posted on July 19, 2001 12:55:21 AM new
Did I miss an eBay policy change somewhere?
I thought it was the seller's responsibility to clean used clothing per manufacturer's instructions.
There are currently hundreds of auctions for used clothing where sellers are stating the item is sold "as is" or "not cleaned" and the buyer is responsible for this.
Makes it a little tough for sellers (like me) who actually do have their items cleaned compete with.
posted on July 19, 2001 01:33:35 AM new
I don't understand why this would be a disadvantage to you? I don't buy clothing on ebay but if I did I sure wouldn't be buying something dirty.
I don't sell clothing either. Do the buyers really prefer the dirty stuff? (Not talking about used panties!)
It totally amazes me that some people actually would put their name (even though it is just an auction name) next to filthy items.
If someone would prefer to buy dirty clothing, is this the type of customer you would want anyway?
If you are diligently washing your clothing and following the manufacturer's recommendations, you can proudly list this in your items' descriptions.
If you are the kind of person that would go to such lengths to make sure your items are clean, you will attract the type of customers that will appreciate your extra touches. I wouldn't worry about the customers that are willing to buy clothing that is unwashed.
posted on July 19, 2001 05:57:35 AM new
Hi,
I don't sell clothing, and I admit I have never bought any on E-Bay but this made me wonder.
I think if it was machine washable I would certainly run them through the washer. However Dry Clean Only (providing it looks clean, no stains etc) I might not as a seller. Where I live dry cleaning is VERY expensive.
On the other hand as a buyer; whether the description said cleaned or not I would always clean it, wash it or have it dry cleaned myself before wearing it.
I currently have like three huge bags of my children's clothing that I keep saying I'll put up. Most were custom made by my mother who is a professional seamstress and I could not afford her prices if she wasn't 'grandma'. They're all clean but not pressed with bows tied and ruffles crisp. Should I even bother or donate?
posted on July 19, 2001 06:09:32 AM new
This is nasty, I can not stand it when someone passes clothing on to my children and it is all dirty, or badly stained. Really upsets me, then to think people try to pass that kind of stuff on ebay and expect people to pay for it. I wash every item that I post in my auctions, and if I can not get it clean it does not go up for sale. Maybe minor infractions and I list them in the auction and they still sell. But excuse me have you ever gone to a retail store and paid for a filthy item, I don't think so and the same respect should be shown on ebay or anyother venue. Just my opinion.
posted on July 19, 2001 06:47:37 AM new
Has anyone else here noticed that there is an incredible amount of clothing for sale at the Salvation Army store that is stained beyond belief?
I cannot fathom why someone would donate unwearable, stained clothing. Worse, soem of these items with huge stain glaring out are priced at $4.99! Unreal.
The other day I posted that I had found bags of my daughters dresses from when she was tiny in our storage unit that was bought out by our state. I am anxious to get them up on eBay as a lot of them are beautiful outfits, but hello...I am washing them first. I did 4 loads of them at the laundrymat this morning and they are hanging out drying on my line. I would not have even THOUGHT of putting them up on eBay without washing them first, they've been in storage for several years! How could anyone possibly expect anyone to buy something that is dirty??? Used, yes. Used and CLEANED yes. But dirty. Not a chance. I wouldn't want that "reputation".
posted on July 19, 2001 07:22:29 AM new
One of my first purchases on eBay was a dress that looked great, but the arm pits had a definite scent of deodorant. I emailed the seller, and she offered me a refund (item and shipping). I actually had just wanted to give her a heads up because even with dry cleaning added, this dress was a steal.
It did leave a bad feeling in me though, and now I only buy NWT or NWOT clothes on eBay. But if a seller states it...
Since I live 25 miles from the nearest dry cleaner, I can understand those things not being pristine when sold. But for things that can be washed - ewwwwwww.
As to dirty socks - um, er... I think those are for foot fetishists.
posted on July 19, 2001 08:15:02 AM new
It is such a relief to hear everyone's reaction. I have been able to find some amazing bargians when I shop for used clothing, but I always consider what shape it is in and how it will look, once it is properly cleaned. Some things have ended up costing a fortune for dry cleaning but that's just the cost of selling these items. I looked far and wide and finally found a dry cleaner who charges $1.50 for most items. They aren't the greatest, but what the heck, so they mess a few things up? It's worth the risk for such bargain rates.
And I do get some reactions from buyers that lead me to believe they aren't used to having the item sent clean and especially dry cleaned. They leave some great feedback in these cases, which makes me feel pretty good.
But you know, it wouldn't be fun to do it any other way, in my opinion.
Anyway, I did a search in the clothing category, using search words "used" and "cleaning", just to see what the rest of the crowd does. Some of the big power listers who always bump my auctions to page 10 on the first day, had statements in every one of their auctions that the buyer was responsible for cleaning the item the first time (before they wear it) and some even said point blank, we do not clean these items before they are shipped.
I've asked eBay about this in the past and all they said was they would send a warning to the seller , but I doubt they would do anything more, with the fees they undoubtedly get from them.
And get this, they see no problem with the dirty sock and shoe auctions, so the foot fetish people are "good to go". Personally, I would get tired of wading through all those jock boxer shorts and smelly sneakers just to find a dress if I were a buyer. They ought to have a separate category for them.
Well I guess I just needed to vent a little. I did write eBay again and waiting to hear what they have to say this time.
And jayadiaz> As long as your clothes are cleaned, you're okay. They don't have to be pressed. You'd probably get a fair price if they were custom made. Advertise them in lots, like "1 huge lot - size 4" or whatever. They love stuff sold in lots. And take a picture of the whole batch if you can, just laid out or stacked up, nothing fancy.
Thanks everyone
posted on July 19, 2001 08:45:44 AM new
Here's the other side. My cousin collects vintage clothing and rents it for photo shoots. When she was visiting me recently, I mentioned a great vintage clothing shop near me - that the clothes were all cleaned and in great shape unlike many of the consignment and thrifts nearby. She said that cleanliness didn't matter to her - that she knew how to clean and repair practically anything herself. She was after something -unusual for a bargain.
posted on July 19, 2001 09:33:17 AM new
My question is "why does the Salvation Army or other thrift stores put out such bad/used/dirty clothing??"
I donate clothes to some of these places, but the bad stuff gets ripped up for rags or just thrown out!
I was getting some good deals at a retail store that bought out other stores stuff that was either damaged or the store went under. Some of the clothes they put out!! What a WASTE of time! This stuff was so dirty (smoke damage, spots, stains, etc...) There would be NO way to clean it I wouldn't think. But who wants to pay $5-10 for a white piece of clothing that is now black!?!?!?
I could never figure that out. Bad news, that store has now closed & is soon opening as something else. Probably won't be able to get any good inventory from them!! DANG!
I buy & sell clothes. While I don't really want something that smells like someone else has worn it, if it is machine washable, I can definitely deal with it. One also has to take into consideration, if it is a dry clean item, what a waste it is to dry clean it and then fold it up and put it an a little package for the post man to toss around. It would need to be at the very least pressed (which I don't do with my dry clean items).
Jayadiaz,
I would try to sell them. If they smell from storage (mothballs or musty) wash them, and press them. While I like finding good deals on things that need to be "worked on" sellers get much better prices on clothes that are mint and that look mint in the pictures.
posted on July 19, 2001 10:09:04 AM new
I had a yard sale recently, with lots of clothes to sell which were in great shape. I made sure they were clean, lightly pressed some and had all of them hanging nicely on hangers. THEY ALL SOLD. I have purchased a few clothes items on ebay, and am careful to read the item description and check seller's feedback, taking special note of what the buyers had to say. I haven't run into anyone yet that tried to sell me something stained. Although, I recently bought a purse where the inside was very dirty and was listed as "interior is spotless". Nevertheless, the item is going to be returned. Ebay is a great place to buy designer type clothing for a good price.
posted on July 19, 2001 01:04:12 PM new
That's a good point about the clothes looking "mint".
My biggest beef is we all have the same rules to abide by. If we are told we must clean used clothing per manufacturer's standards, we should do it. We owe it to the buyer regardless of what we put in our TOS.
That's not to say we HAVE to dry clean things. 80% of the stuff that says "dry clean only" is a crock. That stuff can easily be machine or hand washed and come out beautiful. Other things just plain have to be dry cleaned. Believe me, I learned the hard way.
Anyway, if a seller finds something that they know is dry clean only, then they should be prepared to do it before they ship it out, or they shouldn't buy it at all. Passing this off to the buyer (unless agreed up front) is not only unfair to them, but to all the other sellers who are trying to play it straight.
posted on July 19, 2001 03:29:17 PM new
I have found the moderators to be fairly liberal if you don't get too graphic in describing the weirdness. You can dance around the edges verbally and get the message across. I was all set for some juicey gossip - phooey.
posted on July 19, 2001 03:58:13 PM new
I don't get it , Whats the problem are these seller adding extra fees for the Dirt in there EOAs ????
I think mostly your Understanding w the descriptions meaning, could be they are saying as is and buyer responcable for cleaning because the clothes have a stainsthey cant remove !!!
posted on July 19, 2001 08:30:45 PM new
I wash all clothes I buy before I wear them, even if they are new with tags.
Everything I list is laundered or dry cleaned. I make a point of using fragrance free detergent and no dryer sheets (or else I hang to dry) because of allergies.
I dry clean items that require dry cleaning, but I thoroughly air them out before shipping.
Most of the stuff I have bought off of ebay have arrived clean, so I think dirty clothing is not the norm.
posted on July 19, 2001 11:54:24 PM new
The two worst experiences I've had buying clothes on eBay were strangely enough, clothes for my husband. One was a polo shirt described as in excellent condition. When I opened the box it about knocked me over! It smelled like it had been in the bottom of a clothes hamper for some time. Then I noticed it had some stains too. I soaked that thing for days. Never did get the stains all the way out and it took several more washings to get the stink out.
The other was a denim jacket, described as no stains and in excellent condition. The cuffs were filthy! Again, I soaked it for days, got a good portion of the stains out, but not completely. Of course that seller complained about the neutral that shoud've been negative feedback we left them. What is it with men's clothing? They don't care as much as women do??
*One should proofread very carefully when exhausted
~^~ Hippy wannabe ~^~
[ edited by MouseSlayer on Jul 19, 2001 11:59 PM ]
posted on July 20, 2001 07:06:23 AM new
I don't care if a seller states in their auction that clothes have been cleaned by them...I ALWAYS WASH THEM AGAIN!....and even if it is new with tags still attached...I WASH THEM! Guess it was just something that my mother taught me.
posted on July 20, 2001 09:48:59 AM new
I don't sell clothes that often, but when I have I've always washed them first.
Most of the clothes I've bought have been washed. However I did buy from someone on Yahoo last year and the shirt smelled strongly of smoke and I also wound up picking pet hair out of it. Now a smoke smell doesn't affect me healthwise or anything, but it did tell me (along with all the pet hairs) that the seller didn't wash the item first. And, of course, when I mentioned it, the seller got real nasty and claimed that she didn't know how it could have smelled like smoke because hers is a non-smoking household and so what if I had to pick out pet hairs? Didn't I get it cheap enough, she asked?
Then I noticed it had some stains too. I soaked that thing for days. Never did get the stains all the way out and it took several more washings to get the stink out.
Hippy wannabe 
~^~