We’ve worked hard to make the Irish Dancing Exchange simple and easy to use for buyers and sellers alike. In the event that you have questions or encounter problems while using this site, we’ve created this support page to provide you with immediate assistance. Please check to see if your problem is addressed by any of the topic areas or FAQs (frequently-asked questions) below.
Be sure to check out our new video tutorials for sellers! You can always contact us directly for assistance via email at help@irishdancingexchange.com, and we will do our best to respond as quickly as possible.
Help/FAQs Index
- General Information
- Help/FAQs For Sellers
- NEW! Video Tutorials For Sellers
- Creating your account
- Payment policies and procedures
- Listing your first dress
- Creating/uploading photos
- Preparing Your Description
- Q. Sorry, but I'm not very computer-savvy, and this cropping and aspect ratio stuff is all Greek to me. I want the pictures in my ad to look nice, but...
- Q. When I try to log in to my account, all I get is a message that says “Please check your Web browser preferences to ensure that JavaScript is enabled.”
- Q. Why can“t I change the pictures I uploaded with my listing?
- Q. How do I “close out” a listing once my item has been sold?
- Q. I am a little nervous about selling my dress online to a complete stranger. How do I know I can trust them? For that matter, how do they know they can trust me?
- Q. What if I sell a dress and end my listing, but the sale falls through? Do I have to upload the dress info and pictures all over again? Will I have to pay to re-list it?
- Q. My daughter has decided she does not want to sell her dress after all. Is there a way to “stop” a listing before the item is sold?
- Q. In the Activity Summary beneath each listing, what exactly are “views,” “referrals,” “Wish Lists”and “inquiries”?
- Q. According to the summary, my listing has had three inquiries, but I don't recall getting any of them. Do I need to log in every day to check my listing?
- Q. In my Control Panel, there is an item in the Pending Listings category, but I'm not sure how it got there. Am I going to get charged for it? Is there any way to remove it?
- Help/FAQs For Shoppers
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General Information
How This Site Works
Although the Irish Dancing Exchange is in some ways similar to eBay, it is not an auction site. Think of us more as an online classified advertising section that offers Irish step dancing dresses rather than cars, houses, or help wanted ads. Our goal is to provide a place where sellers can easily and economically post dresses for sale, and where buyers can quickly locate just the right dress based on measurements, age range, keywords, etc.
When a buyer locates a suitable dress, he or she contacts the seller by completing and submitting a simple online form. This contact request, which includes the buyer’s email, is forwarded to the seller’s email address. The seller then responds directly to the buyer via email, providing additional info and, if all goes well, negotiating the details of the sale. For security and other reasons, seller’s email addresses are not posted with the items they are selling (nor anywhere else on the site) so the only way for a buyer to obtain a seller’s contact info is to complete and submit the contact form.
The final sale price, payment and shipping arrangments, etc. are all determined by the buyer and seller; we do not broker any sale that takes place nor do we take a commission of any kind. Our only charge is a one-time fee payable by the seller at the time the dress is listed (see fee schedule below).
Computer Requirements (the technical stuff)
You can use any Windows- or Macintosh-based computer to access this site, with any Web browser that supports JavaScript and CSS (cascading style sheets)—even AOL. However, things will look and work best if you are set up in the following manner:
- Operating system: Windows Vista/XP/NT/2000 or Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
- Monitor: A color display capable of at least 800 x 600 (SVGA) pixel resolution
- Web browser: Internet Explorer (version 5.0 or higher), Firefox, Safari (1.x or higher) or Netscape (6.x or higher)
- JavaScript (if you’re selling) and cookies (if you’re shopping) enabled in your browser
Even if your computer setup does not match the above, the site will still work for you; it just might look kind of funky depending on which areas you are viewing. JavaScript must be enabled for sellers when they list new items for sale, because it allows us to check and confirm the dress info as it’s being submitted. The only reason we suggest buyers have cookies enabled in their browsers is so they can utilize our “Wish List” feature, which allows them to bookmark any number of dresses they wish to keep track of and return to on a subsequent visit to the site.
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Help/FAQs For Sellers
NEW! Video Tutorials
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s a whole movie worth? These self-guiding video tutorials will walk you through the most common tasks involved in setting up your account and listing a dress for sale. These videos are all presented in Windows Media (.wmv) format for maximum compatibility, and will work on all recent Windows platforms. Mac users should download the free Windows Media® Components for QuickTime, which will allow you to view any Windows Media file in Safari or FireFox.
Creating your account
As a seller, you must create an account before listing a dress for sale, so that potential buyers have a way of contacting you. This account also enables you to log into the Control Panel section of the site, where you can update your listings (modify description or price, add/delete photos, etc.) or remove an item once it has been sold. The only info you need to provide for your account is your name and ZIP code, a valid email address and a password of your choosing. When you create an account it becomes active immediately and you can begin listing your dress(es) right away.
Payment policies and procedures
Fees are payable when a dress is listed. Payment can be made via major credit card or with your PayPal account using the PayPal secure transaction processing system. Note that you do not need a PayPal account to pay for your listing if you are using a major credit card. Listing fees are payable in U.S. dollars based on a sliding scale, and are calculated as follows:
| Asking Price | Listing Fee |
| Up to $300 | $9.95 |
| $300 to $600 | $14.95 |
| Over $600 | $19.95 |
Listing your first dress
Our “Add New Item” section takes you step-by-step through the process of listing a dress for sale, and checks the information you’ve provided for consistency before building your listing. The minimum info needed to submit a listing is the condition, age range, description and asking price, although we highly recommend that you also complete the “Dress Measurements” section so that we can more accurately match your item to visitors’ searches. Digital photographs of the dress (in JPEG format) can easily be uploaded along with your listing (see below for in-depth help with preparing photos).
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Creating/uploading photos
Format/Size—To be used in a listing, your digital images need to be in JPEG format, saved at a resolution of 72 DPI (also known as “screen” or “Web” resolution). For image size, we recommend approx. 400 pixels high and 350 pixels wide. Also, the size of the file on disk should be no more than 400K.
Composition—A dress is best viewed on the body; pictures of your dress laying flat or on a hangar may not give shoppers a true sense of the item. Also, we suggest that you crop your photos from neck to knee to capture as much of the dress itself as possible. Finally, your pictures will work best with the site’s layout if they have a vertical aspect (i.e. the height is greater than the width). Click here for a sample image to use as a guide for size and composition.
Uploading—If you’ve never uploaded a picture in your Web browser before, it’s just a matter of clicking the “Browse...” or “Choose File...” button, navigating to the file(s) you want to send and selecting them. Please keep in mind that the larger your files are, the longer they will take to upload, and if they’re too large the operation will time out. That’s why we stress that you should keep the file sizes under 400K whenever possible.
Preparing Your Description
While the length of your description is not limited, two to three paragraphs should be more than enough, especially if you are submitting good quality photos (see above).
Imagery/icons, colors, materials, date of original purchase, seamstress, country of origin, championships won with dress, original price, options for alteration (can skirt be lengthened, can sleeves be let down, etc.) are all useful bits of information that you may wish to include. But don't bother typing in the measurements—use the Dress Measurements section at the top of the listing form instead.
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Q. Sorry, but I’m not very computer-savvy, and this cropping and aspect ratio stuff is all Greek to me. I want the pictures in my ad to look nice, but...
A. There are a number of options available for our, er, technically-challenged users. First, there is a wonderful Web site out there called Digicam Help, which offers free tutorials in basic image editing, cropping, red eye removal, and lots more. Like they say on the site: You don't have to be a rocket scientist or professional image editor to make improvements to your digital photos. On the other hand, you could always email the pictures to a friend or co-worker who sells on eBay; they will probably be able to convert them into the proper format and size for you. If neither of these options are open to you, you can email the photos to us at pix@irishdancingexchange.com and we'll handle the conversion and upload for you (a nominal fee for this service will apply).
Q. When I try to log in to my account, all I get is a message that says “Please check your Web browser preferences to ensure that JavaScript is enabled.”
A. JavaScript must be activated in your Web browser in order for our system to check, confirm and process the listings and pictures you submit to us. JavaScript is on by default, but it is possible that it may have been deactivated in your browser. To re-enable JavaScript, follow the instructions below that correspond to your computer platform and browser version.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x/5.x for Windows
- Go to “Tools-->Internet Options” in your browser.
- Click the “Security” tab. For the Internet zone, be sure that the Security level is set to “Medium” or below. If you have chosen to customize your security settings for the Internet zone, be sure that under the “Java” heading, “Java permissions” is not set to “Disable Java.” Select one of the three safety levels instead.
- Click OK.
- Next, click the “Advanced” tab. Scroll down to “Java VM.” Check “Java logging enabled” and “Java console enabled.”
- Click OK.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x/5.x for Mac OS 9
- Go to “Edit-->Preferences” in your browser.
- In the “Web Browser” section, click the “Java” bullet.
- Make sure that the “Enable Java” box is checked.
- Click OK.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x for Mac OS X
- Go to “Explorer-->Preferences” in your browser.
- Select “Java” from the left navigation bar.
- Check “Enable Java.”
- Click OK.
Firefox for Windows/Mac/Linux
- Go to “Preferences-->Web Features” in your browser.
- Check “Enable Java” and “Enable JavaScript.”
- Click OK.
Safari for Mac OS X
- Go to “Safari-->Preferences” in your browser.
- Select “Java” from the left navigation bar.
- Place a checkmark next to “Enable Java.”
- Click OK.
Netscape 4.x or newer for Windows/Mac/Linux
- Go to “Edit-->Preferences” in your browser.
- In the “Category” window at left, select “Advanced.”
- Check “Enable Java” and “Enable JavaScript.”
- Click OK.
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Q. Why can’t I change the pictures I uploaded with my listing?
A. If you add only one picture when you create your listing, you can return and add a second one later, but you cannot replace them once you have put them in. There is a very good reason for this—if a seller can change all the dress info and the pictures, then voila, he or she can make as many new listings out of the first one as they see fit, and I would have no control over that. Granted, I really don't expect this to happen on a regular basis, and most people are basically honest, but I have been building Web sites for ten years now and I have learned that you have to cover all the angles. So for the time being, I am more than happy to substitute new pictures for anyone who wants me to, as long as they let me know the ID of the dress listing so I can be sure to edit the right one.
Q. I am a little nervous about selling my dress online to a complete stranger. How do I know I can trust them? For that matter, how do they know they can trust me?
A. Unfortunately, with online exchanges such as this site there is no true “guarantee,” nor is there a disinterested third party to watch over the sale. However, all buyers and sellers here are all basically in the same situation—they are parents of Irish dancers who are either trying to save some money by purchasing a used dress, or trying to recoup some of the money they spent on a new dress by reselling it. So you should consider the fact that you are not dealing with a lot of anonymous strangers out to make a quick buck and cheat people, but rather with folks very much like you. I think you can be honest with the buyer and express the same concerns you expressed in your question, and perhaps between the two of you, you can work out the best way to handle the transaction. One suggestion I have for you would be to have them send 50% of the payment as a gesture of good faith, and then send the remainder once they have received the dress. As always, the best policy for everyone is to be as honest as possible along the way and things will usually work out for the best.
Q. How do I “close out” a listing once my item has been sold?
A. Use the “End Listing” option at the bottom of each listing that appears in the Current Listings section to let us know that your item has been sold and you no longer wish to receive inquiries from prospective buyers. Although the listing will no longer appear in visitors’ searches, it will be visible in the Recent Listings category in your Control Panel for a minimum of 90 days following the sale.
Q. What if I sell a dress and end my listing, but the sale falls through? Do I have to upload the dress info and pictures all over again? Will I have to pay to re-list it?
A. Re-listing an item couldn't be simpler. Just locate the item you want to re-list from the Recent Listings section of the Control Panel and click the “Re-list This Item” button. This will instantly “reactivate” the listing so that visitors can search for it again. There’s no need to upload all your info (or pictures) again, and there is no fee whatsoever for re-listing an item.
Q. My daughter has decided she does not want to sell her dress after all. Is there a way to “stop” a listing before the item is sold?
A. The “End Listing” option will allow you to cancel your listing, and also to indicate that your item did not sell but was removed at your request. Unfortunately, there are no refunds of your listing fee once an item has been posted to the site.
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Q. In the Activity Summary beneath each listing, what exactly are “views,” “referrals,” “Wish Lists”and “inquiries”?
A. Excellent question. “Views” indicates the total number of times visitors clicked the More Info--> link to see the details of your item after finding this listing in a search. “Referrals” is the number of times visitors referred your item to others via the Send This Listing To A Friend... option. “Wish List” indicates the number of individuals who have saved your dress using the Add To Wish List feature, and “Inquiries” represents the total number of contact emails sent to you from prospective buyers using the Contact Seller link.
Q. According to the summary, my listing has had three inquiries, but I don't recall getting any of them. Do I need to log in every day to check my listing?
A. Hopefully not. Referral and contact messages are sent out immediately to the email address you provided when you set up your account. Chances are you have junk mail filtering or spam blocking set up on your email client, and messages from this site are being bounced. To prevent this, just add the following to your Address Book:
notify@irishdancingexchange.com
webmaster@irishdancingexchange.com
On the other hand, if the email address you are using for your account is no longer active...well, that explains everything. Use the “Sellers Login” area at the top of this page to access your account settings and update your address.
Q. In my Control Panel, there is an item in the Pending Listings category, but I'm not sure how it got there. Am I going to get charged for it? Is there any way to remove it?
A. When you enter a new item and reach the point where you’re asked to confirm that the info is complete and looks OK to you, the listing has already been saved and set as “pending” in case you want to return later and complete your transaction. This is just a courtesy to you so you don't have to start the process all over again in the event you are interrupted; you can simply click the Activate Listing button for any pending item in the Control Panel and follow the instructions. Pending listings are not visible to visitors, they will never be charged to you and they will be removed automatically if they are not activated within 30 days.
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Help/FAQs For Shoppers
Searching By Dress Size (Measurements)
The Measurements search requires that you choose a minimum and maximum size for at least one of the measurements. If you want to limit your search to only one size (say, 23" waist), leave the second popup blank or set it to the same value as the first. If you want your results to match all of the measurement types you’ve selected, change “Any of these sizes” to “All of these sizes.” Keep in mind that your search will return fewer matches if you choose “All...” but the results will be more specific.
Searching By Age Range
The Age Range search is the least useful of all the search options, as dancers’ measurements can varely widely among girls of the same age group. Therefore, we highly recommend you begin with the Measurements search. If you do elect to search by age range, choose the closest range to your dancer’s age first, but always try the next lowest and highest as well to ensure that you see all the dresses that might offer a good fit.
Searching By Price
In recognition of the fact that price is often the determining factor when shopping for used dresses, our Price search makes it easy to locate only those dresses within your particular budget. All you need do is select a price range in your native currency (six currencies, with five prices ranges in each, are available) and the Exchange will return all dresses whose asking price falls within that range—taking into account the actual value of those dresses listed in currencies other that on which you searched. That's why in some cases the results may seem out of numerical sequence to you, but trust us, we’ve done the math just so you don't have to.
Searching By Dressmaker/Designer
Our Dressmaker search is simply a convenient shortcut for those who would normally use the Description search to locate dresses by a particular dressmaker or designer. We’ve taken the top dressmakers and created pre-built searches for each of them, plus we’ve added a live counter that shows the number of available listings for each one. That means all you need do to find every Gavin Doherty dress on the site, for example, is click the Gavin Doherty--> link. Although many of our daughters may be championship dancers, not all of us are championship spellers—a fact that makes this search particularly useful ;-)
Searching By Keyword/Item #
For the Keyword search, you can enter as many or as few words as you wish. You can use a series of words or a phrase, such as “pink” or “silver square hologram,” or if you know the item # of the dress (the code that begins with “IDX732...”) you can enter that. The “Show me dresses that match...” popup allows you to determine how exact your search will be. By default (“Any of these words”) it will find items that contain any of the words you enter, in any order. If you choose “All of these words,” your search will show you only items in which all of the words appear, although they may or may not be in the order in which you typed them. If the third option, “This exact phrase” is chosen, only items whose description contains every word you entered in the exact order you entered them will be shown. This option will return the fewest but most accurate results. A good rule of thumb for description searching is to “cast a wide net,” meaning that you should start with the broadest search possible and then narrow your search, using the “All of these words” or “This exact phrase” options, if you find that you are overwhelmed with results.
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Contacting The Seller
The only way to contact the seller of an item is to click the “Contact Seller” link from the Item Detail view (shown when you use the More Info... link from any search results page) and complete the brief form that pops up. Your request is then forwarded to the seller’s email address, enabling them to respond to you directly. Because we are in the midst of a junk mail epidemic, and because spammers employ sophisticated technologies to “harvest” email addresses from Web pages, we have found it necessary to use this system to protect our sellers from receiving even more junk mail than they are already subjected to.
Using the Wish List Feature
The Wish List option simply remembers the ID code for any dress added to it while you are browsing, and calls up those dresses for you when you return (unless they have already been sold, of course). Because the Wish List uses cookies to work its magic, you need to have your browser set to accept cookies in order to use this feature. If you have concerns about allowing the use of cookies, consider the following: Although there is a perception that cookies are dangerous and can compromise your security, cookies do not provide any Web site with your personal information unless you have already supplied that information to the site. Additionally, allowing a Web site to send a cookie to your browser does not give that site—or any other site—access to the rest of your computer; only the site that sent the cookie can read it. Finally, cookies cannot install spyware on your computer, nor can they infect your computer with a virus. If you're still uncomfortable with the use of cookies, you can turn them off and still have full use of our site; only the Wish List feature will be disabled for you.
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Q. I am a little nervous about sending hundreds of dollars to a complete stranger for a used dress. How do I know I can trust them? For that matter, how do they know they can trust me?
A. Unfortunately, with online exchanges such as this site there is no true “guarantee,” nor is there a disinterested third party to watch over the sale. However, all buyers and sellers here are all basically in the same situation—they are parents of Irish dancers who are either trying to save some money by purchasing a used dress, or trying to recoup some of the money they spent on a new dress by reselling it. So you should consider the fact that you are not dealing with a lot of anonymous strangers out to make a quick buck and cheat people, but rather with folks very much like you. I think you can be honest with the seller and express the same concerns you expressed in your question, and perhaps between the two of you, you can work out the best way to handle the transaction. One suggestion I have for you would be to send 50% of the payment as a gesture of good faith, and then send the remainder once you have received the dress. As always, the best policy for everyone is to be as honest as possible along the way and things will usually work out for the best.
Q. My search brings up a lot of dresses but they are not in the order I would like them to be. Is there any way to sort the result list so that it starts from the least expensive dress and works up?
A. Search results are always returned best matches first, based on the type of search used. If you want to arrange the results in a different way, just use the “Sort these search results by:” popup menu at the top of the listings to re-order them by condition, price (high to low), price (low to high) or alphabetically based on the description.
Q. I think your measurements search is a great idea, but how come I can't search on the shoulder to shoulder or overall dress length measurements?
A. We’ve tried to keep things simple by focusing on what we understand to be the most critical measurements. In the near future we plan on implementing a “super search” page that will not only allow for additional measurements but will enable searchers to combine any of the five search types, so that, for example, you could search for only those dresses with a waist measurement of 23" to 25" whose description contains the word “glitterdot” and whose price is in the $500-$750 USD range. If you have any suggestions for how we can improve the search function of the site we“d love to hear about them; drop us a line at feedback@irishdancingexchange.com.
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