Random Fashion Thoughts (Part 3: Style farmer strikes back) - our general discussion thread

[gettoasty]

Dollar today is more than a dollar tomorrow, etc.

@whorishconsumer I've used both services and was happy, whether it was credit or cash. Just temper your expectations due to the auction system.

 

[zissou]

I'm perennially getting rid of clothing, pretty much with as much frequency as I acquire new threads. I'm exhausted by all of it. It would be nice to settle down into a good-enough wardrobe and forget about it.

So much of stuff-acquisition is not about the stuff but external factors driving the purchase – personal insecurities, aspirations, addiction – it's no wonder cutting such acquisitions loose can feel therapeutic. In fact, a surfeit of clothes can be valuable, as it serves as a signal that you don't need more sh*t. As cathartic as letting stuff go is, it has the paradoxical purpose of creating a perception that there's a gap to be filled – with more stuff. The idea that one should strive for a capsule wardrobe very much fuels this, as do justifications such as "I'm just paying tuition in the school of personal style".

I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer lies somewhere in the acceptance of the banal, with its less-than-perfect sleeve pitch, trouser tilt and discordance in tone. A lesson you will not learn in this community, for certain.



I've been considering doing Luxeswap for my present collection of stuff, given the tedium of managing and waiting out self-listings. How's the non-NMWA-credit return, generally? Meaning, cash money.

I also find it helpful to set constraints on myself if I want to pare down my wardrobe. I can get whatever I want/can afford, but it has to be one-in-one-out or one-in-two-out, etc. Now that I have the skills and tools to do it, I make all of my own shirts, pants, and jackets. So, I let myself have as many as I want as long as I take the time to make them (which makes the wearing even more satisfying). Instead of trying to find the perfect shirt, I just look for the perfect fabric and the rest is my responsibility. Of course, now I have about six fabrics waiting in line for me to make garments 😂

 

[ppk]

I also find it helpful to set constraints on myself if I want to pare down my wardrobe. I can get whatever I want/can afford, but it has to be one-in-one-out or one-in-two-out, etc. Now that I have the skills and tools to do it, I make all of my own shirts, pants, and jackets. So, I let myself have as many as I want as long as I take the time to make them (which makes the wearing even more satisfying). Instead of trying to find the perfect shirt, I just look for the perfect fabric and the rest is my responsibility. Of course, now I have about six fabrics waiting in line for me to make garments 😂

Wow! I would love to hear about your journey to making your own clothes. I'm totally impressed.

 

[zissou]

Wow! I would love to hear about your journey to making your own clothes. I'm totally impressed.

Thanks! I went back to school during the pandemic and got a degree in industrial design focusing on outdoor products (bags and apparel). For anyone interested in making their own clothes, I recommend getting a refurbished sewing machine for a couple hundred bucks, becoming familiar with it, sew some simple things, and then take some sewing classes and eventually a flat patterning course or two. I'm essentially making bespoke clothes for myself now and they fit so incredibly well. As someone who is tall and relatively thin with wide, square shoulders and long arms and legs, I've never been able to find OTR clothing that fits nearly as well as the clothes that I make for myself.

 

[dalevy]

I bought a jacket from Namu Shop and they shipped with UPS who then has USPS deliver. There was no delivery though it was marked delivered a couple days ago now.

I inquired with Namu Shop and got this kind of unbelievable response? Can someone save me some time trying to figure out what to do? UPS online claims doesn’t work because they sent it to USPS. Jacket was 350 ish. I suppose I go to USPS? Or credit card? Is Namu’s response standard? I would think if they want to keep customer’s they offer to make it right?

***

Thanks so much for your order and for reaching out! I'm so sorry to hear about the package - the best way forward would be to reach out to your local USPS (we recommend visiting in person) for an inquiry to your usual route driver. Unfortunately once proof of delivery is provided by the carrier, and the signature option was not selected, we cannot be held responsible for the package. If the package is still lost by the end of the week, we can help start a claim process for up to $200 that is covered by our backend platform, Shopify.

Please keep us posted, and thanks so much for your support.

 

[thatboyo]

You have to start a claim with USPS. It’s interesting they said claim up to $200 and via Shopify. I would’ve thought they bought insurance for full amount as a precaution.

 

[zissou]

Many shops are passing the cost of insuring the full value of an item on to the customer.

 

[dalevy]

I would have paid a small fee for the insurance. It just seems so odd that they just sent it this way without giving me the option if they are going to cap it at $200. Anyways, not buying from Namu again.

 

[ppk]

Thanks! I went back to school during the pandemic and got a degree in industrial design focusing on outdoor products (bags and apparel). For anyone interested in making their own clothes, I recommend getting a refurbished sewing machine for a couple hundred bucks, becoming familiar with it, sew some simple things, and then take some sewing classes and eventually a flat patterning course or two. I'm essentially making bespoke clothes for myself now and they fit so incredibly well. As someone who is tall and relatively thin with wide, square shoulders and long arms and legs, I've never been able to find OTR clothing that fits nearly as well as the clothes that I make for myself.

BTW, I am exactly this:

is tall and relatively thin with wide, square shoulders and long arms and legs

 

[double00]

You have to start a claim with USPS. It’s interesting they said claim up to $200 and via Shopify. I would’ve thought they bought insurance for full amount as a precaution.

the amount sounds like a default ? i'm not privy to the details of this transaction obvs but usps priority features $50 insurance unless you opt and pay for more coverage .

if i'm selling i will pay for insurance myself for higher amounts and just notify the customer but i don't *pass on* the cost . typically my customer will pay most but not all of the shipping burden ... i'd rather not hang my customers out to dry if something goes wrong .

 

[zippyh]

That route protection thing that retailers try to add on checkout is pure BS. Ultimately, it is up to the retailer to get you the product and if it gets lost in transit they don't get to say too bad for you, you didn't pay for insurance. For that matter, if something is lost in transit, the shipper is the one that has to deal with any insurance claims. And if the retailer says sorry, it's only insured for $100, that's what charge-backs are for.

 

[GG Allin]

Has anyone signed up for the grailed vip program?

 

[eazye]

I've never heard of starting with UPS and then having USPS finish the shipping process. How does that even work?

 

[tgaith77]

Go check out the ebay thrifting thread...as a seller on ebay, I would tell you the same thing. If it's showing up in tracking as having been delivered, then you'd need to work with UPS/ USPS to find your package.

Obviously, a seller (or retailer) does every practical thing to get a package to you safely and on time, but they can't *guarantee* that, too many variables after it leaves them. After it leaves the seller, everyone's operating in an implied contract of understanding that a package will be sent to you and not lost, stolen, damaged, etc. by the carrier. Not to mention, it protects the seller from fake claims of a package not being delivered (not the case here).

Clearly, it sucks. in this case, UPS and USPS will point the finger at each other too. I would like to think that Namu would make a good faith effort to do right by you, but who knows. You also have the nuclear option of a chargeback...Good luck.

 

[zippyh]

I've never heard of starting with UPS and then having USPS finish the shipping process. How does that even work?

UPS Surepost. My experience is most of the time it ends up being delivered by UPS guy. There are similar unholy FedEx/USPS and DHL/USPS versions.