Going on vacation or simply closing business operations temporarily? You might want to consider putting your reselling marketplaces on “vacation mode” if you are unable to fulfill orders for any reason.
In deciding whether to put your store or shop on vacation mode, consider how long you will be unavailable for. If this period significantly exceeds the amount of time you have to ship pursuant to the rules of the marketplace, put your store on vacation mode.
However, if you’re only going away for a couple of days, you might consider not halting the operation of your marketplaces. The loss of exposure proceeding vacation mode can be detrimental to your activity, and many resellers report that it takes a long time to rebuild the momentum lost during “vacation mode.”
The best thing to do is to arrange for someone to fulfill your orders while you are unable to do so, so that you can make money while on vacation. If that is not an option for you, or if it is time for a break, here is how to handle vacation mode across multiple online reselling marketplaces.
Vacation Mode or Time Away on eBay
eBay has the best “vacation mode” called time away. On eBay, you schedule how long you will be away for, choose if you want to pause your sales or allow them to continue, and even set an automatic response for buyers who contact you through messages.
Here is how to schedule time away on eBay:
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Go to Time Away settings.
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Select schedule time away.
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Choose whether to allow item sales or pause item sales.
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Select a start date and end date for your time away.
You can set time away for up to 30 days on eBay. Remember that if you allow sales during this time, you will want to change your shipping and handling time. Thankfully, you can do this in bulk in your eBay Seller Hub.
You may also be interested in: 10 Great Marketplaces Every Reseller Should Consider
How to Put your Poshmark Closet on Vacation Mode
Poshmark also offers a vacation mode called “vacation hold,” where you can mark all of your listings as temporarily not for sale.
To put your Poshmark Closet on vacation hold:
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Go to My Seller Tools in the mobile app.
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Select Vacation Hold.
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Select a begin date and an end date.
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Select save.
You can put your Posh closet on vacation mode indefinitely, and your listings can still be viewed, shared, and commented on during vacation mode (just not purchased).
Vacation Mode or Holiday Mode on Facebook Marketplace
On Facebook Marketplace, vacation mode or “holiday mode” is like a temporary deactivation of your selling account. When you turn on vacation mode, your listings won’t appear in searches, and buyers cannot make purchases or message you.
To enable vacation mode on Facebook Marketplace:
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Click the Marketplace icon in the menu from your timeline newsfeed.
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In your settings, click mange vacation mode.
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Toggle vacation mode “on”
Holiday mode simply marks all of your Facebook Marketplace listings as inactive until toggled back on. They will not show up in feeds or searches while vacation mode is on.
Vacation Mode on Etsy
Etsy’s vacation mode allows you to pause your shop temporarily. When you turn on vacation mode, a banner will appear at the top of your shop warning buyers that you are taking a short break. Etsy members who visit your shop while on vacation mode can elect to be notified via email upon your return to Etsy.
To turn on vacation mode on Etsy:
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Click shop manager
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In settings, select options
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Turn the vacation mode tab to “”on”
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Fill in a temporary shop announcement and message auto-reply
Depop
Depop vacation mode is available for sellers on the Depop Mobile App only.
Depop vacation mode is very straightforward: When Vacation Mode is on, buyers can see and like your listings, but they cannot make offers or purchases.
Depop vacation mode automatically turns off after 7 days, so you might need to extend it accordingly.
Remember that on Depop you have 10 days to ship an order, so unless you’re away for longer, I wouldn’t worry about vacation mode. Instead, I would just pause refreshing your listings and communicate with any buyers you have about your expected ship date.
Grailed Vacation Mode
On Grailed, vacation mode lets you take a break when you’re unable to manage your Grailed account without missing out of sales. When you’re on vacation mode, your listings remain available for purchase. Buyers will see that your account is on vacation mode and that you will ship upon your return date. You can continue to message, and even ship and sell if you elect to do so on vacation mode.
To set your Grailed account on vacation mode:
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Go to the sell tab
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Select vacation mode
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Choose a start date and an end date
You can put your Grailed account on vacation mode for up to 90 days. Note that once you are on vacation mode, you cannot extend the end date. To extend vacation mode, you will have to end the current vacation period and start a new one; however, immediately upon ending (the first) you are required to ship any orders that you sold during the vacation period. Thus, you will be expected to ship immediately after your end date, and if that is not possible, you will need to communicate with buyers as necessary.
Vestiaire Collective Holiday Mode
On Vestiaire Collective, you can take time away at any time with holiday mode.
When your Vestiaire shop is in holiday mode, users can view and like your items, but they cannot purchase them.
You can set up holiday mode in your account settings on the website or app, selecting the custom dates when you will be away.
During holiday mode, the “buy” and “negotiate” buttons on your listings are replaced with a banner encouraging buyers to come back.
Note: Holiday mode does not change the number of sales needed to keep a seller badge. So, if you’re away, be mindful that it might effect your performance standing.
How to Put Kidizen on Vacation Mode
Kidizen offers vacation mode to sellers who need a break or are unable to fulfill orders. Vacation mode on Kidizen is simple: you turn it on when you would like to start, and it remains on indefinitely until you manually turn it off.
To turn on vacation mode, open the Kidizen mobile app and:
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Click on your profile picture, then the settings icon
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Select shop settings
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Toggle vacation mode to “on”
When you are on vacation mode on Kidizen your entire page is not visible and your listings do not appear in searches. It is similar to a temporary deactivation.
Shopify Vacation Settings
Shopify does not have a formal vacation mode. Remember, on Shopify you are in control of your shop: you might choose not to do anything to pause operations, and to simply communicate with your buyers about the delay and estimated return date.
However, if you would like to pause operations for any reason, here are two work-arounds that allow you to temporarily close your Shopify store to the public:
Temporary Solution: Password Protect Your Shopify Store
If you want to temporarily stop visitors from accessing your store, you can password protect it, so users will not be able to access it, view products, or make orders without your password.
When a buyer visits your site, they will see a password page and a message explaining why the store is temporarily closed. You can set up password protection here.
Long term Solution: Pause and Build Your Shopify Store
For a longer time away, the pause and build feature keeps your store online and accessible to visitors, but disables the checkout. You can access your Shopify account and edit your settings and products, but checkout is disabled for buyers.
You can pause your Shopify store on the plan page in your store settings. This will reduce your subscription cost. Learn more here.
Ultimately, it might not be necessary to halt operations entirely for short breaks or weekends away. As a general rule, if you’re unable to fulfill orders for over a week, you might consider vacation mode.
Be advised that any temporary deactivation may halt your momentum and performance, and may affect your seller status and recognition (such as “badges”).
Do you vacation frequently? How do you manage your reselling business while away? Tell us below!
