Primarily, this blog is about selling Lululemon, but I want to talk about buying second-hand Lulu clothing because it will help you to empathize with your customers. When buying second-hand Lulu, you have to understand that it is second-hand. It’s not going to be perfect & most of the time the seller will/ should explain any flaws, but sometimes they miss things. This post is about those things. Ideally, you should check for these things before you sell, but they do often get missed.
Pilling & Sueding– The number of items I’ve purchased that have claimed to be in “excellent” or “great” condition that have been horribly pilled and obviously washed numerous times is in-expressible. It’s frustrating, but many sellers over-state and under deliver when it comes to describing the condition of their item. While your version of “excellent” might mean not ripped, torn or stained, my definition of “excellent” includes no pilling or ‘sueding’ of the fabric as well. However, when I buy, I make sure I look very closely at ALL the pictures provided by the seller. And when I sell, I often include up-close photos of the fabric to show condition. Not everyone does this though, so when you buy & you receive something that has more pilling than you thought it would, I recommend at the very least being understanding that sellers are human and may have missed the issue when they were inspecting their item for sale. Please contact the seller if you would like a refund, or partial refund. That’s what I do, and in general, the sellers are very understanding. They’re people like you & me.
Other Flaws- In my opinion, anything that comes to me with rips, holes, tears, or stains that were not disclosed in the listing is unacceptable. These purchases must be remedied with an immediate refund, or negative feedback is in order. Sometimes things are missed. Other times, people purposely leave things out in the hopes that you, upon receiving your item, miss the flaw. Which brings me to my next point: I highly recommend that you thoroughly inspect all items upon arrival and take photos of any flaws you may discover.
Payment- When buying second-hand clothing online, whether on eBay or through the Lululemon Facebook pages (I talk about these in one of my first posts here), please look at all the photos the seller provides for you. The luxury of buying on Facebook is that you can have an open dialogue with the seller that includes photos. If you’re satisfied with the pictures, please always pay as goods, when buying through Paypal and never as gift or EMT (unsure what EMT is, check out my post about Lululemon Slang).
Issues- Once more, if you have an issue with your purchase, please contact the seller. Most sellers on eBay and on Facebook are gracious people. If the seller is uncooperative on eBay, open a PayPal case against them. If they are uncooperative on Facebook, contact the page administrator & open a PayPal case against them (You did pay with PayPal, as goods, right?). If they have wronged you, they will be removed from the page and you will get your money back via PayPal.
Have Fun!- Buying, selling and trading Lululemon should be fun. Don’t let yourself become too immersed in it or too pre-occupied with your ISO list. And if something goes wrong, don’t waste your time worrying about it. Just file your claim & get your money back. Most people are nice, it’s the few who can ruin it for the many, so don’t let them win & stay positive. Enjoy your collection, and have fun being part of the online community!