Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

I received some antique and vintage clothing from a seller that was so moldy it set off an allergic response when I opened the package.  I contacted the seller, who was condescending and said that I obviously knew nothing about vintage and antique clothing and it was all moldy.  He admitted the items were moldy and suggested that all vintage and antique clothing was moldy.  I asked for a partial refund because he stated in his ad that his clothing was no return.  I sent them right to the wash (so not able to return now and I can probably do the work to get them clean).  This guy claims that anything that comes from an estate that is 100 years old is moldy - I have bought thousands of dollars worth of items that are this old and so far this is the first moldy item.  What gets me is the dishonesty in the ad.  I would not have bought if he had said it was musty smelling (i.e. moldy) but he did not disclose.  Just said it was not cleaned and in the original condition - I have bought lots like this and yes dusty but not musty and moldy.  All I can do is leave bad feedback and tell others to beware.  I told him I did not appreciate the condescending comments ("dear - you obviously know nothing about vintage clothing...").  Is there any way I can report this seller to ebay?

 

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

orca_bc
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same thing happened to me on books I received ... I got some great advice on the US discussion boards & it was pretty unanimous - don't accept this, especially if it was not disclosed in the listing.

 

You can contact eBay & file as "Significantly Not As Described" case.

 

I would do that in your case, particularly if the seller is being unreasonable

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

I sell vintage on another site and the seller is wrong in this case, not all clothing (or books) are musty and/or moldy and it should have been mentioned in the description.  I would open a case for items "Not as Described"  and leave appropriate feedback.  Good luck!

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

We are sorry that you  got to deal with an unethical and dishonest seller.

 

The condition of the items should have been noted in the auction.  Vintage clothing is  not  moldy if it has been stored properly.

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

Re cleaning these items

 

I would check local cleaners in your area and see if they clean vintage clothing. Some are very knowledgeable and may be able to help you restore these or get them in better shape than they are now. (There is one in the city I live in that can do wonders with Vintage Clothing and have a special process to do so . If they dont feel they can do it they let you know right away)

 

and definitley open a case against this person

 

weavers 

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

Hi ... Firstly, I would like to say that I am sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience (definitely open a dispute and receive a refund).  I sell vintage clothing and that vast majority of vintage items I sell, I first handwash & hang to dry (and all of this is noted in every listing).  However, the issue recently (twice in the last six months) is that a buyer receives their item and is unhappy with the scent of the laundry products I have used (Tide & Downey).  One buyer described the scent of downey (which I use at a reduced strength) as HORRIFYING and demanded a full refund - including returned shipping.

My question is this ... wouldn't a buyer prefer to receive something that is clean and smells clean then something that has not been washed and may have a myriad of odours.  I explained to the buyer that she could easily handwash the item to remove the scent of the fabric softener.  That did not go over well ... at all.  She left me negative feedback indicating that I lie about the condition of my items.  What should be the standard here?  The person I am responding to received moldy garments (who would sell those?) and is trying to clean them herself.  My buyer received a clean item with a slight fragrance from a standard cleaning product & flipped out at me.  The ebay dispute mechanism does not allow for any real debate of is this a reasonable expectation.  I am at a lost.

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

I think you have two options. 

 

If you want a full refund, you should open an Item Not as Described case with the seller and carry it through.  Be aware though that you will probably be required to ship the item back to the seller using a tracked shipping service, which can be costly.  Also be prepared that there is a chance you could lose the case (it's hard to prove the existence of a bad smell or mold, whereas damage can be shown with a photo).  The fact that you have now cleaned the item shouldn't matter in terms of returning it; in fact you've improved it from its original condition.  It sounds as if this seller is not amenable to giving you a partial refund, which is unfortunate -- this would have been the smart thing for him to do.

 

If you'd rather keep the garment now that you've cleaned it, you can forget about opening a case but still leave negative feedback for the seller, for example: "Garment moldy, smell not disclosed in listing, refused partial refund" or something to that effect.  This is probably what I'd do, since as I said, proving an item smelled musty is difficult. 

 

In my view there is no excuse for not disclosing musty or moldy odours in a listing (or any odour for that matter -- many old garments can carry smoky, earthy or old perfume-like smells).  I've even come across antique skirts that had the distinct odour of 100-year old dry horse manure on the hems -- for obvious reasons!  Simply saying an article of clothing is in the "original condition" and unwashed is unacceptable if there is in fact an issue.  If a seller can't clean the item, he should disclose the issue, and let the buyer decide. 

 

However, it's certainly not true that just because a garment is 100 years old, it will be musty, etc.  Your seller was completely wrong in saying this!  What he had was a garment that probably came out of somebody's basement or old, damp cupboard or box, that he likely knew would not sell if he disclosed the moldy smell.  If properly stored, an antique garment should have no bad odours. 

 

By the way, I should mention for anyone who might be interested in buying antique clothing, that there is a very unique but subtle "old textile" scent to true antique garments that is normal, and not at all unpleasant, and that antique clothing collectors love -- this is quite different from a musty smell!  Also silk has an intriguing, distinct scent of its own that some find irresistible, and that lovely scent will stay with a silk garment even after 100 years or more. 

 

I wanted to add a word about cleaning vintage garments.  I do sell such items, but if I can't justify the cost of dry cleaning, I hand-wash them (if they're washable) in a perfume-free liquid soap.  These type of laundry products are available everywhere.  Many people these days have allergies, and many people have a very strong negative reaction or even aversion/allergy to perfumes, so it's safest (as a seller) to avoid such cleaners completely. 

 

Incidentally, the "perfume" in Downy and most other scented commercial laundry products is not a natural perfume such as lavender oil, rose oil, etc., but is an ester-based chemical synthetic that has been implicated in health issues, especially for children.  I thought I'd mention this because many people believe that using fabric softener sheets to give a pleasant smell to clothing is a positive thing.  It's not -- it's far better to simply wash the garment in unscented soap and (if possible) hang it outside on a sunny, breezy day for a half hour to let the UV freshen it.  If you do this, just be sure to the vintage garment inside-out to avoid sun bleaching. 

 

As for laundering or dry-cleaning true antique garments, that's a different and much more complicated discussion.  My personal view is that no attempt at all should be made to clean a silk garment over about 80 years old.  Antique cotton or linen garments can sometimes be laundered without damage, but this has to be done with great care, based on the condition of the textile and trimmings, using specialty products and then only by hand.  Antique wool garments can sometimes be dry-cleaned, but the risk has to be evaluated on an individual basis.  It's also important to remember that many clothing dyes used 100 years ago were not as colour-fast as are modern dyes, and attempting to wash such garments can end in a disaster. 

 

 

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

  The fact that you have now cleaned the item shouldn't matter in terms of returning it; in fact you've improved it from its original condition.

 

The claim could still be denied because the buyer cannot send it back in the same condition as it was received. I've read about similar claims being denied. There are some items that lose value once they have been cleaned. That may not be true in this case but even if the buyer feels the item is now in better condition, ebay has no way of knowing if that is true and they do not know if the item was cleaned properly so that the fabric and colors were preserved.

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

As I said, my inclination is that returning this item may not be the best option for the OP in these circumstances. 

 

However I was simply pointing out that if the seller knowingly sold a musty or moldy item, and the OP does in fact return it, the seller may have an item that can be re-sold (i.e. without the mold issue). 

 

Of course some items cannot be safely cleaned, as I mentioned in my earlier post, but it sounded as if the OP was a fairly experienced antique garment collector and would know whether to risk attempting to clean a particular article.  Most Victorian and Edwardian "whites" for example, can be hand-washed and can be greatly improved by such cleaning.  It would be interesting to know specifically what the OP purchased. 

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Re: Vintage clothing - should moldy and musty items be disclosed?

ld say follow everyones advice but if I was buying something `100 years old and it was said to not be washed and in original condition I would expect that it would come pretty funky .... I mean Estate sale soooooo original condition could mean it wasn't washed after the last person wore it 50 years ago and that person was smelly as smelly gets...

 

 

I think the buyer should have mention the rank smell etc but at the same time they indirectly  said it ....

 

Good lucky with your moldy cheese clothes 😉 Seller should just offer you a partial but thats just me

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