Buying second-hand clothes online is cheaper and kinder to the planet than buying new, but it comes with a reasonable question: what happens if it goes wrong? The parcel never arrives, the jumper has a hole nobody mentioned, or the coat is a different coat altogether. This is what buyer protection is for. Here is how it works on Rewear, what it costs, and a few habits that make a good purchase more likely in the first place.
What buyer protection is
When you buy on Rewear, your contract for the piece is with the member who listed it. We are not the seller. What we provide is everything around the sale: the listing, the messages, the checkout, the postage label and the protection that sits around your payment.
The core of it is simple. Your payment is held until you confirm the piece has arrived and is as described. The seller is not paid the moment you check out. If something goes wrong, the money is still there to refund you.
What it costs
Buyer protection is 30p + 3% of the item price, paid by the buyer on every order. It is shown before you pay and set out on your receipt alongside the item price and delivery. It funds refunds when an order goes wrong and the cost of running the marketplace. Sellers pay no selling fee and listing is free, so this fee is how Rewear runs.
What it covers
A parcel that never arrives
If a tracked parcel has not arrived within 21 days of being posted, report it on the order. When a tracked parcel goes missing in transit, we deal with the carrier and refund you, and the seller is not left out of pocket either, as long as they used the Rewear label and posted on time.
A piece that is not as described
If a piece arrives and is not as described, such as the wrong size on the label, damage the seller did not mention, or not the item in the photographs, do not confirm delivery. Message the seller through the app and open a problem report on the order. Do it promptly: our Terms set out how long you have after delivery.
We look at the listing, the photographs and your conversation with the seller, and decide. A refund can be full or partial depending on what was wrong. On a full refund you get back the item price, the delivery fee and the buyer protection fee. On a partial refund you keep the piece and part of the price is returned.
Returns
Where a piece needs to go back to the seller, we tell you how to send it and who pays for the return postage. The seller pays where the piece was not as described.
What it does not cover
Buyer protection is about the piece being what the listing said it was. It does not cover:
- Changing your mind. Most sellers on Rewear are private individuals, and the 14-day cooling-off period for online shopping does not apply to a private sale. Some sellers sell as a business. Their listings and profiles are marked "Business seller", and your statutory rights against them still apply.
- Anything arranged outside Rewear. If you pay a seller directly, by bank transfer or any other way, there is no protection at all, and we cannot help if it goes wrong. Be wary of anyone who asks you to.
- A fit you could have checked. If the measurements were in the listing and the piece matches them, a disappointing fit is not the same as an inaccurate listing.
Checks before you buy
Most problems can be avoided before you pay. A few habits help:
- Read the whole description. Condition and flaws are often mentioned in the last line.
- Look at every photo. Zoom in on labels, seams, cuffs and the fabric.
- Check the measurements, not just the size. If there are none, ask. Our guide to measuring clothes for buying online shows what to compare.
- Ask questions. A seller who answers clearly and quickly is usually a seller who describes things accurately.
- Look at the seller's profile. Their other listings and reviews tell you a lot about how they sell.
- Keep everything in the app. Messages, payment and postage. That record is what we look at if you need help.
When the parcel arrives
Open it soon and check it against the listing: the label, the size, the condition and any flaws the seller mentioned. If everything is as described, confirm delivery so the seller can be paid. They are waiting on it. If you do not confirm and the parcel is tracked as delivered, the payment may be released to the seller after 14 days, so if something is wrong, report it rather than leaving it.
The short version
On Rewear, your money is held until you say the piece arrived as described. If it does not arrive, or it is not what the listing said, report it on the order and we will look at it. Keep everything on the platform, read listings carefully, and ask about measurements before you buy.