Grading policy

Effective date: 24 February 2026
Last updated: 28 August 2026

Contents

1. Purpose & Scope
2. Nature of Vintage Clothing
3. Vintage & Used Clothing Supply Policy
4. Bale-to-Bale Grading Methodology
5. Percentage Estimates (Not Guarantees)
6. Human-Based Grading & Tolerance
7. Distribution Within a Bale
8. Grade Definitions
9. Grade A Bales Containing Grade B Items
10. No Post-Delivery Regrading
11. Commercial Suitability Standard
12. Exclusions & Non-Faults
13. Relationship to Claims & Refunds
14. Acceptance

1. Purpose & Scope

This Grading Policy explains how Vintage Wholesale Supply Ltd grades vintage, pre-owned, and surplus clothing sold on a wholesale basis. It forms part of the contractual terms of sale and must be read alongside our Terms & Conditions and Refund & Returns Policy.

2. Nature of Vintage Clothing

All goods supplied are vintage, pre-owned, or surplus garments. Due to age, historical manufacturing standards, storage, and prior use, variation is inherent. Items are not sold as new.

3. Vintage & Used Clothing Supply Policy

Vintage Wholesale Supply Ltd operates exclusively as a wholesaler of vintage, pre-owned, used, and surplus clothing. We do not manufacture, produce, commission, source, sell, or intentionally supply newly manufactured counterfeit or replica clothing.

Our stock is sourced as used and second-hand clothing, typically in large volumes of mixed garments. Due to the nature and scale of the vintage and second-hand clothing industry, individual items may occasionally be incorrectly identified or sorted, including branded items that may subsequently be identified as counterfeit or replica goods.

We take reasonable steps during our sourcing, sorting, and grading processes to identify and remove such items. However, these processes involve human assessment and occasional identification or sorting errors may occur.

Where an incorrectly identified counterfeit or replica item is inadvertently present within our stock or an order, it will have entered our supply chain as part of used or second-hand clothing stock and will not have been manufactured, commissioned, or intentionally sourced or supplied by Vintage Wholesale Supply Ltd as new counterfeit clothing.

Vintage Wholesale Supply Ltd does not knowingly participate in the manufacture, procurement, distribution, or sale of newly produced counterfeit clothing.

By placing an order with Vintage Wholesale Supply Ltd, the buyer acknowledges the nature of our business as a bulk vintage and used clothing wholesaler and understands that occasional identification or sorting errors may arise from the processing of large volumes of mixed second-hand garments.

4. Bale-to-Bale Grading Methodology

We operate a bale-to-bale grading system. Each bale is assessed as a whole and supplied with a percentage breakdown of grades. Grading reflects the overall quality mix of the bale and is not an item-by-item guarantee.

5. Percentage Estimates (Not Guarantees)

All grade percentages are commercial estimates based on bale-level assessment. Percentages are not exact numerical counts and are not guaranteed item-for-item. Minor variation may arise due to rounding, interpretation, and grading subjectivity. Such variation does not constitute misgrading where it falls within tolerance.

6. Human-Based Grading & Tolerance

All grading is performed manually by experienced staff. Due to the subjective nature of grading and variation in vintage garments, a tolerance of up to 10 percentage points may apply to the stated breakdown. This variance is considered commercially reasonable within the vintage wholesale industry.

7. Distribution Within a Bale

Grades within a bale are not guaranteed to be evenly distributed. Items of a particular grade may be grouped or clustered. Distribution pattern does not affect compliance with the stated grade percentages.

8. Grade Definitions

9. Grade A Bales Containing Grade B Items

Where a bale is listed as Grade A with an included percentage of Grade B items, this is intentional and not a defect. Grade B items often include older models or true vintage pieces affected by age-related wear. Age alone does not constitute a defect or misgrading.

10. No Post-Delivery Regrading

Grading is determined solely by Vintage Wholesale Supply Ltd prior to dispatch. Any grading, sorting, or categorisation performed by the buyer after delivery is subjective and does not override the Company’s original grading assessment.

11. Commercial Suitability Standard

All grading assessments are based on commercial wholesale suitability. Retail consumer expectations, personal taste, fashion trends, or resale performance are not factors in grading decisions.

12. Exclusions & Non-Faults

Grading does not guarantee specific brands, eras, sizes, fits, resale value, or market demand. Items falling within stated grade definitions, bale-level percentages, and permitted tolerance do not constitute faults, misrepresentation, or non-conforming goods.

13. Relationship to Claims & Refunds

Items that comply with this Grading Policy do not qualify as faults for the purposes of refunds, returns, disputes, or chargebacks. Claims are assessed solely in accordance with the Refund & Returns Policy.

14. Acceptance

By placing an order, the buyer confirms they have read, understood, and accepted this Grading Policy as part of the binding commercial contract.