FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

items
‍You can sell any kids clothes from t-shirts to trainers, pyjamas to sun hats. You can sell small bundles for smaller items too! We don’t have the functionality for you to sell bedding, toys or baby gear just yet. 
‍
condition
‍We ask that you only sell items you’d happily buy yourself.  That means that although they might show some signs of gentle wear and tear, they’re generally in a good condition.  If there are any imperfections (e.g. stains or rips) or signs of general wear and tear (bobbling or fading) we ask that you accurately capture this in your photos, and clearly describe this when you’re listing your item.  If you don't capture any imperfections you won't be covered by our Seller Protection Scheme. Also, we want our buyers to feel joy when their item arrives - and you want a good review, right?
‍
brands
‍We aren’t snooty about brands you can or can’t sell.  However, we do know that certain brands don’t sell well, or end up being too cheap to make a profit - we suggest you donate these brands instead via our donate + recycle scheme. These brands include supermarket clothing and Primark. 

If something isn’t suitable for resale but it’s in good nick, why not donate it? Worn to pieces? Recycle it! Our donate + recycle scheme offers you a convenient way to clear out your clutter and extend the lifecycle of all your kids' outgrown clothes; reducing their carbon footprint.

You'll need to download our app to sell with us. Then simply login to your account or create a free account. Hit the + button to start your listing. You’ll be guided through some questions about your item, and have the opportunity to load some photographs.

No worries! Check the brand’s own website, as some have their own size conversion system and charts. If they don’t have one check out our easy conversion chart for kids clothes below… 
‍

We have one for shoe sizes too! (NB. Size and fit can vary from style to style, so please use this as a general guide only and always check the original brand or retailer for their own size guides and conversion charts).

You’re clearly a trend-setter! We mustn’t have it on our list yet! For now, to list your item just select ‘other’. Please also ping us an email ([email protected]) and we can make sure we add the brand to our list asap. Thank you for helping us discover something new!

Check out our top tips on taking great photos here. You can shoot it with just your phone. Just make sure it’s well lit, nicely presented (think plain backdrop and ironed clothes!). Capture the front, back (and side where relevant), the label, and any signs of wear and tear or imperfection. If you don't capture any imperfections in your photos, you won't be covered by our Seller Protection Scheme.

This can feel like a tricky one, especially if you’re new to reselling. If you don’t know the RRP, have a quick snoop of similar full price items from that brand. Then, check out listing prices for that brand on dotte to get a feel for the types of discounts people tend to apply when selling second hand- then make your best guesstimate! Consider the condition of the item, the brand (is it high street or premium? The latter tends to hold more value longer), and how much life it’s got left in it. Always use your own common sense and ask “would I pay that much myself?”. If it doesn’t sell, chances are you need to lower it a little.

We don’t have a way for you to set automatic discounts just yet (like BOGOF), but if the same buyer purchases several items from you in one go, we suggest offering them a discount (or free item) to acknowledge the savings you’ve made on postage. You can do this by messaging the buyer and offering to lower the price of an item, then edit the listing to lower the price as agreed. It’s nice to make people feel good right?

Please note, if your buyer has used a dotte discount code to make the purchase, it will appear on your statement. But please rest assured, the discount will be removed from our dotte fee – you will still receive the full amount for your sale and we will absorb the money off!

We’re all about individuality here at dotte, so as often as possible please list items individually. This gives buyers maximum choice. However if you want to sell carefully curated bundles (e.g. 3 x t-shirts) simply select ‘bundle’ when selecting the item category. Make sure you also tick any other relevant item categories (such as t-shirt) so your listing pops up in the right places for buyers! You can upload a cover photo of all the items, but you also need to add individual photos of each item in the bundle - no job lot photos please! List your item clearly adding the following into the item description ‘BUNDLE: number x brand item, age’ (e.g. BUNDLE: 3 x Zara t-shirts, 7 years).

You can remove a listing from the marketplace at any time, either by closing it or deleting it. You'll need to be logged into the marketplace on our app, then click the profile icon followed by "my listings". Once you have located the listing you want to delete, tap the ellipsis and "delete" or "close listing" appears in a drop down. Choosing these options will remove the item from the marketplace.

If someone has sent you a message with an offer for a lower price, you can choose to accept it, or decline it. It’s up to you! If you accept it, you need to edit the listing manually to reduce the price, and then tell the buyer it’s ready for them to ‘buy now’. It’s also good etiquette to let other buyers know the item is reserved once the item price has been adjusted, by simply adding ‘This item is reserved for [buyers username]’ in the item description.

When you are logged into your account on the app, head to your profile page. Now select ‘my listings’. Tapping the ellipsis on the right hand corner of each listing there’s an option to ‘edit listing’ - et voila! (It’s also good practice to mention the item is reserved in the item description, to avoid someone else swooping in and buying it at the new price).

If a buyer asks you to reserve an item (for example once you’ve lowered a price for them if they made an offer) you can do this by simply writing ‘Reserved for [sellers username]’ in the item description. It just helps prevent someone else swooping in and buying it before the buyer has chance!

Hurrah! You've received a request to buy your item. Feels good, huh? First things first, you'll need to view the order request and click to accept the purchase. To do this simply log into your account on the app and head to your inbox. Open the new message about the pending sale and hit the ‘Accept’ button. Once you click accept, it's a done deal! If you don't accept within 7 days, the buyer will be automatically refunded and the purchase cancelled. Try not to leave buyers hanging! We encourage sellers to accept orders ASAP, ideally within 24 hours of receiving the request.

Now for the important bit. Package up the item with love and care (we recommend our beautiful, eco-friendly packaging!). Write on the shipping address (found in your confirmation email and on the message in your inbox, under ‘sales’) or stick on the label (if you’re using Evri or Royal Mail Click & Drop). Post the item as soon as convenient (within a week is best) and make sure you communicate with the buyer as you go. Once you have sent the item please contact the buyer on the message thread to let them know (and ideally add a tracking number).

Once you have sent your item, log into your account > inbox > sales and open the message thread about the sale to let the buyer know it's on the way to its new home. Please also add tracking information in a message to the buyer. And you’re done! Congratulations!

Sellers on dotte keep 85% of the profit. The other 15% represents our commission (which is inclusive of all the fees from our payment processor Stripe - so you don't have to worry about them!).

When you set up a profile on dotte you will also be asked to set up a Stripe Connect account by entering your bank details. Sellers get paid in one monthly 'bundle' payout from Stripe on the 28th of every month - think of it as your dotte paycheck! This payout will include all sales for the 4 weeks up to the cut-off date, which is the 21st of the month (7 days prior to pay day). Any sales made on the 21st will roll into the next month's paycheck. You'll also need to remember to accept the purchase request within 7 days of the purchase being made, or else the buyer will be automatically refunded.

Stripe is a payment processing platform for e-commerce, similar to PayPal. It enables payments to be made online using different methods, and holds the highest level of certification available in the payments industry for security (PCI Service Provider Level 1).

If you’re selling your children’s outgrown clothes on dotte, the likelihood is that you won’t have to pay tax on this.  For example, if you buy a Beau Loves dress for £40, then sell it on dotte a year later for £30, you’re not turning a profit so you won’t pay tax on this.  How often you sell on dotte is important to HMRC though.  If you sell often and consistently throughout the year, this might be viewed as trading - and you might owe tax.  But if you just list items on dotte when you have a batch of outgrown clothing, or when you need an extra bit of pocket money, this will be seen as personal earning.  You can find out more from HMRC here.

During the COVID-19 pandemic second hand clothing has actually been booming - all that time at home means people are clearing out their closets! But, we are living in uncertain times and it can be hard to know what’s safe and what isn’t safe. So we’ve pulled together some guidelines on how to buy and sell second hand clothing safely during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Research suggests coronaviruses don’t last as long on clothing as they do on hard surfaces.  Nevertheless, we recommend sellers wash clothing on the hottest setting allowed according to the care instructions.  We also recommend sellers wash their hands with soap and water before handling the clothing (e.g. when photographing them or packaging them up).  We recommend buyers wash any items they receive before wearing them.

Evri and Royal Mail (our two recommended postage providers) have taken steps to make posting and receiving parcels as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. My Hermes offer a home collection service which is contact free and is the safest way to send parcels. We also recommend washing your hands with soap and water before and after handling parcels. Research suggests coronaviruses can stay infective for up to 24 hours on cardboard packages, so if you want to be extra careful you could quarantine any parcels for 48 hours before handling and opening them.