| July
2010 - SCAM ALERT - click here
for more info on current scams and advice on how to spot scams.
How to sell your wedding
dress safely
How do I know whether
my buyer is genuine?
If you have the slightest concern regarding
an email you have received please forward it on to us. 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 so this could be the first inkling
that all is not well.
No one would buy a dress on behalf of
a "client". What would happen if it didn't fit?
Why would they buy a dress without viewing it? Why would
a man buy a dress for his future wife or daughter without
them trying it on? Your first reply 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) or offer to send money without seeing the dress,
this would be part of a scam. NEVER
proceed with a transaction that offers
more than the price of your item.
Remember, it
is best not to give out your bank details to anyone - try
where possible to meet up and exchange the dress for cash.
We recommend
that the potential buyer visits you and inspects the dress
to ensure it is in good condition. 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.
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 them to visit you to view the dress.
A seller is advised to accept
cash only - and for the correct amount - NOT any larger
amount. Accept cheques at your own risk (we would never
advise this) but if you do, never part with any item until
a cheque has cleared. 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.
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 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.
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?
If you want your face to be blocked out
of the photos please ensure you let us know.
Testimonials
Please click here
to read testimonials from our sellers.
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