Sold, withdrawn or still available: close the listing loop
Choose the DNF listing action that matches the actual outcome. Use a closure record to distinguish a completed sale, withdrawal, temporary hold and failed deal.
General guidance. No specialist review is claimed unless named on this page.
Choose the action that matches what happened to the vehicle. A completed sale, a temporary pause and a decision to stop advertising are different outcomes. Recording the right one keeps another buyer from planning around a car that is no longer offered.
DNF's selling instructions separate accepting an offer from completing the sale. Acceptance makes the listing sale pending. Contact details follow once any required platform fees on both sides are paid. This does not establish payment of the vehicle price, transfer or collection.
Match the outcome to the current control
These are the seller controls in the current application as of October 24, 2026. An action's availability depends on the listing's present state.
| Actual position | Seller action | Result to check |
|---|---|---|
| Published vehicle remains offered, but you need a temporary pause | Put on hold | Page remains visible with an on-hold label; new offers and questions pause |
| On-hold vehicle is available again | Back on sale | Listing returns to sale and can receive new offers |
| A DNF offer was accepted and arrangements are proceeding | Keep sale pending | Complete the parties' remaining arrangements separately |
| Sale completed from a published, on-hold or sale-pending listing | Mark as sold; answer who bought it accurately | Listing shows sold and its open offers close |
| Published, on-hold or expired vehicle did not sell and you are ending advertising | Archive, or the It didn't sell answer where offered | Public page comes down; listing history remains in the account |
| Accepted deal actually ended without a sale | The deal fell through / Relist | Listing returns to sale; previously declined offers do not revive |
| Listing expired, but the vehicle remains offered | Check details, then Put it back up | Listing returns to sale with the details you have confirmed |
“Withdrawn” in your private notes should describe the decision to stop advertising. Use the application's actual Archive control for that situation. Withdrawing a listing from moderation is a different control for a listing still awaiting review.
If a sale-pending deal ends and you also want to stop advertising, resolve the failed deal through its workflow first, then archive the returned listing. If the parties dispute whether the deal ended, clarify that issue before recording an outcome.
Listed now
Vehicles for sale (1)Answer the sold dialog from evidence
From your listings dashboard, the current sold dialog asks who bought it. Select the relevant buyer from the offers if that is the transaction that completed, or Someone else if it sold outside that offer relationship. For a listing that is not sale pending, It didn't sell records withdrawal through archiving instead of inventing a sale.
Treat marking sold as an outcome decision. You cannot put that listing back on sale afterward. If you archive a sold listing and later put it back up, it returns as sold. Archiving an unsold listing also keeps its offers, messages and history; taking the public page down does not erase those records.
Do not mark a vehicle sold merely because the buyer booked a transporter, paid a proposed deposit or stopped replying. Check the actual outcome with the records appropriate to the transaction.
Keep a closure record
This original blank record is for one listing's outcome. It is separate from a business's recurring stock review and is not a DNF form.
| Closure field | Entry to make |
|---|---|
| Listing and date | Listing reference and date the availability decision was made |
| Actual outcome | Completed sale, temporary hold, failed accepted deal, withdrawal or still available |
| Basis | Seller's outcome confirmation and relevant private transaction record |
| Action taken | Exact account control used, time and person responsible |
| Result seen | Actual status or removal of the public page after the action |
| Outstanding arrangements | Person responsible for remaining paperwork, payment questions or collection issues |
| Buyer follow-up | Relevant existing conversation, factual update needed and whether it was delivered |
| Other advertisements | Each place needing a separate availability update |
An unresolved transaction question stays unresolved in this record. A status change cannot answer it.
Close conversations without claiming a broadcast
Where an existing conversation allows a response, give a short factual update: “The vehicle is no longer available,” or “I have paused the listing while I resolve availability.” These are hypothetical messages, not automatic DNF notifications. Follow DNF's contact restrictions and do not solicit new contacts from people who only viewed the listing.
The help page explains expiration and relisting. Expiration alone does not tell you whether a vehicle sold. For advertisements elsewhere, use the published cross-listing guide; each channel needs its own update. Check the vehicle inventory after completing the account action, and keep the closure record with the actual result.
Questions and answers
Should I mark the listing sold when I accept an offer?
No. Acceptance makes it sale pending. The parties still arrange the viewing, paperwork, payment and pickup; mark sold for the completed outcome.
How do I take down a listing when the vehicle did not sell?
For a published, on-hold or expired listing, use Archive. The current seller controls also offer an It didn't sell answer in the sold dialog, which archives rather than records a sale.
Can putting a sold listing back up make it available again?
No. Restoring an archived sold listing displays it as sold. Do not mark a temporary hold or an unfinished transaction as a completed sale.
Sources
The pages we relied on, which have the final say. Rules, fees and auction terms change, so check them before you buy, repair, register or resell a vehicle.
- DNF: How DNF works, offer acceptance and sale completion (damagednotfinished.com)
- DNF: Help, listing duration and a deal falling through (damagednotfinished.com)
- DNF: Trust and safety, contact restrictions (damagednotfinished.com)
List it free, or find your next project
List your vehicle free on DNF, with no auction. A success fee applies only if you accept an offer.
- Listed now
- Vehicles for sale (1)