Selling safely

At Sell My Wedding Dress, we want you to enjoy a safe selling experience. While the vast majority of buyers are genuine, it's important to remain aware of common online scams. Taking a few simple precautions can help protect both you and your dress.

Keep Communication Through Sell My Wedding Dress

Always keep communication through the enquiry form on your advert for as long as possible. Genuine buyers can contact you directly through our website. Scammers often try to move conversations away from Sell My Wedding Dress immediately by asking you to email or text them directly, allowing them to avoid our monitoring and spam protection.

Sell My Wedding Dress will never contact you by text message asking for payment, banking information or account details. If you receive a text claiming to be from us, treat it as suspicious.

Common Warning Signs

The buyer offers to pay your full asking price without asking many questions.
They claim they are buying the dress on behalf of a relative, friend or client but cannot view it themselves.
They ask you to continue the conversation by personal email or text message.
They send you links asking you to confirm payment, enter your bank details or provide your card information.
They want to arrange a courier before payment has been received.
They pressure you to complete the sale urgently.
They offer to send more money than you requested and ask you to refund the difference.

Common Scams

Modern scams usually involve fake payment emails, text messages, fake courier arrangements or fraudulent payment links.

Examples include:

Emails claiming your payment is waiting but asking you to click a link first.
Text messages containing links to "receive" or "confirm" your payment.
Fake PayPal emails asking you to upgrade your account before funds can be released.
Messages asking you to pay courier, insurance or release fees before receiving payment.
Links to fake courier, PayPal or banking websites.
Requests to scan QR codes or enter your debit or credit card details.

Always log in to your own bank or PayPal account directly to check whether payment has been received. Never rely on screenshots, emails or text messages claiming that payment has been made.

How to Protect Yourself

Never send money to someone claiming to be buying the dress on behalf of somebody else.
Never refund an overpayment or pay courier, shipping or insurance fees for a buyer.
Do not post or hand over your dress until you have confirmed that payment has fully cleared in your bank or PayPal account.
Do not include your email address or telephone number in your advert.
Where practical, encourage buyers to view the dress before purchasing. If this isn't possible, take extra care to confirm payment before posting the dress.
If something doesn't feel right, trust your instincts and walk away.

If You're Unsure

If you're uncertain whether an enquiry is genuine, don't rush into replying. Ask the buyer further questions or invite them to arrange a viewing. Genuine buyers are usually happy to answer questions, whereas scammers often disappear when challenged.

If you believe you've received a fraudulent email claiming to be from PayPal, forward it to spoof@paypal.com.

If you believe you've been the victim of fraud, please report it to Action Fraud.

Quick Safety Checklist

Keep communication through Sell My Wedding Dress
Ignore requests to move to personal email or text messages
Never click payment links sent by buyers
Never refund overpayments or pay courier fees
Confirm payment has cleared before posting your dress
Don't share unnecessary personal information
Contact us if you're unsure about a message you've received