Vestiaire Collective experiences?
- Thread starter Kopisusu
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Again, this is why we annoying buyers ask all of those annoying questions! This is why we sometimes ask them over and over! To make sure. Because if we don't this is what can happen. I'm lucky this wasn't an expensive item. Never buying from Vestiaire again, though
I can see your point - i was the type of seller who didn't articulate clearly what I meant (the bag was unworn and i only put a laptop in once at home after arriving from the store) - however I wasn't lying and trying to sneak worn item.
What i really felt uncomfortable was the tone of that person - this person wasn't signalling any interest in purchasing the bag and was openly rude (sounded like it made her day to put a nasty comment on my bag).
I try, really try to be always polite to potential buyers (I don't like the offers for 10-20% of the value but I'm not sending them rants as a result). I believe polite question (and let's say a suggestion that i would need to drop the price if the bag is seen as 'worn') would make me more comfortable.
I hope I didn't come of as rude to the seller in our convo. I try to never be impolite. But I asked her repeatedly about the condition and other details and I think she should have been more forthright. I understand that people want to get as much back as possible on an item they may have paid a lot for themselves. But in the long run it's better to list everything, warts and all. It's a lot of extra unnecessary bother having to e-mail, return back and forth, file claims etc.
I have escalated this to PayPal. First it's going back to Vestiaire but then, as I suspect it will, it's going to be up to PayPal.
I can however recommend Videdressing. It works similar to Vestiaire but you get 2 days to claim a return. I just bought another Bal Double Tour from them and it was as described. I'm going to have it authenticated on the Bal forum and the two days I have to claim a return gives me just enough time to do that.
When it comes to me, one has to be really rude for me to notice lol -eg. recently on Ebay a person with zero feedback asked me without any 'Hi' or anything that she saw a cardholder like mine in Selfridges and it was red inside so mine isn't real
When it comes to me, one has to be really rude for me to notice lol -eg. recently on Ebay a person with zero feedback asked me without any 'Hi' or anything that she saw a cardholder like mine in Selfridges and it was red inside so mine isn't real
I tend to avoid evilbay, after paying 250 for a Chloe Paddington a totally fake bag arrived not even the same colour, when I contacted the seller she went "I never claimed it was real" - ehhh, you are using the name, you are putting pictures of a real bag up... I had somebody recently contacting me from another country claiming the postage is too high, I gave her a link to the Royal Mail and suggested she discusses it with them.
I honestly don't get the companies, sometimes they will return brand new items that even have the tags on as doesn't meet criteria, it is almost as if they are trying to flex muscle, in the case of VC, they just lowball, it looks like they are trying to become the Walmart for designers...
Last resort. Paying Vestiaire commission on small value item or posting somewhere else and then getting it sold while im on 3-week holiday...Eeek. Luckily I've cleared all the clutter and no need to go to either of these.
I'm still decluttering, gave some of my stuff to charity stores and was just gobsmacked when I found brand new Burberry dress with the tags still attached (wrong colour for me) on the one pound rail, bought it back and thought I rather bury it than see it rubbished along with tattered Primark T-shirts. Head desk moment
I noticed something on Vestaire, really odd, I was selling a Lanvin dress, they thought I should sell it for 96 (250 for something from 1017 and that was 3500 is already cheap especially when it was worn exactly twice) so I dropped my price 1 Euro, and they accepted that? WTF?
Oh and I did try the PayPal option but now PP is holding the money they finally paid out for the Valentino Rockstud shoes for 21 days, as apparently it is a high risk item, they don't care that it was already verified by VC and that they held the payment, so switching back to bank transfer...
Oh and I did try the PayPal option but now PP is holding the money they finally paid out for the Valentino Rockstud shoes for 21 days, as apparently it is a high risk item, they don't care that it was already verified by VC and that they held the payment, so switching back to bank transfer...
This company is awful. I ordered two items from them and both were bad experiences.
1. I ordered a jacket, a week later I received notification the order was cancelled because it did not pass their authentication process. Disappointing, but I figure it wasn’t really their fault so I gave them another chance
2. Ordered another jacket and during the check out process I was given the option of prepaying the import duties and taxes which was about $290. I chose that option so I don’t have to deal with it when the item gets here. It took literally about a month for the jacket to arrive. (Minus 1). Then when it arrived DHL the courier notified me I would have to pay the duties import duties before they will release the jacket to me. This is so confusing to me because they already delivered the jacket to me and I already paid Vestiare collective the import duties. So I called DHL and they said it was a mistake, they should not have delivered the jacket until I pay the import duties and that it was not paid and only the receiver of the package can pay for it, not the shipper because no one knows how much the import duties is until it actually gets into the US. So they gave me the cost of the import duties about $86 which was significantly less than the amount I paid to Vestiare.
I emailed Vestiare and asked how come the amount DHL quoted me for import duties is so much less than what they charged me and how come they did not pay the import duties which I paid them to do? They replied they charge a flat fee for import duties because they can’t predict how much it will be until it arrives. They told me to go ahead and pay DHL and they will repay me once I send them a paid invoice. So I paid DHL and sent them the invoice. They sent back an email stating they are sending me a refund in the amount of $86. So I kindly emailed them and explain I expect a full $290 that I paid to them because they failed to pay the import duties and I had to go through the trouble to pay for it myself. They kept sending me which seems to be an automated email saying they cannot refund me that whole amount, only the $86. They did not give me a reason why. I escalated this issue to PayPal Which was super unhelpful. Thankfully my credit card stepped in and got me my money back. But it’s just on principle. I will never buy from this website again. They literally stole my money.
If you do decide to buy from them, please do not pay for the import duties upfront. Don’t pay for any extra services. Just pay for the item and take care of everything else yourself because their customer service is terrible.
1. I ordered a jacket, a week later I received notification the order was cancelled because it did not pass their authentication process. Disappointing, but I figure it wasn’t really their fault so I gave them another chance
2. Ordered another jacket and during the check out process I was given the option of prepaying the import duties and taxes which was about $290. I chose that option so I don’t have to deal with it when the item gets here. It took literally about a month for the jacket to arrive. (Minus 1). Then when it arrived DHL the courier notified me I would have to pay the duties import duties before they will release the jacket to me. This is so confusing to me because they already delivered the jacket to me and I already paid Vestiare collective the import duties. So I called DHL and they said it was a mistake, they should not have delivered the jacket until I pay the import duties and that it was not paid and only the receiver of the package can pay for it, not the shipper because no one knows how much the import duties is until it actually gets into the US. So they gave me the cost of the import duties about $86 which was significantly less than the amount I paid to Vestiare.
I emailed Vestiare and asked how come the amount DHL quoted me for import duties is so much less than what they charged me and how come they did not pay the import duties which I paid them to do? They replied they charge a flat fee for import duties because they can’t predict how much it will be until it arrives. They told me to go ahead and pay DHL and they will repay me once I send them a paid invoice. So I paid DHL and sent them the invoice. They sent back an email stating they are sending me a refund in the amount of $86. So I kindly emailed them and explain I expect a full $290 that I paid to them because they failed to pay the import duties and I had to go through the trouble to pay for it myself. They kept sending me which seems to be an automated email saying they cannot refund me that whole amount, only the $86. They did not give me a reason why. I escalated this issue to PayPal Which was super unhelpful. Thankfully my credit card stepped in and got me my money back. But it’s just on principle. I will never buy from this website again. They literally stole my money.
If you do decide to buy from them, please do not pay for the import duties upfront. Don’t pay for any extra services. Just pay for the item and take care of everything else yourself because their customer service is terrible.
In all honesty, your 2nd experience is frustrating, but there are really a lot of posts about how they overestimate the import duties to the US and while it is annoying, you entered into a contract with them and they correctly (speaking stricly legally and not personally, personally I would be quite angry too) they refunded you additional costs you had, while it might rankle (as I said, totally understandable) they did honour the contract you entered with them and where you decided to pay them, sure they could have been a bit more gracious, but if you decide to accept their fee for handling the prepaid import duties, that is up to you, you could possibly get them for not doing so and that you had to pay, but I would imagine that a law suit for that would cost more than the money and you might not even win.
I don't quite understand why you think your first issue is something bad? I think that this is actually really good, they prevented you from getting an item that was not authentic and refused the item, so they were actually doing their job and due diligence in checking the item once it arrived. If you look at the bright side, you didn't get the jacket you wanted, but you wanted a real jacket and they spotted a fake, so they refused it. Happened to me too with a bag I wanted, and I was actually really happy because I don't want a fake bag, that by far outweighted the frustration of not getting the bag, the idea that I would have spent a hell lot of money on a fake, that would have made me much more unhappy.
As for their customer service, yes, that is quite bad, and they seem to love standard replies, but regarding items, you have to consider their process, they just act as the middle man, for example if you would sell something there and I'd buy it, it would go to them first and they check if it is really in the condition you described it, if it is authentic, if not the sale is canceled, which is what happened in your case.
I agree with you that due to their failure to pay the import taxes, they should refund what they paid you, but as you said, with them it really it seems to be best to handle that yourself, because they tend to massively overcharge for that service anyway.
Your response to the 2nd experience is confusing.
1. The problem is they didn’t honor their contract in paying the import duties so that I wouldn’t have to.
2. I don’t have an issue with them
overestimating the import if they had taken care of it so I wouldn’t have to. And also if they had disclose of this during check out. If people know they are paying $200 plus for this service they may not have chosen this option. Deceptive practice on their part.
3. As for “refunding additional costs” to me.
Giving me the $86 is not refunding additional costs. An additional costs would be if they did pay the import duties but there was a hidden cost somewhere along the delivery line. In that case, the $86 would be an additional cost and then I can understand they can keep their service fees because they at least tried to pay the import duties on my behalf. In that scenario, it would still be frustrating to have to handle import when you already paid someone to do it for you.
If they did not give me the $86, they would be successful at stealing $290 from me instead of $204. It was good they gave me my $86 back but it does not make their behavior correct. They still stole $204 from me.
Being gracious is something you can be only after you fulfil the your basic requirement of the contract and went above and beyond to make your customer happy. How can they be gracious after stealing $204 from me? You can’t be gracious while stealing from someone, That’s laughable.
]In all honesty, your 2nd experience is frustrating, but there are really a lot of posts about how they overestimate the import duties to the US and while it is annoying, you entered into a contract with them and they correctly (speaking stricly legally and not personally, personally I would be quite angry too) they refunded you additional costs you had, while it might rankle (as I said, totally understandable) they did honour the contract you entered with them and where you decided to pay them, sure they could have been a bit more gracious, but if you decide to accept their fee for handling the prepaid import duties, that is up to you, you could possibly get them for not doing so and that you had to pay, but I would imagine that a law suit for that would cost more than the money and you might not even win.
I don't quite understand why you think your first issue is something bad? I think that this is actually really good, they prevented you from getting an item that was not authentic and refused the item, so they were actually doing their job and due diligence in checking the item once it arrived. If you look at the bright side, you didn't get the jacket you wanted, but you wanted a real jacket and they spotted a fake, so they refused it. Happened to me too with a bag I wanted, and I was actually really happy because I don't want a fake bag, that by far outweighted the frustration of not getting the bag, the idea that I would have spent a hell lot of money on a fake, that would have made me much more unhappy.
As for their customer service, yes, that is quite bad, and they seem to love standard replies, but regarding items, you have to consider their process, they just act as the middle man, for example if you would sell something there and I'd buy it, it would go to them first and they check if it is really in the condition you described it, if it is authentic, if not the sale is canceled, which is what happened in your case.
I agree with you that due to their failure to pay the import taxes, they should refund what they paid you, but as you said, with them it really it seems to be best to handle that yourself, because they tend to massively overcharge for that service anyway.[/QUOTE]
1. The problem is they didn’t honor their contract in paying the import duties so that I wouldn’t have to.
2. I don’t have an issue with them
overestimating the import if they had taken care of it so I wouldn’t have to. And also if they had disclose of this during check out. If people know they are paying $200 plus for this service they may not have chosen this option. Deceptive practice on their part.
3. As for “refunding additional costs” to me.
Giving me the $86 is not refunding additional costs. An additional costs would be if they did pay the import duties but there was a hidden cost somewhere along the delivery line. In that case, the $86 would be an additional cost and then I can understand they can keep their service fees because they at least tried to pay the import duties on my behalf. In that scenario, it would still be frustrating to have to handle import when you already paid someone to do it for you.
If they did not give me the $86, they would be successful at stealing $290 from me instead of $204. It was good they gave me my $86 back but it does not make their behavior correct. They still stole $204 from me.
Being gracious is something you can be only after you fulfil the your basic requirement of the contract and went above and beyond to make your customer happy. How can they be gracious after stealing $204 from me? You can’t be gracious while stealing from someone, That’s laughable.
]In all honesty, your 2nd experience is frustrating, but there are really a lot of posts about how they overestimate the import duties to the US and while it is annoying, you entered into a contract with them and they correctly (speaking stricly legally and not personally, personally I would be quite angry too) they refunded you additional costs you had, while it might rankle (as I said, totally understandable) they did honour the contract you entered with them and where you decided to pay them, sure they could have been a bit more gracious, but if you decide to accept their fee for handling the prepaid import duties, that is up to you, you could possibly get them for not doing so and that you had to pay, but I would imagine that a law suit for that would cost more than the money and you might not even win.
I don't quite understand why you think your first issue is something bad? I think that this is actually really good, they prevented you from getting an item that was not authentic and refused the item, so they were actually doing their job and due diligence in checking the item once it arrived. If you look at the bright side, you didn't get the jacket you wanted, but you wanted a real jacket and they spotted a fake, so they refused it. Happened to me too with a bag I wanted, and I was actually really happy because I don't want a fake bag, that by far outweighted the frustration of not getting the bag, the idea that I would have spent a hell lot of money on a fake, that would have made me much more unhappy.
As for their customer service, yes, that is quite bad, and they seem to love standard replies, but regarding items, you have to consider their process, they just act as the middle man, for example if you would sell something there and I'd buy it, it would go to them first and they check if it is really in the condition you described it, if it is authentic, if not the sale is canceled, which is what happened in your case.
I agree with you that due to their failure to pay the import taxes, they should refund what they paid you, but as you said, with them it really it seems to be best to handle that yourself, because they tend to massively overcharge for that service anyway.[/QUOTE]
They refunded you the additional costs you had, however they did not "steal" from you. I fully agree that they should have been gracious and refunded you the money you paid upfront, but to quote your own words
"Ordered another jacket and during the check out process I was given the option of prepaying the import duties and taxes which was about $290. I chose that option"
Sorry, but they did not put their hands into your pocket and took money out, you made a mistake and picked an option that was overpriced and due to an oversight from them, you did not get the service, they did not refund you for the service you paid for and didn't receive, which is shoddy and very bad form, but it is not theft.
In your own words:
"They replied they charge a flat fee for import duties because they can’t predict how much it will be until it arrives. They told me to go ahead and pay DHL and they will repay me once I send them a paid invoice. So I paid DHL and sent them the invoice. They sent back an email stating they are sending me a refund in the amount of $86."
You should have asked upfront that you get the money back you paid for import as you did not receive that service, you handle DHL yourself, you sent them the invoice, they paid that invoice, it's not theft and by calling it theft, you are opening yourself to libel, also by taking the money, you basically agreed to it.
Look, plenty of issues with Vestaire, and as I said, I don't agree how they handled it, but it really isn't theft. I would agree that it is unethical, bad form, horrendous customer service, absolutely, but you could have just emailed them with "Please refund me for the paid service of $290 as you failed to deliver this service" - if you email them the invoice and they said they will pay the invoice, you can't really complain that they paid what you asked for.
"Ordered another jacket and during the check out process I was given the option of prepaying the import duties and taxes which was about $290. I chose that option"
Sorry, but they did not put their hands into your pocket and took money out, you made a mistake and picked an option that was overpriced and due to an oversight from them, you did not get the service, they did not refund you for the service you paid for and didn't receive, which is shoddy and very bad form, but it is not theft.
In your own words:
"They replied they charge a flat fee for import duties because they can’t predict how much it will be until it arrives. They told me to go ahead and pay DHL and they will repay me once I send them a paid invoice. So I paid DHL and sent them the invoice. They sent back an email stating they are sending me a refund in the amount of $86."
You should have asked upfront that you get the money back you paid for import as you did not receive that service, you handle DHL yourself, you sent them the invoice, they paid that invoice, it's not theft and by calling it theft, you are opening yourself to libel, also by taking the money, you basically agreed to it.
Look, plenty of issues with Vestaire, and as I said, I don't agree how they handled it, but it really isn't theft. I would agree that it is unethical, bad form, horrendous customer service, absolutely, but you could have just emailed them with "Please refund me for the paid service of $290 as you failed to deliver this service" - if you email them the invoice and they said they will pay the invoice, you can't really complain that they paid what you asked for.
I have a dispute with them right now. Luckily only for about 150 EUR. I understand your frustration completely. Won't shop from VC again.
$290 compared to $86?!
That's some kind of "handling" fee... 
I just had an e-mail from PayPal that they have reviewed my case with Vestiaire and they've determined that I will have a full refund. Thank you PayPal!I have a dispute with them right now. Luckily only for about 150 EUR. I understand your frustration completely. Won't shop from VC again.
$290 compared to $86?!
I'm sad about the bracelet though, it was a gorgeous pink Balenciaga colour, but the condition was not as described and I would never have worn it because of it.