Buying a latin or ballroom dress from Vietnamese dressmakers could leave you out of pocket-you'll be expected to pay to return goods to the seller when they're damaged, don't fit and poor quality. Read this guide and make your mind up whether you want to take the risk...

Want to know who this seller is? Why not look down the page and to the right-hand side where you'll see eBay have shown some auction photos..chances are, it'll be the same seller who made these poorly fitting, low-quality  dresses. 

STOP PRESS>>STOP PRESS>>>STOP PRESS>>>>

We  won a Paypal SNAD claim against this seller {significantly not as described} and were asked  by Paypal to send the dresses back to the seller in order to get a refund.  However, the address supplied byPaypal was for another person in France and not Vietnam, where the seller lives and is registered on eBay. This person was NOT the seller . This "agent" in France,  who, by the way,  accepts the Paypal payments for the seller's  auctions, refused to accept  delivery of the returned goods  - thus showing that they won't co-operate if you upset them.  The parcel was correctly addressed and showed our address and details on the back - so they could not mistake who the parcel was from.

Here's just a few photos showing faults with the dresses that we had made to measure...

the back strap has been attached to the inside of the bra cup, rather than to the back. This is a major mistake on the dressmakers' part - the auction dress  photo shows that the strap is correctly situated. Our's is completely different to the one in the auction

dress rucks up under the arms because the back strap has been attached to the wrong part of the dress

oil on the bra cups

holes in the body suit have casued the fabric to "ladder"- on the base of the spine - it shows on the outside

oil on the dress

chiffon is very badly dyed and very patchy

holes in the bra cups where the fabric is so thin and cheap

bra cups are actually a cut-down half-cup bra - far too large and NOT made for use with dancewear

marks where sellotape was placed on the fabric roll at some point - these were on the derriere  part of the dress - couldn't be hidden

We'll be writing all the faults down here very soon  but if you need to know you can contact us!

The seller admitted they don't check the goods before they're despatched  and she wouldn't look at the photographic evidence of the faults!

She  tried to offer an off e-bay sale - thus giving the buyer very little protection

She tried feedback extortion, too! 

The dresses were significantly different from the auction photos

They were so badly constructed and designed that they couldn't be used by any dancer

If you want to know who the seller is - then look at the negative feedback we've left - or look to the right of this guide and chances are, items from the seller who sold us these dresses will appear!

Protect Yourself by Reading This!

Just in case you don't want to see a list of all the faults, just read these guidelines:

Before you bid, ask this seller

1. If they have personally checked the dress for faults in the construction, dirty marks, stains, damage, that it's exactly the same as in the photos and that the fabric used is evenly dyed and suitable for dance dresses?

2. Are the bra cups suitable for clothing that's used for dancing - ie are they supportive even when the user performs strenuous activity? See Photo 10

3. If they pay for the buyer's shipping and packaging costs to return to the seller if the goods are damaged, dirty, not made to your specific measurements {if you've asked for a special colour or size} or not as described? 

4. Has the actual dress design shown, been  successfully trialled and tested by a Latin and Ballroom dancer? For example has it been worn for an hour's lesson/coaching or for a dance competition without any problems on fit etc. Does the design and cut allow for the full range of movement that a dancer requires and expects?

Before your goods are despatched, ask this seller

1.  To send you  photographs of the actual dress they'll be sending to you - then you can see if there are any obvious faults and differences from the one shown in the auction photos.

2. If they have personally checked the dress for faults in the construction, dirty marks, stains,  damage, that it's exactly the same as in the photos and that the fabric used is evenly dyed and suitable for dance dresses.

3. If they have double-checked that the dress has  been made exactly to your specific measurements, if you've asked for a special colour or size?

4. Has the dress been put on a tailor's dummy or similar to see if there's any obvious mistakes in construction and fit, as per the awful mess made by the seller's seamstress in photo 1 above! 

If the answer to any of the above is a "no", then please think very carefully about progressing further

What It's Cost Us to Send These Dresses Back...

It's sad that this seller sends out poor quality, unusable goods and then expects the buyer to foot the bill to send them back..

Depending on where you live, it can cost between $26  and $45 to return

Only after persisting with this seller, did we get any offer to pay the return shipping, but we had to agree to withdraw the negative feedback and only leave a neutral for the remaining item. We don't give in to blackmail or feedback  extortion and refused as we

felt it was important to be able to leave negative feedback to warn other buyers about how this seller  treats eBayers.

The Latin Dress

1. There are two parallel lines on the back of the dress on the seat - these are covered in a coating of gold glitter. Evidence would suggest that sticky tape {sellotape} had been placed on the roll of fabric at some point - perhaps attaching a consignment number or something similar. These marks are undoubtedly old sticky tape marks. Photo 6

2. There is a hole on the right hand side of the rear waistband..which will only get worse with wear. Photo 3

 3. There are two holes on the outer edge of the right bra cup, which will get worse with wear. Photo Nine

4. The bra cup lining is pink and can be  clearly seen.

5. The bra cups don't fit and are wrong for this sort of dress. Basically, they gap at the top and show inappropriate areas of the chest or decolletage. They don't sit close to the skin and when you move this gets worse. They are not deep enough aas they are plunge/ half cup bras which have been butchered and cut up. These are wholly unsuitable for dance angie no support.

6.  There is a 16 inch long stag/run in the satin

7. The skirt is totally unsuitable or any exercise of any description. The satin has no stretch and it should be a stretch satin if you're using it for dancewear. Basically, at the point where it joins the lycra ruching on the skirt, it severely restricts movement. You can't sit down in the skirt without it cutting into the legs. You can only stand with feet hip width apart because the skirt joins the ruching 4 inches below the crotch-line - this is too low.

8. The snap panty has not been stitched properly and is coming apart.

Nine.    The waistband shows evidence that a 3 inch mistake was made and then un-picked and re-stitched. This has weakened the already wafer-thin fabric and holes have appeared 

10. For some strange reason, the seamstress has used two different green lycras - one has a foil print on it.  They had obviously run out of one type of lycra and just used the reverse of some foil-print lycra. This foil print is substandard, end of roll lycra as the print is only partially on the fabric.

The Ballroom Dress

1. The are two holes which have developed in ladder runs - where the lower back of the lining joins the mauve lycra.

2. The seamstress has attached the back strap to the inner part of the dress, where the side of the lower bust lining is. It should have been attached to the back of the dress, bring the dress to a closure and this is how the dress is shown in the auction photo.  However, because the seamstress has made a fundamental mistake when putting our dress together, this dress will always gape as shown in the photo!  This clearly shows the low level of expertise that you can expect with this eBay seller's goods.

3. The lining and bodysuit show.

4. There is writing in gold marker pen {permanent} on the chiffon.

5. There are oily stains/marks on the exterior and interior of the bra cups

6. The lower back of the dress is so badly cut and designed, that it shows the wearer's posterior.

7.  The dress rucks under the arms and is a very poor fit.

8. The bra cups don't fit and are wrong for this sort of dress. Basically, they gap at the top and show inappropriate areas of the chest or decolletage. They don't sit close to the skin and when you move this gets worse. They are not deep enough aas they are plunge/ half cup bras which have been butchered and cut up. These are wholly unsuitable for dance angie no support.

Nine.