Torso Vintages

Caveat Emptor/Buyers and Consignors BEWARE. Torso is managed (no, the correct term is mis-managed) by rip-off artists and scammers. On the suggestion of a friend, I consigned a bundle of great Chanel and other high-end designer clothing and vintage handbags to them, thinking the Sutter St. location would be advantageous for quick sales. The owner and I agreed on acceptable price ranges for everything, but they totally ignored my guidelines, and never called to ask if I would accept a lower price on any item – standard practice for high-end consignments. (For instance, they sold a vintage Jean Muir outfit that I said should be sold for no less than $1200 for $800, a Chanel jacket with Lesage beading that was listed on 1st Dibs for over $2000 yielded $400 to me, and on and on.) Getting a check for anything was like pulling teeth. They were always "out of town" or "going to the Modernism show" -- like the kid who says the dog ate his homework. When I finally insisted that I wanted my things back and a reckoning on what had been sold when and for what, I discovered they didn't even have a list of my things, let alone receipts for sales! I had my own accurate list, and I finally just gave up trying to see their records. The owner told me it was just impossible to go back so far in their books (though they hadn't sent me a monthly pay out the way real high-end consignment stores do, and had apparently sold lots of things without ever paying me). I finally decided I didn't want to raise my blood pressure. I took back what they hadn't sold (no receipts, so who knows what they really pocketed while -- after months and months -- giving me peanuts) and they gave me two checks – one post-dated! So, obviously they are hard-pressed for cash, and they had sold things I had consigned for a year without paying me a thing. They do have some good stuff – but most of what’s there is just ordinary, things you could buy on Haight Street or at a flea market for a fraction of the price. Their service is lousy for both buyers and consigners. And if you’re tempted by something really nice there, remember that you’re probably getting it at the cost of some other person – like me – being totally fleeced!…