The ever new excuses from Mädchenflohmarkt

The second-hand platform has been struggling for months with massive problems in finally paying out its users. First fraudsters were allegedly to blame, now it's a move that's causing problems. Users are furious.

Cosy, Comfy, Happiness: these are the first three words that shine out at users of Mädchenflohmarkt these days when they look at the site. But the vast majority of them feel neither cozy, nor comfy and certainly not happy: because as pretty as the Mädchenflohmarkt site currently looks, the problems behind the backdrops trimmed for autumn are just as ugly.

Desperate users have contacted Startbase in droves, reporting massive problems with payouts. In some cases, they have been waiting for months for money that is rightfully theirs. Some are already speculating that there may be serious problems at the start-up and that the money may have run out. After all, Mädchenflohmarkt simply won't or can't pay its customers. So what's going on?

Mädchenflohmarkt in trouble: The problems have been going on for months

The platform for second-hand fashion has been struggling with massive problems for months. Startbase first reported on this in February of this year after more and more users contacted us. They were supposed to sell their goods such as T-shirts, dresses or shoes on the website, send them and then receive money from the buyers. To prevent fraud among the users, Mädchenflohmarkt acted as a trustee and collected ten percent commission for each payment made. However, there was suddenly a huge problem: the money flowed to Mädchenflohmarkt, but not from there. Users waited days, then weeks and finally months for the sometimes three- or four-digit sales they made with second-hand fashion on the platform.

Fraud at Mädchenflohmarkt: gangsters allegedly the reason for late payments

Then, in April 2022, the news from Mädchenflohmarkt, which Startbase in turn reported on exclusively: they had actually had a problem - and it was allegedly a big one. According to the founding team, fraudsters had tried to rip off the start-up with several scams. Firstly, fraudsters had bought clothes with stolen credit cards, and secondly, they had tried to sell clothes in a circle to launder money. And then there was the referral program: Windy fraudsters had exploited this to cash in and co-founder Peter Ambrozy even spoke to Startbase of "gang crime".

In addition to this explanation, Ambrozy also made a promise: From now on, everything should be back to normal and payments would be paid out in just a few weeks.

Girls' flea market problems persist even after five months

That was on April 20, 2022, but more than five months later, the users are no longer angry, no longer annoyed, they are simply frustrated. Peter Ambrozy's big promises have not materialized, payments are still being delayed by months - and users are taking to the virtual barricades, as the first three entries on Trustpilot, a customer satisfaction rating platform, show.

Experiences of users at Mädchenflohmarkt

The first user writes:

"I have requested my payouts again today for the umpteenth time. And I get this stupid email again saying that there will be a delay in payment until mid-September. I am so unspeakably angry and upset. Stop putting us off with such lies! IT'S ENOUGH!".

A second user wrote:

"I'm not getting my money paid out and no one can be reached. Hands off this portal, I'm going to get my lawyer involved."

And a third commented on the platform:

"I'm going to press charges. For a year I've only had to chase after money and beg to get a small part of it. All you read on Facebook and the internet is that people have to beg and wait for their money, and often only get part of it to calm them down."

Mädchenflohmarkt now cites new reasons for the delay

Mädchenflohmarkt is once again in trouble. After the disastrous last few months, users are once again or still angry with the start-up, which has now found a new excuse. Since the beginning of September, the start-up has been sending its users a standardized email explaining that the warehouse is currently moving and that it has to change its own billing system. The email, which is signed with the founders' first names Maria, Thorsten and Peter, states that the changeover will lead to "delays that are expected to last until mid-September".

Mid-September would have been around September 15. But even two weeks later, chaos still seems to reign. The user comments complaining about missing payments continue well into September and even the users who have contacted Startbase still have - as of September 30 - invoices outstanding, some of which are in the four-digit range. In response to an inquiry in mid-September, Peter Ambrozy wrote to Startbase that the email mentioned above was currently being sent to all users. And: "There is currently nothing more to say from our side." It remains to be seen whether this will reassure users.