How to buy safely: what to check before you order

A good order request

Send it from the listing itself, so the listing is attached to your order request and she doesn't have to guess which one you mean. Then keep it to three parts:

1. A greeting and the listing: "Hi, I'd like to order your black cotton briefs."
2. One or two product questions the listing doesn't answer: the size on the tag, the fabric, whether she ships to your country.
3. Your address type: home, a PO box, a parcel locker or a collection point.

A clear, polite order request gets treated like one. Long introductions, lists of demands and six requests in a row don't help; one clear order request does.

Before you order, check

Every listing shows the facts that matter. Read them before you send the request:

1. Price and postage: the price on the listing, plus postage, is what the order costs.
2. Size: XS to XXL on the listing; UK and US brands size differently, so ask her for the size on the tag if it's missing.
3. Wear time: the "Worn for" field gives the number of days. "Ask me" means she tells you when you ask.
4. Shipping with tracking: sellers with the Ships first badge send proof of shipping, a tracking number or a postal receipt, before you pay.
5. Packaging: every parcel goes out in plain packaging, with nothing on the outside that hints at what's inside.
6. Her reviews: reviews come only from confirmed orders.

On customs: a parcel she sends from another country needs a truthful customs declaration, and you may have to pay import charges on delivery. For parcels into the US, the low-value duty exemption no longer applies, and anything you've paid for never counts as a gift. The shipping guide has the details by country.

What not to send

Some requests end an order before it starts, or get you reported.

• Pressure: "answer now", "last chance", the same request again and again within the hour.
• Anything explicit she didn't ask for. It falls under the report reason "Harassment or abuse", which covers unwanted explicit content.
• "Can we continue somewhere else?" Pushing to move the order or the payment somewhere else is a report reason of its own: "Wants to move off panty.com". Keeping the whole order on panty.com protects you as much as her.
• Requests for a "verification" photo. The listing photos are what she shows.
• Questions about who she is. Her nickname is all anyone on panty.com needs.

When there's no answer yet

No answer isn't always a no. Order requests are free for buyers, but sellers need Premium to read and answer them: without it, she sees that you sent an order request, not what it says.

66% of first order requests get an answer at all. 60% get one within a day. Give her a day. If nothing comes, order from another seller with a similar listing. Sending order requests to several sellers is fine; sending the same seller the same request twice isn't.

Your order

She confirms your order at the listed price plus postage. With Ships first she sends proof of shipping before you pay. When the parcel is on its way, she marks it as sold, and a card in your order asks you "Did it arrive?". Answer "Yes, received" once the parcel is in your hands, or "Not yet" if it isn't. You both get a notification and an email at each step.

Before you order, read her reviews for what they say, not for the stars: most reviews give full marks, so what they say about packing and timing tells you more. Buyers wrote 2,849 reviews of sellers in the last year. After "Yes, received" you have 30 days to rate the order yourself, with stars and a few lines, and she can add one public comment to your review. If something doesn't match the listing when it arrives, tell her in your order first; the safety guide covers what to do if that doesn't help.