Okay, I really just need to vent about this...
Don't get me wrong, I love Etsy. Since I discovered it six months ago it has furnished me with a vintage wardrobe I only could have dreamed of a year or so ago, when I started dressing vintage. But my experiences with my latest crop of purchases have left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Take, for instance, the 'iced pink' day dress that turned out to be codespeak for 'faded half pink and half white'; the vintage bonnet dryer that despite being unused, smelt so horrible as to dissuade me from using it altogether; the skirt that had no fastener (which the seller 'missed', despite it being on a mannequin in the photos... hmm). Or, worst of all, the two blouses I bought- one of which had a large stain, which, by the looks of things, isn't going to come out, and the other one is so sun-damaged that some parts are a completely different color than the rest.
This is already frustrating enough, but what really made me blow my top was the frankly poor customer service I received (though only in two cases, thankfully). It's so tempting to name names, but, that would be rather mean of me, so...
One seller refused to give me even a partial refund without me sending the top back to her, despite the fact that a) I did actually like the blouse, and b) I would have to pay my own shipping costs. The other seller was downright rude when I contacted her, and though she insisted the pictures made the discoloration clear, was bascially kicking sand over the fact that she had sold me the shirt knowing that the hadn't made the fault clear, which, as far as I'm concerned, is dishonesty.
It's not even about price, in my opinion. If I paid $5 for something, does that mean I'm happy to write off the fact that it has a significant stain/hole/tear/smell that I was not made aware of before I bought it? To me, it's about sellers being 110% transparent about what they're selling, especially if they have draconian return policies...
Anyway, rant over for now. Maybe it's a sign that I need to stop shopping...
Ta-ra!
I HATE it when they don't list if it needs dry cleaning. I mean, I know vintage almost always hs a musty smell, but I think if it's seriously bad they should put it in the description!
ReplyDeleteHighball Emy, I feel your pain! Smells are one of the worst things to deal with as it's never guaranteed that they'll come out- smoke smells have to be one of the worst, especially as a non-smoker, ugh.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have found that vinegar washing works (small) miracles! It sounds crazy, but vinegar seems to have 1001 uses, and it seems to be excellent for getting out unwanted smells, if you just add some when washing. For instance, I bought a beautiful 50s dress that had a strong musty smell, and another which smelt of heavy incense. Having washed both dresses with regular detergent once and seen basically no improvement, I added a capful of vinegar to my wash and voila- fresh as a daisy on both counts, you wouldn't believe the difference!
Oh, I've never tried that! Maybe I should give it a go... I guess you'd just add a capful into your handwash as well then, right? I'm terrified of washing vintage stuff in the machine!
ReplyDeletesorry for the late reply! I haven't tried in in handwashing but it should have the same effect!
DeleteI understand your nervousness, and I guess it depends on the age/condition/material/type of garment. I will confess that I wash 90% of my vintage stuff in the washing machine, and (unfortunately, not my choice) tumble-dry it. I don't worry too much about 50s cotton/poly day dresses, cardis, skirts, even wool if it's on the right settings. But, you won't find me putting my silk brocade cocktail dresses, anything silk/cashmere/beaded/already damaged anywhere near the machine!
Honestly, I don't have the time/ money/ effort to be carefully handwashing and drycleaning all my vintage stuff (which is now about 80-85% of my entire wardrobe)1