Are "Prop Store" items original?

How would you handle selling unique items both online and in a store?

• For my example we will use a collectibles shop. You have items you wish to list online for sell which mirrors product in your showcases. Take for example a $30 print on a wall. Customers in the store can take it off the wall and come to the register. If my online store sold the item first before I had a chance to pull the product off the floor, would you tell the customer it is sold? I would set up alerts to notify me of a completed online sale and promptly remove items, but if a customer is walking around the store with the item when it is sold online, I have the challenge. Its a short window but just trying to think of a way to handle it. Ideally I would like to see my full inventory online so the option of listing items and holding them back does not seem practical. Alternatively. I would think I could make sales pending online and have a disclaimer that items will be removed from the showroom within 30 minutes of sale. If the item is already sold, the transaction is voided. Providing a fair customer experience is my ideal goal for both in store and online customers. How would you handle this?

• Answer:

  Simple. Mark every item on the online site that all items are subject to previous retail sale.