What happens to Chairish balance when the owner dies
Chairish, Inc. has a formal process for transferring balance after an account holder dies
Chairish Customer Service
Chairish, Inc., 548 Market Street, Suite 69473, San Francisco, CA 94104
Chairish Customer Service (no dedicated estate team published)
Chairish, Inc., 548 Market Street, Suite 69473, San Francisco, CA 94104
Chairish does not publish a timeline for deceased-seller or estate requests; these are handled individually through support@chairish.com, the support request form, or +1 888-871-7229. Chairish states most calls are answered the same day and otherwise within 24 hours, but that commitment covers ordinary support contact, not an estate review. For ordinary payouts, a sale becomes final after the buyer's 48-hour return period elapses or a local pickup or local delivery is completed; payment is typically issued within about six days of the order being marked delivered or picked up; Stripe Connect payments then typically take 2-5 business days and PayPal payments typically under 48 hours, with a further 3-5 days possible depending on the bank. Because Chairish has not documented how it processes an estate's balance claim, expect the timeline to depend on the support team's review.
Chairish does not publish a deceased-seller or estate-succession process. Every article in its Help Center was reviewed and none addresses death, an estate, an heir, or a next of kin. Section 30 ("Assignment") of the Terms of Service states that a user "may not assign, delegate or transfer these Terms or your rights or obligations hereunder, or your Services account, in any way (by operation of law or otherwise) without Chairish's prior written consent," and adds that "any assignment in violation of this provision is null and void." There is no beneficiary designation and no self-service account transfer. The practical estate asset is the seller payout balance. Chairish collects the buyer's money at the time of sale and holds the proceeds until pickup or delivery is confirmed, so money for sales in flight is sitting with Chairish rather than with the seller. A sale becomes final after the buyer's 48-hour return period elapses or a local pickup or local delivery is completed; payment is typically issued within about six days of the order being marked delivered or picked up, and then takes 2-5 business days to land through Stripe Connect or under 48 hours through PayPal, with a further 3-5 days possible depending on the bank. The estate may seek the balance by contacting Chairish support with proof of death and proof of authority to act for the estate. Because Chairish reviews these situations individually rather than through a published procedure, the policy is classified as case-by-case: the balance is a debt that may be claimable, but the documentation, timeline, and outcome are not publicly documented and are determined by Chairish on request. Continuing to operate the seller account, or transferring listed inventory under a new owner, likewise requires Chairish's written consent.
How to request a transfer
To request a transfer of Chairish balance after an account holder's death, follow these steps:
- •Email support@chairish.com, or use the support request form at support.chairish.com/hc/en-us/requests/new (email support: Monday to Friday 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM PT; Saturday and Sunday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM PT)
- •Phone +1 888-871-7229 (Monday to Friday 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM PT; Saturday and Sunday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT)
- •Live chat, via the chat icon on the website during business hours
- •Mail to Chairish, Inc., 548 Market Street, Suite 69473, San Francisco, CA 94104 — Chairish states this address is for mail only and that no packages will be accepted
- •A certified copy of the death certificate
- •Documentation showing you are authorized to act for the estate (for example, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- •The email address on the Chairish seller account
- •Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Documentation showing you are authorized to act for the estate (for example, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- The email address on the Chairish seller account
- Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
- Order numbers for any sales still open, so support can produce a payout statement for each
Timeline
Chairish does not publish a timeline for deceased-seller or estate requests; these are handled individually through support@chairish.com, the support request form, or +1 888-871-7229. Chairish states most calls are answered the same day and otherwise within 24 hours, but that commitment covers ordinary support contact, not an estate review. For ordinary payouts, a sale becomes final after the buyer's 48-hour return period elapses or a local pickup or local delivery is completed; payment is typically issued within about six days of the order being marked delivered or picked up; Stripe Connect payments then typically take 2-5 business days and PayPal payments typically under 48 hours, with a further 3-5 days possible depending on the bank. Because Chairish has not documented how it processes an estate's balance claim, expect the timeline to depend on the support team's review.
Frequently asked questions
Chairish does not publish a deceased-seller or estate-succession process — no article in its Help Center addresses death, an estate, or an heir — and Section 30 of its Terms of Service makes the account non-transferable without Chairish's prior written consent. The main estate asset is the payout balance: money Chairish is holding for sales that have closed or are closing. The estate contacts Chairish support at support@chairish.com or +1 888-871-7229 with proof of death and proof of authority to act for the estate, and Chairish reviews the situation case by case.
The payout balance is money Chairish is holding for the seller, so it is a debt the estate can ask Chairish to release. Chairish collects the buyer's payment at the time of sale and holds the proceeds until the item is confirmed picked up or delivered, which means money for sales in flight is sitting with Chairish rather than with the seller. Chairish documents no procedure for an estate, so the executor contacts support, provides proof of death and proof of authority, and Chairish reviews the request individually. A sale is final only after the buyer's 48-hour return period elapses or a local pickup or delivery is completed, and payment is typically issued about six days after the order is marked delivered or picked up, so recent sales may not have paid out yet. Chairish decides how to handle the request; no outcome is promised.
Not automatically. Section 30 ("Assignment") of Chairish's Terms of Service states that a user "may not assign, delegate or transfer these Terms or your rights or obligations hereunder, or your Services account, in any way (by operation of law or otherwise) without Chairish's prior written consent," and that any assignment in violation of that provision is null and void. There is no beneficiary designation and no self-service transfer. Continuing to operate the account, or keeping its listings selling under a new owner, would require Chairish's written consent.
Chairish does not publish a required-document list for a deceased seller, because it publishes no deceased-seller procedure at all. Estate claims of this kind typically require a certified death certificate, documentation showing authority to act for the estate (such as Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration), the email address on the account, and photo identification for the person making the request. It also helps to have the order numbers for open sales, since Chairish will produce a payout statement per order. Confirm the exact documents directly with Chairish support.
Funds already paid out are no longer part of the Chairish balance — they went to the payout destination on file, which is either a PayPal account or a bank account connected through Stripe Connect. Stripe Connect payments typically take 2-5 business days to land and PayPal payments typically under 48 hours, with a further 3-5 days possible depending on the bank. Chairish also states that once a payout has been initiated it cannot be redirected. The estate should identify that destination account to trace paid-out funds, and approach Chairish only about the balance it is still holding and the sales still closing.
Yes, so an executor should not treat a stated balance as final. Chairish pauses payment on an order while it investigates an issue or claim, and states that if an item is not the one purchased, or is determined to be inauthentic after the order has closed, the order will be reopened and payment withdrawn if another solution is not reached. Separately, under the Elite Seller Program terms, a returned item debits the payment previously issued for it and can leave a negative account balance; later payouts are applied against that balance first, and Chairish states it may charge the credit card on file if the balance stays negative for three months. Resolve any open returns or claims with support before relying on a balance figure.
It is worth asking support, because Elite sellers are paid on a different schedule. Under the Elite Seller Program, Chairish initiates 50 percent of the payment 72 hours after the purchase and the remaining 50 percent after delivery once the 48-hour return period has elapsed. An estate may therefore find that half of an open order has already been paid out to the PayPal or bank account on file while the other half is still held by Chairish. The Elite terms also carry the returned-item debit and negative-balance rules that the standard seller terms do not spell out.
Once transferred, balance are subject to the program's standard terms. Having the deceased account holder's details documented in advance makes the transfer process significantly easier for the family.
Sources
Data sourced from Chairish, Inc. primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
Chairish Customer Service
Chairish, Inc., 548 Market Street, Suite 69473, San Francisco, CA 94104
Chairish Customer Service (no dedicated estate team published)
Chairish, Inc., 548 Market Street, Suite 69473, San Francisco, CA 94104
Chairish does not publish a timeline for deceased-seller or estate requests; these are handled individually through support@chairish.com, the support request form, or +1 888-871-7229. Chairish states most calls are answered the same day and otherwise within 24 hours, but that commitment covers ordinary support contact, not an estate review. For ordinary payouts, a sale becomes final after the buyer's 48-hour return period elapses or a local pickup or local delivery is completed; payment is typically issued within about six days of the order being marked delivered or picked up; Stripe Connect payments then typically take 2-5 business days and PayPal payments typically under 48 hours, with a further 3-5 days possible depending on the bank. Because Chairish has not documented how it processes an estate's balance claim, expect the timeline to depend on the support team's review.

