Vestiaire Collective experiences?

[elaineiwhite]

I understand the principle of security tags, but as I have explained (in epic detail) how would that help? They claim item not as described, they get a return label, they can even claim they received something else and return what they claim they have received, you can take pictures before sending, which I always do, but since Vestiaire has issued them a return label, as soon as it shows as return delivered, they close the case.

So how would that stop people? The ones who do the scams know how to play the game, in the past when that happened, they removed the ability to get items shipped directly to them, now they stopped caring.

I repeat, the problem is with Vestiaire, their lack of customer service, that won't be solved by a tag, because if you tell them they have the tag removed, they would go "But you got your item back", so that tag would just be useless

It sounded like the person wore your dress and returned it. They created a stain that was just water as an excuse to return it. If there was a security label they would not have been able to wear the dress.

 

[SarahT85]

It sounded like the person wore your dress and returned it. They created a stain that was just water as an excuse to return it. If there was a security label they would not have been able to wear the dress.

They would simply have removed the security tag and then returned it, and I could have done NOTHING about it. What could I do about it since Vestiaire decided that I got my item back (without a stain but with BO and a strong odor of perfume) which I can't show in a picture, they wouldn't care about a security tag, and if the "buyer" doesn't care about it because they know how the system works and removes the tag, why go through the trouble? The logic conclusion is to simply use another platform, I know that HEWI allows security tags, but with Vestiaire, I'm afraid it would be totally pointless. It is their customer service or lack of it that is the problem

 

[elaineiwhite]

They would simply have removed the security tag and then returned it, and I could have done NOTHING about it. What could I do about it since Vestiaire decided that I got my item back (without a stain but with BO and a strong odor of perfume) which I can't show in a picture, they wouldn't care about a security tag, and if the "buyer" doesn't care about it because they know how the system works and removes the tag, why go through the trouble? The logic conclusion is to simply use another platform, I know that HEWI allows security tags, but with Vestiaire, I'm afraid it would be totally pointless. It is their customer service or lack of it that is the problem

I would post a photo with the security tag on the garment and film the unboxing of the garment if it gets returned.

 

[Monaliceke]

Their definition of customer service seems to be "We don't care" and spam you to death with auto-replies that show they have not even read your question or close the chat, if it wouldn't be for the spelling mistakes they make, I would think they are bots, AI (though I do have doubts about the I), they really seem to be remarkably uninformed, an item of mine for which I had paid the import duty via Vestiaire, they wanted to charge me again as apparently they had not filled out the customs form correctly, when it happened the 1st time they told me to pay it, they would refund me, needless to say this didn't happen, I got a lot of "We haven't forgotten you messages and then was told to sort it out with customs myself, which I couldn't as customs claimed they hadn't received the funds from Vestiaire and Vestiaire went that they can't disclose confidential information and that customs are the duty of the buyer, I totally get that, but if the site charges me import duties with shipping and item price and handling fee, I don't expect to have to pay import duty again, with another handling fee by the shipping company. When it happened again, I just refused to pay it and the item was returned. I apologised to the seller who was very understanding, especially since she had made the same experience previously.

Prior to their relaunch, you could actually get some sort of customer service (not great but some) then they shut all the phone lines down and it really went south.

The bugs in the programming, the fact that customer service often doesn't even know how the website or app works (I got rid of the app when I noticed that it tracks you worse than google, also had to totally reset the phone twice because the app crashed it), that the delivery services they use are unreliable but cheap (Royal Mail 48 is notorious for failures and super late updates, Evri has become a bit better but is still a service I rather avoid due to the amount of "missing parcels" or parcels that have been relabeled or damaged by Evri and you receive random items - they however charge high handling and shipping fees), it makes me think for cost reasons they have outsourced everything to low cost providers, which is often done when venture capital is involved to boost the profit short time, then sell. I could be wrong, but usually no company would drive the reputation to the ground long term for short term profit. Not a company I would care to invest in and in fact deal with anymore.

I fully agree with you. They make life easy for themselves by letting buyers choose “direct shipping” and pass the risk to the sellers. As another TPF member has previously mentioned, I would never sell my things via “direct shipping” again. I doubt I would sell anything there again after my bad experience. Not worth being stress.

 

[SarahT85]

I would post a photo with the security tag on the garment

I'm honestly not sure if you are trying to mess with me or what the problem is.

Let me repeat Vestiaire closes the case when the return was delivered, since they don't care and then release the money to the buyer, what difference does it make?

It would make sense if you could talk to them, but their "customer service" doesn't really want to be bothered with anything. I mentioned earlier, one of my neighbours in Surrey ordered a dress, what she got was a different size, a different brand and a different colour, they refused a return and said she can list it for free, they used the listing of the seller (the item she had bought but not delivered) their customer service is totally hit and miss, and I highly doubt they would be bothered about a security tag.

If I would be a shop, yes I would totally consider putting security tags on items, but I got rid of a lot of items, private reasons, my partner passed away from Covid complications, I wanted a clear out as we had a very active social life due to his job (he worked in the city as a banker) and my life has changed, I didn't want to be reminded, so I just got rid of a few items from "the old life" it wasn't even about the money as I listed the items ridiculously low and donated the money usually to a foodbank or a shelter. For me it was more about finding a way of saying goodbye to the past. It sounds stupid, but sorting through things and letting go helped me to accept how things changed, for a while I was totally lost, possibly TMI but my twin was killed in a car accident, drunk driver, then while I was just getting over it, Covid happened, we both got it at the tail end, I recovered relatively well, my other half said his chest feels really tight, he had trouble breathing and I called an ambulance, when the ambulance arrived he had already passed away, apparently sudden cardiac death, to make things even weirder, I have an inherited heart problem, by all means it should have been me. I just wanted to have a symbolic clear out, I know I sound like a total loony tune now, but I really drew comfort from the idea that somebody gets and item they couldn't otherwise afford and will cherish it.

The dress, I was honestly more puzzled than anything else, a dress for over 2K, worn twice, I think I sold it for 100, who would bother to wear and return it and fake a stain for such a ridiculously low price? It wasn't damaged, I am just a bit OCD about germs, so it was a bit gross to get it back smelling of BO and some really not very nice perfume, it wasn't anything dry cleaning couldn't fix. i wondered a bit if the buyer was simply hard up and couldn't even afford the 100, but then they wouldn't be able to attend an event where such a dress is appropriate. In the meantime I have given it away (dry cleaned of course) to the daughter of my friends' cleaner who aspires to study fashion design. The look of joy on her face was priceless.

In case Vestiaire would have good customer support, yes, security tags would make sense, they are just not for me, I bought a lot from them in the past, I said earlier it was a bit hit and miss, mostly miss when it went through their authentication (in the UK ordering from the US, Asia, Australia or Italy it always goes through the verfication, that is how I figured they do not seem to have a clue) the last incident with somebody returning a bag (again, customer service totally useless) the sign of wear I had already shown was the reason why her return was approved, she kept the dust bag, threw the bag into a paper bag and returned, as a result of the shoddy packaging the bag was bent out of shape and totally and utterly scuffed, they were not interested I had to insist that at least the dust bag was returned, I have to admit I did that out of spite, because under no circumstances was she keeping my dust bag on top of it all. It is simply the Vestiaire customer service is really not great, I had some great buys, I had some nice sales with people then contacting and thanking me (I usually packed carefully, put in a little card thanking them and wishing them the best), but with that person turning stalker, I feel a bit uneasy about using the site, and I spent a few months with friends (they suggested a change of scenery would do me good, they were right), so I had changed my address to their office address and just packed the box with items into my car.

I possibly bored you to death with my life, stuff happens to a lot of people, I was just not good dealing with it, seriously, I feel embarrassed, but I just went numb, I could function at work, but as soon as I was home (the home in Surrey) I was just staring at old pictures, I lost so much weight because I didn't feel hungry, it was just as if everything had shut down. Only when I forced myself to sort out, I became alive again, I started to imagine that somebody would be happy, and even at the danger of sounding even more disturbed, it was like I was honouring my partner by not having the garments in my dressing room where they would never be worn again (yes, it sounds crazy, but we used to pick items together, so really bittersweet) but that they would be worn and cherished. Don't judge me too harshly, it was a coping mechanism. Oddly enough the stalker trying to bully me, that really woke me up, I will fight back. Our family solicitor was very good but recommended a colleague who specializes in those cases, so I look forward to the meeting. It totally snapped me out

 

[SarahT85]

I fully agree with you. They make life easy for themselves by letting buyers choose “direct shipping” and pass the risk to the sellers. As another TPF member has previously mentioned, I would never sell my things via “direct shipping” again. I doubt I would sell anything there again after my bad experience. Not worth being stress.

I made a lot of friends through direct shipping, a lot of people add their contact details, I put in a little thank you card and later on my WhatsApp, that is the postive side of it, plust the way their authentication and compliance service is, it is literally money for nothing, the negative side is that it opens a massive window for scammers.

In case you decide to sell again through them, document everything like you would document if you are accused in a murder case (film it or take tons of pictures and keep those until the sale is final), you might not win with their customer service, but if you take them to court, you have your ducks in a row.

 

[Monaliceke]

I made a lot of friends through direct shipping, a lot of people add their contact details, I put in a little thank you card and later on my WhatsApp, that is the postive side of it, plust the way their authentication and compliance service is, it is literally money for nothing, the negative side is that it opens a massive window for scammers.

In case you decide to sell again through them, document everything like you would document if you are accused in a murder case (film it or take tons of pictures and keep those until the sale is final), you might not win with their customer service, but if you take them to court, you have your ducks in a row.

Haha, sure, we all have to learn to protect ourselves

 

[SarahT85]

Haha, sure, we all have to learn to protect ourselves

On the positive side, a lot of the people I have bought from have decided to not deal with Vestiaire, I purchased a ton of items directly, got a multi-currency account, pay them directly, some of them then put the item on eBay with terrible pictures and no label, and "in need of repair, only for spare parts or arts and crafts" - cough, I didn't purchase high end bags this way, but some amazing coats and such.
Mom still lives in Massachusetts, I figured it is a good way to get her bday and Xmas presents to her from the UK, my aunt usually spends £5 on something and has it delivered to mom, if I send directly, even labeled as a present, there are issues, so I don't mind the detour and I am forever grateful to the friend from Italy who suggested it

 

[elaineiwhite]

I'm honestly not sure if you are trying to mess with me or what the problem is.

Let me repeat Vestiaire closes the case when the return was delivered, since they don't care and then release the money to the buyer, what difference does it make?

It would make sense if you could talk to them, but their "customer service" doesn't really want to be bothered with anything. I mentioned earlier, one of my neighbours in Surrey ordered a dress, what she got was a different size, a different brand and a different colour, they refused a return and said she can list it for free, they used the listing of the seller (the item she had bought but not delivered) their customer service is totally hit and miss, and I highly doubt they would be bothered about a security tag.

If I would be a shop, yes I would totally consider putting security tags on items, but I got rid of a lot of items, private reasons, my partner passed away from Covid complications, I wanted a clear out as we had a very active social life due to his job (he worked in the city as a banker) and my life has changed, I didn't want to be reminded, so I just got rid of a few items from "the old life" it wasn't even about the money as I listed the items ridiculously low and donated the money usually to a foodbank or a shelter. For me it was more about finding a way of saying goodbye to the past. It sounds stupid, but sorting through things and letting go helped me to accept how things changed, for a while I was totally lost, possibly TMI but my twin was killed in a car accident, drunk driver, then while I was just getting over it, Covid happened, we both got it at the tail end, I recovered relatively well, my other half said his chest feels really tight, he had trouble breathing and I called an ambulance, when the ambulance arrived he had already passed away, apparently sudden cardiac death, to make things even weirder, I have an inherited heart problem, by all means it should have been me. I just wanted to have a symbolic clear out, I know I sound like a total loony tune now, but I really drew comfort from the idea that somebody gets and item they couldn't otherwise afford and will cherish it.

The dress, I was honestly more puzzled than anything else, a dress for over 2K, worn twice, I think I sold it for 100, who would bother to wear and return it and fake a stain for such a ridiculously low price? It wasn't damaged, I am just a bit OCD about germs, so it was a bit gross to get it back smelling of BO and some really not very nice perfume, it wasn't anything dry cleaning couldn't fix. i wondered a bit if the buyer was simply hard up and couldn't even afford the 100, but then they wouldn't be able to attend an event where such a dress is appropriate. In the meantime I have given it away (dry cleaned of course) to the daughter of my friends' cleaner who aspires to study fashion design. The look of joy on her face was priceless.

In case Vestiaire would have good customer support, yes, security tags would make sense, they are just not for me, I bought a lot from them in the past, I said earlier it was a bit hit and miss, mostly miss when it went through their authentication (in the UK ordering from the US, Asia, Australia or Italy it always goes through the verfication, that is how I figured they do not seem to have a clue) the last incident with somebody returning a bag (again, customer service totally useless) the sign of wear I had already shown was the reason why her return was approved, she kept the dust bag, threw the bag into a paper bag and returned, as a result of the shoddy packaging the bag was bent out of shape and totally and utterly scuffed, they were not interested I had to insist that at least the dust bag was returned, I have to admit I did that out of spite, because under no circumstances was she keeping my dust bag on top of it all. It is simply the Vestiaire customer service is really not great, I had some great buys, I had some nice sales with people then contacting and thanking me (I usually packed carefully, put in a little card thanking them and wishing them the best), but with that person turning stalker, I feel a bit uneasy about using the site, and I spent a few months with friends (they suggested a change of scenery would do me good, they were right), so I had changed my address to their office address and just packed the box with items into my car.

I possibly bored you to death with my life, stuff happens to a lot of people, I was just not good dealing with it, seriously, I feel embarrassed, but I just went numb, I could function at work, but as soon as I was home (the home in Surrey) I was just staring at old pictures, I lost so much weight because I didn't feel hungry, it was just as if everything had shut down. Only when I forced myself to sort out, I became alive again, I started to imagine that somebody would be happy, and even at the danger of sounding even more disturbed, it was like I was honouring my partner by not having the garments in my dressing room where they would never be worn again (yes, it sounds crazy, but we used to pick items together, so really bittersweet) but that they would be worn and cherished. Don't judge me too harshly, it was a coping mechanism. Oddly enough the stalker trying to bully me, that really woke me up, I will fight back. Our family solicitor was very good but recommended a colleague who specializes in those cases, so I look forward to the meeting. It totally snapped me out

I was talking about your future clothing sales. A security tag will help with people buying an item to wear and then return to you.

 

[lingling1111]

Update about my two cases:

(1) The dress that got the underskirt was thrown away by the agent at the warehouse. - no refund or promise of speedy shipping to the buyer yet. They even negated their previous offer of expedited shipping, which was contradictory to what they told the buyer. The dress set was $950 when I purchased it.

(2) the other dress that had a return label. they said yes the customer was given a return label for direct return back to me. They said if there was anything wrong with the returned package, I could still let them know. But, who knows. VC still did not tell me what exactly I listed wrongly in the description, so being stubborn, I will get to the bottom of the case, because I believed that I listed everything accurately and did not deserve an easy return. The buyer, however, has not shipped it back to me. The dress was $519 when I purchased it. Not extremely expensive, but that is the only Medium size dress of that popular style on the market.

I hopped on Linkedin and got in touch with their CEO Maximilian Bittner. He accepted my connection request immediately and was online briefly. I sent him a message. Hopefully, he does something.

If both cases were not resolved properly, such as no refund for lost pieces, I will file police reports and reach out to some news press based in New York.

In comparison, I recently had dealt with Fashionpile, and their customer service is a gem to work with.

 

[SarahT85]

I was talking about your future clothing sales. A security tag will help with people buying an item to wear and then return to you.

In the future I will not use Vestiaire anymore and only use sites where the item goes through independent verification, no direct shipping, so people can't return anyway. It was one time that somebody did that, seriously the least of my issues with Vestiaire and I would be more worried that the people damage something out of spite. If you use Vestiaire the security tags won't help because Vestiaire won't care

 

[SarahT85]

Update about my two cases:

(1) The dress that got the underskirt was thrown away by the agent at the warehouse. - no refund or promise of speedy shipping to the buyer yet. They even negated their previous offer of expedited shipping, which was contradictory to what they told the buyer. The dress set was $950 when I purchased it.

(2) the other dress that had a return label. they said yes the customer was given a return label for direct return back to me. They said if there was anything wrong with the returned package, I could still let them know. But, who knows. VC still did not tell me what exactly I listed wrongly in the description, so being stubborn, I will get to the bottom of the case, because I believed that I listed everything accurately and did not deserve an easy return. The buyer, however, has not shipped it back to me. The dress was $519 when I purchased it. Not extremely expensive, but that is the only Medium size dress of that popular style on the market.

I hopped on Linkedin and got in touch with their CEO Maximilian Bittner. He accepted my connection request immediately and was online briefly. I sent him a message. Hopefully, he does something.

If both cases were not resolved properly, such as no refund for lost pieces, I will file police reports and reach out to some news press based in New York.

In comparison, I recently had dealt with Fashionpile, and their customer service is a gem to work with.

I wish we had Fashionpile in the UK! it might actually be worth your while to contact some of their investors, for example CondeNast, they hype them in their publication (Vogue, Glamour, etc) while being major investors

Our Partners - Vestiaire Collective

3 million items, 12,000+ brands. Luxury pre-loved fashion, up to 70% off. Expert authentication, trusted by millions.

www.vestiairecollective.com

And I did a bit of digging, here is a list of media outlets who have written about Vestiaire and the investors, etc.

Vestiaire Collective - Recent News & Activity

Vestiaire Collective is an online marketplace that allows users to buy and sell pre-owned luxury fashion items.

www.crunchbase.com

Frankly it doesn't really matter how expensive or cheap items are, they do have a duty of care, you sent an item to them, they threw out the underskirt while handling it, it is their responsibility!

 

[lingling1111]

I wish we had Fashionpile in the UK! it might actually be worth your while to contact some of their investors, for example CondeNast, they hype them in their publication (Vogue, Glamour, etc) while being major investors

Our Partners - Vestiaire Collective

3 million items, 12,000+ brands. Luxury pre-loved fashion, up to 70% off. Expert authentication, trusted by millions.

www.vestiairecollective.com

And I did a bit of digging, here is a list of media outlets who have written about Vestiaire and the investors, etc.

Vestiaire Collective - Recent News & Activity

Vestiaire Collective is an online marketplace that allows users to buy and sell pre-owned luxury fashion items.

www.crunchbase.com

Frankly it doesn't really matter how expensive or cheap items are, they do have a duty of care, you sent an item to them, they threw out the underskirt while handling it, it is their responsibility!

This is so extremely helpful. Thank you! I will reach out to these media as well.

 

[SarahT85]

This is so extremely helpful. Thank you! I will reach out to these media as well.

Trust me, they do not want to be on the wrong side of Anna W, and CondeNast (like most other publications) is struggling and laying off people, I assume they invested in VC as most print and online media are in crisis, so they need to make sure the shares don't drop too much.

You could use your example, I am more than happy to send you all details of mine, I documented everything, I am pretty sure you will find at least 10 more people, because I expect they will try the "Very rare and unfortunate incident" when it actually isn't, so the more cases you have, the more it shows that it wasn't just one slip, but that they seriously neglect duty of care and that long term this will cause massive reputational damage.

So far? You had 2 sales and 2 problems, another lady sent original Hermes sandals with receipt and they claimed they are fake, then there is the lady who got a Hermes bag that has tears that were not pictured or mentioned, that they have contradicting item conditions on their site (highly misleading), the risk with direct shipping, glitches in the software.... (I once tried to contact them and was in an account that was not mine, showed me "which item do you need help with" I didn't recognize a single one, all brands I don't really have - security anybody?)

I mean they do thousands of transactions daily, naturally not all go smoothly, but the way they handle them... As I said, I had some very good experiences on Vestiaire, but that was due to the buyers and sellers being superb people, it had nothing to do with Vestiaire. Whenever I needed their help, they were not interested even if they caused the issue (customs, they claimed import duty from me but didn't pay customs so I had to pay again....)
A reputable company should have customer care and service in place!

 

[lingling1111]

Trust me, they do not want to be on the wrong side of Anna W, and CondeNast (like most other publications) is struggling and laying off people, I assume they invested in VC as most print and online media are in crisis, so they need to make sure the shares don't drop too much.

You could use your example, I am more than happy to send you all details of mine, I documented everything, I am pretty sure you will find at least 10 more people, because I expect they will try the "Very rare and unfortunate incident" when it actually isn't, so the more cases you have, the more it shows that it wasn't just one slip, but that they seriously neglect duty of care and that long term this will cause massive reputational damage.

So far? You had 2 sales and 2 problems, another lady sent original Hermes sandals with receipt and they claimed they are fake, then there is the lady who got a Hermes bag that has tears that were not pictured or mentioned, that they have contradicting item conditions on their site (highly misleading), the risk with direct shipping, glitches in the software.... (I once tried to contact them and was in an account that was not mine, showed me "which item do you need help with" I didn't recognize a single one, all brands I don't really have - security anybody?)

I mean they do thousands of transactions daily, naturally not all go smoothly, but the way they handle them... As I said, I had some very good experiences on Vestiaire, but that was due to the buyers and sellers being superb people, it had nothing to do with Vestiaire. Whenever I needed their help, they were not interested even if they caused the issue (customs, they claimed import duty from me but didn't pay customs so I had to pay again....)
A reputable company should have customer care and service in place!

There was an update from the Team today. I think that the connection with the CEO Max Bittner actually worked. There is a staff Eboni from the Head Department of VC reached out to me today. I think that they even attempted to call me but my phone blocked the call. He basically took care of everything.

The platform will be issuing next-day delivery to the first dress. And for the second dress, if the buyer returns it, they will relist it on their account and issue me payment.

Again, getting in touch with the CEO Max Bittner seemed to have worked. He read my message but he did not reply to it. But I think he probably helped move this case forward and got it actually resolved.

A platform like Fashionphile would resolve it within the normal tunnel, however. I felt like in the past few days, I have consumed so much of my energy on this... it was not fun.