What does “Ghosting” mean?

Ghosting means disappearing in the middle of a deal without explanation: no replies, no payment, no watch. It can happen after a price has been agreed, after a watch has been held for someone, or after one side has already paid or shipped.

In the watch trade, ghosting ranges from rude to costly. A buyer who ghosts after agreeing a price may have cost the seller other sales; a seller who ghosts after receiving payment may be committing fraud. Dealers protect themselves by confirming deals in writing, setting clear deadlines for payment and holding periods, running reference checks on new contacts and, for larger deals, using a middleman. When someone does ghost, many dealers let others in their network know, which is a big part of why reputation carries so much weight in this business.

Example: 'Held it for him for two days and he ghosted. It's available again.'