Shein

[SummerDaysOnTheWay]

Is it all really crap material / quality?

I ordered a year or so ago before I realised how ethically bad it is, hit and miss really. I got two jumpers, one was Primark-ish quality and the other is still going so slightly better.
I do have to question how different it is to cheap high street shops though if anyone knows? Like Primark/Matalan/supermarket stuff as well as high street, new look, marks etc. How do we know they're any better when it's still coming from factories overseas?

This is what i think tbh. You can find the exact same products on amazon etc but for triple the price , obviously made in the exact same way ( this especially applies to kids toys and homeware) so how is it more ethical buying it off there? Some clothes seem identical to the ones in store. I dont buy from there often, but cant say that it seems worse than other high street retailers

The use of forced and cheap labour has a bad enough. Where Shein really goes above and beyond is using shite fabrics that shed plastic into the water system every time you wash them. Don’t bother processing returns but incinerate or ship off to another country to deal with. On average release 3 times as many new lines every month than the likes of Zara.

This is in an informative resource from someone in the industry. It’s old but still relevant

t

can be hit and miss, I’ve had some lovely tops and summer dresses and sandals, not so great trousers and jeans so I avoid those.

Can’t believe people are still going on about ‘lovely tops’ when we are talking about forced labour. 🙄 If that was your child forced to work and enslaved in a sweat shop producing these clothes - how would you feel about the passive consumerism that sustained it? Do people really need cheap shit fast fashion that badly that they’re willing to overlook human misery. If you buy from either of the companies that are being discussed here (S and T) you should be ashamed.

People are narrow minded, wilfully ignorant and downright disgusting individuals for buying from these places. There’s a certain level of evilness for people to fund these companies by buying from them.

But who cares about working conditions when you have a ‘lovely top’ that will most likely end up in landfill.

It’s not about affordability. I’m on minimum wage and I save up rather than buy something cheap from these companies. It’s not an excuse.

Lovely tops? by child labour? Glad you enjoy your purchase!

It's hit and miss some items are great whereas others are crap 😊

And were glad you can afford to choose sorry were not all as rich as you apparently there's nothing wrong with Shein so get off your high horse

I'm not trying to put people off vinted but I've bought from them 4 times and 3 out of 4 I've had issues. Item not arriving, not as described, poor communication from sellers, one bag had a huge undisclosed mark on it and I've also heard some horror stories on here.

Shein are not ethical that's a fact but neither are many brands that are far more expensive such as high street and even designer..and they're making more money.

I wonder if those who condemn brands like shein buy Unilever products and factory farm meat etc.

I buy from shein. Not often, most of my clothes are second-hand but one reason i like shein is I can find clothes on there that I can't find anywhere else! They have some unusual designs.

Zara, h&m, amazon, forever 21,Nike, Adidas, gap, old navy and many other brands are not much better (if at all!) Ethically, than shein, and far more expensive. A quick Google can tell you that. People jump on shien I guess because it has come under scrutiny for being so cheap.

Unilever are under scrutiny for their water pollution currently, for very good reason.

Nobody using dove products (for example) has any business shein-bashing.

If you're referring to child labour specifically, look at how well well-known fashion brands score on the transparency scale.
Shein is not alone.

It’s not just child and forced labour (although of course this is awful) with Sheit.

They steal designs from small makers who cannot afford to do anything about it.

They are causing huge harm to the planet with the use of fabrics that start shedding the moment you take them out of their packaging. And continue on every wash.

They use clever algorithms on their app that, when not mining your data are encouraging you to over consume. They release way more new lines every month than most high street retailers who at lest have to answer for their shoddy practices.
They use obscene amounts of water and energy to produce items many people will wear once.

They don’t often bother even processing returns as it’s it’s cheaper to ship off to someone else to dispose of. Because it’s so cheap for a buyer to get an item new from them charity shops can’t shift all your discarded items so end up with a huge disposal problem of their own.

Yes, high street retailers aren’t perfect but Shein are scraping the barrel in all areas of ethics.

are you saying that not being rich is a good reason to support child labour? I am not rich. I am pretty poor by most people standard. I go to charity shops or don't buy. I certainly don't have a budget for expensive clothes but I don't use it as a poor justification to support child labour.

So because other companies are ‘as bad as Shein’ that makes it ok to shop there? That’s terrible justification. Doesn’t make other companies ok but that’s really clutching at straws to justify buying their products.

Im on minimum wage, I just save up and don’t buy excess amounts of clothes and support environmentally damaging fast fashion.

I don't think they are any worse than lots of high street retailers.

I've had tops, shorts and swimwear and its all be good enough quality.
Plus the shorts cover my kids bottom unlike other shops that think young girls should be in hot pants all the time. They also do decent t-shirts unlike retailers that only do crop tops or skinny fit for girls.

I’ve just bought a lovely outfit - T-shirt and matching trousers from there. I know the working conditions are not good but I heard a programme on the BBC World Service where women who worked in the factories said there was no other work available to them and the money they earnt was keeping their families alive. Trump has changed the import laws which is going to make Shein clothes more expensive in the US and they are worried about losing their jobs.

That is another point I guess. If Shein went bust do we think their workers would end up in a well paid job in a shiny office?
Conditions might not be great but the alternatives could be far worse.
I wish things weren't like this, and I'm not saying Shein is a great model and let's all support them. But the argument needs some balance.

I get most of my clothes from eBay these days. People sell almost new stuff for shirt buttons. never been near Shein/Temu

Shein uses Uyghur Muslims who were kidnapped and imprisoned in China as slave labour. No matter how cute/cheap the clothes are, I cannot bring myself to buy clothes made by slaves. It’s 2025, not 1825.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65452976

I don't really by clothes from SHEIN. I tend to buy homewares, jewellery etc. All the stuff comes from china sold by different Chinese sellers. They probably come from the same factory. The problem is you can buy the exact same item on Amazon, eBay, or even your local high street. They're getting the products from the exact same place as SHEIN.

Saying ‘other companies are the same’ isn’t the excuse you think it is.

In what way?

Why not buy from Vinted?

Look how powerful Shein is. You’d be better off buying from Boohoo or second hand…

I have some tops and dressses from them worn and washed every two weeks for at least three years.
Still look good.
And I love their alghoritms and easy search.
Love it.