Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

I'm starting my own little business on Ebay, the plan is to buy dresses on Ebay at low prices and then spend a bit of time cleaning them and making them look their best, fixing any flaws and broken seams etc since i have a bit of experience in textiles, then using my photography skills and my model like sister to model their dresses and show them at their best.
   When i sell items i mention any flaw! Even if 3 tiny stitches have come loose and you need to wear your glasses to see it i will mention it as i think its only fair! Frustratingly not many other sellers seem to do the same! It seems to be that about 50% of the dresses i buy are in a lot worse condition than the buyer states! I paid £15 including postage on one dress as it is a very good brand and the buyer took a photo of the front and stated that it was brand new with tags however one of the flowers was hanging loose and needed stitching back on but in perfect condition other than this, this was fine as i thought i could easily stitch it back on with my sewing machine. The dress arrived with the charm from the zip broken off, two stains on the back, smelt terrible and the tags were all creased and had clearly been taken off and tied back on with a piece of cheap ribbon! I've  had a few other experiences like this. This is obviously a big one and i have filed a dispute but there are a few others i'm unsure of as one seller sold a used dress as in perfect condition but it has a section on the front that is frayed and probably can't be fixed, its only small but when i try and sell it on i'm obviously going to have to mention this and i find it so unfair that she didn't photograph or mention it! Will Ebay get suspicious if i start disputing half of all the items i buy? Part of me feels petty for disputing minor flaws in items that i only paid a few pound for in the first place but part of me also thinks that its unfair for a seller to sell an item claiming one thing when its clearly not! 

 

Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Message 1 of 10
latest reply
9 REPLIES 9

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

Let's start with 17 cents a minute.

That's the minimum wage in Ontario. If you are spending more time than that on upgrading your purchases you are going to be losing money.

And that is before fees.

Another thing to consider is that to get a refund, you will probably have to return the item to the seller with Confirmed Delivery. Have you looked into the cost of this ? Shipping a kilo to Europe by Small Packet Air, which is not Confirmed costs$36.76. Expedited which is Confirmed costs $61.14.

And the seller is not required to refund your return shipping.

And that's before the cost of drycleaning , eBay/Paypal fees and packaging.

Bad descriptions are a fact of life. I agree that sellers should be as forthcoming as possible, but as you have already learned, not everyone is as careful as they should be.

Before you bid on an item, check the seller's feedback. Look at the DSR for description. Anything other than 5, for your purposes is too low. Read the negative and neutral feedbacks. Some will obviously be from delusional and nutty buyers, but you can also see trends.

Don't forget to read the Feedback Left for Others and any Responses to feedback. These will give you a picture of the seller's personality.

 

Finally, go over to eBaydotCOM and read the Vintage Clothing Board. Those ladies are some smart cookies.

 

Good luck with your business. There are so few seamstresses around these days, and it is such a useful profession.

Message 2 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

BTW. Sizes are useful in titles, but it is important to give actual measurements in descriptions.

Manufacturer's sizes are inversely proportional to the price.

My daughter normally wears a Size 12 but her LuluLemon pants are Size 2 and fit perfectly.

The higher the selling price the lower the size number.

Message 3 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

Couldn't resist - hope your daughter's Lululemon pants aren't the "see-through" kind that the Pres. got blasted about his remarks about women (don't think he's there any more) and I don't think you'd let her wear them if they were!  Cheers!

Message 4 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

The OP is in the UK so would be returning the items from within the UK.

 

If a seller purchasing items on ebay for resale makes a large number of claims, there is a good chance that ebay would limit that person's buying and/or selling ability on the site. The claims could be totally legitimate but ebay might see it as a seller trying to get free or discounted items to sell.

 

 

Message 5 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

If your gonna buyer and resell clothing ... Find an connection that is reliable and do not depend on low end auctions on ebay..  Find Thrift stores or new and used  type of places and make them some wholesale offers .... This way you have no time put towards disputes and asking if it is as pictured etc..

 

I can tell you right now Thrift stores have some insane deals I mean I haven't been  to one in years but when I used to go I would find $100 Dress shirts for $5 .. Brand new still with take for 90% of retail...

 

Good place to start ... Making a business from winning on ebay and reselling is about the most time consuming way to make a ebay store .... I

 

It was how I started mine business but I used to spend 40% of my time buying 50 % of my time selling and 10% of my time Living which pretty much sucked

Message 6 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

I can perhaps offer some advice, as I sell vintage garments on occasion.  I agree completely with 'brande' -- find a better place than eBay to buy your stock.  It's probably the worst source you can use.

 

I'm not saying that you can't occasionally get a good item at a reasonable price that turns out to be easy to repair and resell, but there is generally far too much outlay, too much time and too many issues involved in sourcing individual items on eBay.  You must also factor in the time you spend actually repairing, photographing and listing your items.  Remember that the seller from whom you purchase is also trying to make a profit on eBay, so his/her profit is already part of your cost

 

Instead, if you live anywhere near a city, make thrift stores your regular haunt, keep informed on what local auction houses are offering and place reserve bids on lots of clothing that might come up.  Many auction houses that specialize in furniture and collectibles basically just dump used clothing for whatever bid they can get.  Watch particularly for estate sales, which (at least in Canada) often comprise the entire contents of a person's home, including clothing. 

 

You may find 3 or 4 good treasures in a $10 lot that are of interest and are worth repairing and reselling, and you can always give the rest to charities, or throw away whatever can't be salvaged.  One of the best lots I ever purchased at an auction house was a bunch of clothing tossed in a box that no one else was interested in.  I got it for under $20 on a reserve bid, and it turned out to contained 5 wonderful 1950's dresses that were in excellent condition.

 

If you have museums or historical societies in your vicinity, you may want to connect with the textile or costume collections staff.  Very often such institutions will receive far more in the way of vintage clothing gifts than they can properly store or display.  And they frequently de-accession items.  Of course, you would have to pay for most such items, but they can often be of very high quality and of real value.  If you can build a relationship with a particular museum or historical society, they may give you first option on such items.

 

There are other sources if you look for them: put out the word to friends and relatives that they give you a call before discarding any piece of valuable clothing, put an ad in your local paper, find out whether any local department store(s) will sell off last season's fashions at a discount, etc. etc.

 

All that being said, selling vintage clothing can be a challenge, and is indeed an art.  You are also going to find there are a lot of fierce competitors out to get at the same source stock as you.  I've seen this in action -- internet dealers scrambling over each other to grab juicy items just being put out in an upper-crust neighbourhood thrift store. 

 

To be successful selling vintage clothing on eBay you must have outstanding photographs (and lots of them, including close-ups), and very clear and comprehensive descriptions that generate excitement.  Never, ever, rely only on stated size numbers - always measure each garment for the 5 or 6 most important points and put those measurements in your listings, in inches and centimetres.  Describe colour very accurately, and remind buyers in your listings that monitors can display colours differently. 

 

Keep in mind that clothing is a land-mine for subjective customer issues, especially when you're selling over the internet: doesn't quite fit, colour isn't quite right, too long, too short, etc., so the more specific information you can provide, the better.

 

On the plus side, it's true that few people have sewing skills anymore, and anyone who is capable of making or repairing a garment properly can do well and be in demand.  By the way, don't forget that those same skills can be very much in demand in the "real" world.  I had a friend who was making $30 per hour doing clothing alterations and repairs locally.  You'd be surprised how many people these days will even pay someone to sew on a button!

 

Best of luck to you, and by all means come back to these boards if you need some specific help or pointers.  And do find other places to buy your stock for reselling besides eBay! 

 

Cheers.  

 

 

 

Message 7 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

As a seller on eBay  you must be the buyer's eyes..

 

A description must be accurate.....  especially with the new Update.... where ratings of  3 as well as 1 and  2 count against a seller..

 

If you buy in person  you touch it and see everything... the good,  the not so good  and the ugly....

 

Some sellers on eBay fail to do everything necessary to help the buyer "See Everything "

 

 

 

 

Message 8 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?

If you are searching for good inventory... eBay is not the place.

 

You have to be able to touch it, feel it  and see everything....

 

There will always be something hidden from view....  the ugly  that would make it a bad purchase

 

 

I have found many a good looking book......  and have learned what to look for as the ugly...

 

and sometimes  I take it home  and have to dump it because of something that was missed.

 

There is an ugly to buying used inventory to sell on eBay....

Message 9 of 10
latest reply

Re: Would you make a dispute for very minor flaws on cheap items?


@cumos55 wrote:

 

 

Some sellers on eBay fail to do everything necessary to help the buyer "See Everything "

 

  



There is truth in that statement and is good practise. However one can argue that at times the buyers don't read and don't ask enough questions. Buying stuff on assumptions is never good.

Message 10 of 10
latest reply