Thanks for sharing some great info in that first post. I did not even notice her cracked beading comment in the auction. But this is why it’s important to check out a seller’s feedback, read carefully their return policy, and purchase with Paypal or a credit card so you have some recourse if the item is not what you expect.

I think it’s only fair to note that crystals crack for reasons other than cleaning (I know this from my jewelry designing days) and jumping to conclusions as to the manner in which this particular seller cleaned her dress is probably premature. When bidding, ask the seller questions!

Also, as a general comment to all of you, I’d appreciate it if we could refrain from any seller character assassinations on this blog. I believe it’s important to share info regarding buying and selling dresses on eBay, but I don’t want seller bashing going on. Tips on what to look for and watch out for are appreciated, seller bashing is not.

She also said she wore the dress dragging on the streets in the evening and her photos show that too. So be aware this dress is NOT in pristine condition, very sad the drycleaners botched this dress.

FYI BRIDES: DRYCLEANERS CAN RUIN YOUR DRESS! SO CHOOSE WISELY!!

When you do purchase the dress of your dreams, be sure it is HAND drycleaned. Girls who allow $3000-$7000 dressed to go in a CHEMICAL TUMBLER to ruin silk, beads, and sequins are just throwing their money away. (Even some silver threads can unravel because they are made from coil wire wrapped tight around the thread and the chemicals unravel it (kind of like the opposite of a perm)…

Did you know after real silk is drycleaned it is never ever the same because much of the “sizing” in the virgin silk weave can get washed away in the drycleaning process. It’s the sizing that gives new silk it’s luster and shine and crispness. It just will never look, lay or shine that way again, though it will be clean and still silk. Every time you clean silk it dullens it.

I found a good gown preservation specialist website that can help better explain the details your typical drycleaner will not share with you (see below).

Some girls are so mindless and just take their expensive gown to some corner drycleaner, who ruins their dress….or worse, looks great in the window of the preservation box, but 5 years later is all yellow with stains from sugars spilled onto the dress (say clear soda or anything with sugar in it they did not notice got onto their dress, even white cake frosting) not properly removed by the drycleaner over years will stain your dress! Same goes for perspiration stains over time.

My aunt was mortified when this happened to her regarding the sugar stains. People bump into you on the dance floor with their soda and mixed clear drinks, it happens and you may be so busy dancing you do not see it at first, until 5 or more yrs later!

Here she kept it in the box sealed all these years and it was being ruined the whole time and getting worse because they did not clean it with the right solvents! Be sure you use a 4 or 5 star ranked bridal gown cleaning specialist if possible with your gown. Why pay all that money to see it go down the drain. They can spot the sugars and will spot test your dress first to ensure the beading, rhinestones, sequins and other embellishments do not get ruined, cloud or crack and crumble. Silver plated brooches and things can also oxidize and turn rusty looking and give your silk rust stains. Have your cleaner spot test first on a small area and inspect together with your drycleaner. They will tell you what they recommend.

http://www.heritagegown.com/cleaning.php

http://www.heritagegown.com/gownpreserve.php

This is another good website that can put you in contact with a good drycleaner in your area that know how a wedding dress should be cleaned.

http://www.weddinggownspecialists.com/

A local drycleaner sometimes even farms out their cleaner to wholesale cleaners!! So you think the corner shop is doing it and it isn’t!

Keep your eyes open brides and take care of your dress after the wedding! And if you do buy pre-owned, make sure the bride you are buying it from took care in who did their drycleaning. It’s a very costly mistake to make sending your dress to the wrong cleaners. Another friends silk dress shrunk so much it did not fit her anymore…dispite what the tag says…drycleaning can also SHRINK you dress! Good luck…I just wanted to share what I learned because it seems a lot of girls I speak with had no idea about all of this…better to be a Bride In The Know than a sorry bride! Cheers….