Breaking my little femme heart.
When I received this harness, I wanted to hold a public press conference to spread the word of its majesty. Velvet Nest harnesses look like lingerie, they are sturdy and soft, and they have an adjustable velcro design that keeps my cock in place. The first time I tried it on, I romped around for an hour, checking out my butt and pairing it with different cocks [black harnesses may match everything, but there’s something supremely satisfying about coordinating my dildo with my harness]. It’s been two years since then and I haven’t written a review, despite my adoration, because I can’t recommend buying from such an unreliable and unreachable company.
I received my harness in December of 2013, but only after many unreturned emails and a Paypal dispute, similar to this experience. However, I was luckier than others who waited months with no harness and no contact from VN. For many people, their window to open a dispute had closed and they resigned to the idea that their $80 was gone. While VN wasn’t replying to emails, they were still posting to social media. I tried them on Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook with no reply.
Last year, when VN took down their shop, I was so thankful people wouldn’t continue to get sucked into their unfair business, and assumed that their harnesses would just become relics of femme history. I was wrong though, Velvet Nest made a come-back at the beginning of 2015 with a redesigned website, store, and Instagram account. Even more intriguing is that two of their harnesses appeared on Stockroom, a retailer I, at least, trust to send people their orders.
Before I published a full-blown “theeeeey’re baaaack” post, I decided to contact VN one last time, and surprisingly received a reply the next day from the founder, Joey. Joey told me that VN is a team of 3 people, plus a local company that executes some of the cutting, and that the loss of a close family member led to their inability to keep up with business. Joey assured me that all past orders had been sent out and their production turn-around was 5 days. Joey also mentioned that they had been the head of design at Stockroom for 10 years and that Stockroom had helped them, which explains why you can now find VN harnesses there. I asked Joey if I could publish an interview with them, and upon agreeing, I sent over a list of questions. That was 7 months and two follow-up emails ago, and I have yet to hear back. Around the same time, their social media went silent as well.
I put this post to rest until a week ago when I received a promising email. After seeing a photo of me in the harness, a reader asked why I hadn’t reviewed it. They own the same design as me, and like a glittery fleck of hope, explained that they placed their order in March, received confirmation one week after ordering, then got the harness a week after that. Well done VN, well done.
Cue slightly optimistic revision to post. Cue relevant research. Cue discovery of recent, unfulfilled orders. Cue deep, sorrowful sigh.
Looking into recent complaints against VN is a rabbit hole (and if you go back further, it’s a cavern), from (now deleted) Instagram and Facebook comments to comments on a review post to Better Business Bureau complaints. I want to believe in VN and their adorable, well-made, functional harnesses that fill a void in the strap-on market. I put off writing this post because, in a spell of hyper-optimism, I wanted to believe that they would become an honest, communicative, well-functioning business. That hasn’t happened though, and while I don’t think VN’s intention is to scam people, scamming is exactly what they’re doing by making their products available when they can’t meet demand or reach out to inform their customers of what’s going on.
There are people who have received their harnesses without complication, but their unreliability is undeniable. Especially at $79-$92 per harness, plus shipping, buying from VN is a gamble. Instead, I suggest checking out other femme harness options from reputable companies, or if owning a Velvet Nest harness is too tempting, buy the Lynn or Veronica design through Stockroom.
I’ll keep this post updated with new information. If you have bought from Velvet Nest recently, I’d love to hear from you, either in the comments or via email!
Sept. 28, 2016: The saga continues… possibly for the better. Unfortunately, the Velvet Nest website is still up, their store is still live, and their social media is still dead. Their FAQ page still reads “You can be assured that every Velvet Nest order is greatly valued and never forgotten,” yet I still get emails from people who never received a harness, a refund, or any communication from Velvet Nest. There are now four unresolved Better Business Bureau complaints as recent as June of this year. Last week, I emailed VN’s founder to ask if they are still doing business. I have yet to receive a reply, but will let you know if and when I do. Stockroom’s size options for the harnesses they carry (the Lynn and Veronica) are limited or out of stock, but they assure me they will be restocking (no ETA yet). Here’s where things get interesting: Stockroom says the manufacturer of Velvet Nest harnesses is changing to provide a quicker turn-around. I’m not sure what that means for Velvet Nest as an independent retailer, but it seems that Stockroom will continue to be the most reliable seller of these harnesses, since they are negotiating manufacturing details. This may mean that the person who started VN doesn’t have such a large role in the production of their harnesses, which seemed to be the problem in the first place. That’s just speculation, but if I learn more about this changing of hands, I’ll update this information. For now, my conclusion is the same as last year: don’t give your money to VN directly, buy through Stockroom, or choose a different harness.
Jan. 7, 2017: A person who emailed me in 2015 about an order they placed in June of that year [paid, never received harness, couldn’t reach the company] has informed me that Velvet Nest finally responded to their many emails, apologizing and issuing a refund. Velvet Nest also told them that they recently found a factory to manufacture their harnesses, which coincides with what Stockroom told me.
Had a similar experience with Velvet Nest in 2014- a straightforward etsy order, no custom details or sizing, and it took close to two months to receive the harness. Emails were answered weeks after they were sent, always with a bland apology. Sigh. I do love the harness, but am forever hesitant to tell people where I got it from, in case they’re bilked too.
Thanks for sharing! It’s good to hear that you received your harness, but I definitely understand your hesitance.
My Betty Harness Review has so many comments from people who never receieved any response, harness, or refund. I get emails as well. So disheartening to see so many people being scammed.
Such a sad tale! I would have loved one myself. Thanks for letting us know.
It’s such a shame. I would love one of their harnesses but it’s just not worth the hassle. Yours is particularly gorgeous btw <3
Great write up! You answered a few of my questions I’ve had about VN. Would really be great if they came back and honestly support a true customer base. Most of all thank you for the stockroom link, I have wanted to get my lady a VN harness since I found them on tumblr last year. Huge thank you 🙂
No problem, thank you for sharing your appreciation! I’m glad I could help 🙂
Hi hi hi, great post. I’m in the middle of the VN trap- I placed an order for the Veronica a month ago and have heard nothing back from them. How did you get in touch with Joey? And do you think stockroom will aaactually have the harness in stock? Such a bummer.
Hi, thank you and I’m so sorry to hear that. I just went through the contact form on their site, but sadly, I think it was just a short blip when they were replying to those emails. I believe that since stockroom is selling them, they have a stock of them on hand. If I hear from Stockroom, I’ll update this post though! Good luck and you might consider filing a Paypal dispute before it expires.
I ordered one on November 22nd. I’ve sent two emails, and have received no replies. I paid with a credit card, should I call the credit card company or is it too late? I hate that I threw down $98 for nothing.
I’m so sorry to hear that! I’d say call your credit card company just to see, and open a claim with the BBB (if you’re in the US) to make them aware that this is still happening.
So dissapointed they’re not a more reliable company! I have been searching for a really pretty femme-y harness that has jock style straps and the velvetnest ones look so adorable. I haven’t seen anywhere else meld the cute lingerie look with that style of strap so perfectly.
I can sew, so maybe it’s time to DIY something up.
These leather ones from Sh! do come in some cute colours: https://www.sh-womenstore.com/corset-strap-on-dildo-harness.html
Awesome! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
This is a great review and I am working on a pattern so I can replicate a similar concept to provide on etsy. If anyone who have used this product could tell me things they did or did not like about it, or overall things they would have changed please let me know!
There was actually a company that was doing this, but they seem to have disappeared. I thought about mentioning them, but I have reservations about people copying and selling the VN design, despite all they’ve done, since their velcro-front is such an original concept. I’d love to see what you create, so let me know when you have something! If you want feedback or thoughts on what I liked/didn’t about VN, shoot me an email.
My mother used to have a sewing business and so were planning on making a pattern. I would like to use their Velcro concept in the front, I’m hoping I won’t face any copyright infringement lawsuits lol. Although, I’m not too worried since they seem to have little initiative and have sort of failed as a business. And thanks!
I will buy a dozen! VN never responded to my many emails and pleas, and threats, and BBB complaints. So sad over here.
~femmey transfag
Please let us know when you put these on etsy!
Damn, sorry to hear this. I have contacted them multiple times with no response, so I’m not surprised, though I would’ve hoped it was just me they were ignoring. I so love their harnesses! I hope they can figure this out.
oh man, that’s so so sad to hear! 🙁 I’ve been wanting one of those for over two years, and I was so happy about finally getting one for myself this next month…… but I wanted to get one identical to yours, and the Lynn available on Stockroom is a boring light pink and black :((( sighs…
thank you so much for this review, it’s good to know beforehand what I might be getting into. I’m thinking about risking it and then having a PayPal dispute in case they never ship it, but I’m not sure if the headache will be worth it. I’ve sent them an e-mail asking about shipping and whatnot just a few minutes ago, if I get any replies whatsoever I’ll let you know.
It is a bummer, and I’ll update this post if I find out about Stockroom carrying different styles, because so many people have those same feelings. If you get a reply, let me know, but I would be really cautious about ordering from them.
Now that you’ve had the harness for a while, how has it held up? Do you think that if the company wasn’t so untrustworthy, that it would be worth the purchase? I’m pretty bummed, too. I really wanted the Lynn, especially in the color you have (or maybe that red), but it seems like they couldn’t handle the work load and fizzled out.
The only visible wear is the lace fraying a bit. It really has held up well, which makes the downfalls even sadder.
Good write up. I had already emailed velvet nest about how much and how long to the UK with no reply as of yet but glad I read your article first. They look amazing and elegant. Have been looking everywhere for something like this but all loose the femininity appearance . Disappointed to say the least. Someone reliable please fill the gap in the market!
It looks like Stockroom might be teaming up with them – Velvet Nest’s tumblr just updated with a new leather (!!!) harness sold thru stockroom, apparently
Yes! It’s on Stockroom and the VN site as well. Hopefully, this means Stockroom is helping with production, so they can be made and shipped more reliably.
I bought one from good vibes and it carries s stockroom tag