A TikTok creator named Taylor Smith recently went viral after sharing what happened when she paid $400 for a mystery bag of clothes from one of her favorite fashion influencers. The TikTok video, posted on March 17 under her handle @tsmitthh, has already been viewed over 7 million times. What was supposed to be a dream haul turned into a total nightmare.
Smith explained that she had been following this influencer for a while and loved her style. When the influencer announced she was doing a closet cleanout and selling bags of name brand clothes, Smith jumped at the chance. She said she would have copied the influencer’s entire wardrobe if she could. She bought two large trash bags worth of clothes and even told the influencer exactly what she needed, mainly summer outfits and workout gear since she had trips coming up.
But things quickly went sideways. After paying $400, Smith waited for weeks without getting any shipping updates. She kept messaging the influencer, who kept saying the package was about to go out. It took over a month before anything showed up. And when it finally did, the box was way smaller than expected. Smith said she “felt like an absolute idiot” after opening it.
This is why people have trust issues with influencer sales
Inside, she found a bridesmaid dress that was five sizes too big, a bathing suit that had turned yellow and was missing pieces, a pair of sneakers with the soles falling off, stained tops, and shorts that looked destroyed. None of it matched what she asked for, and almost nothing fit.
The video sparked a massive response online. Commenters were furious on Smith’s behalf. One person wrote that even Plato’s Closet would not take any of it. Others told her to dispute the charge on Venmo or report fraud to her bank. Some suggested she file a complaint since the items she got were clearly not what was described. This kind of behavior is sadly not new; in another case, an influencer who demanded free food from a small business learned a hard lesson when the owner refused to back down.
Smith never publicly named the influencer who sold her the clothes. But people in the comments started guessing. Some said they remembered this particular influencer advertising closet cleanout bags for $200 each. Others pointed to someone named Anna Banana, though nothing was confirmed. The mystery around who did it only made the video blow up even more.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. TikTok creator Bo Grant, who goes by @marriedtoalunatic, made a video reacting to Smith’s story and also shared that she had been scammed by an influencer herself. Grant named the person as Callie Hines, saying she keeps changing her profile and usernames so people cannot hold her accountable. Grant’s message was clear.
If you do not call out scammers by name, you are just giving them the chance to do it again to someone else. The entitlement some creators display goes beyond bad sales; there are even cases of an influencer stealing from a mental health business without a second thought.
@marriedtoalunatic ♬ original sound – Bo Grant
Influencer Scam
Influencer closet sales have become a growing part of the resale economy. Creators use their personal style and following to sell secondhand clothes directly to fans, usually through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Depop. But mystery bags are a gamble. There is no way to know the condition, size, or quality of what you are getting until it shows up at your door. And when these deals happen through personal payments like Venmo or Zelle, getting your money back is not always easy.
There are some options, though. Venmo does offer purchase protection if the payment was tagged as goods and services. If what you received is very different from what was promised, Venmo can investigate and possibly issue a refund. But you have to report the issue within 30 days and keep records of everything.
So, this is a reminder that just because someone looks great online does not mean they will treat you right in a transaction. Fans trust influencers with their money because they feel a personal connection. But that trust can be easily taken advantage of, and when it is, the fallout is very public.
