PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com recommends Escrow.com for all transactions because it offers the most protection for the buyer and the seller.  We really believe it is the safest way to pay for both parties.  Here’s why:

Buyers are protected:

• Escrow.com tracks the shipped merchandise and verifies it was delivered (assuring the wedding dress will ship before the seller receives the money).

• The Seller isn’t paid until the Buyer accepts the merchandise, or the inspection period expires (assuring that the item is as described).

Sellers are protected:

• Escrow.com confirms when the Buyer receives merchandise.

• The Seller is authorized to ship only after Escrow.com verifies good funds (assuring the seller will get her money).

Here is what the escrow.com process looks like.

Step 1:

Either the buyer or the seller starts the process by signing up for a free account and initiating the transaction:

The inspection period is the length of time a buyer has to inspect the dress.  It can be set  from 1-30 days and is the time the buyer is allotted to inspect the merchandise.   At the end of the inspection period, the buyer can accept or reject the merchandise.  (It is important to note that a buyer can reject a dress for any reason.)

If the buyer rejects the merchandise, she most return it to the seller at her expense.  If the merchandise is not returned to the seller in the same condition it was sent, the seller can reject the return.   (This means that a seller doesn’t have to worry that the gown won’t come back the way it was sent out).

Step 2:

The buyer or seller enters the description and price of the item.

Step 3:

Escrow.com summarizes the transaction and asks the initiator to accept it.  It is then sent to the other party for review.   The other party can accept the contract or revise it and send it back for agreement.

Note: Escrow.com offers a standard and premier service. (The premier service offers more speed and convenience.)  See the difference between the two levels here.

Step 4:

The buyer or seller selects how payment will be made:

Note: for wedding gown/apparel transactions, payment can only be made via check or wire transfer.  Escrow.com will not accept credit cards for wedding gowns.

One thing I’ve always recommend to buyers and sellers is that a seller can charge a “restocking” fee for a return.  This helps ensure that only serious buyers try on the dress.  And it helps compensate a seller for her time and effort of shipping her dress and accepting a return.

Here’s how you would set that up in an escrow.com transaction:

If you were selling your dress for $1500 (dress) + $50 shipping.  You would set it up in escrow.com for $1300  (dress)+ $250 shipping. ($50 for shipping and $200 for restocking).

That way, if the buyer returned the dress, she would be refunded $1300 and the seller would be paid $250 on the return.

Have any questions about how escrow.com works for wedding dress transactions.  Email them to us and we’ll answer them here.

I really believe that escrow.com is the safest payment method for our buyers and sellers to use.  It provides protection for both parties (significantly more than paypal), and is simple and straightforward process.

When I learned that Shannon, a recently seller, used the service, I asked her to write a few words about her experience so I could post it on our blog.  Here is what she said:

“When I first listed my dress on PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com I wasn’t sure how I would handle the payment if I found a buyer. I figured I had a little time to look into it, but when I had a buyer only one week later I decided to look into using the site that PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com had recommended: escrow.com.

From that point on the transaction was simple, straight-forward, and best of all, stress free. Escrow.com is great because it protects everyone involved…the seller and the buyer.

I benefited because the funds are guaranteed and held by escrow.com before the dress even gets shipped, which means I knew I would get my payment.

My buyer was protected because the payment is not released to me until she received and accepted the dress, which means she gets to make sure the dress is exactly what I said it would be.

There is a fee for the service, but it’s a small percentage of the selling price, and I think it was well worth it to ensure protection for everyone involved.

Escrow.com was also wonderful because they walk both the seller and the buyer through every step of the process.

1. I created the agreement,
2. the buyer accepted,
3. the buyer paid,
4. escrow confirmed and held the funds and prompted me to ship,
5. escrow tracked the shipment (and even sent me an email when it had arrived-I didn’t even have to check the tracking myself!),
6. the buyer had three days to accept the goods, after which the funds were released to me.

At each step in the process escrow.com sent me an email confirming both mine and the buyer’s actions and let both of us know when we needed to do something further. At every point in the transaction both parties know exactly what’s going on.

It really couldn’t have been easier. It meant that I wasn’t worried about the details of the transaction and was able to email my buyer and share in the excitement of the transaction rather than worry about getting ripped off.

It’s your wedding dress after all…something that means a lot to you, something you’re going to share with another bride. You want that interaction to be as positive as possible. Weddings can be really stressful, but if you are going to buy or sell your wedding dress online, escrow.com ensures that at least that part of the wedding will be stress free.”

Thanks very much Shannon, for taking the time to outline the escrow.com process!

And just as a note, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com is not affliated with escrow.com in any way.

Whenever a buyer or seller asks me the best payment method to use, I always answer escrow.com.

Escrow.com offers protection for both sides.  It protects the buyer from an item not being shipped or not being as described.  And it protects the seller by verifying the buyer’s funds before the seller ships the dress.

Consuelo, who sold her Monique Lhuillier gown on the site in June, used escrow.com.  I asked her to share her experience with the service, so others could benefit from her knowledge.  Here’s what she said:

“Once I found a serious buyer for my wedding gown, I started researching ways to carry out the transaction safely and hassle-free. I was especially concerned about safety because I was selling the dress to someone in the United Kingdom.

At first I was thinking of using Paypal (I even had it as a requirement in my ad), but then realized that it wouldn’t work because of several reasons. Then, I looked into Escrow.com because PreOwnedWeddingDresses recommended it.

I decided to do the entire transaction through Escrow because it offered incredible safety for both the buyer and seller.

Using Escrow.com made the entire process incredibly easy and stress-free.

The buyer and I signed up to Escrow; I made a contract on the Escrow website; the buyer signed it; the buyer wired the money; Escrow secured the money and held it; I sent the dress to the UK with tracking; a 3-day revision period passed; and Escrow released the funds.

The buyer and I kept in touch the entire time and Escrow walked us through each and every step.

I had a minor problem in the end, which is that the 3-day revision period passed and my buyer hadn’t “accepted” the dress on the Escrow wesite, so the funds hadn’t been released to my account.

I emailed Escrow the tracking information from UPS (to prove that the dress had gotten there more than 3 days before then) and I had the money in my bank account in a matter of hours.

This is to say that Escrow will honor the contract that you both sign: Escrow will release the funds to the seller if the revision period is over and they haven’t received any comments from the buyer.

What I loved most about Escrow is that it walks you through every step of the transaction and it tells you what to do at any given time, and even what not to do.”

You can read more about how escrow.com works here.  And thank you, Consuelo, for taking the time to write about your experience.

Buying a wedding dress online is a great way to save money on the dress of your dreams.  Not only that, but you are contributing to a cool sisterhood of a traveling dress, reducing your wedding’s impact on the planet and preventing something beautiful from sitting unused in a closet.

But, whenever you buy something online from PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com or any resale website, it is important to exercise care during your transaction and make sure you protect yourself.

I’m happy to say that in the five years we’ve been running this website, we’ve had only a handful of transaction issues.  However, just yesterday, we were presented with two different sellers who demonstrated how important it is to ask the right questions and to protect yourself.

The first woman, selling this amazing Ulla Maija Blythe dress, updated her listing several times after posting it – to ensure it was a complete, accurate and full disclosure of the condition of her gown. The dress is beautiful and the repair needed is minor.   The woman who buys this gown will get a stunning dress and save $4500 from the retail price. This seller is a great representation of the honesty and integrity that the majority of our sellers possess.

But, we also had a situation yesterday where we had to remove a listing from our site due to validated concerns that the seller was actively misrepresenting her dress.  We have only removed a few gowns from the site over the years, but we have always taken buyer protection very seriously.

The best protection we can offer you is information.  When you find a dress you’d like to purchase on this site, here is what we recommend:

1) Know the gown’s retail price. Go to the designer’s website, online wedding retailers, or to your local store to see the gown’s price. Researching this price will help you negotiate the amount for which you purchase the gown.

2) Always ask questions.  Ask the seller for a complete, clear and full disclosure of the condition of the gown.  And ask her to provide it in writing/an email and to provide images if necessary.

3) Confirm if the gown is authentic to the designer and not a copy. A certificate of authenticity, a photo of the label, or an indication on a store receipt are all ways to confirm this.

4) If the seller has indicated she has a receipt – ask to see it.

5) If any information is missing from the listing (year purchased, preservation method, etc) – ask the seller to give you that information.

6) Protect yourself during the money exchange.  Paypal and Escrow.com both offer protection for buyers and sellers.  Paypal offers protection for the actual money exchange (funds are guaranteed). Escrow.com offers protection for the money exchange and the actual transaction (that the item is shipped/ is as described).  You can read more about each service here.

Ultimately, it comes down to trusting your instincts, being smart, and protecting yourself whenever and whatever you buy online.