Vestiaire Collective experiences?

[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!

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.

It's a bit sad that you have to go though those length to get them to react, I think Bittner is more responsible for the finances, he is not a fashion guy, one of my neighbors dealt with him at one of his previous companies (Bittner's) when they were looking for Venture capital, he said the guy is a financial genius. A lot of the changes he introduced to Vestiaire are actually fantastic, the problem is really customer service, and if you are dealing with 2nd hand clothes, customer service is even more important than when you are dealing with an internet startup.

I wish he would be a bit closer to the ground and see what is going on at Vestiaire and how disjointed the company has become, I just read on Facebook in a group that somebody got issued a label, however the postage company can't scan the label as there is a fault with the label, she requested another label and suggested 3 companies where she could drop off (companies Vesitiare uses regularly), as due to work the pickup options don't work for her, obviously in all their wisdom they issued her a totally different label, exactly the one where she can't drop off and totally ignored her saying "I could drop off with UPS, Evri or Fedex - I don't have DHL anywhere near and pickup doesn't work"

 

[epistolic]

Getting quite tired now of Vestiaire - twice now in the past few weeks, I’ve purchased items only to immediately have sellers cancel the order and try to relist for higher. There needs to be a higher penalty for seller cancellations, removing badges is a waste of time and rarely deters people who are only selling one or two things anyway!

 

[SarahT85]

Getting quite tired now of Vestiaire - twice now in the past few weeks, I’ve purchased items only to immediately have sellers cancel the order and try to relist for higher. There needs to be a higher penalty for seller cancellations, removing badges is a waste of time and rarely deters people who are only selling one or two things anyway!

Would you like them beheaded? Honestly, this can happen on any platform where people sell items, it can even happen if you order from a shop, that they run our of stock and effectively, you get refunded so you have no disadvantage, it is mildly annoying when that happens, but they let you know immediately, it is not like you have a massive disadvantage, people have lives, they might have crosslisted the items, it just sold somewhere else, they might not want to do direct shipping due to the risks. Quite a few people don't send to parcel shops anymore as a lot of people don't pick up and cause a lot of hassle for the seller. You could always contact the seller before you buy and ask if they are able to send in time.

Most of the people there are private people who get rid of items that don't fit or suit them, those people have lives, they might get sick, they might have sold the item somewhere else, possibly forgot where they put it or they are woried about the direct shipping. If a shop has massive reductions but then has to cancel your order because they are out of stock, would you scream for a penalty? I agree it can be a bit annoying, but if something is canceled you get your money back and have no disadvantage. Previously they had weeks to send, so you could be waiting for ages.

 

[epistolic]

Would you like them beheaded? Honestly, this can happen on any platform where people sell items, it can even happen if you order from a shop, that they run our of stock and effectively, you get refunded so you have no disadvantage, it is mildly annoying when that happens, but they let you know immediately, it is not like you have a massive disadvantage, people have lives, they might have crosslisted the items, it just sold somewhere else, they might not want to do direct shipping due to the risks. Quite a few people don't send to parcel shops anymore as a lot of people don't pick up and cause a lot of hassle for the seller. You could always contact the seller before you buy and ask if they are able to send in time.

Most of the people there are private people who get rid of items that don't fit or suit them, those people have lives, they might get sick, they might have sold the item somewhere else, possibly forgot where they put it or they are woried about the direct shipping. If a shop has massive reductions but then has to cancel your order because they are out of stock, would you scream for a penalty? I agree it can be a bit annoying, but if something is canceled you get your money back and have no disadvantage. Previously they had weeks to send, so you could be waiting for ages.

?? I’m not asking anyone to be beheaded. In both of my situations, I accepted offers that the sellers themselves sent me within 1-2hrs of the offers being made to me; paid for the purchase; then had the sale cancelled by the seller within half an hour of paying. In both of these situations, I was not the only person the seller was making active offers to. I’m sure there are sellers who cancel for those legitimate reasons you’ve mentioned, but you also cannot deny that there are quite a few times when a seller is making offers but trying to play one buyer against the other. If you make me an offer that I then accept, what legitimate reason can you have to then immediately cancel? Why send me an offer in the first place if you cannot send in time, or the item is not with you, or you’ve sold the item elsewhere?

Addit - also, your suggestion that the buyer take the responsibility of contacting the seller beforehand, to ask if the seller is able to ship the item, when it is the seller who has listed the item for sale - forgive me, I cannot understand how this makes sense. How is this the buyer’s responsibility? Surely it is the seller’s responsibility to ensure they can actually ship the item they’ve listed for sale - or to notify the buyer during the offer-making process that they cannot ship in time? Vestiaire literally has a Vacation Mode, for sellers to easily place ordering on hold if they are away and cannot ship etc.

 

[onlyk]

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.

Thanks for the update, glad your issues are solved! You did so much work yourself!

on the side note, while Fashionphile or any other resellers may reduce the risk of returns etc issues, 1, they may not take all your items want to sell, 2, they may not give you the price you wanted.

Hopefully we can find selling places have fair protection to honest sellers / and buyers.

 

[maria_lv_fan]

I had an issue too (mentioned it earlier), my item was listed in a Very good condition but arrived in a Good condition. And I tried to explain to Vestiaire Collective but no luck. (Honestly I haven't expected to get an item with discoloration and I so regret that I bought that item. Because I was choosing between this one and an item on another platform. If I would have known about discoloration I wouldn't choose this item. Hope that makes sense.)

I treat my bags very well. So I am buying only in Very good condition because I know I will keep it that way for a long time.

The Item had hardware wear (and later VC even lost the dust bag (facepalm)). However the signs of hardware wear were neither on the photos nor in the description, and condition was described as Very good. By their description Very good should not have hardware wear or discoloration.

I tried to contact VC but no success even after 2nd check they don't see the issue. (For reference, everybody I show the item says they doo see discoloration and silver metal seen through gold Chanel hardware.)

But anyways, I wrote both to bbb and to my Credit Card company. Hope to get a refund or at least half of the price compensation. (Never heard of this happening, just my thoughts. Having half of my money back, then re-sell the item and finally return what I paid. Hustle option but doable, considering I would never have to deal with struggles around that item anymore.)

(not to mention that buyer is paying service fee. probably it's too big fee for me personally for not having successful transaction insurance. when I paid that fee I hoped my transaction is safe and covered.)
Still a big no-no buyer/seller from them though. Because a lot of discomfort, struggle, wasted time and gaslighting as an aftertaste.

Hope we all have only smoothest experiences and the best customer service. And get the treatment that we all deserve.
*
Please note that everything I say is alleged and represents my personal thoughts only.

 

[lingling1111]

I had an issue too (mentioned it earlier), my item was listed in a Very good condition but arrived in a Good condition. And I tried to explain to Vestiaire Collective but no luck. (Honestly I haven't expected to get an item with discoloration and I so regret that I bought that item. Because I was choosing between this one and an item on another platform. If I would have known about discoloration I wouldn't choose this item. Hope that makes sense.)

I treat my bags very well. So I am buying only in Very good condition because I know I will keep it that way for a long time.

The Item had hardware wear (and later VC even lost the dust bag (facepalm)). However the signs of hardware wear were neither on the photos nor in the description, and condition was described as Very good. By their description Very good should not have hardware wear or discoloration.

I tried to contact VC but no success even after 2nd check they don't see the issue. (For reference, everybody I show the item says they doo see discoloration and silver metal seen through gold Chanel hardware.)

But anyways, I wrote both to bbb and to my Credit Card company. Hope to get a refund or at least half of the price compensation. (Never heard of this happening, just my thoughts. Having half of my money back, then re-sell the item and finally return what I paid. Hustle option but doable, considering I would never have to deal with struggles around that item anymore.)

(not to mention that buyer is paying service fee. probably it's too big fee for me personally for not having successful transaction insurance. when I paid that fee I hoped my transaction is safe and covered.)
Still a big no-no buyer/seller from them though. Because a lot of discomfort, struggle, wasted time and gaslighting as an aftertaste.

Hope we all have only smoothest experiences and the best customer service. And get the treatment that we all deserve.
*
Please note that everything I say is alleged and represents my personal thoughts only.

To be honest I do not think that they will refund you. It is very rare of them. IMO, they should cancel the sale and return it to the seller, as that seemed to be the only right option. What they might do now is to list the item on your account but I doubt that they will refund you.

Thanks for the update, glad your issues are solved! You did so much work yourself!

on the side note, while Fashionphile or any other resellers may reduce the risk of returns etc issues, 1, they may not take all your items want to sell, 2, they may not give you the price you wanted.

Hopefully we can find selling places have fair protection to honest sellers / and buyers.

I was just stubborn at things sometimes if it seemed not okay (a further update: for dress 2, now it is on the way returned to me, but somehow the assigned agent who let me send the dress to NY has now disappeared again.) Among low-cost platforms selling luxury items, I use eBay more often these days. They have a money-back guarantee program, and I so far have been refunded for two counterfeit items. Their customer service is way more efficient and helpful compared to VC. Of course, there is way more fake stuff on there, so I needed to be more careful and had to do research sometimes, but overall I had some good experiences.

 

[JaneMon]

I could really use some advice with a recent issue with VC. I sold an item at the end of January with direct shipping and after multiple attempted deliveries the buyer refused delivery. It was shipped back to me after a week or so. Now a month later UPS have billed me for the shipping back to me! So basically the buyer got her money back and I’m expected to pay for her cancelling the sale. I spoke with VC via chat today and was told to pay the fee and they will refund me. I can’t pay it online there is an issue with the account number I think it might be as the account should really be for VC not me and it doesn’t match the details they have on file. Anyway my question is has this happened to anyone else? If I pay will I ever see the refund? Thanks for any help or advice I’m not sure if I should just pay it and let it go.

 

[onlyk]

I could really use some advice with a recent issue with VC. I sold an item at the end of January with direct shipping and after multiple attempted deliveries the buyer refused delivery. It was shipped back to me after a week or so. Now a month later UPS have billed me for the shipping back to me! So basically the buyer got her money back and I’m expected to pay for her cancelling the sale. I spoke with VC via chat today and was told to pay the fee and they will refund me. I can’t pay it online there is an issue with the account number I think it might be as the account should really be for VC not me and it doesn’t match the details they have on file. Anyway my question is has this happened to anyone else? If I pay will I ever see the refund? Thanks for any help or advice I’m not sure if I should just pay it and let it go.

That is terrible! the buyer is so cheap! I think you certainly shouldn't pay for the shipping, the buyer should be the one pay for it! in this case, since VC said they will refund you, I would pay for the shipping, and have them refund you, but make sure they refund you the money not a credit! Better to clarify it before you pay for it.

please let us know the result!

 

[JaneMon]

That is terrible! the buyer is so cheap! I think you certainly shouldn't pay for the shipping, the buyer should be the one pay for it! in this case, since VC said they will refund you, I would pay for the shipping, and have them refund you, but make sure they refund you the money not a credit! Better to clarify it before you pay for it.

please let us know the result!

Thank you so much they did say refund but I was thinking they could mean credit. I will pay it as I don’t want UPS chasing me for the money but I suspect they billed VC first as there is a big delay in time from when I received the item back and then got the bill. So VC passed them on my information to bill me, it’s really not acceptable as the buyer refusing delivery is out of my control. I will let you know how they respond thanks again

 

[nicole0612]

Has anyone else been finding it almost impossible to have an item approved for listing these days?

My items are all designer and at a higher price point, but I have very clear photos of all the authenticity markings for every piece, and most of them come with the certificate and receipt matching the serial number. Recently, almost everything I submit for listing is rejected. Sometimes it helps if I go to the chat and talk to a representative what else they need, but it takes 3-4 days of back and forth and they ask for the exact same photos that I already submitted. Sometimes they ask more than once for the same photo I have already submitted to them in the chat (ex: receipt, serial number) and then it’s still a 50/50 chance if it will be approved or not. I really can’t discern a difference among the items that they will approve for listing versus the items they will not.

I just don’t understand what they are looking for because when I look at other listings on the site a lot of them have very few photos at all. I wonder if it is just random if something is approved; maybe I would be better off not wasting my time with the chat and just trying to submit each item 2 or 3 times and if they do not accept it, then just move on?

 

[DavinaE]

?? I’m not asking anyone to be beheaded. In both of my situations, I accepted offers that the sellers themselves sent me within 1-2hrs of the offers being made to me; paid for the purchase; then had the sale cancelled by the seller within half an hour of paying. In both of these situations, I was not the only person the seller was making active offers to. I’m sure there are sellers who cancel for those legitimate reasons you’ve mentioned, but you also cannot deny that there are quite a few times when a seller is making offers but trying to play one buyer against the other. If you make me an offer that I then accept, what legitimate reason can you have to then immediately cancel? Why send me an offer in the first place if you cannot send in time, or the item is not with you, or you’ve sold the item elsewhere?

Addit - also, your suggestion that the buyer take the responsibility of contacting the seller beforehand, to ask if the seller is able to ship the item, when it is the seller who has listed the item for sale - forgive me, I cannot understand how this makes sense. How is this the buyer’s responsibility? Surely it is the seller’s responsibility to ensure they can actually ship the item they’ve listed for sale - or to notify the buyer during the offer-making process that they cannot ship in time? Vestiaire literally has a Vacation Mode, for sellers to easily place ordering on hold if they are away and cannot ship etc.

Look, if that doesn't make sense to you, I honestly can't help you, it always worked for me, asking if the item is available because it simply makes sense, if it is too much of an effort, maybe a shop where you can buy and take the item is a better idea.
As for a seller taking the better offer, wouldn't you?
Most people who list an item will list it on several platforms as they want to sell, so somebody else might have bought it while they sent you an offer. You are buying 2nd hand from private sellers, it is not like you go into a shop where the item is in front of you, you are also not paying retail price, in case it isn't sent, you get refunded so there was no loss. Personally, if I don't sell on Vesitaire anymore, but I would cancel every direct sale, as a lot of people do, as there is too much danger for the seller.

Look, you are after a bargain. others are too, the seller possibly sent out plenty of offers, some higher some lower, can you really blame them if somebody else offered more and they take that? Wouldn't you?

 

[DavinaE]

That is terrible! the buyer is so cheap! I think you certainly shouldn't pay for the shipping, the buyer should be the one pay for it! in this case, since VC said they will refund you, I would pay for the shipping, and have them refund you, but make sure they refund you the money not a credit! Better to clarify it before you pay for it.

please let us know the result!

UPS has a contract with Vestiaire, I would send UPS a letter letting them know that you have NOT entered any contract with them, they should get the money from Vestiaire who is their partner and issued the shipping label, then Vestiaire can get the money back from the buyer who refused to accept the parcel.

I made the mistake of paying once, Vestaire said they would refund me, they did not, next time it happened, I let them know that I am not in a contract with them, I used the label that was issued to me by Vestaire, if they send me another bill, I would happily go to small claims court as I have no contract with UPS, they didn't send another bill. It is another reason why the direct shipping is a massive problem

 

[JaneMon]

UPS has a contract with Vestiaire, I would send UPS a letter letting them know that you have NOT entered any contract with them, they should get the money from Vestiaire who is their partner and issued the shipping label, then Vestiaire can get the money back from the buyer who refused to accept the parcel.

I made the mistake of paying once, Vestaire said they would refund me, they did not, next time it happened, I let them know that I am not in a contract with them, I used the label that was issued to me by Vestaire, if they send me another bill, I would happily go to small claims court as I have no contract with UPS, they didn't send another bill. It is another reason why the direct shipping is a massive problem

Thank you the more I think about it, the more frustrating it gets. You are correct I have no contract with UPS and also they sent me a paper invoice which cannot be paid online, and I now see I don’t have a personal account number with them on the bill which is not surprising as I’m guessing they tried to bill VC first who then must have advised them to bill the sender. What worries me is it states it must be paid within 28days of the date on the letter or they will add on a surcharge and late payment fee. It’s so upsetting all this because the buyer refused delivery!
I will contact UPS on Monday and see what they say. I really don’t feel I should have to pay it and if I do I’m not sure I believe they will refund me as I’m sure their rate is less than what UPS are charging me.
Anyway I really appreciate your reply this has put me right off selling on VC all a buyer has to do is refuse delivery and the seller gets stuck with the delivery charge and the buyer gets refunded.

 

[DavinaE]

Thank you the more I think about it, the more frustrating it gets. You are correct I have no contract with UPS and also they sent me a paper invoice which cannot be paid online, and I now see I don’t have a personal account number with them on the bill which is not surprising as I’m guessing they tried to bill VC first who then must have advised them to bill the sender. What worries me is it states it must be paid within 28days of the date on the letter or they will add on a surcharge and late payment fee. It’s so upsetting all this because the buyer refused delivery!
I will contact UPS on Monday and see what they say. I really don’t feel I should have to pay it and if I do I’m not sure I believe they will refund me as I’m sure their rate is less than what UPS are charging me.
Anyway I really appreciate your reply this has put me right off selling on VC all a buyer has to do is refuse delivery and the seller gets stuck with the delivery charge and the buyer gets refunded.

Just send them a registerd letter, stating you have no contract with them, therefore the bill is illegal, they should bill the contractual client, I would offer them to take it very public, to make a complaint to the better business bureau, as you do not have a contract with them, so therefore their bill to you has no substance and is an attempt to bully you into paying for something you never ordered. Legally they have no leg to stand on.

The laws here are not all that different, if you respond in time and refute the charge on account that you never ordered their service, entered any contractual obligation with them, that you only used the label that was issued to you by their service partner, therefore their claim is frivolous and directed at the wrong person, they will quietly drop it.

We deal with UPS quite a lot due to work, and returns, they are usually included, it sees to be a shady way of charging more, even more shady if they try to bill somebody who has no contract with them.

Vestiaire paid them in the 1st place to deliver (you pay through their commission, just like the buyer does but you have ZERO obligations to any of the delivery services as Vestiaire orders them and issues the label) UPS is trying to pull a fast one, legally no leg to stand on if you refute their claim, to make it even more legal, you could ask them to send you a copy of the contract where it says you pay for returns or indeed a copy of any contract you entered with them. Your contract is with Vestiaire, Vestiaire has a contract with UPS, but you don't have any contract with UPS, therefore you do not owe them money!