At the request of a reader, I’ve decided to elaborate on what I mean when I refer to paying as gift, or as goods when buying and selling Lululemon.
With regards to buying and selling in venues OTHER THAN eBay, so Facebook or elsewhere online, you can ask the buyer to pay you the money as a “Gift.”
When you sell something, the buyer opens up PayPal and the payment options are “Goods” or “Friends and Family.” When you’re asking a buyer to pay as “Gift,” you’re really asking them to click “Friends and Family” when they payment options come up. This means that the buyer is sending you the money and if something is wrong or they want a refund, they really don’t have the right to get one. Although they may be able to if they contact PayPal, as I have heard of some cases where PayPal grants the refund regardless of the fact that it was paid as “Friends and Family,” but it’s rare. (As an aside, you may also be able to contact your credit card company, if you paid PayPal with a credit card, but you never know if they’ll help either.) In any case, typically, when a buyer pays for your goods as “Friends and Family” they are trusting that you’ll deliver their item and it will arrive as described. Hence, the safest way to buy something is to pay AS GOODS.
On eBay, the buyer has no choice but to pay “As Goods.” That’s how eBay honors it’s guarantee. “We guarantee that you will get the item you ordered or you will get your money back. eBay Buyer Protection covers the original purchase price plus original shipping on virtually all items on ebay.com.” You can find more information on eBay’s guarantee here. Unfortunately, eBay passes on the PayPal fees to the seller, which are 3-4% of the sale price. What really sucks is that eBay owns PayPal***, so it charges you when 3-4% when you make a sale, then eBay charges you another “final value” fee, which varies depending on the listing type. You can find out more about final value fees here.
The reason that buyers pay as goods is to protect themselves, and the reason that eBay charges that back to the seller is because eBay is very “buyer-centric.” The PayPal fees pay to protect the buyer against a poor quality item, or an ignorant or dishonest seller so the seller has to pay them. Of course, most sellers factor this into their price, so in the end, the buyer ends up paying them anyways. So, if a buyer can choose whether or not to pay the extra 3 or 4%, why not give them that choice. This is where selling in Facebook groups or in other online venues can be useful. For more information on selling in Lululemon Facebook groups, like where they are, check out this post.
If you’re on Facebook, as a seller, you can ask people to pay “as gift or as goods.” And if they opt to pay as goods you can say “If paying as goods, please add fees.” Which, to most buyers means add the PayPal fees to the total dollar amount that they send you. For example, if you’re selling a hundred dollar item, they’d have to send you $104 in order to cover the PayPal fees. Then the buyer gets to decide whether they trust you enough to send the payment as a gift, or pay extra money if they’re concerned about whether or not they’re receive what they ordered in good condition.
If you’re an honest seller, with excellent feedback, who constantly delivers excellent-condition items on-time, as a buyer, I’m pretty likely to trust you enough to send money “as gift.” Plus, I don’t want to pay the extra money if it’s unnecessary. This is only one reason why it’s important to develop and maintain a good reputation in the Facebook groups.
On eBay there’s no way to get the buyer to pay the PayPal fees, except for rolling it into your final price. On Facebook, you can ask them to pay them, if they choose to. There’s no “button” they can push to pay the fees, they can only add them to the final total and send you that amount, then PayPal will deduct the fees automatically.
I hope that helps you understand the difference between paying as “gift” vs. paying as “goods.” Thanks to “addictedtoink,” for inspiring this post!
UPDATE- October 11,2015
The fact that this post continues to be a main source of traffic for my blog makes me happy. The reason it remains popular is because unfortunately, I don’t feel that PayPal does the best job of explaining exactly how this works, and I feel that my post gives a thorough explanation of exactly how you are protected by PayPal and when.
The reason I feel that PayPal doesn’t have the best explanation is because, if you search “difference between gift and goods on PayPal,” PayPal’s website comes up with explanations of the different types of payments, but the website doesn’t explain how or when you’re protected. For example, under gift, PayPal writes “Select this payment type when you’re sending money as a gift for a birthday or other special occasion.” What it fails to mention is that people are not protected when they use this payment.
The other available posts are community boards, which some people may find tedious to scroll through, so I think that my post, while it is “Lululemon-centric” is better at explaining how and when you’re protected and when you’re not. Why don’t you let me know what you think about this post, and if there is any way I can improve it to reflect what you’re searching for?
When posting your item on eBay, please always take your own pictures. Never use stock photos or anyone else’s photos. If someone sees their photos in your ad they can report your ad and it will be removed. Lululemon participates in eBay’s VERO program, if one of their employees sees your ad, and it features a stock photo, it will be reported. Once the stock photo is reported, Lululemon will have your name & address, as well as other information. eBay states: “When a rights owner files a VeRO claim against a seller, the rights owner may have the option to request a seller’s registered user ID, name, address, phone number, email, and company name. This process is outlined in our Privacy Policy.”
The difference between when the average user reports your photo & when Lululemon reports your photo is that Lululemon participates in the VERO along with many other companies listed here: Vero Participant Companies “About Me” pages. The average user can report your image to eBay for copyright infringement, but when someone registered with VERO does it, they also have the right to request your personal information.
I also would like to mention that at one point, Lululemon had Facebook shut down one of the most popular selling pages on Facebook. It also froze the accounts of the administrators on that page. The stated reason was copyright infringement. So, the admins had all of the Stock photos removed from the page & coordinated an effort to remove all stock photos from all pages. To this day, no stock photos are permitted on any Facebook selling page. Personally, I think it has helped deter scam artists who sell things they don’t own. (If you have to take your own pictures, how do you post an ad without the item? I suppose it’s possible, but it becomes more difficult.)
I know I haven’t covered the entire breadth of this. I find this subject too dry to elaborate on. However, I thought it was important enough to cover. Some people are new to eBay or new to selling Lululemon and may not be aware of Vero policies. I hope that my small effort to prevent your ad from being reported, removed and your privacy being compromised by Lululemon & eBay will be heeded and I can help everyone have a positive eBay experience.
This blog is meant, primarily, to help people sell their Lululemon collection. I want to talk about selling, specifically, on eBay. Some of these tips might be applicable to eBay in general, but I do like to keep myself on topic. So, please comment with your opinions on how I can improve this post, especially regarding its specificity and relevancy to Lululemon.
Decide When to Sell- market trends occur year-round and always merit consideration. But there are other factors to consider. I have limited closet space, so I’m constantly considering and re-considering pieces of my Lululemon wardrobe. But once I decide to sell, I prepare the item for sale and it gets zip-locked. That way, the condition of the item is unchanged.
Sell many items at once- I recommend selling multiple items at once. Because there are so many listings for Lululemon items, I like to do as much as I can to make sure my ads get noticed! I try to add at the end of my listings “If you’re looking for more Lululemon, check out my other listings!” Hopefully they do. The more views you get, the more watchers you’ll get the more sales you’ll create! If you sell in multiples, one person who was searching for something may look at another ad and buy that instead! You never know!
Give your potential customers the attention they deserve- Make sure you have the time to dedicate to your sales. If someone messages you with a question, answer it ASAP. People are fickle, someone may be very interested in your item and if you don’t respond quickly, they’ll move on to something else. This is particularly true at the very beginning and towards the end of your listing. People who are considering the BIN option may ask questions immediately after you list the item. After all, it’s a GREAT item and they don’t want to miss out! Answer them quickly and you may earn that sale! Leave them hanging, and they will certainly explore other options.
Pricing- When you list your item, BIN is probably the most optimal outcome. You never know whether something will sell or not, or how high it will go if you post as auction only. Never price your item at 0.99. This doesn’t work for Lululemon items. It works for other things. It works for commodity-like items where there are too many of the same thing to keep track of and everyone is looking for the lowest possible price on the same thing. But Lululemon is NOT a commodity (as in a mass-produced, unspecialized item, made to be used up), it is an asset. It retains value over time and that’s part of the reason your collection and its sale can be lucrative. If you price your item too low, you’ll just get a bunch of people who will watch your auction, and you will not get what your item is worth. Price your item fairly, and you should get what it’s worth, or at least close to that much. The most important factor in getting what your item is worth is ensuring that it is listed correctly. For help trying to find the name and colour name of your item, read this post or this post for even more (extensive) advice. I also think it’s a a good idea to price your item such that it meets eBay’s minimum requirements with regards to start bid vs. BIN price. The current rule is that the BIN price must be a minimum of 30% higher than the starting bid. The BIN should be what you want for your item, in the best possible outcome. It should be optimistic, but not ridiculous. Try to find out the value of your item and price it accordingly. People like a good deal, but there’s no need for you to give your things away! The reason I think this is a good idea is because if people think they can get a really good deal by simply *watching* your item, they will. However, if your item is $100 and the SB is $70, people are more likely to BIN if they’re actually interested in the item. Then you get what you want, a sale, and they get awesome, awesome Lulu.
Shipping- Regardless of where you are, I recommend offering shipping to Canada AND the US, as this is where the highest concentration of buyers reside. I am so honoured to be able to say that I have had readers from Singapore, Australia, the UK & New Zealand! Therefore, I find it appropriate to mention that the largest market for Lululemon is the US & Canada. And that regardless of your home port, I recommend offering your goods to the largest available market and that means these two Western nations.
eBay’s Global Shipping Program- whether you choose to use this or not is up to you, I just want to let you know that in my experience, it over-charges the buyer. And beware of being automatically or mistakenly opted-in.
Finally, my advice is to keep your eBay account as private as possible. Don’t name it after yourself or tell people your eBay handle. The reason being that eBay is purely business and once people know who you are, it becomes personal. I once witnessed a public argument on a Facebook group about a $2 shipping charge discrepancy & both the buyer and the seller posted their own thread talking about this “terrible buyer/ seller on eBay.” Then, everyone realized what was going on and it was a mess.
Please be a responsible and courteous buyer/ seller. The market rewards excellence in service, who knows, maybe one day you’ll be a Top Seller!
Here is a handy chart for you! I hope this update helps! If you want some additional examples and/or explanations, please scroll down!
Original post, 2013 below-
It seems to me that, no matter what I do, there will always be someone who undermines the community and sells fake Lululemon items. They might call them “replicas,” but they’re fakes. They are NOT the same Lululemon, nor are they ever the same quality. Many sellers on eBay will sell a combination of authentic and phoney Lululemon items in order to avoid getting caught and unfortunately, many consumers have difficulty distinguishing between authentic and counterfeit Lululemon. They make all sorts of claims regarding authenticity and quality, but they infringe on copyright laws and international intellectual property laws, preying on unsuspecting consumers and earning a hefty profit.
Here are a couple of examples of a fake/replica/counterfeit Scuba Hoodie.
Note the fact that “Designed” is spelled incorrectly as “Designde” and the shape is the “OM” on the top of the Hoodie is questionable, to say the least.
I intend to continue to add examples of fakes as I encounter them. Please be aware, and if it seems too good to be true, it may very well be.
UPDATE:
While the danger of buying fakes exists on eBay, there are also many websites dedicated to selling fake Lululemon items. Their web pages are convincing and they tout excellent exchange policies and guarantee authenticity, but the truth is, that once they have your money, they won’t care about how satisfied you are with their product. The worst offender, in my opinion is Ali Express. They steal stock photos from Lululemon’s website and advertise that they sell wholesale Lululemon at discount prices. Lululemon states that it ONLY sells in its stores, on its websites (which are listed) and in select studio partners. This information is located HERE. Oh, and all those positive reviews on Ali Express? They’re fake too! For real information and reviews on Ali Express, check here or you can look here. You can also look here. Ali Express is not the only seller of fake Lululemon, but they are the first google link for searches like “cheap Lululemon,” so I’m sure they get a lot of web traffic. By the way, the fakes do not look like they do in the pictures on the website, and the fabric isn’t the same quality either.
UPDATE:
Scuba Hoodies aren’t the only fakes circulating! There are Fake Stride Jackets too! Here is an example of a fake Stride Jacket:
For three reasons, this is obviously a fake Lululemon Stride jacket. The first reason being the shape of the “OM” symbol on the jacket. It is not the same as the authentic Stride Jacket pictured Below:
Authentic Lululemon Stride Jacket
The second reason being the tag. If you zoom in, you can see the words “made in china.” The “c” in China is not capitalized, but if you compare an authentic Lululemon tag, you’ll see that the “c” IS capitalized, which is grammatically correct. The third reason that this is an obvious fake is because Lululemon never made a brown & pink Stride jacket like this. Sometimes the colors of fakes are so similar to the real ones it is difficult to discern simply from a photo whether it is a fake or not, but not this time.
I hope to continue to add more as I encounter them.
UPDATE: I found a few photos of a fake Forme jacket.
Look at the seams on this Forme jacket.
One of the ways you can tell this jacket is fake is that Lululemon never attaches hang tags to rip-out tags. If you see it done this way, it’s a fake.
Now, take a look at the seams on the authentic Forme Jacket below:
I also found fake Wunder Unders with the tag attached on the rip-out tag, as well as another fake Scuba Hoodie.
You can tell that they’re fake because Lululemon does not attach tags onto the rip-out tag. If you see this, that means it’s fake.
While the give-away here is obviously the hang tag attachment point, I will also encourage you to consider again, the shape of the Lululemon Logo, and while they can correctly copy it onto tags, it is rarely sewn properly onto the garment. The shape is once again, incorrect.
I hope to continue to add more examples of fakes to this post.
UPDATE
I want to add that there are multiple websites that sell fake Lululemon. Not just Ali Express. This isn’t real: CHEAP LULULEMON, This isn’t real: LULU @ LOW PRICES!!! [2020 update note: I removed the links, because the websites no longer exist, and just give you a 404 error, but they used to sell fake Lululemon] There are tons of fake Lululemon websites with very convincing fronts. Their photos are stolen from Lululemon’s website and the product you see will not be the product you receive. Please remember that the ONLY websites that Lululemon sells their products on are listed HERE.
UPDATE
Found another fake on eBay.
Fake Wunder Unders
As you can see, the HANG tag is attached at the RIP-OUT tag, which, again, Lululemon never does. Can you imagine trying on pants with the tags attached there? Yikes! And what’s with that weird bag that says: LU- W06?
Another Fake from another seller with zero feedback
UPDATE:
I found more pictures of a fake Stride Jacket on ebay, from a seller with ample feedback.
Have you ever received Lululemon items in a plastic bag like this? I haven’t.Notice how the stripes don’t even line up in the logo? That’s not Lulu quality.Again, the tags are attached like this, onto the rip out tag. Can you imagine trying something on like this?
UPDATE: The same seller who sold the Stride last week is now selling a fake Lululemon Scoop Neck tank.
Fake Scoop Neck tank with tags attached onto rip-out tagSometimes the rip-out tags have everything spelled correctly, like in this example.However, sometimes the product information tags are completely ridiculous. Particularly when there’s a suggestion that I can wear a bra under a top that has a built-in-bra, as seen in this picture.
So much wrong with that product tag. I hope all of these examples are useful.
UPDATE:
Fake Scuba Hoodie
Two major things are wrong with this one. One: Lululemon never made a Scuba Hoodie in this print. They made a Grey version called Blazer Fossil. But there was never a red version of anything in this print. Two: See the “Luon” tag (again, mistakenly attached to the rip-out tag), Scuba Hoodies are NOT made of Luon!! They’re made of Cotton Fleece, according to Lululemon’s website.
UPDATE:
Found this fake on eBay
Fake Stride Rip-out TagFake Stride
Again, the rip-out tag has a Lower-Case “c” in ‘China.’
UPDATE:
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY BUY A FAKE
First you want to make sure it’s actually fake. If you’re convinced it’s a fake you’ll want to consider the payment method you used. If you payed cash or EMT, you’re probably not going to get a refund. If you paid EMT however, you might be able to find a name & report the person to the authorities for fraud. If you paid with PayPal as goods, you’re totally covered and can get your money back. Just consult with the seller & make your complaint. If the seller is unresponsive, open a case with PayPal & they’ll return your money once they’ve confirmed via tracked shipping that the parcel has been returned to the seller. If you paid with PayPal as gift, you may still be able to contact PayPal and they may grant you a courtesy refund, but I wouldn’t recommend paying as gift ever. It doesn’t protect you to pay as gift. If you did pay as gift, and the money went through your credit card, you can also call your credit card company to see if they’ll refund your money. Other than that & calling the authorities there’s really not much else you can do.
UPDATE:
I recently saw these and I chose to post them because they are a unique type of fake. This pattern WAS made by Lululemon but these are obviously fakes. A few reasons: the plastic covering over the size dot, the existence of a “I belong to” tag and finally, a small misspelling in the rip-out tag.
The reason these might be deceiving is because this print was in fact made by Lululemon in 2009 and is called Mix A Lot. These Wunder Unders, however, are fake.The hallmark of fake Lululemon articles is the obvious plastic film over the “I Belong To” tag and size dot. I don’t believe these Wunder Unders ever came with an “I belong to” tag, but in any case, Lululemon never has plastic film over their size dots.Finally, the rip out tag. Here featuring correctly spelled “designed” and “China” has a capital “C” but wait! There’s more! “Athletica” has an accent on it, a minor spelling error. Fantastic
UPDATE: I found these on eBay, from a seller that has a decent amount of positive feedback. Unfortunately, this tag has a ridiculous description, in addition to being attached at the wrong place. It says “smooth, soft waistband that can be worn up for a higher rise or down for a lower rise,” which is completely false. These are not “roll down” wunder under crops, and they’re also not HBLK (the color code it says at the bottom), which is “Heathered Black,” nor are they DEW, or Dewberry, which they also claim to be on the product tag.
Here, the product tag is attached to the rip-out tag (again) but also, as is often the case, the description is wrong.
UPDATE:
I decided that it would be a good idea to add an update to this post about where you will most likely find Fake Lululemon items for sale. Locally, you’ll find it on websites like Kijiji or Craigslist. I would be cautious, overall, inspecting the product closely, in person, before the exchange. I don’t necessarily want to discourage anyone from buying locally, the local deals can be the best deals! BUT If someone is selling the same item in multiple sizes, I’d pass. Online there are many places you’ll find fakes. It’s actually quite rare to find a fake in the Lululemon based Facebook groups because many of the ladies who love Lululemon as much as I do can quickly spot a fake. However, there are many places online that sell fake Lululemon. I’m going to start writing and maintaining a list, much in the way I’ve been periodically adding photos to this post. I will also remind you that Lululemon does not sell wholesale and that they have posted a list of official sites where they sell their clothing in their FAQ section. (Update 2023- Link removed- They no longer list where they sell their clothes, but long story short, just buy things off their official site.)
Notice the lack of color code, and also, Lululemon punches through the seam when attaching tags. This tag loops around the headbandIt’s hard to tell that this is fake. BUT… it isOn ebay, you can buy a “”Fly Away Tamer”” for $11, 3 whole dollars less than at Lululemon.
At the end of the year, WordPress tells you which of your posts is bringing the most traffic to your blog. This post topped that list. I want to express my appreciation for those of you who are as concerned as I am about the existence of fakes and replicas of Lululemon clothing. WordPress also suggested that I write more about this topic, considering the popularity. I have one idea for a post, and I’m interested in hearing any ideas you have that might help others, in general, but also if there’s anything you think I should write about. I am not going to do a new “fakes” post, even though, I think that would bring more traffic to my blog. I prefer to write useful posts that have the potential to help people. Please let me know what you’d like to see me write about. Thanks, as always, for reading!
Update:
Hello again! I recently received a comment on another post that inspired this update:
How to avoid accidentally buying fake Lululemon on eBay First, if the listing is for a common item (think Wunder Unders, Scuba Hoodies or Groove pants), I always keep my guard up especially for common colors (like black). Anything New With Tags listed significantly under retail should be an immediate red flag. A few dollars under retail, to encourage bidding, I can see, but a “Buy It Now” under retail or a starting bid of a dollar on a 3 day auction would set off an alarm especially if it were a common item that is often faked.
Secondly, the listing should include photos of the actual product. If there are only stock photos that is a red flag. In some cases it could mean that the seller doesn’t possess the item and in others, it means that the seller knows that they’re selling a fake and that the fake may be obvious to a skilled buyer and that the seller is afraid of being reported to eBay for selling fakes.
If you check your seller’s detailed feedback, which I always do before I make a purchase, you should be able to see everything they’ve sold for the past little while. If they’re selling only items new with tags and they’re of varied sizes, this should also be a red flag especially if these items are going for significantly under retail.
I hope the above tips help! Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see on this topic!
Update:
October 21, 2015
Today, while perusing eBay, I discovered a fake Define. I took a couple of screen captures, and thought it would be good to share them here.
The first photo of this fake Define jacket, shows the hang tag incorrectly attached at the top of the neck. The second photo, shows shoddy stitching on the left wrist/ thumb hole area.
Update: Jan 16/ 2016
Found these on eBay. They’re particularly concerning because Lululemon actually did make this “Beaming Blue/ Laceoflage” color, so I was almost duped until I saw the tags. Again, the tags are attached to the rip out tag, so that’s wrong. Next the tags themselves are not correct. Finally, a lot of the stitching appears to be of poor quality.
UPDATE:
January 26, 2016
I realised just a moment ago that I haven’t mentioned the “rip out” tags themselves in terms of feel. The fake ones tend to feel silkier than the authentic ones, but most of all the real ones will rip out easily. They are designed to do so. If you can’t easily rip out the tag, there’s a chance your item is not authentic. Alternatively it is very old. Some very old items either have the tag printed right on the garment, and other very old items will have a short tag that is not designed to be ripped out. Again, always be cautious about “New With Tags” items. I hope this adds value to this article, and as always, thanks for visiting!
I also recently found this fake Bang Buster. This made me especially sad because I absolutely love the Band Busters. But this is an obvious fake. Begin by noticing the attachment area/ method of the price tag, and then notice that the writing is incorrect. Second, this color was never manufactured by Lululemon. The one part that might fool a potential buyer, in my opinion is the effective duplication of the signature Lululemon metal logo on the side. I hope no one is fooled by this fake Lululemon Bang Buster!
UPDATE February 24, 2016
Fake Define on eBay
Again, just notice the attachment of the tag. Also: the seller did not provide very good photos.
UPDATE: JULY 2, 2016
From a reader, thanks to Ms. R for these photos. Unfortunately, this is a fake Stride. First off, notice the “OM,” is not like other Strides. The tag, although correctly written, is attached too high, and does not “Tear out” like other Lulu tags. There is a “mesh” in the hood, which I’ve never seen before. Then, of course, the tell-tale sign of fakes, the plastic film over the name tag and size dot.
UPDATE (Oct. 2016): Hello again everyone! It’s time for another update!
Here, again there are some signs. First thing I immediately notice is the strange font on the tag. Also, number 4 on the tag is hilarious. There is no gusset in a tank top.
UPDATE: April 2019
Thanks to reader, Jennifer, for sending me a couple of other examples. As you can see, there is a significant misspelling on the tag “Switly” and the hang tag is attached at the tear out tag, rather than near the armpit, or side seam, where it is typically located.
Determining the selling price of your item can be difficult. There are many factors to consider. When I sell, I always want to make sure I’m getting the best price possible, but time is sometimes a factor and I want to sell quickly. For now, let’s assume time is not a factor and that you have a few things sitting in your closet that you want to sell over the next few weeks. There are a few different approaches you can take, depending on your item. The very first thing I do, if I know nothing about an item is use the ADVANCED SEARCH application on eBay. If you know the name and colour of your item or how to find out what it is, which I discussed at length in my Last Post, then you can find out how much your item is worth, in most cases.
Using the all-knowing eBay Advanced Search Tool you can write key words like “Lululemon No Limits tank Pig Pink” and select “sold listings.” Then you can see what that item has sold for recently. This can be a starting point. When I list my items I don’t choose the highest selling price for an item, I try to average it out. You must also consider the condition of your item versus the condition of the items you’re seeing. If yours is NWT, maybe it is worth the highest selling price. You have to use your discretion when listing your item. You don’t want to under sell it but OVER Pricing your items, will not earn you any good will. Trust me it goes a long way.
I sincerely hope that the above helped you find at least one completed listing of your item. Sometimes that doesn’t work because there have been none of the exact same item as you have that have sold in the last 3 months. In this case you can input your search into Google and see if you can find any references to older eBay listings. You can also just use one of your search terms in the eBay advanced search tool like searching only “Lululemon NoLimits Tank” instead of getting color specific. This should get some results, then maybe you can find an average selling price that way. You can also search completed listings (not just Sold ones) to see what your item has been listed for in the past.
If you still can’t find a decent price you might want to try joining The Lululemon Report group on Facebook, most of the time the ladies there have helpful hints. Here is a Link, so you can Join the group! The Lululemon Report
