). When it expires the stock goes back on sale. A slip sent after expiry isn't accepted automatically, but if the money is in, the shop owner can tap "confirm payment yourself" and Nava takes the stock back if it's still there. Nava is in a private pilot and opens to everyone in February 2027.