Tradesy is an innovative, peer-to-peer resale platform for buying and selling women’s fashion. Located in the sunny city of Santa Monica, California, Tradesy users have access to a vast array of styles from top designers at amazing prices!
Tradesy was established by Tracy DiNunzio. The website says the idea came when the founder found herself with a “closet full of nothing to wear”. Closets are full of items in various degrees of wears including never-worn, once-worn, and slightly worn items. Tradesy is the platform that allows you to sell items straight from your closet; giving you the extra credits to fund new wardrobe purchases.
In 2009 Tracy DiNunzio began an early beta version of Tradesy from her home. This beta version is Recycled Bride, which allowed brides to buy and sell pre-owned wedding dresses and accessories. By 2012, luxury fashion items were added to the mix; and Tradesy, as we know it today, was born. Thus, Tradesy stands today as a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling luxury women fashion items.
Apart from its peer-to-peer model, and its focus on pre-owned luxury items Tradesy is like any other online marketplace. It is simply a platform; as a buyer, you’ll be buying from independent Sellers who are everyday persons like you. Also, though Tradesy’s shipping label or packaging may be used, the items ship to buyers from these independent Sellers.
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However, Tradesy does not take a hands-off approach to the transaction as many marketplaces do. Payments for purchases are received by Tradesy, who’ll later make the payments available to the Seller when the buyer receives delivery of the item and is pleased with it. Tradesy also receives returned items to ensure that both Buyers and Sellers are protected.
The fashion industry and fashionistas constantly put fashion items before us. These are presented in such a way that seems like your life is dependent on keeping up with the fashion latest. As a result, before long, many persons will have closets full of items that they may no longer use or need.
However, there’s always a need to buy. Where luxury products are involved, buying more when many sit in your closet can easily become expensive.
However, those never-worn items that didn’t work, those once-worn items that you’ll never wear again, or those slightly worn items that you have to change, shouldn’t be sitting in your closet when you stump out real cash for replacement. It’ll be good if you can sell them, and get real cash towards purchasing the new lovelies. This is where Tradesy steps in.
Tradesy advertises as “the luxury fashion resale marketplace that empowers women to get the designer fashion they crave – on their own terms”.
The big question is whether it is worthwhile to sell or buy in Tradesy. For example: As a seller, does the platform allow easy listing and selling of items? Are its service pricing favourable? As a buyer: will you find authentic and high-quality products?
Are product prices competitive? Does the platform offer service that we’ll expect of an ideal online marketplace (such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer service, etc)? In the first place is Tradesy legit?
Yes, Tradesy is legit. It is not a scam because they have been online for a very long time and paying without a problem. And you will receive the item you ordered from the store.
This Tradesy review will examine Tradesy in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.
There are so many cyber fraudsters; as such, except you determine that an online platform is legit, you may be ripped off if you proceed to use it. Thus, the big question is whether Tradesy is legit. The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that Tradesy is 100% legal, has industry-wide recognition, and has a rich operating record full of satisfied customers (both Sellers and Buyers).
The first check of a legit online platform is legality. This is because stores that are 100% legal are less likely to be a scam. Thankfully, Tradesy ticks this legality box. The website is operated by Tradesy Inc, which is a 100% legal company registered in the US, with registered headquarters in Los Angeles.
Another check of a legit online platform is visibility and industry-wide recognition. This is because the scam stores operate largely in the shadows. Thankfully, Tradesy ticks this visibility box. The platform is a leading player in the pre-owned items sales industry. Tradesy has also undertaken high profile corporate moves. These include the acquisitions of Shop Hers and Fitz and the partnerships with Happy Returns and Affirm. Suffice it to say that a scam store cannot earn this recognition or make such corporate moves.
Another test of a legit online platform is the test of time. This is because the scam stores are short-lived. Thankfully, Tradesy ticks this box as it has been operating for over 7 years. Though this is relatively young, it is enough time for any scamming to be called out.
However, the ultimate test of a legit store is fitness for purpose. Thankfully, Tradesy ticks this box. Since its launch, everyday people have been using it to sell off their closet items, and many buyers also report getting real and authentic items for orders placed on the platform.
Tradesy is safe. The ideal online platform should also be safe. That is, the platform must ensure that sensitive information that users share with it (such as personal information and payment instrument details) does not leak out to leave the users exposed to fraudsters.
Tradesy says in its privacy policy that it employs the best standards to ensure the safety of users’ data. One technical measure it uses is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology. This is the industry standard for creating a private connection between the buyers’ devices and the platform’s web servers. All transmissions are private and also encrypted using high-grade protocols. With the use of this measure and more, it is safe to say that Tradesy is safe.
The ideal online shopping platform should have a wide product range so that you can shop your related products in one place. Thankfully, Tradesy ticks this box. It is a platform where you can buy or sell virtually anything that gets into your closet.
Thus, when using Tradesy the product categories (and the sections of each category) that you’ll find are as follows:
Satchels, Hobos, Crossbody Bags, Shoulder Bags, Totes, clutches, Wristlets, Baguettes, Weekend/ Travel Bags, Laptop Bags, Backpacks, Messenger Bags, Beach Bags, Baby and Diaper Bags
Pumps, Platforms, Wedges, Flats, Formal Shoes, Boots and Booties, Sandals, Mules and Clogs, Athletic Shoes
Jewellery (Necklaces, Bracelets, Rings, Charms, Earrings, etc), Watches, Sunglasses, Wallets, Belts, Scarves and Wraps, Hats, Hair Accessories, Cosmetic Bags, Tech Accessories, Fragrance, Hosiery, Miscellaneous
Wedding Dresses, Bridal Veils, Bridal Jewelry and accessories, Wedding Decorations, Bridesmaid Dresses and MOBs, Grooms and Groom’s men, Wedding Shoes, Wedding Gifts, Wedding Invitations and Paper, etc
Some top designers that you’ll find featured in Tradesy are: Chanel, Coach, Givenchy, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Prada, Rolex, Saint Laurent, Valentino, and more
While you’ll want to find a wide range of products, it’s even more important to find that the online store list only high-quality products so that whatever you grab from the store will not be found wanting quality-wise.
Being that Tradesy is a marketplace for luxury items (though many are slightly used); you’ll expect to find authentic, high-quality items. In this regards, Tradesy has an “Authenticity Promise”. It says that “you deserve to get exactly what you pay for”; and that to ensure this, the platform has a zero-tolerance policy for replicas.
Tradesy even goes as far as saying that its authentication rates are the best in the industry. Giving numbers to back this, it states that its smart technology automatically detects and removes fakes listed in the site with 99.7% accuracy.
Online marketplaces do not admit sellers from everywhere. Thus, one of the first considerations is whether you qualify to list items for sale in an online marketplace by virtue of where you are located. In this regards, Tradesy says that “by listing an item for sale on Tradesy, you’re simply telling our community that you’re in the US, and physically have the item, ready to ship right away to a buyer”. Thus, Tradesy can only be used by Sellers in the US.
Another consideration is the pool of buyers that can see and buy your product. Sellers generally prefer global marketplaces, as this means their product is available worldwide. Tradesy does very well in this regards. It used to serve only the US market, but recently, it has partnered with MyUS to ship to virtually every part of the world.
Getting started and listing your items for sale in Tradesy is relatively easy. First, you’ll have to register and create an account as a Seller. However, registration is a breeze. You can sell using the Tradesy website or its apps (iOS and Android). To start selling, select “Start Selling” in the Tradesy website. (select “+” on the bottom toolbar if using iOS apps; click on the tag icon on the top toolbar if using the Android app). You can then follow the following simple steps:
When your listed item sells, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Tradesy. You’ll then have 3 days from the (Order date) to confirm the sale. If this is not done, the Order is automatically cancelled and the buyer refunded. Sale Confirmation tells the platform that you are serious about fulfilling the order.
As an independent Seller, one thing you must do is ship the package to the buyer; and every Seller will want this easy. Tradesy ensures this by providing three convenient shipping options. For every item, during its listing, you’ll choose one of these three options; and when the item sells, it is the pre-selected shipping option that must be used for shipping the item to the Buyer. These three options are:
Using the Tradesy Shipping Kit, when your item sells, Tradesy will send you everything you need to send the item to the buyer. These include a packaging (consisting of an appropriate box, tissue paper, and hand tags) and the shipping label (a USPS Priority label inclusive of insurance and tracking which is pre-paid, and pre-addressed to the buyer). You’ll simply need to put the item in the kit and hand it off to the mail carrier. The Tradesy Shipping Kits are mailed immediately an order is successfully placed; and they take within 3 – 5 business days to be received. The cost of the Shipping Kit depends on its size.
Using the Printable prepaid Label, when your item sells, a USPS Priority label will be made available in your account. You can then proceed to print it, attach it to the appropriately packaged item, and take it to the mail carrier. The cost of the label, which will be paid by the buyer at checkout, is $10.50.
It’s not news that many Sellers will rather not use the Shipping labels provided by the marketplaces. For such Sellers, Tradesy offers its third shipping option. Using “Ship on your own”, when your item sells, you can view the buyer’s address on your Sales page. You can then proceed to package the item appropriately, add the shipping address, then ship using the carrier of your choice – USPS, FedEx, UPS, or DHL.
However, shipping must follow Tradesy’s guidelines; else you’re not guaranteed your payment. Among these include: the shipping you use must include tracking and insurance, and for every item over $500, Signature upon Delivery is required. All items in the Wedding Category must be shipped using this third option.
Whatever Shipping option you use, you’ll have 10 days (from order date) to ship it. Tradesy says that orders may be cancelled (at the request of the buyer) if there’s no tracking on the order within 10 days. Thus, it advices that the package should be dropped off by Day 8 so that by Day 10 tracking will already be active.
Because your item must be competitively priced for any shot at making sales; the fees you’ll pay to use a marketplace will eat into your profit margin. Thus, you’ll want these to be as low as possible. In this regard, Tradesy comes out as sweet and bitter.
The sweet part is that there are no listing fees to use Tradesy. Thus, unlike the subscription-based marketplaces, there are no upfront payments. The advantage of this is that you only pay if you make sales. Thus, it is risk-free. That is if the venture does not pan out as expected and you have to walk, you’ll not be losing anything. The bitter part (in terms of service fees) is that when your item sells, Tradesy charges a relatively high commission. It is 19.8% for items priced at $50 or more, and a $7.50 flat rate for all items under $50. Needless to say, these are relatively high rates.
One way Tradesy differs from most marketplaces is that it receives payment for purchases directly from the Buyers, after which it makes it available to the Seller. As a Seller, you’ll want the process of receiving payment to be as fast and as easy as possible.
In this regards, Tradesy supports a range of payment methods. To get paid, you can transfer earnings to your PayPal, debit card, or checking account (ACH). With these options and the fact that the process is pretty straightforward, you shouldn’t have problems with withdrawing your earnings.
Because no Seller will want it to take forever to receive payment for sales, another important consideration is when you can withdraw your earnings. In this regards, Tradesy may hold earnings from a sale pending for up to 21 days after the item has been delivered to the buyer.
This is understandable to ensure the security of transactions. However, it is our opinion that “up to 21 days after delivery” is pretty long to be waiting to receive payment for a sale. Also, when the earnings are finally made available, and you withdraw them, the transfer may take 7 or more business days to process. Thus, from the day your item is sold to when you actually have the funds in your account, you’ll have to add up all of the delivery time, up to 21 days pending time, and 7+ days withdrawal processing time. Too much waiting time!
Sadly, on top of the “regular” Tradesy commission when your item sells (which is already relatively high), Tradesy also charge a “Safe Transfer Fee” when you withdraw your earnings. This charge is 2.9% of the total transaction amount. Tradesy explains that this fee covers the payment processing fees it paid on your behalf when your item sold. However, in our opinion, this fee is only to discourage withdrawals. This is because you can avoid the fee if you choose against withdrawing your earnings and instead choose to use the funds for purchase in the platform.
One of the best parts of using Tradesy is that its Return Policy protects Sellers. It’s no news that in the fashion industry many sales do not complete because the buyers return the item to the retailer. As a Seller in Tradesy, you’re protected from this.
If a buyer is not pleased with a purchase, he/ she can return it and will be refunded. But by Tradesy’s Return Policy, the return package is shipped to Tradesy. Its team will review the item. If the item and its original listing meet the Tradesy Seller Return Requirement, Tradesy will keep the item and the Seller will receive payment. However, if the item does not meet the Seller Return Requirement, it will be shipped back to the Seller.
Among the requirements is that the items should be accurately and completely described in listing (sizes must be accurate, any wear/ damage must be made clear, and photos must be clear and accurately represent the item). There are some exclusions; clothing under $150 and unbranded items cannot be kept by Tradesy, and are always returned to the Seller. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better Seller Protection. With Tradesy’s policy, on most items, you are guaranteed to keep paying for purchases because items will not be returned to you.
Using Tradesy as a buyer is also relatively easy. The website is laid out pretty easily, and listed items are in categories. Also, you’ll need an account to make a purchase, but signing up for this is also pretty easy. When shopping, you can view prices in your local currency. You simply have to go through the product categories to find something that you like. Alternatively, you can use the search button to find items.
If you find something, clicking it will take you to the description page, where you can view details of the item and more photos. Details include the item description, sizing/ dimensions, condition, and more. You’ll also see shipping information (delivery time, and cost) as well as return eligibility. Everything is put to you upfront. If you like what you see; you can simply click “Add to Bag”.
Also, when you view the details of any product, Tradesy will show you some a list of related products, complimentary products, and products from the same Seller. These can fast track your product searches. Another important feature of Tradesy is its “Save to Favourites” feature. With this feature, if you have not up to your mind about an item, you can save it to your favourite list, so that at a future time you can easily call it up without searching through the listings.
At any time, you can go to your bag, and proceed to checkout. You’ll be prompted to add your shipping address and to select your payment method to successfully place your order. After the order is placed, you’ll get an email confirmation. Many times, Buyers have a change of heart and will want to modify or cancel an order after submitting it. Unfortunately, Tradesy does not allow Order modification or cancellation, even if it’s only a few seconds after placement.
When making purchases you’ll not want to pay what is perceived as overboard. Thus the ideal shopping destination should feature products that are reasonably priced. Since one of Tradesy’s blurbs is “Rebel against retail prices and get real luxury for less”, you’ll expect to find relatively low prices. Thankfully, Tradesy does not disappoint. For many items listed for sale in Tradesy, prices are relatively lower than retail prices, sometimes by as much as 50%.
You’ll also want promotions that allow you to get items for even less than the listed price. Tradesy regularly runs promotions. Sellers can subscribe to such offers, which typically bring down listed prices by 5 – 20%. You can check the Tradesy website to find out what promo is running at any time. Alternatively, you can submit your email for alerts. The latter is incentivized; by submitting your email, you’ll get a $50 discount for your first purchase of $400 or more.
Making payment in Tradesy is also easy, as the platform supports PayPal. There’s also Affirm financing which allows you to buy now and pay later. Using Affirm, you can split your purchase into 3, 6, or 12 monthly payments. However, Affirms financing is available to only US customers.
In an online purchase, buyers have three important shipping considerations. Buyers typically want to know whether their Orders can be shipped to their location (shipping destinations), how long it’ll take for their Orders to be received (delivery times), and how much it’ll cost to get their order (shipping cost).
In terms of Shipping Destinations; Tradesy ships directly to only US addresses. However, it recommends using the freight forwarding service MyUS if you are resident outside the US. With that, you can buy from Tradesy from almost anywhere in the world. When placing an international order, you’ll have to input MyUS US shipping address as your own. The order will be shipped there; then MyUS will forward the Order to your international address.
In terms of delivery times; Tradesy gives Sellers a window of 10 days (from order date) to ship the item. You’ll know the item has shipped when tracking is active. Though you (buyers) cannot order, if the order has not shipped after 10 days, you can contact Tradesy to request cancellation, and you’ll be refunded immediately. It should be said that 10 days is the latest processing time that Tradesy allows. Many items listed on the platform are processed and ships in significantly less time; with much even shipping the very next business day. After an item ship, how long it’ll take to reach your shipping address depends on your location. However, it’s usually between 4 – 7 business days.
In terms of Shipping cost; what you pay varies depending on what option was selected by the particular Seller. However, Tradesy’s shipping costs are generally relatively expensive. For example, as mentioned earlier, the buyer cost if the Seller chooses the “Printable prepaid shipping label” is a whopping $10.50. Thankfully, many Sellers wisely include the shipping cost in the item cost. Thus, you’ll find a single “total cost” for the item and not a breakdown that’ll show its selling price and the expensive shipping cost. Also, if you are a customer outside the US, this relatively expensive shipping cost is just the first half of your total shipping costs. This first shipping cost gets the package to the freight forwarding service (MyUS); then you’ll have to arrange and pay MyUS for the package to be forwarded to you.
Online purchases are blind purchases. That is, you do not get to physically inspect the item before completing the purchase. Thus, buyers like it that if the item is not totally satisfactory, they can return it to its retailer and get a replacement or a refund.
Thankfully, Tradesy allows returns; but for only US customers. That is, all items purchased outside the US are “Final Sale” and cannot be returned. It does not matter that the item was not accurately represented or is not authentic; whatever the reason you may have, non-US purchases are simply non-returnable. Sad! Thus, Tradesy may not be the best marketplace for international shoppers.
For US customers; if there’s a problem with your order, you have 4 days from the delivery date to contact Tradesy about it and submit a return request. It should be said that unlike many shopping sites, you won’t sweat to get return approvals. Upon submitting a return request; you’ll find a free return label in your “Purchase” page. Print this, package the item appropriately, attach the label to the outside of the package, and drop it off with the carrier. The return label is pre-addressed to Tradesy. Easy! Also, not only is it pre-paid, but it’s also free. So there’ll be no deductions from your refund. No restocking fees, no return shipping fees; free returns!
Also, you’ll have 10 days from the “return request” date for the return package to get to the Tradesy’s centre. Returns that get to Tradesy after 10 days of the requested date will be rejected, and you’ll not be refunded. In our overly critical mind, this is the only small bump on the road in terms of buyer-returns. We are spoilt by the 30 days (from delivery date) that many conventional online fashion stores allow for returns. That said; if you are to make a return of a Tradesy Order, you’ll have to act promptly.
However, even as a US customer, it is not everything that is eligible for return. Some items are final sale. These include items that are less than $50, or items in categories such as weddings, maternity, fragrance, hosiery, swimwear, sportswear, sports bra, tech accessories and activewear gear. Item sold at a significant discount from an in-house Tradesy closet is also non-returnable. For some of the items (like hosiery and swimwear) the non-return status is for hygiene reasons; but for others, the reason for non-return beats us.
Also, after returning the item, you won’t have to wait everlastingly to get refunded. Returned items are processed within 7 days of receipt, and you’ll get your money back afterwards. It’s also important to consider how you’ll get the money – store credits or cash refunds to the original payment source. Because store credits restrict the buyer to using the funds for future purchases in the particular store; buyers usually prefer cash refunds.
Tradesy uses both methods. You’ll get a full refund to the original payment source if Tradesy determines that the original item listing differs significantly from the item you received. However, if the item was accurately described and is authentic, you’ll be issued site credits. That means for returns made because you simply change your mind, or because the item is ill-fitting, you’ll get site credits and nor cash refunds.
Customers always have questions, while others will have issues with their orders. Thus, the ideal eCommerce platform should have an effective customer support service for handling the questions or complaints that customers will have.
In this regards, in Tradesy’s “Help Center” you’ll find good articles answering many frequently asked questions (FAQs). These FAQs are neatly categorized to aid navigation. These include: Selling FAQ, Buying FAQ, Seller Shipping Help, Buyer Shipping Help, and more.
For direct contact with Tradesy, email service and telephone service are supported. The email service is actually an online contact form. The form can be accessed on the Tradesy website. Fill the form stating your enquiry/ query and include your email address, and you’ll receive a response via email. For the telephone service, you can reach Tradesy using the number 844-988-7233. It’s a toll-free line, so you won’t have to worry about charges when seeking help. However, the line is only open between 8:00 am – 1:00 pm (PDT) Monday – Friday.
For Sellers
For Buyers
For Sellers
For Buyers
Tradesy is a peer-to-peer marketplace where everyday people can sell their slightly used luxury closet items, and where buyers from anywhere can get authentic luxury items at great prices. The platform supports only women fashion items, but the range includes clothing, bags, shoes, accessories, and wedding items.
Sellers will find that Tradesy is super easy to list items for sale. It also offers shipping options which makes it very easy to ship an item after it sells. Most importantly, Tradesy is risk-free because you only pay when your items sell; and there is a Seller Protection that guarantees that there’ll be no returns of your items after they sell. However, these come at a steep cost. Tradesy’s charges (when your items sell) are high. More so, you must be a patient Seller, because it can easily take more than a month after your item sells before you’ll receive payment.
The draw of Tradesy for Buyers is finding luxury fashion products for knockoff prices. Customers in the US will find joy in Tradesy than international customers. US customers will find a range of financing plans that are not available to international buyers. Also, Tradesy does not directly ship internationally; while freight forwarding services can be used, this comes at a cost additional to the already expensive shipping costs of sending the item to the freight forwarder.
Also, while international orders are a final sale; US customers can return an item for any reason whatsoever. Tradesy’s Buyer Protection ensures that you’ll get authentic products and that if you’re not satisfied with an order, you’ll get your money back (only applicable to only US customers). Thus, buying from Tradesy when outside the US may not be worthwhile.
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Whilst largely accurate Tradesy no longer keep returns, they return them to the buyer, many times in an unsellable condition or with original boxes missing.
The 21 day plus 7 days for payment is not been honoured and in some cases, I have waited two years to get paid. Normally it takes 5 or 6 weeks. The answer as to why is 3rd party tracking numbers may not have been entered into the system. I would say as Tradesy pay for the shipping it is their responsibility, they seem to disagree.
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