Payments & escrow

1. Deposit, then balance

Encore splits payment in two. A deposit is taken when a buyer reserves an item, which immediately removes it from the market so no one else can buy it. The balance is charged before the dress is sent. Neither amount reaches the seller at the point it is paid.

The deposit is twenty five percent of the order total on every listing, whatever the dress is. The exact amount and the balance due are shown on the checkout screen before any payment is taken.

2. How the money is held

In plain terms: your money is set aside for that one order and nobody can touch it while the order is open. It sits with our payment processor, not in a bank account belonging to Encore. The seller can see the payment is secured, and you know it has not gone anywhere yet.

3. Shipping deadline

Once the balance is paid, the seller receives a prepaid shipping label and has twelve hours to hand the dress to the courier. If that deadline passes with no shipment, the order is cancelled automatically, the buyer is refunded in full, and the dress goes back on the shop. The tracking number is sent to the buyer as soon as the dress is on its way.

4. Release triggers

• Shipped orders: funds release when the buyer confirms the dress, or automatically 24 hours after the courier confirms delivery if we hear nothing.
• Local pickup: funds release the moment the buyer confirms in person with the single use pickup code.
• Claims: nothing releases while a claim is open. The outcome of the claim decides whether funds go to the seller or back to the buyer.

5. When a claim is decided for the buyer

The buyer posts the dress back and adds the return tracking number to their order. The seller confirms when it arrives. Only then is the buyer refunded: everything they paid, less a ten percent facilitation fee on the dress price for handling the sale and the return. The seller can then update the dress and put it back on the shop.

6. Seller payouts

Released funds move into the seller’s Encore balance, shown in My Closet as pending and withdrawable amounts. Withdrawals are made to a verified bank account and typically settle within two to five business days. Identity verification must be complete before a first withdrawal.

7. Fees

Encore takes an eighteen percent commission on every sale. It is calculated on the dress price, not on tax or shipping, and it is shown in the order summary and in the estimated payout during listing, so a seller always sees the net figure. Buyers pay no platform fee; shipping is quoted separately and is waived on local pickup.

8. Authentication charges

Gowns above the value threshold are authenticated by an independent third party before the listing goes live. Where an authentication fee applies it is disclosed to the seller in advance and deducted from the payout, never charged silently.

9. Payment methods and currency

Payments are processed by a regulated independent payment provider. Encore does not store full card numbers. All prices are shown and charged in Canadian dollars unless a listing states otherwise; your bank may apply its own conversion or foreign transaction fee.

10. Chargebacks

Raising a claim inside the app is faster than a bank chargeback and keeps the evidence in one place. Where a chargeback is filed, we cooperate with the card issuer and may hold the associated payout until the issuer reaches a decision.

11. Payment outside Encore

Escrow only exists because payment stays on Encore. Moving a transaction to cash, an electronic transfer, or another app removes every protection described here: no hold, no inspection window, no refund route, and no dispute support. Accounts that solicit payment outside Encore can be suspended.

12. Taxes

Money earned from a sale is subject to the tax laws of your province and of Canada. Sellers are responsible for any tax owed on their sales, and for reporting it. Encore does not provide tax advice; transaction records are available for export from My Closet.

13. The Encore wallet is not a bank

Your Encore wallet is not a bank account or a place to keep savings. It is simply a record of money on its way to you. Once the buyer has the dress and everything looks right, we release your money and send it on to your own bank account, once the buyer confirms or 24 hours after the courier confirms the dress arrived. Encore does not hold onto money, and accepts no liability or responsibility for revenue a seller leaves unclaimed.