Quick answer: If you sell on Vestiaire Collective from the UAE as a private seller, every sale is shipped to a Vestiaire authentication warehouse abroad before it reaches the buyer, and you pay that international shipping yourself, even when the buyer is also in Dubai. On Libas Collective the courier is arranged for you, a Dubai-to-Dubai sale stays in the UAE, and authentication, when the buyer asks for it, happens at our centre in Dubai.
Vestiaire Collective is one of the best-known luxury resale platforms in the world, and many sellers in the UAE use it. The platform works well for sellers in the countries it is built around. For a private seller in the Gulf, the way the parcel travels changes the economics of a sale. This guide sets out how selling on Vestiaire works from the UAE, using Vestiaire's own help centre, and how the same sale works on Libas Collective.
How a sale works on Vestiaire Collective from the UAE
Every UAE sale goes through a Vestiaire warehouse
Vestiaire offers two ways to deliver a sold item. With authentication, the seller ships the item to a Vestiaire warehouse, where it is checked and then sent on to the buyer. With Direct Shipping, the seller ships straight to the buyer. According to Vestiaire's help centre, Direct Shipping is only available when both buyer and seller are in Europe, the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong or Switzerland. The UAE is not on that list, so a sale from a UAE seller goes through a Vestiaire authentication warehouse.
Those warehouses are outside the region
Vestiaire lists its authentication hubs in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong and Singapore. Authenticated sales from the UAE are routed to its Hong Kong hub. That means a bag sold by a seller in Dubai Marina to a buyer in Jumeirah travels to Hong Kong and back before it arrives.
Private sellers in the UAE pay that shipping themselves
Vestiaire covers shipping costs for sellers in the 46 countries on its free-shipping list. Its help centre states that sellers outside that list "will need to pay for shipping yourself, including any related customs fees", and that in the UAE it covers shipping fees for professional sellers. A private seller in the UAE therefore books and pays for an international express shipment to the hub, and Vestiaire provides an identification label to go inside the parcel rather than a prepaid shipping label.
When you are paid
Vestiaire says it issues payment the next business day after authentication and quality control are complete, and that it can take up to 5 business days to reach your account depending on the payout method.
How the same sale works on Libas Collective
- The courier is arranged for you. Once a buyer orders, we book the pickup from your address: Aramex within the UAE and GCC, DHL worldwide. You do not buy a shipping label.
- A local sale stays local. A sale from one address in the UAE to another is delivered within the UAE.
- Authentication in Dubai, when the buyer wants it. The buyer chooses at checkout. If they add authentication, the piece comes to our Dubai centre and is checked by the in-house team, with LegitGrails where the piece warrants it, before it goes on to the buyer. If not, it ships from you to the buyer directly.
- What you pay. Listing is free. When the piece sells, the commission is 10% of the sale price below USD 20,000, or a flat USD 2,000 at or above it, plus 3% payment processing. The breakdown with worked examples is on our selling fees page.
- When you are paid. The money is deposited to your wallet once the buyer has received the piece, and can be withdrawn 72 hours later.
The one case in which a seller bears shipping on Libas Collective is a failed authentication: if a buyer adds authentication and the piece turns out to be counterfeit or not as described, the return costs fall on the seller, as set out in section 4.4 of our Terms and Conditions. Describe the piece accurately and this does not arise.
Side by side, for a private seller in the UAE
| Vestiaire Collective | Libas Collective | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the item goes after a sale | A Vestiaire authentication warehouse abroad (Hong Kong for UAE sales), then the buyer | Straight to the buyer, or to our Dubai centre first if the buyer added authentication |
| Who pays shipping from the seller | The private seller (Vestiaire covers professional sellers in the UAE) | Not the seller: we arrange and book the courier |
| Direct delivery to a buyer in the same country | Not available in the UAE | Yes |
| Courier | Booked by the seller | Aramex (UAE and GCC), DHL (worldwide), booked by us |
| When the seller is paid | Next business day after authentication, then up to 5 business days to arrive | To the wallet when the buyer receives the piece, withdrawable after 72 hours |
Who each platform suits
Vestiaire suits sellers in its free-shipping countries, and sellers who want their listings in front of a large international audience in Europe and the United States. If you are a private seller in the UAE or the wider Gulf, and most of your buyers are in the region, the cost and distance of shipping every sale abroad is the part to weigh before you list. Our guide to where to sell your designer bag in Dubai covers the other local routes, and The Luxury Closet alternatives in the UAE compares the region's other resale platforms.
Ready to list? Start selling here.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an alternative to Vestiaire Collective in the UAE?
Yes. Libas Collective is a Dubai-based marketplace where you list for free, keep the piece until it sells, and the courier is arranged for you. Consignment boutiques such as Reem's Closet and The Closet are other local options.
Do I pay shipping when I sell on Vestiaire Collective from the UAE?
If you are a private seller, yes. Vestiaire's help centre says sellers outside its 46 free-shipping countries pay their own shipping and any customs fees, and that in the UAE it covers shipping for professional sellers.
Where does Vestiaire Collective authenticate items sold from the UAE?
Vestiaire's authentication hubs are in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Hong Kong and Singapore. Authenticated sales from the UAE are routed to Hong Kong.
Can a Dubai seller ship directly to a Dubai buyer on Vestiaire Collective?
No. Vestiaire's Direct Shipping is only available when buyer and seller are both in Europe, the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong or Switzerland, so a UAE sale goes through an authentication warehouse.
Do sellers pay shipping on Libas Collective?
No. We arrange and book the courier once a buyer orders. The only exception is a failed authentication, where the return costs fall on the seller under section 4.4 of our terms.
Where is authentication done on Libas Collective?
At our centre in Dubai, when the buyer adds authentication at checkout. The in-house team checks the piece, with LegitGrails where the piece warrants it, before it goes to the buyer.
