Fed up with online clothing scams

[Greengate66]

First time posting, so apologies if this is in the wrong place or done in the wrong way.

I've just realised I've bought from a scam company - "Not Just Pajama" if I'm allowed to mention it. (Their spelling, not mine).

I thought I was fairly aware of these scam companies, that pretend to be UK or US based but are based in China. It used to be fairly obvious, as the clothes would look beautiful but cost £16.99, but they seem to have wised up to that and now and the scam clothes are quite expensive.

In this case the quality is terrible, the fit completely wrong, there is only an email address, no postage address (only a Chinese one on the package label that I can't read), returns have to be arranged by email but they don't respond. They also sell through Wolf & Badger which is a reputable UK based retailer, so I thought they were legitimate.

I almost fell for ordering from Linennaive which is a similar set up. These companies advertise on Etsy, Pinterest and Instagram.

It's an absolute con. Is there anything I can do about it? Are there others to watch out for?

Really? I follow Linennaive. I planned to purchase a dress (for a summer wedding/festival) at some point. I had no idea there was anything amiss, their prices are not particularly low either.

It’s so hard to avoid as some of these companies really present as small niche brands with legitimate brand ambassadors.

I loved the stuff on their website too, but there was an odd mix of glowing and terrible reviews on Trust Pilot that made me wary. Plus any company that hides its origins looks very suspicious to me.
So many clothes companies on Pinterest that pretend to be American but aren't have nearly caught me out.
I did get scammed by the same thing a few years ago, can't remember the name of the company, but at least the clothes were cheap. All I could do was put them in the bin.
It annoys me that women are being targeted and there's nothing being done because these Chinese companies don't have to adhere to any regulations.

I never buy from any clothes company advertising on FB etc. Buy from a reputable company - if you're not sure then Google them first, or ask on here!

These companies advertise on Etsy, Pinterest and Instagram.

This is where you're going wrong OP. I give anyone advertising on places like this a wide berth.

Yes, you're right, I'll take advertising on social media as a bad signifier from now on. I came across them via W&B so didn't do the research I should have done.

I am grateful for the warning about linen naive. It's tricky because they seem legitimate and have almost 500k followers. Though, now I think of it, some of the styling was possibly not consistent and slightly off.

Though one that advertises similarly, not UK based, and far fewer people following (Simple Retro) I've bought a couple of things from and the quality has been ok for the price.

There was a Lily something or other which used to advertise on here but when you looked into it it was based in China and getting a refund for crap quality clothes was nigh on impossible. I'd be quite wary of ordering anything from an advert on a sm site - I'm not sure that a lot of sites are actually aware of what they're advertising and the likes of Google don't give a shite.

I'm not 100% certain about Linennaive as I've not ordered from them, but when I looked into them it looked questionable. Happy to be proven wrong, but it's something I keep coming across. It's a shame - the clothes always look so beautiful in the photos.

have you contacted W&B? They might be very interested to hear your experience.

Good idea, I will do.

When looking at buying clothes from a new online company and one which seems a bit niche/independent I do the following:

Look up reviews online
Look at their returns policy and how clear it is. Do they mention well known methods of return that I can easily access.
Look at their contact details. If no address to be found anywhere on the website I definitely don't buy from them.
Look if they state their social media links.
Look if their prices or items seem to good to be true.
"Look and feel" of the website. I've been buying online for sooo long (a long time since before it was popular) that I've seen many websites and I know instinctively if it seems amateur. Amateur but with decent reviews elsewhere, a definite address (not just a PO Box) and contact details might get a second look but cautiously.

Thank you, that's all really helpful 🙂

I almost fell for ordering from Linennaive which is a similar set up

Same here. The clothes look beautiful on the website but I was put off by their being made in China.

Please note that the following products that can not be returned for exchange or refund in any case:

Personalized products with bespoke embroidery or monogrammed^
Sale items marked non-refundable

From the "Not Pyjama" website.

Not refunding personalised items, fair enough; not refunding sale goods- very much not fair enough.

A physical shop can refuse to refund sale goods but the distance selling rules apply in the case of UK companies