The 2nd hand silk dress I won wasn't cleaned b4 being sent to me - reeked+++ What's ebay etiquette?

[natellie12]

Hi all, I'm relatively new to eBay. I bid on and won a silk Camilla Franks dress which even 2nd hand sell for hundreds. I knew it was pre- owned but the ad said "worn once" & I wrote to the seller who said it was in "perfect condition". When it arrived the body odour smell was so overpowering I had to hang it outside. It is as though the seller had one last wear, danced the night away, shoved it in an overnight bag & mailed it. I had assumed that eBay etiquette would demand that 2nd hand clothes be cleaned before sending? Was this naive? Is this common? Do I have any recourse? I have written but no reply.. Any advice greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[amber-eyed-girl]

It isn't etiquette, it is eBay policy.

Second hand clothes are meant to be cleaned thoroughly before being sold on eBay.

How long ago did you contact the seller? Give them a little time to respond, as it's the weekend, and they might be busy off-eBay.

You can contact the seller once more, and mention the issue, very politely :), and see what they suggest. Hopefully, they will be prepared to contribute towards or cover the cost of cleaning it.

Be careful how you word it, and do not mention anything like "before I leave feedback" or "I'm thinking of negative feedback", as that could be construed as feedback extortion (against eBay policy too).

Personally, I would obtain a quote for a dryclean from a cleaner near you that you trust, as it is silk, so you know how much it would be.

Did you pay with Paypal? If you did, bear in mind you have 45 days from payment to open up a claim for item not as described, but this has to be significantly so.

If the seller will not acknowledge there's an issue, you can try a Paypal claim; but I am assuming you want to keep the dress, and would not be looking for a full refund (you'd need to send it back tracked for that from Paypal). Paypal will not offer a partial refund, you would need to have the seller be amenable to that, if you want it cleaned at their cost.

The seller does not have to give you a part refund for cleaning.

If you think it's warranted, and you are not able to work things out with the seller, you can also report the issue to eBay, as it should not have been sold uncleaned.

Do not clean the dress yourself if you think you might open a Paypal claim, as this would alter what you received, and void your Paypal buyer protection.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Paypal customer service

tel:1800-073-263

if you need it.

You can contact eBay customer support by Customer Support (top right), then contact us, and once you've listed the problem you'll get options like a phone number with a one-off code so they know it's you, or online support, or email them.

[retailtherapist_8]

Good grief, I cant believe a Seller would do this. How disappointing for you. I have a few Camilla Franks pieces and I know how exy they run even pre owned as you point out..

Amber is spot on, it is against ebay policy I would take her advice.

I would be asking for a partial refund for the cost of dry cleaning. Quite apart from the fact that I would be soaking that garment in napisan first.

I hope you leave appropriate feedback.  Sellers like this should be prevented from operating on ebay.