Information about WhoSki.com

How it works

How it works

Contents: 


User Guide:

How do transactions (buying and selling) work?

Transactions take place within the WhoSki.com site, powered by Sharetribe functionality. Payments are handled by our chosen provider Stripe, a trusted online payment processing platform which allows safe and efficient processing of funds via credit card or bank and transfers those funds to the seller's account.

In order to receive payments as a vendor, you must provide details of the bank account you want funds to be paid into. This is done via your WhoSki.com registration pages. Neither WhoSki.com nor Sharetribe holds this information and neither party can access it.

Once a buyer has clicked BUY on your item, they review the details of the purchase and input their payment card details. 

At this point, the buyer is taken to a page that displays the transaction details. They are told that the seller needs to accept the transaction before the payment can be transferred.

The seller receives an email notification that a new transaction needs to be accepted at WhoSki.com. If the seller does not accept the transaction within three days, the transaction is cancelled. No money is taken from the buyer’s bank card and no money is transferred to the seller’s bank account.

Once the seller accepts the transaction within their WhoSki account, payment is taken via the buyer’s card, with funds held by Stripe. Both parties receive a receipt of the transaction by email. Seller manually closes listing to ensure item is no longer available for sale. 

There is the opportunity for buyer and seller to communicate by message about the transaction ie agree when item will be posted/delivered etc. For your safety and security, we recommend you keep these communications within the WhoSki.com messaging system.

Buyer must mark the order as completed once the product has been delivered or exchange of goods has taken place. Commission fees are paid to WhoSki.com by Stripe and the remaining balance is then moved by Stripe to the seller’s bank account. Stripe takes up to eight working days (although this can occasionally take longer) to move the money. Even if the transaction is marked as completed immediately, the money will only appear in the seller's bank account after a minimum of three days.

At this point, the transaction is complete and both seller and buyer are encouraged to review each other on the WhoSki.com website.

Why has Stripe refused my payment?

If an error occurs in the payment process (eg bank card is invalid/expired or there are insufficient funds in buyer's account), Stripe will reject the transaction and the buyer is notified to use a different payment method. Stripe also monitors for fraudulent transactions and will automatically block any transactions that look suspicious. WhoSki.com admins are alerted to suspected fraudulent transactions and will report them to the authorities where appropriate.

I want to dispute a transaction. What happens next?

In the WhoSki.com user account, you can open a DISPUTE if you want to halt payment to the vendor. This should only be done in rare circumstances: perhaps the item purchased has not arrived or is not as described by the vendor. Opening a dispute unnecessarily will be bad for your user feedback and could affect your reputation for future transactions.

We recommend you do NOT open a dispute simply because you have changed your mind about an item - remember, you can always put the item back up for sale on WhoSki.com. Disputes should only be raised when there is a problem with the item purchased. See below for full information about how Disputes are handled.

Listings Rules: 

Be honest
We want you and your customer to be delighted with their purchase, so make sure the description and photos of every item posted for sale are fair and accurate. No one likes a nasty surprise.

By listing your items on WhoSki.com you assert that they belong to you and you have the right to sell them. In brief: only sell items that you own.

Remember too that it is ILLEGAL to sell (or buy) fake or counterfeit items. There is no place on WhoSki.com for such items, and we will take down any such postings. (For full details, see our T&Cs)

If the items supplied do not match the description, your buyer has the right to open a dispute into the transaction. Find out more under DISPUTES below.


Prohibited items
We do not allow sale of the following on WhoSki.com:

  • fake or counterfeit items
  • offensive materials
  • used cosmetics eg suncreams
  • alcohol
  • drugs and drug paraphernalia
  • animal products eg real fur
  • hazardous materials
  • medical devices
  • knives or weapons, including climbing axes, penknives etc

NOTE: this list is not exhaustive. We reserve the right to prohibit sale of any other items on an ad hoc basis if we consider them to be dangerous or inappropriate. 

We advise you do not sell used helmets  (you can’t be sure how long it’s been worn and what has happened to it. Avoid second hand helmets.), skis or ski boots on WhoSki.com as there could be safety implications if you sell an item that is defective or causes injury. Tecnica accepts used ski boots for recycling across eight European countries although sadly not yet the UK. Ellis Brigham also runs a ski boot recycling scheme

If you do purchase equipment through the WhoSki.com platform, we take no liability for any resulting harm, damage or injury. We recommend that before using any second hand equipment of any kind, you ensure it is fully checked and serviced by an expert.   

Copyright images
Do not cut and paste images from elsewhere (retailer or stock images) to illustrate the item you are selling. Use only your own images.

If your item is identical to one elsewhere on the internet, post a link but do not reproduce anyone else’s words or images. See our FAQs page for tips on taking great photos.

Children

You must not post any identifiable image of a child or children on WhoSki.com for any reason. 


Commercial listings
WhoSki.com is a peer-to-peer marketplace, so we do not allow commercial or business postings. This means no large quantities of brand new clothing or other items, batches of new clothing in a variety of sizes, colours etc, items which ‘can be ordered’ etc. See our Terms of service for business seller information. Get in touch if you are a business seller wanting to use the WhoSki.com marketplace.

Shipping

Once your item has sold, please make every effort to dispatch it as soon as payment has been received. Keep your customer informed as to how and when you have posted an item. Monies will be held by our trusted transaction partner Stripe and not released to a vendor until a transaction is marked as ‘COMPLETED’. Find out more about transaction procedures above.

Every sale is a contract between seller and buyer so you must honour all transactions. If the items supplied do not match the description, your buyer has the right to open a dispute into the transaction. Find out more under DISPUTES below.


Charging Policy:

When you sell an item through WhoSki.com, you are automatically charged a 20% commission on the transaction (excluding shipping costs). This charge is taken directly from the payment due to you before the remainder of the money is paid to you through our trusted transaction provider Stripe.
What’s different with WhoSki.com is that out of our commission, we donate 10% to our charity partner stem4 (Registered Charity No 1144506).

Unlike some other marketplace platforms, there is no charge simply for listing your items on WhoSki.com, so no sale – no fee. 

What should I charge for my items?
What you decide to charge will depend on criteria including the following:
- item condition
- how keen you are to pass it on
- how quickly you wish it to sell
- whether similar items have sold recently and at what price-point
- seasonality. For example, ski and snowboard clothing is likely to be less in demand during the summer months. Watersports kit is less likely to be in demand during the winter months.
Remember, you can change the price of the item you are selling by editing your listing. You can withdraw an item from sale if it has not sold.

What happens if I refund a buyer?

If you refund a buyer for any reason, for example if they change their mind about an item and you agree to their request, we will refund 90% of our 20% commission ie the proportion that we take as the WhoSki.com fee. The charity element will not be refunded.

How do I refund a buyer?
Payments on WhoSki.com are handled through our trusted transaction partner Stripe. Once an item has been sold, funds are taken from the buyer’s payment card and held by Stripe until the buyer has received their items and marked the transaction as COMPLETED. Once this has taken place, your funds will be released within eight days.
If your buyer is unhappy with the transaction, they may contact you direct via the internal messaging system on WhoSki.com. This message will be private and not published on the site. If the buyer is still unhappy about the transaction (eg if item is not as described or fails to arrive) they can open a DISPUTE into the transaction. This has to occur BEFORE the transaction is marked as completed in order for funds to be withheld from the seller.

Involvement from WhoSki.com admins is required to resolve a dispute. The dispute process is as follows:
The seller and WhoSki.com admins are notified by email. Admins will discuss with both parties to decide what to do next. Decisions will be (1) that the buyer should be given a refund OR (2) that the dispute is dismissed and funds will be released to the vendor. Buyer and seller will be notified by email of the decision. Buyer and seller will be able to review each other.
Find out more about DISPUTES below.
As with all interactions, polite, regular communication between buyers and sellers will help ensure transactions on WhoSki.com take place smoothly and in good faith.


IMAGES: Amazing brands and products sell, but without great photography and clarity of information, your gear may not budge. Try these top tips:

1.     Sharing is caring
Make sure your outfit is washed and in tip-top condition. Your customer wants to receive something in great condition that has been cared for – share the outfit, not its experience.

2.     Contrast not conflict
Choosing the best background for your outfit is important. Try white (doors can work) or display it on un-creased paper/card to draw your purchaser’s eye to the outfit not the backdrop. Rarely does it work to use a duvet as a backdrop.

3.     Plump it up
Try rolling towels and place inside the outfit (across the chest / in the arms / in the legs) to give it more presence. (Make sure the towel is not visible.)

4.     Image experiment
Think about your items and make sure you photograph key elements:
– Why did you buy it?
– Does it have any specific features?
– Be clear with the colour.
– Is there any damage? Show it clearly in your photos.
– Take detail shots as well as overall.

5.     Retail is detail
Zoom in close on the detail so your purchaser knows exactly what they are getting: focus on zips / inner pockets / any key features including logos and branding / any specific flaws or features.

LISTING INFORMATION: This will appear across the thumbnail image of your item on our shopping homepage, so make it brief but compelling. It will also appear as the headline of your item on the item listing page. Aim for an informative, SEO-friendly title which contains keywords that a buyer might search for when seeking a specific item (eg ski jacket, snowboard gloves). Check your spelling before posting.

Try and include the following information:

what it is: be specific about the item (eg ski jacket, snowboots, walking trousers etc)

- who it is for (eg child, men)

 - brand (if a selling point)

- size / age

Good: Child's Red Spyder ski jacket, age 8 
Not so good: Red Spyder jacket
Avoid: Jacket

DESCRIPTION: Select sizing where appropriate using our drop-down menu. Add further, comprehensive detail of sizing in the description box.

Make sure you provide as much relevant information as possible in the ‘Detailed Description’ box to ensure your purchaser can make an informed choice about buying your item. Include where relevant:

Brand: Who was it made by?
Size: Is it a ‘big’ 12 or a ‘small’ 12?  How old was your child when they wore it?
Key points: Colour / extra warm / designer wear?
Why you are selling it: Kids have grown out of it / you have been skiing once and don’t expect to go again
Material: What’s it made from (any waterproofing / thermal info)?
Details: Zips or Velcro? Straps? Lift pass pocket? Avalanche transponder? Removable hood? Vents?

PRICING:
Get the price right:
 If you want your item to sell, you need to price it competitively. We would always rather see an item sell than go to landfill, so think eco and ask a reasonable price that will encourage someone to buy your item that would otherwise be dumped. Remember, the majority of outdoor clothing taken to charity shops does not sell and cannot be recycled.
Remember too that you need to cover postage costs. You might want to make this clear in the description.

PROMOTION: TOP TIP... Giving your sale a mention on your personal social media feeds  Facebook, Instagram etc) with a link back to your item page is a great way to make sure as many people as possible see what you’re selling. Tag us in on Instagram @WeWhoSki

CONTACT: If you need to get in touch with the purchaser of your item, visit their profile page and post a private message to them via the item you are selling. Your messages will not be published on WhoSki.com. For your security and in case of later disputes, we recommend that you keep communications within the WhoSki.com platform.


Buyer Tips:

WhoSki.com is a peer-to-peer marketplace that runs on trust and cooperation. For this reason, we ask you to read and agree to our Transaction Agreement before making a purchase. You can find a link to this on the purchase page for every item on this website.

Security: Our Payment provider is Stripe, a well-known and respected online payments processing specialist. When you log your bank details via this website, neither WhoSki.com nor our platform partner Sharetribe have access to them. They are securely processed on the Stripe platform.

Payments: Once you agree to purchase an item, the cost of that item will be taken via the card details provided and held by Stripe until the transaction is completed. The payment will only be transferred to the seller once the item has been received and approved by you. In order to do this, you must mark the transaction as ‘Completed’. Please do so promptly, in order for the seller to be credited with their payment. However, once the transaction is marked as ‘Completed’ you cannot subsequently seek a refund or return the item. See section ‘Disputes and Refunds’ below for more information.

Reviews: Do please post a review of your experience once your purchase is completed. A review on google would also be appreciated as it is so helpful for other potential WhoSki.com visitors.

10-step HOW TO BUY guide: 

1 Open the listing page and click on the "Buy" button.

2 Review the details of the item you wish to purchase and input your payment card details. Your details are registered with our trusted transactions provider Stripe. WhoSki.com does not see, hold or store your payment details.

3 Once payment is made, you (the buyer) are taken to a page displaying the transaction details. You are told that the seller needs to accept the transaction before the money is transferred.

4 Once seller accepts the transaction, the money is captured from the buyer's card, and held by our payment provider Stripe until the transaction is complete,

5 If the transaction is not accepted within three days, the transaction is cancelled, and no money is transferred.

6 Throughout this process, you can privately message with the seller via the WhoSki.com website, in case of extra queries, to confirm delivery address etc.

7 Once product has been delivered and you are happy with it, mark the process as Completed. Authorisation is given for your payment to be transferred to the seller.

8 If you are unhappy with the item received, please liaise with the seller to reach an agreement. NOTE: you can only raise a Dispute (involving WhoSki.com admin: see below) before a transaction has been marked as Completed.

9 Stripe transfers your payment from the Stripe balance to the seller's bank account. Stripe takes approximately eight days to move the money.

10 Users can then post a review of each other. Please bear in mind our guidelines on polite, respectful communications.

For any problems that cannot be mutually resolved between buyer / seller, please see our Disputes policy. Get in touch with WhoSki.com administrators if necessary via info@whoski.com or our Contact us page.



As with all interactions, polite, regular communication between buyers and sellers will help ensure transactions on WhoSki.com take place smoothly and in good faith. However, there may be occasions when buyer or seller is unhappy with the process.

For example, if your item is significantly not as described, you may wish to return it and get a refund. 

An item that is correctly described but that does not fit is not a good reason for a refund. Ditto an item that you simply don’t like when you see it in the flesh. Under these circumstances, you can only return it if your seller agrees to refund you. Let admin know and we will enable this if both parties agree. Alternatively, you could immediately re-list the unwanted item on WhoSki.com for someone else to buy.

Once an item has been sold on WhoSki.com, funds are taken from the buyer’s payment card and held by Stripe until the buyer has received their items and marked the transaction as Completed. Once this has taken place, funds will be released to the seller within eight days.

If your buyer is unhappy with the transaction, they may contact you directly via the internal messaging system on WhoSki.com. This message will be private and not published on the site. If the buyer is still unhappy about the transaction (eg if item is not as described or fails to arrive) and you cannot jointly agree a solution, the buyer can open a Dispute into the transaction. We recommend opening a Dispute only as a last resort.

Only a buyer can raise a Dispute regarding a transaction whereby a refund is sought.

IMPORTANT: A refund can only be made BEFORE a transaction has been marked as completed. Once a transaction has been marked as Completed, our trusted transactions partner Stripe will automatically begin the payment process, which cannot be reversed.

A disputed transaction should always be marked as Disputed by the buyer in the transaction conversation thread.

Involvement from WhoSki.com admins is required to resolve a Dispute. The Dispute process is as follows:

The seller and WhoSki.com admins are notified by email that a dispute has been raised once the buyer presses the Dispute button on the ‘Status’ page for that item in the Transactions section of their account.

Dispute resolution

Admins will discuss with both parties to decide what to do next. Likely decisions are that (1) the buyer should be given a refund OR (2)  the dispute is dismissed and funds will be released to the vendor.

If a refund is approved, we will refund the proportion of commission we take as the WhoSki.com fee. The charity element will not be refunded.

Buyer and seller will be notified by email of the decision. Buyer and seller will be able to review each other.

Find out more about our Disputes Policy below.

If you have any feedback or complaints about your experience on WhoSki.com, please get in touch with us via the Contact Us page.


As with all interactions, polite, regular communication between buyers and sellers will help ensure transactions on WhoSki.com take place smoothly and in good faith. 

We advise and urge all users of the WhoSki.com website to make every effort to agree amicably should there be a problem with an item that has been bought or sold via our platform. 

Please use the private messaging system between buyer and seller to come to an arrangement should you have a query about any items bought or sold on our site.

If agreement cannot be reached and a buyer wishes to have a refund of costs paid, they can open a Dispute into a transaction. 

Important:

  • Only a buyer can raise a Dispute regarding a transaction whereby a refund is sought.

  • A refund can only be made before a transaction has been marked as completed. After this point, our transactions partner Stripe will automatically begin the payment process, which cannot be reversed.

  • A disputed transaction should always be marked as Disputed by the buyer in the transaction conversation thread.

Dispute Procedure:

Find out more about Disputes and refunds under Dispute resolution section above.

WhoSki.com Dispute Policy:

Reasons to open a Dispute:

  • If your item is significantly not as described and you are unhappy with it

  • If the seller fails to dispatch the item and cannot produce proof of postage 

Timeframe:

Once alerted that a buyer has opened a Dispute, the WhoSki.com team aims to respond within 48 hours.

Procedure:

Admins will discuss the issues of the Dispute with both parties via email/messaging. We may require both parties to submit photos of the item/s concerned. All parties must make honest declarations of fact, respond swiftly (within 48 hrs) to email requests and behave decently in all communications.

WhoSki.com admin may seek legal advice at this stage if necessary.

A final decision will be made within 30 days. Likely decisions are that
(1) the buyer should be given a refund
OR
(2)  the dispute is dismissed and funds will be released to the vendor.

A partial refund is also possible.

If a refund is approved, we will refund the proportion of commission we take as the WhoSki.com fee. The charity element will not be refunded.

Buyer and seller will be notified by email of the decision. A refund will be made once all parties have agreed to this solution. Buyer and seller will be able to review each other on WhoSki.com.