TLDR: Beware, Reflaunt partners with legitimate luxury retailers like Balenciaga and Net a Porter to "resell" goods "in house", but takes the customer merchandise and disappears with it, with no consequences.
In September of 2022 I discovered that Balenciaga has joined the ranks of luxury retailers partnering with a reseller to keep second hand goods in house. Balenciaga messaged me about the launch of the service and sent a link through their website to their new resale venture with Reflaunt at
https://balenciaga.reflaunt.com/en-US. They called it "The Balenciaga Re-Sell Program powered by Reflaunt."
I listed and sent in my like new/never used Neo Classic Handbag and it was confirmed received on October 5, 2022. Since that time I have contacted Reflaunt many times with specific questions and requests for status updates only to be told repeatedly that the bag was in a potential sale situation that would take 30-45 days to complete. Which is absurd.
In January of this year, I became frustrated and asked for and update on the bag. The bag status had read: "Someone has showed interest in your item so it is not possible to reduce the price. We will notify you if a sale occurs" for more than a month, so clearly, that was no longer up to date information. I asked: Where had the item been listed? May I have links to the listings, please?
It took until February for me to get a response, where they ignored my specific questions and informed me that I would have to pay them via paypal for the bag return, since we were still under the 180 day mark. But, if it sold in the interim - after I paid the fee - they would not be able to return it to me. I decided to give them the full 180 days to sell the bag.
In April I contacted them again to ask about the status of the bag, as I had heard nothing. Since we were past 180 days, I was now requesting the bag return per agreement, in the condition they received it: new and unused with an insert and dust bag. The response - days later, via email only, with no phone contact was that they "have checked the system and can see that your Balenciaga Neo Classic is currently under sale confirmation process and we cannot proceed with the return at the moment. It can take 30-45 days for this, which include the shipping to the final buyer, the return period, and the marketplace confirmation of the sale."
I replied that I had heard that one before, and that magically it was unsold a few weeks later. Again, I asked specific questions:
I requested links to where the bag is being listed for sale.
I requested the basic details of the "sale confirmation process."
The date the offer was received?
On what platform was the offer received?
Has the bag been shipped to the buyer?
Is it now in the buyer's possession?
What was the date it was shipped to the buyer?
How long is the return period?
What IS the marketplace for the sale?
Where have the bag and the accessories been kept these last six months?
How have they been stored?
I received a reply on April 14th, where these very specific questions were ignored once again. I was told the bag was "sold at the beginning of April" and "en route to the buyer," that the "whole sale confirmation process can take up to 30-45 days."
But this interesting tidbit was added: "the final buyer has 14 days to return the item from the date this was delivered."
The FINAL buyer. Spidey sense going off now.
I pressed further and did not receive any direct answer to my questions until May 10th, when I was told that the bag "delivered to the new buyer on April 17, 2023, and is currently under the sale confirmation process. Same song and dance about 30-45 days and "Once completed, you will receive your email to choose your payment method - please do not hesitate to contact me back if you have not received this by June 1, 2023"
The June comment set me off and out came the calendar. If the bag was received April 17, May 1st was the return deadline. The email was May 10th, so they should have known whether or not the bag was returned by the time they sent me the email. And now, the process had stretched out to June 1st? If the bag sold in early April and return due by May 1st, then by May 10th, payment should have been received. Instead I again got evasive, incomplete, generalities instead of specifics. No way to contact anyone directly, no phone calls. No way to call them and get anything but a voice mail box.
They either made it up, or they lost the bag, period. That folks, is theft. Endorsed by Balenciaga as their own resell program to this day on their own website.
I am open to suggestions as to what to do next. I already copied Balenciaga customer service on my reply pointing out their inconsistencies.
Do NOT, send your goods to Reflaunt. Ever.
