While Panty Trust is pleased that its existence has made the used lingerie community aware of the need for checks and balances in transactions which has in turn spawned the community to come up with methods for making buyers more comfortable. However, Panty Trust believes that it is very important to clarify what each of these "verifying" methods mean in comparison to being a verified member of Panty Trust.
Panty Trust Membership
Like the word "Coke" for a soft drink, Panty Trust has become synonymous with the terms "verification and verified seller". Being a member of Panty Trust, however, goes well beyond simple verification that a seller is an actual person. When a member joins Panty Trust, Panty Trust does verify that they are indeed a real person, Panty Trust also verifies that the seller has a clean selling history, verifies that they follow safe and fair business practices, verifies that the seller sends what they say they will send, and verifies that the seller at all times follows the Panty Trust Code of Conduct. This verification and monitoring does not end when a seller's membership is approved, it continues indefinitely for as long as the seller is a member of Panty Trust.
Panty Trust is an independent third-party verification organization which is the only method that can allow unbiased, independent, and objective verification - either a seller meets the criteria or they do not. The process is overseen and monitored by hundreds of Panty Trust members checking the checker. Far beyond simple "verification", every member of Panty Trust is backed by the full confidence and approval of their Panty Trust member peers (currently around 350 individuals). In other words, when a seller is a member of Panty Trust, you are getting the assurance that several hundred independent panty sellers have approved of the seller and back the seller with their own reputation and the reputation of Panty Trust. If you do ever have a concern with a transaction, every buyer from a Panty Trust member has a complimentary, third party, impartial mediator to assist the member and buyer in getting the concern fair worked out. Since what member of Panty Trust does reflects on the reputation of the organization and reputation of every member of Panty Trust, a buyer always has several hundred people in their corner should a problem arise. As Panty Trust considers the selling member's global selling practices and transactions, the Panty Trust "verification" is relevant and meaningful no matter where the transaction takes place.
Verification Photo or Video
This method uses a very tiny piece taken from Panty Trust in which the seller presents the buyer with a photo, video, or cam shot of themselves holding a sign, writing the buyers name on the item, etc. This has the possibility to show that the seller is a real person. If a buyer is buying from a non-Panty Trust member, this is the absolute minimum that a buyer should expect a seller to provide them before payment is sent. However, this method is akin to a stranger on the street (you see them too) saying "trust me". This method does absolutely nothing in terms of letting the buyer know if the seller has a good selling history, if the seller follows fair business practices, or even if the person in the photo/video will bother to send you anything at all when they receive your money. The person providing the "verification" is the seller themselves who has a vested interest in getting you to buy from them. There is no unbiased, independent entity to vouch for the seller before you buy nor to ensure that the seller follows through with the deal. If the buyer has a problem with the transaction, they are completely on their own - the seller who vouched for themselves may have no incentive at all to do anything for you.
Selling Site Feedback
This method of "verifying" that a seller is trustworthy entails prior buyers leaving ratings or comments for a seller. Honest feedback can be helpful in showing a prospective buyer the seller's past history. However, feedback is not a perfect system. Happy customers almost always leave feedback because they know it is valued by the seller. Many buyers who aren't happy with a transaction simply leave no feedback at all to show their displeasure rather than taking the time to leave negative feedback. It is often very easy to create multiple accounts on selling sites so feedback can be "padded" by a dishonest seller. Feedback is site specific. A seller may do a great job on one site since she knows that her feedback is shown. However, the same seller might let customer service slide when selling elsewhere where there is no provision for a buyer to comment on the transaction.
Selling Site Verification
This method varies from selling site to selling site. "Verification" status in each instance is specific to the individual selling site. Some popular methods include a seller getting a "verified" icon for submitting their name and address and/or credit card number and paying a monthly fee. While any "verification" is better than none, this method simply verifies that a seller has access to credit card or mail box which is of little relevance to the seller being the person in the photos, being the person wearing the item, or the seller's sales history or business practices.
The sales site administrator may "verify" a seller with other method such as using a photo, video, or cam check. This could be a way for the site to verify that the seller is the person in their photos, however, as with the other method, it tells the buyer nothing about the seller, their sales manner, or business practices. In worst case scenarios, since the process is not transparent, and the owner of the site in not an independent entity as they have a vested interest in having a number of "trustable" sellers on their site, this "verification" process can be easily abused and manipulated.
