How to sell your wedding dress safely

How do I know whether my buyer is genuine?
We would suggest you read the scam examples so you can get an idea of their turn of phrase - they are usually very similiar to the examples. If you have the slightest concern regarding an email you have received please check the examples on the current scams page. There are many scammers out there that target ebay, Amazon and other sites that utilise online selling. Usually the email will contain bad English, bad grammar or just seem "odd" - this is the first sign that all may not be well. It is usually from a man too.

It is unlikely a man will want to buy your dress and it is unlikely that anyone will buy on behalf of a client.
Your first response should be to encourage anyone to view the dress - you will find this deters any fake enquiries as they will not agree to it. If people offer to give you more money than your dress is worth (usually they offer £3000) and mention shipping agents with the extra amount being given to you initially so you can pay the shipper - this would be part of a scam. NEVER proceed with a transaction that offers more than the price of your item.

Try where possible to meet up and exchange the dress for cash - this protects the buyer and the seller.
We recommend that the potential buyer visits you and carefully inspects the dress to ensure it is in good condition. It is wise for the seller to point out any marks or defects to avoid possible comebacks after purchase. You should both sign to say that the exchange has taken place and that the dress was "sold as seen". Discuss and detail in writing if necessary, what to do in the event of any dissatisfaction at a later point. Will the dress be able to be returned? If not, clearly point out in writing prior to purchase, the terms and condition at time of the purchase and any returns info.

If someone is not willing to view the dress and just asks you to send it on to them regardless, alarm bells should sound and you should not proceed without doing further checks, such as checking the scam page to see if your email exchanges follow the usual scam patterns. We suggest that you do not give out your address initially, once the potential buyer seems genuine (ask them to call you for a chat if you have any doubts - this seems to sort the scammers out as you can never get them on a phone number that is real!) then you can arrange for the transaction to go ahead if you are happy.

A seller is advised to accept cash only, but...
Accept cheques at your own risk (we do not advise this) but if you do, never part with any item until a cheque has cleared and you have checked with your bank that the amount has been confirmed in your account and will not be recalled. Cheques should be issued for the correct amount - not an inflated amount - no matter what reason you are given for an increased amount. The most common scam is to offer you a larger sum of money than the goods are worth, sometimes using a cheque for a very large amount indeed. You may then be asked to refund the ‘difference’, because the buyer only has a cheque made out from a third party (usually a reputable company) that the buyer wants to pay with. These cheques are fraudulent in the extreme, and will either bounce the moment they hit your bank, or after the issuing company realises that they’ve been defrauded. The issuing institution then cancels the purchase, retakes the money and leaves you badly out of pocket and without your goods.

Please use commonsense.
Remember if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Don't let the excitement of a potential sale overcome your use of caution when making arrangements for someone to purchase your dress.

How to buy a wedding dress safely

Please ensure you get as much info regarding the sizing and condition of the dress as possible in writing. You should also find out if you can return the dress - ideally the seller would set out in writing their own terms of sale and terms of accepting a return, if applicable. We would recommend that you visit the seller to check the sizing and condition of the dress wherever possible and also pay cash on collection.

Frequently asked questions about the website

How do I sell my dress?
Visit place an ad and complete the form and email 4 photos. Then either use Paypal to send your payment or send a cheque to the address on the contact page. Your advert will go live once your cheque has cleared or usually within 24 hours of your Paypal payment being received. You will be notified once your listing is online. Please let us know when you have sold your dress.

How will a buyer contact me?
By phone or by email, using the form method within your dress listing page.

Do you charge commission?
No - we don't charge commission or referral fees. The charge to list your dress is £15, for a year. All the proceeds from the sale are yours.

Will you buy my dress from me?
No - we offer the facility to list your dresses for sale only. Dress agencies will buy your dress from you and store it in their show rooms for potential purchasers to try on but that is why they charge a percentage of the sale price from you. With www.sellmyweddingdress.co.uk you keep the dress at your home until someone views it and then purchases it. That is why you are able to make more money from the sale of your dress with us.

How do I send photos to you?
You can send 4 photos by email We will resize the images to the correct format for your adverts, free of charge. Don't forget to let us know your details, so we can identify which photos we receive are yours! Please note future changes to photos are charged at £5 however adding additional photos after your listing is live is free, as long as they do not exceed the maximum of 4 and do not change.

How long will be advert run for?
For a year. Should your dress remain unsold after this time you will be contacted to see if you wish to renew your ad. If during this time your item is sold, please contact us so we can remove it from the site, and save you unwanted emails.

What details should I put on my ad?
You should try to give us much info as possible, especially if the photos do not do the item justice.

How will people find my ad?
We do extensive marketing of the website, both online and offline.

How do I work out what to sell my dress for?
Your dress will have significant value to you - both in monetary and emotional terms. However a secondhand dress will not have the same value as what you originally paid for it. The best way to decide what price to sell it for is to think about what you would be willing to pay for it secondhand. Alternatively, add "ono" to your listing if you are willing to take an offer.

Do you sell new and unworn dresses too?
Yes. If possible try and show tags in your photos or mention that the tags are still intact/the dress is brand new, in your listing. You will be likely to get more money for your item than if it has been used so the price should reflect this.

I've had my dress a while, can I still sell it?
Bridal fashions do change so after a while your dress may not be as popular as it would have been previously. The price should therefore reflect this and it may take longer to sell. We don't recommend trying to sell your dress on the site if it is more than 2-3 years old but it will certainly help if you have as much info as possible to give in your listing.

Will my face show in the photos of my dress online?
We remove faces as standard to protect your privacy. Please ensure you ask at the time of emailing your photos if you do want your face to be seen.

Testimonials
Please click here to read testimonials from our sellers.