Grading a Second Hand Garment in Writing

A second hand garment is described honestly when the seller grades its condition in words, lists the measurements taken flat, and names every fault before the buyer asks. The buyer reads that description the same way a librarian reads a title page: the facts first, the adjectives last.

How to grade the condition of a garment in writing

Use four grades and define them in the listing itself, so the words cannot drift. New with tags means the retail tag is still attached and the garment has not been worn or washed. Excellent means worn, washed, no visible marks, no pulled threads, no fading, all fasteners working. Good means worn and washed, with one or two faults named in the next sentence: a faint mark on the left cuff, a loose thread at the hem, slight thinning at the elbows. Fair means the faults affect how the garment looks or hangs: a stain that did not lift, a repaired seam, missing beads, a zip that sticks. Everything below applies whether the sale happens on a marketplace app, in a group chat, or through the same habits people use when buying second hand at a distance, where the object is never in the room before the money moves.

Then write the faults as a list, not as a mood. "Small mark, see photo 4" is not a fault description. "Dark spot about the size of a pea on the right sleeve, two inches above the cuff, visible in daylight, not visible in shadow" is. Name the location on the body, the size against a known object, and the light in which it shows.

State the fibre content and the care label as printed. If the label says 100 percent polyester and the listing says cotton, the buyer has a right to return the item, and a seller who writes the label correctly avoids the argument. If the label is missing, say so. A missing label is a fact, not a flaw.

Say how many times the garment was worn and washed, if the seller knows. "Worn twice, washed once, cold, line dried" tells a buyer more than "barely used." Vague wear claims are the first thing a buyer discounts.

Which measurements a buyer needs beside the size label

A size label is a claim about a body, not about a garment. Two abayas labelled 56 can differ by four inches at the chest. The buyer needs numbers taken flat, with the garment buttoned or zipped and laid on a table, not stretched and not hanging.

Take these six: chest, measured pit to pit across the front and doubled; waist, at the narrowest point of the garment, doubled; hip, at the widest point below the waist, doubled; length, from the highest point of the shoulder to the hem; sleeve, from the shoulder seam to the cuff edge; and shoulder, seam to seam across the back.

For an abaya or a long coat, add the sweep at the hem, measured flat across the bottom edge and doubled, and the front opening length, from the neckline to the hem. For a khimar or a hijab, add the face opening and the total drop from the crown to the lowest point.

Write the unit. Inches or centimetres, not both, and not "about." A tape measure gives a number; a seller who rounds to the nearest half inch is fine, a seller who writes "fits like a medium" is not.

Photograph the tape measure against the garment for at least the chest and the length. A photo with the tape in frame settles more disputes than any paragraph.

How should a garment be packed and posted?

Fold along the existing creases, not against them. A garment that has hung for a year has fold lines; following them costs nothing and prevents new ones. Place tissue paper or unprinted newsprint between layers if the fabric is prone to creasing, such as nida or a heavy crepe. Do not use newspaper: the ink transfers, and it transfers faster in humid weather.

Use a plastic bag only as an inner layer, and only if the garment is fully dry. A garment posted damp in a sealed bag arrives with mildew, and mildew does not wash out of cellulose fibres. If the outer packaging is paper, line it or accept that rain will reach the parcel.

For a light garment, a padded envelope is enough. For anything with beading, embroidery, or a stiff collar, use a box. Beads crack under a stack of parcels, and a crushed collar does not recover.

Tape the closure on all four sides of the flap. Write the return address on the parcel itself, not only on a slip inside. Keep the tracking number and send it to the buyer the same day. If the item is worth more than the seller is willing to lose, insure it and say so in the listing before the sale, not after.

What the buyer should check before paying

Read the fault list first, then the measurements, then the photos. If the listing has no fault list, ask one question: "Please describe any marks, pulls, repairs, or missing parts, and where they are." A seller who answers in specifics is a seller who has looked at the garment. A seller who answers "it's in great condition" has not.

Compare the measurements to a garment the buyer already owns and likes. Lay that garment flat, measure it the same way, and compare the numbers. This is more reliable than any size chart, because it uses a body the buyer can see.

Ask for a photo of the care label and the fibre content tag. Ask for a photo of any repair. Ask whether the item comes from a smoking home or a home with cats, if either matters.

Check the payment method. A method with no recourse is a method that leaves the buyer with the garment whatever arrives. A method with a dispute window gives the buyer time to open the parcel and compare it to the description.

What to do when the garment arrives and does not match

Open the parcel in daylight and compare it to the listing before removing tags or washing. Photograph the garment as it came out of the packaging, with the packaging in frame. Photograph the specific fault named in the listing, and any fault not named.

Message the seller with the photos and the exact words from the listing that do not match. Most disputes settle at this point, because most sellers are not trying to deceive; they are trying to finish a sale.

If the seller does not respond, use the platform's dispute process within its window. Keep the packaging until the dispute closes. A parcel that has been thrown away is a parcel that cannot be described.

Wash nothing until the dispute is resolved. Washing changes the garment and gives the seller a reason to refuse.

Why the written grade matters more than the photo

A photo shows what the camera saw in one light. A written grade shows what the seller knows. The buyer cannot inspect the garment before paying, so the description is the only inspection available. A seller who writes the grade, the measurements, the fibre content, and the faults has done the buyer's work for them, and a buyer who reads those four things in that order is rarely surprised.

The same discipline applies to any object sold at a distance: describe the condition, give the numbers, name the faults, pack it so it arrives as described. A garment is not a book, but the habit is the same.