(0)How do I get started selling on I-ELLA?
It’s easy! Once your membership with I-ELLA has been approved, you must fill out our seller information form which includes personal info about you, as well as a verifiable credit card (you will not be charged), and your preferred method of payment - our preferred method is Paypal. To learn more about selling on I-ELLA, check out our Seller Tips page.
Are there any fees to sell items?
No! There is no fee to join and no fee to list items or upload pictures. We encourage our users to upload as many fabulous things in their closet as they wish. The more you share with us, the better the I-ELLA community will be.
How do I list an item?
When you click on the ‘Sell/Lend’ button right underneath the I-ELLA logo, you will be taken to your ‘My Closet’ page. At the top of the page is a button, ‘Upload Item’ which you can click and start sharing your closet. The process is easy, you list details about the item, upload pictures, and decide if you want to list it for sale, lending, swapping, or all three in one fell swoop. To learn more about listing an item, check out our Seller Tips page.
How do I purchase an item I like?
Shopping with I-ELLA is simple from start to finish. Click the item you like, add it to your cart, and checkout or go back to shopping. You can add as many items to your cart as you want, but we do not reserve them. Everything is sold, swapped, or loaned on a first come first serve basis. If you complete the transaction fee but do not pay for the item in your cart, it will be removed after 24 hours. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you about payment though. Also, a percentage of each sale goes to a charity of your choosing, so when you shop with us you’re also giving back to the community.
How do I borrow an item?
One of the most unique aspects of the I-ELLA marketplace is our ‘borrow’ feature which lets users borrow items from our sellers for a fraction of the retail cost. You can borrow a piece for a week and up to a month, the choice is yours. Typically, the lend price of an item is 10-25% of the retail value for a week-long loan and 50-80% of the retail value for a month long loan. So, if you need a fancy evening gown for that black tie wedding, now you can get a gorgeous designer frock without breaking the bank. The borrow process works the same as buying. Simply add the item to your cart, and checkout. A portion of the total will be directed to a charity of your choosing. The ‘lend’ period begins as soon as your item arrives. To learn more about borrowing, check out our Borrow/Lend tips.
I-ELLA currently does not offer borrow/renters insurance. If you have any concern with lending an item to someone, do not do it. To make it easier and safer, I-ELLA allows you to lend to your friends only. This option is available as you upload each item.
We are always here to help. Please direct any questions to service@i-ella.com
How do I swap an item?
If you want to get rid of a piece that no longer fits or that you’re simply bored with, swapping might be the perfect solution. You can swap new things, old things, any fabulous piece at all! I-ELLA’s swap feature allows users to swap items of comparable value. You both get something new while saving the planet from excess fashion waste. I-ELLA does not conduct swaps for users; it’s your decision if you want to accept or decline a swap. Each user is charged a flat five dollar fee for a swap, with a percentage of that going to a charity of your choosing. To learn more about swapping, check out our Swap Tips page here.
How do I donate part of my purchase to charity? Can I choose where I want it to go?
Yes! Donating with I-ELLA is easy, and you choose where you want your donation to go each and every time you shop with us. Each month, the I-ELLA team selects three charities to partner with. At checkout, you’re prompted to choose one or simply let I-ELLA choose for you, but either way, you’re giving back. For celebrity auctions, seventy-five percent of the proceeds are donated to a cause or venture that the featured celebrity promotes.
I’m having trouble uploading images to list an item. How can I troubleshoot this?
Sometimes, uploading can take awhile depending on how many other users are shopping and listing items on the site so we ask that you be patient, it could just be slow. Make sure that the photo you’re uploading is a jpeg and does not exceed 435 pixels wide and 411 pixels high. If you are still unable to upload the photo, try uploading a test photo or a different image of the item. You will be able to edit the listing before it is posted as well as after, so uploading a test image will help you determine if it is an image problem or something else. If you continue to experience trouble, please e-mail us at techsupport@i-ella.com so we can report the problem to our tech team. Please note, we do not accept images from third parties, whether another website, shop, or user. Your images must always be your own.
How do I become a seller on I-ELLA?
When you first register as a user with I-ELLA, you can also register as a seller by providing a little more information and a valid credit card. The credit card will be charged 10 cents to ensure that you are in fact a real person. It will then be refunded to you promptly once your account has been verified. However, you don’t have to register to be a seller right away. Simply click the SELL/LEND button under the I-ELLA logo to get started. If an item is purchased from your closet, you must ship it to the buyer within 2-3 business days. For further information about selling on I-ELLA, check out our Seller Tips page.
What sort of things can I sell/lend on I-ELLA?
Below, please find a helpful list of things we encourage you to sell on I-ELLA as well as things that are not allowed:
THINGS WE LOVE:
-designer brands
-new or unused items with tags
-beautiful quality vintage
-handmade pieces
-accessories such as shoes, hats, scarves, belts, sunglasses, and of course jewelry
-truly covetable fashion apparel of all shapes and sizes
-art and books are welcome too
THINGS WE LOATHE:
-alcohol, tobacco, drugs or drug paraphernalia
-live animals or illegal animal products
-pornography
-fire arms or weapons
-real estate
-motor vehicles
-Anything that promotes or glorifies hatred, racial intolerance, religious intolerance, or illegal behavior
How do I review a seller?
User-based reviews are extremely important to us, and we hope you will take the time to rate your experience with each seller. After you’ve bought, borrowed, or swapped with one of our sellers, you will be able to review the experience. There are two ways to do this: by giving them a star rating out of five (one being poor, five being excellent) and by writing a comment or two about your experience with them. Did you love the item? Were they helpful? Would you shop with them again? These thoughts are crucial to other users as well as to us. We only want the best, and if you didn’t have a positive experience with a seller, we’d like to know about it. To write a review, simply go to ‘My Closet’ and ‘Transactions’ and click the yellow ‘write a review’ button in the status column for each item. We ask that reviews are honest and always respectful.
How do I review a borrower?
Borrower reviews function the same way as seller reviews. These are equally important to ensure that other sellers know who in the community can be trusted with their pieces. To write a review, simply go to ‘My Closet’ and ‘Transactions’ and click the yellow ‘write a review’ button in the status column for the borrowed item. We ask that all reviews be honest and always respectful.
I’m borrowing an item from another user. When does the ‘borrow’ period actually start?
The ‘borrow period’ doesn’t begin until you receive your item. So if you paid for an item on a Wednesday, but you don’t receive the package until Friday, the borrow period doesn’t begin until Friday. Depending on the borrow period you either have seven days (a week) or thirty days (a month) to enjoy it. To learn more about borrowing, check out or Borrow/Lend Tips here.
Can I invite my friends to join I-ELLA?
Yes! We rely on our users to invite their fashionable friends to join I-ELLA and help our community grow. You can invite friends from your Facebook page, by exporting your e-mail contacts, or simply e-mailing individuals. Simply visit your personal ‘Invitations‘ page right next to ‘My Closet‘ in the top navigation to get started inviting your buddies.
I need to edit a listing, how do I do that? Is there a fee?
Editing items is easy, even if the listing has been active for awhile. Go to ‘My Closet’, click on ‘Items to Sell//Lend//Swap’ and select the item from your listing that needs editing. There is never a fee to edit a listing, so feel free to change it until you get it just right.
What are tags and how do I use them?
Tags are the words used to describe your item clearly so that other users find it without trouble. We recommend tagging items thoroughly. For example if you list a dress, tags you might want to include would be: color, style features (empire waist, long, etc), designer, season it’s from, and any other defining characteristics. That way if a user searches ‘printed dress’ and you have both these tags listed for your item, the user will see it right away. The more tags you have, the easier it is for other users to find you.
How can I swap items with another user?
Swapping on I-ELLA is an easy process. Simply select the blue ‘swap’ button at the top of the screen to get started and see what’s available. You can swap multiple items for one thing if necessary, or one for one. I-ELLA charges a five dollar fee, a portion of which goes to a charity of your choosing, for each item in a swap. To learn more about swapping, check out our Swap Tips page.
How can I get my listing on the I-ELLA homepage and in the daily I-ELLA dispatch?
The I-ELLA team chooses items to feature as ‘I-ELLA Likes’ on the homepage, as well as the items featured in the daily dispatch. Part of being a curated community means that the team will spotlight products that we feel are truly exceptional and fit with the I-ELLA brand. Things we’re always looking for and are eager to feature: designer pieces, new or gently used pieces from better brands, good quality vintage, beautiful hand-made pieces and the like. If you feel you have a listing that would be good for the homepage or in the daily I-ELLA newsletter, please e-mail info@i-ella.com. We cannot promise that we will feature your item, but we are happy to hear from you if you believe your offerings deserve consideration.
How can I search for an item on I-ELLA?
Because we want you to find exactly what you’re looking for, we’ve created multiple ways for you to search I-ELLA. If you have a general idea about what you want, hover over ‘Category’ on the homepage tool bar and a dropdown will appear leading you to shoes, bags, fashion apparel, etc. If you have a specific designer you’re after, hover over ‘Designer’ on the homepage tool bar, and find your designer based on the first letter of their name. If you want to shop by I-ELLA’s trends, hover over ‘Trends’ on the homepage tool bar and select one of our tailored trends from the dropdown menu. If none of these lead you to something you love, you can always do a keyword search in the ‘Search’ box right underneath your shopping bag on the upper right hand corner of the page.
What is ‘My Closet’?
Every I-ELLA user has their own closet, ‘My Closet’, where all of your I-ELLA user information is stored. This includes items that you’ve listed in the marketplace, completed transactions, your wishlist, your user profile, and so much more. To access ‘My Closet’, simply login and click ‘My Closet’ right under your username at the top right of the homepage.
How can I be featured on I-ELLA’s Insider’s Closet?
Our Insider’s Closet is a space reserved for fashion industry luminaries and I-ELLA sellers who have significant sell-through rates and excellent products on offer. If you feel your product is of some note and would like to be considered for inclusion, e-mail ceo@i-ella.com. We cannot promise that you will be featured on the Insider’s Closet, but we are happy to hear from you if you believe your offerings deserve a special spotlight.
What are I-ELLA’s trends?
Our trends are a way for you, and the I-ELLA team, to keep track of user’s personal style preferences and the pieces in their closet they choose to share with us. Our broad listing of trends is tailored to our user’s unique tastes and will change on occasion. When describing yourself in your profile, you can select a trend that best exemplifies your personal style. Similarly, when uploading items, you can select a trend that best describes the item in question. This makes it easy for other users to find you and your listings based on these broad categories.
I want to suggest a charity partner for I-ELLA, how do I do that?
I-ELLA wants to hear from you! We make it easy for you to recommend a charity to us no matter how big or small the organization is. Simply go to the Our Cause page, and click on the Email I-ELLA tab on the right hand rail. While we’re happy to receive recommendations, we cannot promise that we will include or partner with every charity recommended to us.
What’s a wishlist and how does it work?
The wishlist is a part of ‘My Closet’ where all your personal I-ELLA information is stored including past transactions, your profile, your friends, and more. If you like an item, but aren’t sure if you want to shell out for it, you can add it to your wishlist. When you click on an item, right next to the ‘add to cart’ button is the ‘add to wishlist’ button. Simply click it, and voilà, the item is automatically added to your wishlist.
How do I bid on an item in a celebrity auction?
Our bidding process works the same way as other online auction houses. Simply browse through the items in the auction, click on something you like, and put in your bid. Each item has an opening bid based on its original retail price, so all you have to do is enter an amount greater the previous or opening bid and you’re well on your way to winning a fabulous celebrity piece! Every time we receive a bid from you, you’ll get an e-mail notification from us so you can easily keep track of the auction.
