Vestiaire Collective experiences?

[BelleZeBoob]

Hi all, just a super late update but I received my Chloe Mini Marcie bag without issue!

I got it authenticated by Authenticate4U and everything seems to be as sweet as pie. Sure, the authentication card was missing but otherwise, the bag was in perfect shape. It honestly looks just like new!

Anyway, I'm so glad I came here for guidance while I was having a meltdown. Thanks, everyone! All that's well ends well!

Congratulations on your new bag!

Assume that you have paid for authentication by the VC. What exactly did you receive from the VC authenticators with your item?

 

[Annie J]

Congratulations on your new bag!

Assume that you have paid for authentication by the VC. What exactly did you receive from the VC authenticators with your item?

Unless VC has changed its practices very recently, they don’t send any documents/certificates with the item, just a tag saying it’s been checked by the QC team for condition and authenticity, as they do with all items. My last purchase two or three weeks ago just had that, as before. @fleurdeliv got additional separate paid authentication from an independent authenticator for reassurance.

 

[Gabs007]

Had another chat on price negotiations, if anyone is interested. The FAQ is silent on this issue of continuing price negotiations after 3 attempts if no offer is accepted.

11:51:10 AM) Me: I understand that I can make 1 offer and 2 counteroffers to the seller. After I have used this, is there a time limit when I can resume price negotiations?
(11:56:02 AM) Mia: After the 24 hours period expires, you will be able to make a new offer on the same item again ( but it will be a new negotiation).
(11:56:37 AM) Me: what does it mean - a new negotiation please?
(11:57:04 AM) Mia: That you would be able to make an offer on this item once again
(11:58:53 AM) Me: let's say, I have made a 3rd price offer to the seller, and he has made a 3rd counteroffer to me. the 24 hours have expired. by the rules, I should not be able to make a 4rth offer. what do I do if i want to continue?
(12:05:36 PM) Mia: I understand, then you can make a new negotiations by clicking on the product page "Make me an offer"
(12:05:41 PM) Mia: there is no limit to that
(12:06:33 PM) Me: after I did not accepted the sellers 3rd counteroffer, do I have to wait 7 days before resuming?
(12:07:11 PM) Mia: No, you do not have to wait
(12:07:48 PM) Me: does it mean that I can also counteroffer the sellers 3rd counteroffer?
(12:09:56 PM) Mia: After the first negotiation has been made ( 1 offer and 2 counteroffers and they were refused by the seller) then this whole negotiation expires.
(12:10:13 PM) Mia: You can not continue this negotiation.
(12:11:13 PM) Mia: But you can make a new negotiation ( again 1 offer and 2 counteroffers) on the same item
(12:11:59 PM) Me: can I make a new negotiation within 24 hours since the last counteroffer was not accepted?
(12:14:16 PM) Mia: Yes

That means, you can actually continue by clicking on 'Make me an offer'.

And who would do that? Seriously, if somebody made me several offers I declined, it means that this person wants the item for a ridiculous price, so all that is gained is that the "give me something dirt cheap because I want it" people can bug the hell out of you, all the more reason to switch off offers

 

[Gabs007]

Eww, hope that doesn’t happen. I had a bit of a silly one this week too. Sometimes people seem to think they can twist your arm if an item’s been on for more than a few weeks, that you’ll be desperate to sell. As it doesn’t work like that in my experience - sometimes things can sit for a year before suddenly selling at a great price - and I’m not desperate for the money, all someone like that is going to do is make me very disinclined sell to them. I sometimes feel a bit differently if they approach the issue pleasantly and in a human way, but these ones who just demand things or get ratty when you politely explain you can’t sell for less, I’m not sure what they think they can achieve like that!

Absolutely, if somebody can't afford it or doesn't want to afford it at a reasonable price, tough, I feel the same way as you do, not desperate to sell but certainly not interested in giving away items for next to nothing. Plus the whole "negotiation" just takes time and effort, I have better things to do than to entertain somebody with an entitlement complex who possibly has too much time on his or her hands and wants to steal my time

 

[Gabs007]

Eww, hope that doesn’t happen. I had a bit of a silly one this week too. Sometimes people seem to think they can twist your arm if an item’s been on for more than a few weeks, that you’ll be desperate to sell. As it doesn’t work like that in my experience - sometimes things can sit for a year before suddenly selling at a great price - and I’m not desperate for the money, all someone like that is going to do is make me very disinclined sell to them. I sometimes feel a bit differently if they approach the issue pleasantly and in a human way, but these ones who just demand things or get ratty when you politely explain you can’t sell for less, I’m not sure what they think they can achieve like that!

I think she is a bit dense, after leaving messages with her "offer" she now complains that there isn't an offer button on the item

 

[Gabs007]

UGH....

Sold something on Friday but the sale went through after the post office was already closed, so posted it Saturday morning and confirmed that I shipped, now I get a mail

"3 days left to ship your item to us, so your buyer receives it as fast as possible. After this deadline, your sale may be cancelled"

Errr, it is the weekend, I doubt it will be processed before Monday, I have sent, I have confirmed....

 

[Annie J]

@Gabs007 Don’t worry (I don’t expect you’re worrying much!), cancellation won’t happen. I don’t like getting those new emails either, they’re really not worded accurately enough, and they’re just automatic until it reaches them from what I can see, but they do also say “If you have already shipped your item, please ignore this message”. It seems only to be linked to the trusted/expert seller thing in reality: you can’t be one if you don’t ship within 5 days. I don’t know if that means 5 working days, they have been vague. I don’t know why they’re saying the sale may be cancelled, I don’t think they will do that. It still says the seller has 30 days in the FAQ. Maybe they’re just getting ready, set up, to shorten the maximum time allowed too, they do seem to be introducing the changes somewhat in fits and starts. Or maybe it’s just so they can reserve the right sometimes to cancel sales with sellers who regularly take ages to ship. That would be a good thing, we both ship quickly and have been a bit irritated with sellers who take ages, but I think VC could be a whole lot clearer in communicating with us about it if that’s the aim. I guess it’s aimed at improvement but it is a bit irritating getting those emails when you’ve shipped and told them.

I find the post office shipping very irritating anyway because if I take it to them the very day of the sale, but after about 3.30pm, it doesn’t register on any tracking at all until the next day when Parcel Force collects from the post office mid-afternoon. I mark it as shipped and I have a receipt, but no tracking for up to 24 hours. It’s one of the reasons I prefer the DHL label, as soon as you book the collection it says ‘Shipping information received’ and as soon as they pick it up from my door it’s ‘Collected’

The app updated today with the trusted and expert badges. I think it looks a little messy, visually, but at least the info is there.

 

[Annie J]

I think she is a bit dense, after leaving messages with her "offer" she now complains that there isn't an offer button on the item

A lot of people don’t seem to get that taking offers or not is the seller’s decision. I still have offers switched on on higher value items but a lot is already at the lowest possible price, and I have to reply to an awful lot of messages asking where the offer button is!

 

[Gabs007]

@Gabs007 Don’t worry (I don’t expect you’re worrying much!), cancellation won’t happen. I don’t like getting those new emails either, they’re really not worded accurately enough, and they’re just automatic until it reaches them from what I can see, but they do also say “If you have already shipped your item, please ignore this message”. It seems only to be linked to the trusted/expert seller thing in reality: you can’t be one if you don’t ship within 5 days. I don’t know if that means 5 working days, they have been vague. I don’t know why they’re saying the sale may be cancelled, I don’t think they will do that. It still says the seller has 30 days in the FAQ. Maybe they’re just getting ready, set up, to shorten the maximum time allowed too, they do seem to be introducing the changes somewhat in fits and starts. Or maybe it’s just so they can reserve the right sometimes to cancel sales with sellers who regularly take ages to ship. That would be a good thing, we both ship quickly and have been a bit irritated with sellers who take ages, but I think VC could be a whole lot clearer in communicating with us about it if that’s the aim. I guess it’s aimed at improvement but it is a bit irritating getting those emails when you’ve shipped and told them.

I find the post office shipping very irritating anyway because if I take it to them the very day of the sale, but after about 3.30pm, it doesn’t register on any tracking at all until the next day when Parcel Force collects from the post office mid-afternoon. I mark it as shipped and I have a receipt, but no tracking for up to 24 hours. It’s one of the reasons I prefer the DHL label, as soon as you book the collection it says ‘Shipping information received’ and as soon as they pick it up from my door it’s ‘Collected’

The app updated today with the trusted and expert badges. I think it looks a little messy, visually, but at least the info is there.

I priced most of mine around 120 and 150 so it is all post office shipping, I wrote to them, apparently something they are going to do over the summer, but ffs, the tracking is not great (though it is better on the French site, ParcelForce is next to useless)...

On the bright side, sold a few items via Joli last week, I think they are really picking up in popularity, sent the items, they let me know even before the tracking that they received it, QC took 1 day, payment after 3 working days.

 

[Annie J]

I priced most of mine around 120 and 150 so it is all post office shipping, I wrote to them, apparently something they are going to do over the summer, but ffs, the tracking is not great (though it is better on the French site, ParcelForce is next to useless)...

On the bright side, sold a few items via Joli last week, I think they are really picking up in popularity, sent the items, they let me know even before the tracking that they received it, QC took 1 day, payment after 3 working days.

Glad your sales are going well on JC! I might try it again, last time the items sold quicker on VC, but that’s just luck I’m sure, could happen either way, it all depends who’s browsing. I’ve sold quite a lot on VC the last week or two (and have had some lovely, fair and reasonable buyers who don’t go running if I don’t accept the very lowest permissible offer, LOL!), I think the promotions must be working quite well, and they seem to be getting back to a normal timeframe on the processing for QC. I like that I’m getting paid quicker for my items; it used to be on set days twice a month, now it’s much quicker after each sale.

Re shipping, I think if the item is over £85 they will still give you a DHL label on request but are not sending them automatically with your sale notification email until it gets higher, but I can’t remember what level that was, maybe around £150. Unless it’s changed in the past 2 weeks or so.

It’s not VC’s fault, but Parcel Force tracking really is bizarre. I really think I should have more than just a paper receipt when I drop off to the Post Office. I can’t get to the Post Office until at least mid-afternoon. If I drop off on a Friday afternoon sometimes there is no actual tracking to see even using the tracking number until Parcel Force picks it up on Monday afternoon. That’s crazy in this day and age. The tracking should show it’s in the Post Office’s hands, otherwise even if I provide my buyer with the tracking number they sometimes have no evidence it’s for real for several days; it looks as if I haven’t actually shipped for 3 days when I shipped the very afternoon the item sold! Then when it hits France the tracking is pretty incomprehensible; sometimes it almost seems to go backwards or keeps being registered with weird esoteric status several days in a row, probably stages of customs/different depots or something but impossible to understand! DHL has been a bit slower than it used to be lately but the tracking is at least clear and accurate.

 

[Annie J]

Looks like things are getting back to normal with DHL and VC. I sold an item yesterday, shipped immediately with DHL, it’s been delivered and through QC at VC already.

 

[Annie J]

Hmm ...

So ... it becomes clearer why VC has started stating which country a seller is shipping from. As well as the fact that the shipping costs have been made variable to reflect the true cost of shipping more accurately, resulting in slightly lower costs for most (but slightly higher costs for a few), the app has just sent a notification that there is now something called ‘Direct Shipping’.

If you buy an item up to €200 from a Trusted or Expert seller, and the brand is eligible (they say they’ve chosen the brands for the scheme because they have a very low chance of not being authentic) you get an option to still have the item go through VC for quality control and authentication, or to have it shipped directly from the seller, with free shipping and no authentication fee.

It says at the moment this is only being done within France but will expand to include all Europe in September. It doesn’t currently mention anywhere else.

So on the plus side this may make some of our items marginally more attractive to buyers if we are badged sellers. As it’s items under €200, and the shipping and authentication fees represent a marginally higher proportion of a lower value order than of a higher value one, I suppose some buyers will like this.

I can see it’s logical.

The FAQs haven’t totally caught up so far, there is only info on the buyer’s side at the moment.

Things I will be thinking about:

It still refers to ‘protection’ for the buyer but doesn’t yet specify what this involves. I will be wanting to know for sure that VC will still protect me as a seller against buyers who may falsely claim that items shipped directly from me to them are not as described. I use VC precisely because it is a good middleman to protect both buyer and seller interests. I expect they will assess buyer claims by having disputed items sent on to them by the buyer for checking, and hope/presume they will take on any compensation for discrepancies themselves, since the option is offered based their assessment on previous performance of trusted and expert sellers. I presume that they have weighed up the unlikelihood of these sellers going rogue and the likelihood of them remaining honest and reliable and motivated to keep their badges. But I want to know for sure, because I prefer my sold items to go through their QC, and would like to know how they will assess whether a dishonest buyer might have caused damage themselves. Most buyers are perfectly honest but I did experience one who tried to argue (falsely) that my item wasn’t as described.

Until it expands to the whole of Europe, I’m a little fed up that French ‘Trusted’ and ‘Expert’ sellers are getting a small advantage over us in the the UK or elsewhere in the world for two months! It’s marginal. Probably won’t make a big difference, but ...

... I was hoping to get a lot of my sales through before the autumn given that if the UK crashes out of Europe without a deal, buyers elsewhere in Europe could conceivably have to pay import duties on my items. I’ve sold things to buyers other countries (US and elsewhere) but the bulk stays in Europe, and this could possibly mean I’ll have to reduce prices lower than sellers in Europe to be competitive. I expect the effect will be only marginal, but still I would have been glad if we all got the benefit at the same time so as not to disadvantage me and those like me against French sellers ...

 

[Wentworth-Roth]

I just noticed VC is now offering “direct shipping” on lower priced items. Direct from the seller to the buyer?

Edited to add that Annie has already explained the new feature.

 

[Gabs007]

I just noticed VC is now offering “direct shipping” on lower priced items. Direct from the seller to the buyer?

Edited to add that Annie has already explained the new feature.

Tbh I expect they are opening a can of worms there, I prefer to have the QC done by them and it is done and over with, if you send directly, there is a lot of room for people being less than honest and claiming they got another item, or wearing it, ruining it, then claiming they got it like that... I sold a dress on Vide and it was returned, only it did smell gross and had a ton of pet hair and fluff over it, the tag from the dry cleaner was removed and she claimed she got it dirty....

 

[Annie J]

Tbh I expect they are opening a can of worms there, I prefer to have the QC done by them and it is done and over with, if you send directly, there is a lot of room for people being less than honest and claiming they got another item, or wearing it, ruining it, then claiming they got it like that... I sold a dress on Vide and it was returned, only it did smell gross and had a ton of pet hair and fluff over it, the tag from the dry cleaner was removed and she claimed she got it dirty....

Yes, this is my concern, as I was saying above. I very much want to know that VC is taking on the risk for me, the “Expert Seller”, if they’re doing this. I would expect that they will, because they are the ones who have assessed me and given me the badge, and I am helping drive their business by being reliable and trustworthy. I would expect this new direct shipping to benefit me based on my reliability, and VC therefore taking on the risk, not open me up to difficulties with bad buyers.