I am giving up online shopping for clothes

[Mynameistallullah]

I've fallen for a shitty fashion website which looked legit to me. Prices were too good to be true though which should have been a big old 🚩.

I am usually quite cautious but this looked like orthopedic footwear type stuff. If it had been heavily discounted chanel or something I'd never have fallen for it, but this was comfortable, sensible footwear 🤓, which I needed for work. That's how they got me tbh as I was loath to spend a lot of money on not very attractive, sensible shoes for work...

Got the shipping notification today and noticed they're shipping from China which was another 🚩. Googled reviews and ugh, not good. Looked up their returns policy and also not good. So I'm basically an idiot 😂 😢

Anyway, I've decided I'm not buying from any more online shops. Fuck's sake.

I started another thread earlier and it wouldn't post because it had the name of the shop in the title and it got filtered out, so that's another 🚩

Just posting for a small rant and to declare my abstention from online shopping 🧐

Online shopping isn’t much fun for me. Apparently you get two ‘dopamine’ hits, one when you order, and one when you get your package, compared to IRL shopping. But for me the packages are rarely satisfying. Product descriptions and pictures are poor.

The problem is the IRL shops are now fewer and not always well stocked.

If it's a store name I've never heard of, I'll extra careful checking the address, TrustPilot, returns policy etc. I've stopped myself from buying a fair few things because they looked dodgy.

With AI and the success of Shein, Temu etc i feel it's only going to get worse in terms of slop spewing out that doesn't exist.... we're all going to have to get more savvy.

Thanks and I liked your casual use of "absocrap" 😂

Do trading standards apply to companies outside the UK & EU? If so, I'll try that

I always thought I couldn’t buy clothes online as I’d need to try them on. But now I buy almost everything from Vinted. My max item price is usually £5, so up to £9 with fees and shipping.
Perhaps one in three purchases isn’t what I expected. I’ve just bought a jumper which is lovely but ‘oversized’ to the point of being a tent, so I’ll look out for it in a smaller size.
At those prices I don’t bother reselling, just take them to the charity shop. Even with the cost of the mistakes factored in it’s still very cheap, obviously much better for the environment, and I have got some lovely clothes I’d never have risked at full price! It’s a bit of a hobby for me now whereas clothes shopping used to be just a chore.

Loving ‘absocrap’ - definitely keep that one! 😁

It’s so tempting, isn’t it, seeing these great things for next to no money. At least if it’s on a website like EBay there’s a chance of getting a refund. My daughter ordered a Pokémon advent calendar and after about 2 months received a bizarre collection of shiny stones and rocks! Weird! The seller wanted them sent back to China to give a refund (very expensive to post as quite heavy) but my daughter raised a complaint with EBay and they refunded her anyway.

That is the problem with in person shopping. They never seem to have my size!

Maybe click and collect or ordering online with a store which has real life versions I can return to is a good compromise

That sounds like a good compromise.

I think the point in the OP was that she wasn’t spending £££ she got caught out buying cheap shit from China which she states herself looked too good to be true.

I like online shopping myself, but buy from trusted brands where I can rely on quality and sizing. If I’m not sure I go into town and try on.

When did S&B turn so combative btw?

I did exactly this earlier this summer. Thought a well known company was having a closing down sale, didn't do my due diligence and spent 150 quid on absolute crap which i realised not very long after was arriving (very sloooowly) from China.

It was worse than feared and really only fit for the charity shop. Such an expensive mistake. I asked for a refund and received an essay about how difficult it would be to return anything and that it would cost more than the purchase price to return everything.

I was offered a 15% refund if i kept the stuff. I queried it and it went up to and stayed at 20%. So essentially i just spaffed a ton up the wall.

I am a muppet!

No idea. You make a point and folks get snide.
Anyway. Some good advice on here and the OP seems to have taken on our suggestions. Some sites you definitely have to be cautious about.

Easily done! These sites look very convincing.

Since the dawn of time my friend 🧐

I haven't been offended by anything on here though. If someone had called me a fucking eejit, I'd honestly have agreed with them 😂

It is so annoying and I can normally spot them. It was only when I looked at the tracking info on this one I realised. The shipping site just didn't look right.

Lesson learned I guess and it could have been worse

yes i started doing this in 2020

i have fell for buying a game from USA
which is annoying!

Good. I wish people just stopped buying crap from China online. Bad for environment, bad for local market, just bad.

Yes, i agree with you. I don't buy from Temu or Shein for example because I know it's shit from China. This looked like a British or European outdoorsy/orthopedic footwear site. I'm not that outdoorsy so it made sense in my head that I'd never heard of them!

But I should have checked and it wad by trying to scrimp that I got sucked in. Never again though. Fuckers

Not sure why that was filtered out! Possibly because I said I don't buy from She 1n or T3m u?

Can't write the names on here as they get filtered out as spam apparently

Ah there it is - spam filter took away my post for a minute!

😂it's just so tempting, though... especially for work shoes.

That is a shame, because I like the idea of supporting individuals and smaller businesses.

@LifeofBrienne it sounds as if you've had a good experience of Vinted, although I've read a lot of negative stories on here. Mind you, that probably happens with most things. Any tips?

I don't shop online because I'm an awkward shape. Basically an overall size 8/10 but with big boobs and a tiny waist so nothing ever fits and I'm sick of being disappointed and then having to send stuff back. I'm also sensitive to materials - something has got to "feel right". I find it overall easier to just go to the shops. At least I can instantly see and feel the clothes and there's no expectation. People look at me as if I'm mad when I say I still buy all my clothes in stores.

I think that's my issue, @ginasevern - I like to check out the fabric and look at the stitching etc. also walk about a bit in shoes in the shop. I don't really have the time or inclination to repackage and whatnot and queue at a Post Office. However, each to their own.

Easy to fall for such sites, they often masquerade as local. And Etsy has gone to hell entirely - I bought what was advertised as 100% cotton handmade dress - it was cheap polyester with made in china tag on! Seller refused to refund - Etsy did, but the seller with tons of 5-star, probably fake, reviews is still there.

And I agree with pp that nowadays one needs to check return policies carefully, even many known retailers have started charging return fees or making the process very complicated.