Onine Stores

Aerosoles is a women’s shoe store based in the United States. The brand was established in 1987, which means it has been operational for around 32 years. Despite constant ownership changes and even bankruptcy filings, Aerosoles has weathered the ups and downs of retail business.

They are still a go-to store for women’s comfort shoes, though. They continue to be the most popular comfort footwear brand, with a comprehensive product range that includes leading fashion designs and meets every possible scenario.

Aerosoles believes that “style” and “function” aren’t mutually exclusive; and that you shouldn’t be compelled to pick between the two. Your footwear should look attractive while also helping you feel good, not hurting you and not making you want to change your feet.

Aerosoles is leading the charge in designing shoes that are both fashionable and comfortable, following this “fashion plus function” idea. As a result, the business has been able to set itself apart from the competition. Aerosoles is not simply another women’s footwear company; they’re also recognized for their comfort shoes.

The business’s website is www.aerosoles.com, and it may be found there. Only people who are at least 18 years old can browse the website.

If you fulfill the age requirement and are a resident of one of the countries that the store delivers to (discussed in later section of this review), you may go to the website and place your order.

The website is mobile-friendly, so you can browse it on your phone or tablet and still get a great experience. You may browse all listings, add items to carts, make an purchase, and keep track of the order.

Aerosoles is more than just good looks. They provide the perfect combination of performance and fashion to make your day a little brighter, with their high-quality footwear that’s also comfortable! As one would expect from this store name “Aerosole” means feeling safe when you walk on them thanks in part because it has been tested by doctors for healthy soles

Aerosoles is a legit online fashion store. It is not a scam because the store does not take customers’ money without giving them their products. And there have never been complaints about stolen credit cards details or illegal credit card charges

Is it possible to find stylish shoes that also feel wonderful at Aerosoles? Is their “style and performance” purely for marketing? If they do have the merchandise, can they also deliver the service we would want from an excellent shoe store (such as fast delivery, simple returns, and competent client care)? Is Aerosoles a trusted brand?

The first thing we’d like to say is that this Aerosoles review is not a paid advertisement. This Aerosoles review will go over Aerosoles in order to provide the knowledge necessary to answer these questions as well as other queries.

Aerosoles review at a glance

• The website is www.aerosoles.com
• The company is a US-based women’s shoe retailer founded in 1987
• They provide a range of women’s shoes (almost every style and colour)
• They are better known for their innovative shoe technologies that feature superb comfort
• Payment option includes PayPal and credit/ debit cards (Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express)
• They ship to the US, Canada and about 150 other international locations
• They do not offer free shipping
• For returns, they offer 90 days from the original purchase date (30 days to get refunded via the original payment method; and 31 – 90 days for store credits)
• Customer support is available through email, post, telephone, and fax

Is Aerosoles legit?

Yes, Aerosoles is legit. it is not a scam. There are just too many fake stores using the internet to rip people off. Their modus operandi is usually: putting up a fancy site listing non-existent goods, luring people in to place orders and pay for these non-existent goods, then making away with the payments and never delivering. Thus, before thinking of making a payment in any online store, it’s important to make sure that the platform is legit.

In this regard, there is no doubt that Aerosoles is legit. The legitimacy of an online store can be determined from two perspectives, namely legality and fulfilment of orders. In the first case, Aerosoles comes out as legit becomes the online store is owned and operated by a legal entity – Aero AG Holdings LLC. That makes Aerosoles a 100% legal company. Suffice it to say that fake stores do not go through the trouble of company registrations.

The second perspective of legitimacy is the fulfilment of orders. It’s been said that fake stores do not fulfil orders simply because they cannot. Their set-up means there is no merchandise to be delivered. However, the path Aerosoles tread is in sharp contrast to that.

First, the store has a fulfilment centre in New Jersey which holds thousands of merchandise; the existence of the physical merchandise and the delivery mechanism means that Aerosoles have the capacity to fulfil orders. Secondly, the store has a track record of fulfilling orders as evidenced by its over 30 years of operation. Suffice it to say that in the online retailing business, a store that does not fulfil orders will disappear faster than a mist.

Thus, since Aerosoles is operated by a 100% legal company and has over a three-decade-long record of fulfilling orders, there’s no doubt that the online store is legit.

Is Aerosoles Safe?

Aerosoles is also a safe fashion store. It’s a no-brainer that if you don’t want to be ripped off you should shop with only legit platforms. However, you can still be ripped off if the legit platform you use is not safe. Safety, in this case, is that the online store is able to protect the information that you share with it, and prevent the information from falling into the hands of unauthorized third parties.

When using an online store, you’ll share information such as credit card details and personal information; you really don’t want cyber criminals successfully hacking the store and intercepting such sensitive data. Thus, the ideal online store should not only be legit but also safe.

Aerosoles says that your privacy is a priority and that they have procedures intended to help ensure that your personal information is handled in a safe, secure, and responsible manner. One of such procedures is the TLS (Transfer Layer Security) technology.

TLS is authenticated by GeoTrust, an independent agency, to encrypt every credit card information before it is transmitted over the internet to the servers of Aerosoles. Suffice it to say that while SSL is what most stores in the industry use for secure connections, the SSL security protocol is actually a predecessor of TLS. With the use of this technical security measure, there’s really no doubt that Aerosoles is safe.

Product

Product Range

One of the first things about a shop is the product range. In this regard, the ideal shop should be a one-stop shop with a wide range of products. As we have always maintained, this does not mean that the shop should be a hold-it-all. Even when shops have a niche, they can provide a variety of items in their niche.

For example, for a shop whose niche is shod retailing, I’ll bet that you won’t want to walk into the shop and have to choose between only heels and flats; you’ll want boots, sneakers, sandals, and other shoe styles.

In this regard, the niche of Aerosoles is shoes, specifically women’s shoes. Suffice it to say that Aerosoles ticks the product range box because the store offers a variety of women’s shoe styles. The shoe categories you’ll find in their website (and the different items you’ll find in each category) are:

• Sandals – Casual sandals, Dress sandals, flat sandals, and wedge sandals
• Flats – Ballet flats, Mocs and Loafers, Dress flats, Sports and Sneakers, Classics, Wide width flats
• Heels – High heels (over 3” and over). Mid Heels (2” – 3”), Low Heels, Wedges, Wide Width Heels
• Sneakers – Lace-up, Slip-on
• Boots and Booties – Ankle boots, Dress boots, Casual boots, Tall boots, Rain boots
• Martha Stewart – On the farm, casual weekend, Al Fresco

Aerosoles Video:

Inventory size

While it’s good to have a variety of product types, it’s even important to have a good number of each product type. It’s a no-brainer because instead of having to choose from only a few items, you’ll want to have a large pool. With a large inventory, you’re more likely to find that style or colour that you desire, as well as that matches your budget.

Aerosoles also tick the box in this regard. They do not provide an overwhelmingly large inventory size, but you’ll find a large number of items in each product section to serve all your selection needs. For example, at the time of writing, there were about 40 styles in the Heels section, about 40 in the Flats section, and about 22 styles in the Boots and Booties section; it should be noted that almost all the styles were available in multiple colours. Thus, the particular number of items in each style section increases exponentially.

Product Quality

When it comes to shoes, one of the first metrics of quality is comfort. This is because no matter how stylish footwear is, you don’t want it hurting you. In this regard, Aerosoles flies highest. As mentioned earlier, the brand is better known as a comfort footwear brand.

Thus, their products are packed with core comfort technologies – innovative features that make you feel good. For example, you’ll find: “Heel rest technology” that features custom designs that distribute weight towards your heel and away from the ball of your foot; cushy foam footbeds that provide top softness and comfort, “Diamond pattern soles” that absorb impact with every step; and more.

And if you’re more interested in durability; you’ll find that Aerosoles shoes also tick the box. In a lot of customer reviews on independent online platforms, we found customers commenting that not only are Aerosoles shoes comfy but are also sturdy and that the shoes seemingly lasted for ages.

Price, Promotions, and Payment Options

Price

One of the first things customers look out for is the prices of items. While there are persons who’ll be willing to pay a little extra for some perceived quality, no one will want to pay unreasonable sums for any merchandise. Thus, you’ll want a store that gives you items at reasonable prices.

In this regard, Aerosoles does relatively fine. They are not known for offering the best (read as lowest) shoe prices, but they are known for offering good prices given the quality of their items.

For example, at the time of writing this review, we found Aerosoles’ Heels priced at $79.99 – $120, flats were priced at about $40 – $100, and Boots and Booties start around $44.95 and went into the early one hundred.

We’ve seen shoe stores with prices easily doubling those in Aerosols. Thus, while Aerosoles may not be your cheap and affordable shoe shop, if you want good quality and super comfy shoes at reasonable prices, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t look at Aerosoles.

Promotions

Simply put, promotions are cost-saving offers. Promotions allow you to get certain items in a store for free and most others for less than their full prices. Thus, it’s only natural that customers will want a store that runs a lot of promotions.

Aerosoles ticks the box in this regard because they run a lot of promotions from time to time. At the time of writing this review, some of the promotions on offer include 20% off new arrivals; up to 70% off selected styles in their outlets; 30% off sales and clearance styles; and free US Ground shipping on orders over $75.

As mentioned; the promotions are time-specific, and are active only within a time window. Thus, you’ll need to keep checking the Aerosoles website from time to time to know what particular promotion is running at any particular time.

Payment Options

You’ll want it to be easy when making payment for your order no matter where you are resident. The first part is being able to find a payment method to use no matter where you are, and the second part is for the chosen method to be convenient. Thus, you’ll want an online store that supports a range of payment methods.

In this regard, Aerosoles supports a variety of credit/ debit cards and PayPal. The cards that you can use in paying for your Aerosoles order include Visa, Master card, American Express, or Discover card. Apart from PayPal, and the credit/ debit cards, you may also use Aerosoles gift cards and Aerosoles store credits.

Online fashion stores do not break the roof with payment options supported, so it’s not surprising that Aerosoles supports only the cards and PayPal. However, given that these are global options, you should have no problem with paying for your order using any of the supported countries. 

Shipping

Online shops differ from brick and mortar stores in that you won’t simply walk out of the store with your package. Rather, the package will be shipped to where you’ll receive delivery of it. This means that shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. Some of the shipping elements to watch out for include shipping destinations, shipping cost and shipping times.

Shipping Destinations

These are the locations that the online shop ships to. If the shop does not ship to your location, it’ll be difficult to receive delivery of your package. Thus, you’ll want a store that ships to as many worldwide locations as possible so that where you’re resident is more likely to be covered.

In this regards, Aerosoles ships to the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Christmas Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Germany, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Korea (South), Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Islands, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna Islands.

The above shows that Aerosoles ships to some 150 countries across the globe. This is definitely not the best coverage, but it’s a wider coverage than most stores can muster.

Shipping Times

After placing your order, you won’t want to wait forever before it is delivered to you. Thus, you’ll want a store that features fast delivery.

In this regard, Aerosoles does the typical, which is offering a couple of delivery options for domestic orders, and only one option for international orders. Thus, for US orders (especially those travelling to any location in the continental 50 states), you may choose from shipping options that include Standard Ground Delivery, 2 Day Air Delivery, and Next Day Air Delivery.

For the Standard Delivery, the order takes 2 – 5 days in transit. This means that when expecting your order, you’ll have to factor in how much time it takes the company to process your order before dispatch. Their order processing time is within 2 business days, which means that your Standard US order may take any time between 3 and 7 business days to get to you.

The other delivery options are express options; their names are suggestive of how long it’ll take to receive delivery of your order. With the 2 Day Delivery, you’ll get your package in 2 business days; and with the Next Day Delivery, you’ll get your package the very next business day following order placement. With these express options, the order processing that applies is also express.

Orders placed before 12pm (Eastern Time) are shipped the same day, while orders placed after 12 pm or on weekends are shipped the next business day. However, express delivery is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, the US territories and military addresses (APO/ FPO).

It should also be said that orders to US military addresses may take up to 3 weeks to be delivered. For international orders, it’ll depend on the country that the order is travelling to. Canada orders typically take 3 – 7 business days after the orders are shipped to be delivered, while other international orders may take as many as 7 – 10 business days.

Shipping Cost

It’s no news that many customers abandon their shopping cart at checkout, and it’s also no news that one of the main reasons for that is high shipping costs adding to the purchase cost to make the total expenditure unacceptable. Thus, you’ll want a store that features shipping costs that are as low as possible.

In Aerosoles, the shipping cost depends on the delivery option chosen (where applicable), and also on the total amount of your order. The latter means that what you pay for shipping increase with an increase in your order.

For domestic US orders below $50: standard shipping cost $7.50; Standard Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii and the US Territories cost $12.50; 2-day Shipping cost $16.50; while Next Day Shipping cost $24.50. For orders of $51 – $100; a dollar adds to the shipping cost as follows: standard shipping cost $8.50; Standard Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii and the US Territories cost $13.50; 2-day Shipping cost $17.50; while Next Day Shipping cost $25.50. For orders of $101 – $150, another dollar adds to the shipping costs. For orders of $151 – $200; yet another dollar adds to the shipping cost. Shipping costs continually increase with an increase in the order amount until for all orders over $501 as follows: standard shipping cost $21.50; Standard to Alaska, Hawaii and the US Territories cost $26.50; 2 day Shipping cost $30.50; while Next Day Shipping cost $38.50.

Returns

Any online store that has customer satisfaction as a priority should accept returns. With online purchases, it is even more likely than in traditional purchases from brick and mortar stores that you’ll want to return an item back to the store. First, in online purchase, there’s no opportunity to physically assess the item so there’s the possibility that you’ll not like what is delivered.

And since the sized products were not tested, there’s the possibility that the item ordered will be the wrong fit. And there could even be issues in transit that could lead to items getting damaged before it gets to you. Whatever, the case, there are many reasons why you’ll choose to return an online purchase, and you’ll want a store with a favourable return policy.

Return Window

An online store only gives a period of time within which you can returns items back to them for a refund or exchange. Typically, items received by a store outside the return window will not be accepted. Thus, you’ll want an extended period of time so that you won’t have to race against the calendar to get your returned item to the store in time.

In this regard, Aerosoles allow 30 days from the purchase date for a refund via the original payment method. This means that, unlike most other stores that also allow 30 days, Aerosoles’ return window does not start counting from the day you receive delivery of your package, but from the day you place your order. Thus, as your order is processed and shipped to you, your return window has already started counting. If it’ll take another 10 days to receive delivery of the package, it means 10 days is already off how much time you have to return any item in the order to get a refund.

This would mean that the 30 days return window allowed by Aerosoles is relatively shorter than the industry average of 30-days which starts counting from the date of delivery. Thus, you’ll be pressed with time if you have to return any item to Aerosoles for a refund. As a result, you’ll have to act immediately after receiving your Aerosoles package.

However, it’s a good thing that, unlike most stores who’ll not accept any returned item getting to their fulfilment centres late, the Aerosoles return policy allows that items received by the store 31 – 90 days after the purchase date will be accepted, but refunds will be in store credit.

It’s easy to see why customers will not want store credits but a cash refund via their original payment method. While store credits will tie you to using the funds in the particular store; with cash refunds, you may choose to go to another store to make your purchases. However, you’ll rather return an unwanted item and store credits than be stuck with the item. Thus, the overall 90 days that Aerosoles allows for returns gives them one of the widest returns windows in the business. As long as you don’t mind store credits, you can relax easily when making returns to the store.

However, it should be noted that items priced at $29.99 or under can only be returned for store credits. It doesn’t matter that the items are returned within the 30 days window; as long as the order amount was under $30, you’ll only get store credits which must be used in the store.

Return Process

You don’t want to be put off returning an item to a store because of a difficult return process. Aerosoles ticks the box in this regard. The store includes a Return Label for orders going to the continental US states. All you have to do is attach the label to the return package and mail it. For orders going to Alaska, Hawaii, the US Territories or other international countries; no Return Labels are provided. You’ll simply send your return package to Aerosoles using a shipper of your choice.

Cost of Returns

You don’t want to be put off returning an item to a store because of the cost of doing so. There are some stores that charge high return shipping fees, while others even charge a restocking fee. These charges when too high can make you reason against returning an unwanted item; thus, you want a store with costs of returns that are as low as possible. The lowest possible cost of returns is zero, which is free returns. Unfortunately, Aerosoles does not offer free returns.

They charge flat rates for the Return Label that they provide which depends on the number of items from the order that you are returning. You’ll be charged: $7.25 for 1 item; $9.35 for 2 items; $11.50 for 3 items; and $13.75 for 4 or more items. It can be seen that the shipping cost of returning one item is relatively low, but this can easily become high as more items are returned. Having to pay more for shipping, if you choose to return more items is not something that most customers are pleased with.

As we saw from a lot of reviews of Aerosoles, customers will rather flat rates be charged for return shipping no matter the number of items being returned.

Refund Processing

After returning an item to a store, you won’t want it to take forever before you receive your refund. Thus, you’ll want a store that will issue your refund as fast as possible. Aerosoles advertise that it may take 7 – 14 days (including return shipping time) for your return credit to appear on your credit card account.

Even if it takes 14 days (including return shipping time), it will be one of the fastest times in the industry for processing and issuing refunds. There are many online stores that take more than 14 days to process returns and issue refunds.

Exchanges

Sometimes, customers only want to return an item and get another in its place. Such product exchanges make getting the new item faster because you won’t have to wait to be refunded for the one returned before you can order the replacement. Thus, it’s worth looking for stores that offer product exchanges.

Unfortunately, Aerosoles does not offer product exchanges. You’ll have to return the unwanted item, get a refund, and place a new order for the replacement.

However, Aerosoles does better than almost every other store that also does not offer product exchanges. This is because, where you’ll typically have to pay the shipping cost for the new item in the other stores, Aerosoles will waive the shipping cost for the new item you’ll be getting as a replacement for the one returned.

Customer Support

No matter how effectively a store is run, there’ll always be customers who have questions, as well as those who have issues with their orders. Thus, the ideal online store should have an effective customer support service for addressing customers’ questions and issues.

The effectiveness of support service can be measured by: the range of methods for contacting the support service, the responsiveness of the service when contacted, and the helpfulness of the support given.

First, you can contact the customer service of Aerosoles through email, telephone, post and fax. For the email service, you’ll have to go through a “contact us” form on their website. For the telephone service, the lines to use are 800 798 9478 if within the US and Canada; 732 645 4450 if outside the US, and 732 985 6900 to reach their corporate office. If you’ll rather send a letter, you can mail it to Aerosoles, Direct Division, P. O. Box 1916, Edison, New Jersey 08818-1916. Lastly, for fax, the number is 732 985 3697. With so many options available for contacting their support agents; Aerosoles does pretty well in the area of contact options. However, as we find with most fashion-focused retailers, there is no live chat support. This would have come in handy for those who’ll want instant feedback but do not want to pick up the phones. It also does not help that international callers will be charged international call rates when using the telephone service.

In the area of responsiveness; Aerosoles also does pretty fine because they answer email support submissions within a few hours. And in the matter of the helpfulness of responses dished out by their support service, it’s safe to say that Aerosoles also ticks the box. Customer support makes or breaks a platform, so you’ll find that one of the first things that customers bash about a store is its customer support service.

However, we didn’t find much dissatisfaction with the support service of Aerosoles in any of the online independent customers’ review platforms. Given that we did find the odd service failure, it’s only safe to say that most often than not the customers were satisfied with the support received.

Pros

• Aerosoles offers a variety of shoe styles as well as a sizeable inventory of each style
• They offer high quality and super comfy shoes
• Their prices are reasonable
• They have an easy return process
• They offer an extended 90 days window for returning any item back to the store
• The store waives the shipping cost and give you free shipping if you place a new order when returning a previously purchased item
• There is support for a wide range of payment options
• They support a wide range of options for contacting customer care

Cons:

• Shipping costs increase with the order amount
• Items priced at $29.99 or under can only be returned for store credits
• Does not offer free shipping
• They do not allow product exchange

Conclusion

Aerosoles is a legitimate website to check out when it comes to purchasing comfort shoes at reasonable prices. The brand may have been started in 1987, but there is nothing old-school about the brand, instead, you’ll find some of the most fashionable shoe styles complete with innovative comfort technologies.

Aerosoles offers a variety of styles and a sizeable inventory of each style, which ensures that you’ll find a piece that matches your taste and budget.

ALSO READ: Aspesi Review – Is Legit, Safe or a Scam Fashion Store?

For the service, Aerosoles delivery is relatively fast. It’s not the best that their shipping costs can easily go up with an increase in order amount, but there’s the occasional offer of free shipping that you can take advantage of. And to ensure customer satisfaction, you have an extended 90 days (from the original purchase date) to return an item to the store (albeit, you’ll have to return the item within the first 30 days to be refunded via your original payment method).

It’s also good that if you meet the occasional roadblock, there is a range of options to contact Aerosoles, and the support service gives prompt and helpful assistance.

If you have had an experience with Aerosoles, you can also contribute to this review by giving us your personal experience by writing a true Aerosoles review.

Zara is a fashion retailer store that is based in based in Arteixo, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. Clothing, accessories, shoes, swimwear, beauty products and fragrances are among the items offered by the Zara. It is the world’s top apparel retailer, according to Forbes magazine. It was founded by Amancio Ortega in 1975 and is part of the Inditex conglomerate, which is the world’s biggest clothing company.

Zara says that the company “is one of the biggest international fashion companies”. That is on point. They operate worldwide and specialize in men, women and kids wear. The company belongs to Inditex, which is one of the largest fashion retail groups in the world.

The first Zara store was opened in 1975 in A Coruña (Spain) by Amancio Ortega (the founder of Inditex). Zara’s goal was not just to provide fashion styles but to provide them at affordable prices. To achieve this, they adopted a business shrank the gap between fashion creation and the customer, and brought customers closer than ever to the products they want.

Zara’s approach to fashion was a success, and by 1983, the company has expanded across Spain, with nine stores in some of the most prestigious shopping districts in Spain’s biggest cities. In 1988, Zara went international by opening a Zara store in Porto (Portugal); and one year after, they went transatlantic by opening a store in Lexington Avenue (New York, USA).

In the years that follow, Zara continued their expansion by entering new markets (opening Zara stores) all over Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa; by 2007, the Zara store that was opened in Florence was the 1,000^th. The expansion was beyond the clothing lines because in 2003 Zara launched Zara Home, which sells home and interior collections.

When businesses started moving online, the home and interiors brand was the first to go online with the launch of Zarahome.com in 2007. In 2010, the clothing line quickly followed with the launch of Zara.com, and Zara began to sell their products online.

Zara is a legit online fashion store. They are not a scam because they will never steal your money or credit card details. And you will receive any products you ordered from the store without a problem. But does Zara offer quality materials?

Zara advertises as one of the biggest fashion companies in the world. Fine! However, most customers do not care about the size of a fashion retailer; they just want a company from whom they can get elegant and quality fashion products, at affordable prices, and without stress.

The question is whether Zara is the popular fashion company that it is advertised to be. Is Zara genuine?

 This review will also examine zara.com in order to provide the information that will help you answer those questions.

Zara review a glance

• Spain based fashion retailer, owned by Inditex, that started operation in 1975
• Specialize in women, men and kids’ wear
• Started online operation in 2010
• Has an extensive retail network that consists of over 1000 physical stores worldwide
• Offers free shipping
• Allows returns for refund or exchange made within 30 days of the delivery date
• Customer support is available via chat, telephone and social media

Is Zara Legit?

Zara is legit, and not a scam fashion store. Although, one of the first things people want to know is whether an online store is genuine or fake. To be fair, you really can’t blame them; there are just too many fake/ scam stores to not be concerned about.

These scam stores operate by luring customers to make payments for non-existent merchandise that will never be delivered. Customers who fall prey will lose their payment, and can even have their accounts cleared. Thus, it’s super important to first determine if an online store is legit or a scam.

In this regard, Zara.com comes out flying because there is no doubt that Zara is legit. The first consideration is the owner and operators of Zara. Zara is owned by Inditex, which is an incorporated company. This means that Inditex, and by extension Zara, is 100% legal and thus legit.

Also, Inditex is a public company; its shares have been listed on the Madrid stock exchange since 2001 and are included in blue-chip stock indices such as the Ibex 35, FTSE Eurotop 100 and the Eurostoxx 600. Suffice it to say that no fake/ scam store will seek incorporation, or go as far as being listed in a Stock Exchange.

To many customers, a fake store is one that does not deliver their order and will disappear with the payment made. Thus, a legit store will have physical existence and the capacity to fulfil orders. In this regard, Zara ticks the box. Zara.com does not exist only virtually.

Apart from the corporate headquarter in Arteixo (Spain); they have logistic centres and factories as well as over a thousand stores across the world. These worldwide stores hold merchandise in the millions. With these, there’s no doubt that Zara.com will deliver your package. This shows that Zara is legit because the fake stores exist only virtually, with no physical product to deliver.

Lastly, the test of time also establishes Zara as legit. With the first Zara store opened in 1975, it means that Zara has been operating for over 43 years. Suffice it to say that no fake/ scam store can operate that long. Usually, word comes out when fake stores rip off people; and with such exposure, they close shop and disappear.

Is Zara safe?

Zara is also a safe fashion store. Every legit online store should be safe. An online store is safe means that it will protect whatever information customers share with them. If an online store is not safe, sensitive information (such as credit card details) that a customer shares with them will be captured by other fraudsters; and the end result will be that the customer is defrauded.

Is it safe to shop online at zara.com? An article on their website answers: “Yes. You can shop with total peace of mind as we make every effort to ensure we have the resources that guarantee the security of your purchases and details”.

Zara explains that the security of customers’ information is one of their top priorities; and that they invest a large number of resources and use the most recent technologies available to ensure that customers’ data is processed in secure environments. However, they do not spell out the security measures that they adopt.

While we will like to know such details (e.g. the encryption standard used) to make sure; it should be said that Zara’s e-commerce platform has received multiple certifications for best practice with regard to managing information, security and compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requirements. These certifications can only mean one thing – Zara follows the industry’s strictest standards to provide you with a purchasing experience in a private, trusted and secure environment.

Features

Website Accessibility

The first contact with an online store is the website; thus, you’ll want the website of the ideal online fashion store to be functional and friendly. The first thing you’ll find when you enter zara.com is that you’ll have to choose your destination and language and you’ll be taken to a location-specific web page. Unlike most fashion stores that build a generic website, the website of Zara is tailored to specific markets/ regions. After choosing your region, everything is displayed in the local currency, and rates are specific to the region.

The website itself is like the website of a typical fashion retailer – featuring large images of on-model clothing items, with minimalist text describing each image. You don’t want a text that is cluttered, and Zara’s isn’t. You’ll find tabs appropriately placed that will take you to the various section of the site – to browse the collections or look up the company’s policies (shipping, returns, etc). The site is easy to move about in, and you’ll have no issues finding what you want.

Another important consideration about the website of a fashion online store is whether the website will allow you to shop on the go, that is, from anywhere and anytime. A website that will allow shopping on the go is a website that works well on mobile devices. Thankfully, Zara.com works well on mobile operating systems. It works well on Android, iOS, Windows phones and other mobile platforms.

The website is fully mobile optimized and resizes well to fit the small screens of mobile devices. All you need do is type the URL into your web browser and you’ll be redirected to the mobile page. The Zara website is optimized to be viewed with Google Chrome 44 (or later), Safari 8 (or later), Mozilla Firefox 45 (or later), Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 (or later) and Microsoft Edge 12 (or later).

Sustainability

Many customers want a fashion store that is not only passionate about providing fashion products but one that is also passionate about providing fashion without harming the environment/ planet.

In this regard, Zara ticks the box. For example, Zara has an outerwear line that is made entirely of recycled material. The TRF recycled outerwear capsule is made using recycled plastic/ polyesters. Apart from helping to keep the environment clean, its production uses less energy and water.

Zara’s sustainability effort has gained international recognition. In 2016, the company was named as group leader for the retailing industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and top Greenpeace’s Detox Catwalk. Zara’s approach to zero discharge of hazardous chemicals during production has been described as ‘exemplary’.

Product Range

The ideal fashion shop should be a one-stop shop which holds a wide range of fashion products so that you can shop for all your fashion needs in one place. One reason you’ll want to get all your items from one store is that it gives significant cost savings. There are savings from bulk purchase discounts, as well as savings from shipping one order as against shipping multiple orders from multiple stores.

In this regard, Zara ticks the box. First, Zara provides women’s wear, men’s wear and kids’ wear. Thus, Zara is an everybody’s fashion shop. Also, in each section, Zara holds the full gamut – clothing, shoes, accessories etc.

In the women’s wear section, you’ll find: coats, jackets, blazers, dresses, jumpsuits, shirts and blouses, tops, t-shirts, bodysuits, sweatshirts, pants, jeans, shorts, skirts, knitwear, co-ord sets, suits, shoes, bags, accessories

In the men’s wear section, you’ll find: outerwear, jackets, blazers, suits, pants, shorts, jeans, shirts, t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, tracksuits, knitwear, shoes, bags, gift card, accessories

The kid’s section is divided into five categories: girl, 5 – 14 years; boy, 5 – 14 years; baby girl, 3 months – 4 years; baby boy, 3 months – 4 years; mini, 0-12 months. You’ll find coats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, shirts, dresses & romper suits, jumpsuits, sets, knitwear, pants and overalls, jogging, leggings and pants, basics, jeans, skirts & shorts, bags and backpacks, shoes, accessoriesRotita dresses ads:

Rotita Swimwear ads:

Rotita Swimwear ads:

Prices and Promotions

The prices of items in the store change from time to time; but comparing the prices with those in other stores, it can be seen that Zara has competitive prices. You’ll find a lot of elegant clothing pieces below $50. If you’re on a budget, Zara is one place to shop for exquisite fashion pieces at very affordable prices.

However, it was seen that Zara does not run as many promotions as some other fashion stores. Usually, the landing page of online fashion stores greets you with promos such as price discounts and free products; but none of those was seen in Zara’s. While their relatively affordable prices make the lack of promos less painful, we’ll like to see more promos offered by Zara.

Payment Methods

The ideal online fashion store should support a wide range of payment methods, o that customers can conveniently pay for their orders no matter where they may be based. In this regard, Zara ticks the box. They support different payment methods, and the options available to any customer depend on where the customer is paying from.

For example, Customers in the US can pay via Visa, Master Card, American Express, PayPal, JCB, Discover, Gift Card, Apple Pay, and Diners Club. Also, if you are paying from China, the options available are China Union Pay, Payment on delivery (POD), Alipay, and WeChat Payment.

It can be seen that no matter where you are paying from, you’ll find one payment method that is widely supported in your territory. Thus, making payment for orders in Zara is painless. You’ll also notice that in certain locations, Zara accepts POD (Payment on Delivery). Not many fashion retailers do this.

Shipping

Shipping is second only to price in importance in online purchases. The shipping considerations are shipping destinations, shipping cost and shipping times.

With regards to shipping destinations, you’ll want an online shop that ships to numerous locations worldwide so that no matter where you are you can shop in the shop and be sure to receive delivery of your order. In this regard, Zara ticks the box; they ship to over 150 locations worldwide which include Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

With regards to shipping costs, you’ll want a store that has shipping rates which are as low as possible. This is because, even when items are acceptably priced, high shipping costs can easily increase the total expenditure on items and put them in the unacceptable range. In this regard, Zara also ticks the box by offering the lowest possible shipping cost which is free shipping. However, there is a catch. Your order has to be up to a particular amount to qualify for free shipping. Where free shipping is not applicable; Zara charges reasonable flat rates.

With regards to shipping times, you don’t want to wait forever to receive delivery of your package, so you’ll want a store that has fast delivery as opposed to one that has slow delivery. In this regard, Zara also does well. This is made possible because Zara has numerous stores and distribution centres in different locations worldwide. Most times, orders will be dispatched from one of the closest centres, which translates to shorter times for the orders to reach your receiving address.

There are different delivery options available depending on what country/ region you’ll be shipping to; and these options determine the price.

When shipping to addresses in the US, there is the option of collection at a Zara store. The package will be sent to a Zara shop close to you, and you (or someone in your place) can pick it up after showing identification. It takes 3 – 5 business days for the package to get to the store, and the delivery option is free.

Alternatively, you can have the package sent directly to your home address. There are different options for that – standard delivery, express delivery, and same-day delivery. The standard delivery will get the package to your home in 2 – 4 business days, and it cost 4.95 USD. However, it is free for every order above 50 USD.

If you’ve checked other reviews of online fashion stores, you’ll find that for those that demand that you spend up to an amount to qualify for free shipping, this is the lowest order qualifying amount in the market. Some stores will demand that customers spend as much as $100 (and even over $100) to qualify for free shipping. With Zara demanding that you spend only $50 to qualify for free shipping, there’ll be no pressure to spend more than you intended just because you want to get free shipping.

There is also an Express delivery option to the US which takes 1 – 2 business days and costs 9.95 USD. Finally, there is an “On the same day of the purchase” which also cost 9.95 USD. This delivery option does exactly as its name suggests; which is to get you the package on the same day that you ordered it.

However, the orders must be placed before 1:00 PM (Monday to Friday) for you to receive them on the same day. The delivery will be made between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM (EST).  Also, the Same Day delivery is available for only orders shipping to New York addresses.

If you’ll be shipping to Britain, there is also a free “collection at a Zara store” option. The package will take 2 – 3 business days to get to the Zara store of your choosing, and you can pick it up there. There is also a “Drop Point” delivery option which is similar to the in-store delivery option.

In the drop point delivery, Zara will deliver the package to certain drop points (which will be made available to you at checkout); you can then identify yourself at the drop point to get the package. The Drop point also takes 2 – 3 business days, and costs 1.95 GBP. However, it is free for orders over 50 GBP.

There is also home delivery with different delivery options. There is a “Next Day” delivery which gets you the package a day after it was ordered. However, the orders have to be placed before 19:00 (Monday to Friday) for them to be delivered the day after you buy them. This delivery option cost 3.95 GBP; but is free for orders over 50 GBP.

There is also a “Same Day” delivery which gets you the package on the same day it is ordered (but the orders have to be placed before 14:00 Monday to Saturday). However, the same-day delivery is available for only orders shipping to London. Also, it cost 9.95 GBP. London orders also have a “Precise day” delivery option where you can choose the date and time you want the delivery (except on Sundays). It cost 5.95 GBP.

If you’ll be shipping to Canada; there is the in-store delivery option which will get your order to a Zara store of your choice in 1 – 5 business days. Collection at a Canadian Zara store is free.  Home delivery options include Standard delivery, Express delivery, and Same Day delivery. The Standard delivery takes 1 – 5 business days and costs 4.95 CAD (but is free for orders over 50 CAD).

The Express delivery takes 1 – 2 business days, and costs 9.95 CAD. While the “On the same day of the purchase” delivery cost 9.95 CAD. The Same Day delivery will get you the package the same day you place the order between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM, as long as the order is placed before 1:00 PM. However, the same day delivery option is available for only orders going to Toronto.

For China orders, there is also an in-store delivery which will get your order to the Zara store close to you for pick up. It takes 2 – 7 working days for your order to arrive at the chosen store, and it is free. There are also home delivery options. These include a standard delivery which takes 2 – 7 business days and costs ¥ 10.00. However, there is free standard shipping for orders over ¥ 199.00. There is the Same Day delivery which cost ¥ 10.00, and is free for orders over ¥ 199.00. However, the same day delivery is only for orders within Shanghai; and the orders must be placed before 12:00.

We cannot cover shipping details for every international destination, but one thing is certain – since Zara operates stores in more countries than almost every fashion online store, they are able to provide free in-store delivery in almost every destination.

Returns and Exchange Policy

Returns

When making purchases from an online store, you should also be interested in their return policy. This is because online purchases are characterized by blind purchase, where you don’t get to physically see and assess the item before completing the transaction, and there is the risk that the item might not be what you had expected. It is not just that you might not be satisfied with the quality; the item may be delivered to you damaged.

Since most fashion products are sized products, there is the chance of ordering an item that is too small or too big and does not fit. Whatever the case, you’ll want that a legit online store allows you to return an item that you’re not satisfied with and give you a refund of your payment, or at the least give you a replacement in its place.

Thankfully, Zara allows returns. The returns window is 30 days which means that you have 30 days from the time of purchase (date of delivery) to return any item to them. If you’ve checked other reviews of online fashion stores, you’ll find that this is the best returns window out there. There’s hardly any store that allows more than 30 days for returns.

You have the option to return the item you opt to return to a Zara store. All you need do is go to the Zara Store (in the same country or region in which you have made your purchase) with your printed or electronic sales receipt. Alternatively, you may return the item by mail. You can even do it from the comfort of your home; all you need do is package the item appropriately, and Zara will send a courier to collect your return from the address you select.

However, before the items will be accepted by Zara, they not only have to be returned within the 30 days window, there are some conditions that must also be met. For example swimwear cannot be returned except if the hygiene strip is unbroken; underwear items cannot be returned, except for tops, bodysuits, and vests from the Kids’ section kept in their original packaging; accessories can only be returned if they are in their full original packaging; fragrances can only be returned if they are in the original sealed packaging; also lipstick can only be returned in its same packaging and its original condition. Also, clothing to be returned must be in their original new conditions – unworn, unwashed and undamaged.

If the returned items meet the returns conditions and get to Zara within the allowed 30 days window, you’ll be issued a refund. The refund will get to you via the original payment method you used for the initial purchase. Zara pledges to process and issue refunds within 14 days of receiving the returned items.

Exchanges

Sometimes, you don’t want to return the item for a refund, but just to get another item in exchange for it. Most stores do not allow exchanges; you’ll have to return the item, and wait to get a refund before placing s fresh order. With such stores, the process of getting the new item is longer than necessary because of the time used waiting to get refunded. However, where a store allows exchanges, you can place the order once the returned items have been approved. Thus, the ideal store should allow product exchanges.

Not many online fashion stores allow exchanges; thankfully, Zara does. However, you can only exchange a product for a different colour or size. If you’ll want a different item altogether, you’ll have to return the item for a refund and place a fresh order.

Though Zara states that “you have 30 days from the shipping date to exchange your Zara.com purchase”, they also state that “you have 14 days from the exchange request to return your merchandise”. So if you hope to get an exchange, you should make sure that the first item reaches them at most 14 days after the exchange request. If the items get to Zara after 14 days, they will charge you the amount of the replacement items requested from your original payment method.

However, online exchanges are possible only if you made the original payment with certain payment options. For example, if the original payment was made with PayPal, you cannot get an online product exchange.

Customer Support Service

The ideal fashion retailer should make provisions for addressing customers’ issues and inquiries. This is because no matter how effectively a service runs, there’ll be customers that have questions that they’ll need answers to, and there’ll also be those that have issues with using the service.

An online fashion store is no exception. In your online shopping experience, there’ll come a time when you have to contact the store, and you’ll need a store with an effective customer support service.

The different channels that Zara provides for directly contacting one of their support agents are live chat, telephone, and social media. The chat feature is available round the clock (24/ 7); however, responses are not always instant as you’ll expect of a live chat service. For the telephone service, Zara provides toll-free lines so that you won’t have to worry about charges when you call for assistance.

There are different lines depending on the country you are calling from. The US toll-free line is 1-855 635 9272. However, unlike the chat service, the telephone service is not available 24/ 7. It is active only between 8.30 am to 7.30 pm (EST) on Monday to Friday, and between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (EST) on Saturdays. Zara can also be reached using their social media handles (Facebook: ZARACare; Twitter: @Zara_care).

Pros

• One one-stop fashion store for everyone – women, men and kids
• Holds a wide product range and a large inventory of each product type
• Offers competitive prices
• Operate physical stores in worldwide locations
• Offers free shipping
• Offers product exchanges

Cons:

• Does not offer too many promos

Conclusion

Zara is one of the biggest and legitimate fashion retailers in the world. They have an extensive retail network that consists of stores in almost all the big cities of the world. There’s no doubt that the online shop is legit and safe. They’ve been operating for over four decades, and their chain of stores and distribution centres gives them the capacity to fulfil orders.

They ship to numerous worldwide locations, and they offer free shipping. Shipping times are relatively fast, and they allow returns within 30 days of the delivery date if you’re not totally pleased with any item in the order.

Agaci is a Texas-based fashion retailer that sells high quality trendy clothing to women. They have everything from clothes, shoes and accessories in different styles for any occasion or mood you may be feeling! The store advertises itself as “the haven of fierce fabulousness” which means they will carry top trends so customers can find their perfect outfit quickly without having to go elsewhere.”

Agaci is a legitimate fashion store online. It is not a scam because they have never been a complaint of the store stealing customers’ money and credit card details. And customers always receive the items they ordered from the store.

But does Agaci provide quality materials?

The question is whether A’gaci really does provide top quality trendy fashion that’ll make you feel confident or just another marketing slogan. If they do have the product then should it be affordable with great services such as fast shipping & returns? What about their customer support-is there anything special going on here?!

This Agaci review will examine A’gaci in other to provide the information that’ll help you answer these questions and more.

Agaci review at a glance

• Website is www.agacistore.com
• A’gaci is a US-based fashion store established in 1971
• The store provides only women’s wear (clothing, shoes and accessories)
• A’gaci operates over 46 retail store outlets across the US and Puerto Rico
• A’gaci provides a wide range of fashion items, as well as a sizeable inventory of each product type
• A’gaci offers fabulous prices (some of the lowest in the industry)
• Free Standard shipping is provided for orders over $50
• A’gaci ships to only the US, but partners with International Checkout to serve some other 250+ countries
• Returns are accepted if made within 30 days from the date the package ships out of A’gaci’s fulfilment centre
• Customer support is available via telephone (866 265 3036) and email (customerservice@agacistore.com)

What is Agaci?

A’gaci is a women’s wear fashion brand based in Texas, USA. The retail brand was established as far back as 1971, which means they’ve been operating for about 48 years. Agaci now boasts of 46 retail store outlets across 7 US states and Peurto Rico.

A’gaci is an online boutique that sells women’s clothing and accessories. The store aims to make you feel sexy, feminine and confident with the goal of providing “all things fresh” including thousands of new styles added regularly through their website or social media sites such as Facebook & Twitter!. Though A’GACI also speaks about being fabulous in some aspects but better described as affordable price points for what customers want without compromising quality.

The website is www.agacistore.com. The website opens across multiple platforms. It is also mobile optimized so it resizes to fit the small screens of mobile devices.

Is Agaci legit?

Agaci is a legit fashion store. They are not a scam and do not have a fraud history, as of writing this review. Using a legit store for transactions is a no-brainer. There are many fraudsters parading cyberspace, and a popular scam technique of theirs is setting up scam stores where customers are lured to pay for orders that will not be delivered. Thus, scam stores will rip you.

In this regard, A’gaci ticks the box. The first check of the legitimacy of a store is its legality. The online store is owned by A’gaci LLC, which is a company duly registered in the US. In the least, this means that Agacistore.com is 100% legal. Suffice it to say that scam stores do not seek company registrations or operating licenses.

Another check of a store’s legitimacy is whether the store fulfils orders. In this regard, A’gaci has a robust physical existence that includes about 46 physical stores across the US. These stores hold hundreds of thousands of merchandise, which gives A’gaci the capacity to fulfil orders. Scam stores exist only virtually, with no physical products to deliver, and as such do not fulfil orders because they do not have the capacity to fulfil orders. Not only does A’gaci have the capacity to fulfil orders, but they also have a history of fulfilling orders. The retail brand was established in 1971, which means they’ve been operating for 48 years. Suffice it to say that no retail business will survive that long with a reputation for not delivering.

That said, by being a 100% legal company, and with a track record of fulfilling orders, there’s no doubt that A’gaci is a legit fashion retailer.

Is Agaci safe?

Agaci is also a safe platform for payment. The ideal fashion retailer should also be safe. Being safe means that the store will protect whatever information you share with them. This is imperative because in using an online store you’ll share sensitive information (such as personal data and credit card details), and you will end up being ripped off (or worse) if this data is allowed to leak into the wrong hands.

A’gaci says that whatever information you share with them in using the website is protected both offline and online. For online security; they explain that customers’ data is encrypted and transmitted over their systems in a secure way. For offline security; they explain that access to customer data is limited to only employees needing such access to perform a specific task (e.g. billing or customer service).

While we can trust that A’gaci’s online security measures are top-notch, we’ll like some details about the measures so as to be assured of their effectiveness. For example, it will have been good to know the encryption standards used. However, it’s safe to say that A’gaci is safe. Other top fashion stores like Agaci areZappos.com and 6pm.com

Products

Product Range

The ideal fashion store will be a one-stop-shop where you can get all your related fashion items. This does not mean that the shop must be a hold-it-all; rather it means that in its niche, it will have a variety of products. A store with a wide product range allows you to get all your products in one place, and that comes with many benefits. For one, it affords convenience, saving you the time and effort of checking another store. Also, it offers cost savings, as you can pay to ship only one order, instead of paying to ship multiple orders from different stores.

A’gaci ticks the box in this regard. The store focuses on women’s wear, so you won’t be getting men’s wear or kid’s wear in A’gaci. In this niche, they provide a range of fashion products, from clothing, and shoes to accessories and beauty products. In the clothing section, they have it all. What patterns do you love; stripes, dot prints, floral prints, animal prints, chain prints? What styles do you march to; Tie Neck, Mock Neck, Bodysuit, smocking, ruffles? What material do you die for; faux leather, denim, lace and crochet? You’ll find something to love, march to and die for in A’gaci.

Agaci Hotlist:

Agaci Shoes:

Agaci Accessories:

Agaci Dresses:

Agaci Clothes:

In their website, some of the categories you can shop from (and the items you’ll find in each) are as follows:

• Clothes – Tops, Pants, Denim, Skirts, Shorts, Swimwear, Dresses, Jumpsuit and Rompers, Matching sets, Sweaters and Cardigans, Jacket and Suits, Hoodies and Sweatshirts, Intimates, basics, Activewear
• Dresses – dresses have their own category to tell you the product is well stocked; you can shop by occasion (such as formal dresses, party dresses, etc), by styles (such as bodycon dresses, jumpsuits, rompers, mini dresses, sweater dresses, maxi dresses, midi dresses, etc) or by colour and pattern (such as black dresses, white dresses, floral dresses, etc)
• Shoes – Heels, Booties, Boots, Sandals, Mules, Flats, Sneakers, Wedges and more
• Accessories – Handbags, Belts, Sunglasses, Jewelry, Beauty products, Caps and Hats, Socks and Tights, Hair accessories, Scarves

Inventory Size

It is also important that a fashion store has a large inventory of each product type. That way, whatever product section you’re shopping in, you’ll have a large pool to choose from. With that, you’ll be more likely to find pieces that match your taste and budget.

There are stores that hold very few items, and you can barely find something you like, and there are stores that hold a humongous inventory, and browsing through to find something that you like becomes hard work. A’gaci fits somewhere in the middle. They hold a decent inventory size; one that is not too big, but just big enough to satisfy your selection needs.

For example, at the time of writing this review, there were: over 1,000 styles in the dresses section, 195 styles in the skirts section, 153 items in the Jackets & Coats section, and 126 items in the intimates section. It was not only the clothing category that was well stocked; in the shoe shop, there were 214 heels, 64 boots, 84 booties, 144 sandals, and 24 flats. Accessories were also well represented with 45 handbags, 45 sunglasses, and more.

It can be seen that A’gaci holds a sizeable inventory of all product types that should satisfy your every selection needs.

Product Quality

One of the defining factors of a fashion store is quality. You want to have a store offering high quality items so that you won’t have quality issues with items that you get from the store.

True, quality means different things to different people, but the defining points of quality fashion pieces will include: being well made (both the tailoring and fit), made from quality materials, and being able to stand the test of time (durable). You don’t want items with poorly finished seams, cheap materials, or that will lose colour and form after a few wear and wash.

In this regard, A’gaci can best be described as so-so. You can get items that meet the above definitions of quality (well made, the best material, and durable); but almost always getting such items cannot be vouched for. The reviews of A’gaci found on independent online platforms show that you’re as likely to find items that will fall short of quality expectations as you are to find quality items.

It’s safe to say that A’gaci is not one of those quality bearing shops where you can close your eyes and any item selected will have top drawer quality; while you can get decent quality in the store, you’ll need to pay more attention than usual and have a sharp eye to identify and pick such items.

However, even paying attention and having a quality discerning eye may not help. This is because one very scathing complaint against the store is that you are likely to get items that are significantly different from the advertising picture. Since online purchase is characterized by blind purchase, and people will be judging quality and making the buy decision based on the shown product pictures, it’s a huge quality failure when items received are different from what you saw online.

As unfortunate as this scenario is, it was reported in quite a number of complaints, which shows that it is more than a one-off accident or an unfortunate coincidence. It’s more of a trend, which makes it a big problem.

Prices, Promotions and Payment Methods

Price

The price of items in a store is one of the first considerations for many buyers. It’s a no-brainer; no one likes to throw away hard-earned money, so no one will be willing to pay for any item that is unreasonably priced. Thus, the ideal store should hold merchandise that is perceived as reasonably priced.

In this regard, A’gaci ticks the box. If you want cheap and affordable fashion pieces, then A’gaci is definitely one of the shops to look at. For example, at the time of writing this review, of 195 items in the skirt section no one was up to $30. Many of the skirt styles started at about $10, while the highest-priced was $29.90. The very few whose full price was $34.90 had a discount that could be applied to bring their prices to well under $30.00. Suffice it to say that in most stores you’ll be hard-pressed to find skirts for $30.00.

We also found many cute cami dresses and halter dresses for $16.90 and $19.90 respectively; while there were many exquisite party dresses in the thirty-something region. In fact, we scoured the selection and couldn’t find a dress priced above $50.00. Know that dresses priced around $50 will be the cheap dresses in some stores. The sales section of A’gaci simply wowed us; as we found hundreds of dress styles under $10.

We can go on and on comparing the prices of items in A’gaci with prices of competing stores, and A’gaci will come out significantly cheaper almost all the time.

Promotions

Promotions offer cost-saving opportunities because it allows customers to get items either for free or for less than their full price. Thus, customers are always on the lookout for promotions; and the ideal store will offer lots of promotions.

Given that their prices are already floored, A’gaci will have been forgiven for not offering many promotions. However, they still run many of these cost-saving opportunities. As a true promotions-generous retailer, you’ll find different offers on the landing page of their website. At the time of writing, we were greeted by a Spring Break Flash Sale promo that read “up to 50% off select styles”.

As with every store, promotions are time-specific, so you’ll have to keep checking the website to know what particular promo is running at any particular time. However, you can sign up for their newsletter, and you’ll always get alerts of the best offers. You’re even rewarded by signing up for the newsletter; as you’ll get 20% off your next order.

A’gaci also has a loyalty program which rewards loyal customers. Every $1.00 you spend in the store equals one point, and every 50 points will net you a $5.00 reward. There are other perks that come with being a loyal member such as birthday bliss (15% off on your birthday), and first dibs (early access to sales). While the points do not expire, the rewards do. As said, every 50 points are automatically converted to a $5.00 reward, and you’ll have 89 days to spend it or forfeit it.

Redeeming your reward can simply be done at checkout. However, it should be said that there are many documented reviews of customers having issues with using their rewards to make purchases. That is, the checking out process will complete when you’re paying from your account, but the pane will freeze when you try paying with your loyalty rewards. As the reviews reveal, A’gaci resort to telling customers to clear cookies; and that is usually unhelpful. The many cases relating to reward points make it more of a theme, and therefore a problem.

Payment Methods

You want a store that supports a wide range of options so that you can easily find one of the options in paying for your order.

In this regard, for domestic orders, A’gaci accepts the popular credit/ debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover card), as well as PayPal. For international orders, in addition to these payment options, there is also support for JCB cards, Diners cards, and Bank transfers.

With these options, finding an option to make payment for your order will not be a problem. Like most other fashion stores, A’gaci also accepts gift cards. However, unlike these stores, A’gaci’s gift cards can only be used for in-store purchases.

It should be said that this has been a source of frustration for most customers, who buy a gift card only to find out that there is no option to apply it when checking out online. This has caused A’gaci to be called out as a scam by some customers who are irate about having their resources tied up in gift cards that they cannot use. Given that almost every other online fashion store accepts e-gift cards, it’s somewhat troubling that A’gaci does not.

Shipping

In online purchases, you’ll not simply be walking out of the store with your package; thus, it’s important to consider all that’s involved in moving the package from the stores of A’gaci to where you’ll receive delivery of it. The most important considerations are shipping destinations, shipping costs and shipping times.

Shipping Destinations

If the online store does not ship to your location, there’s no need to buy from them because it will be difficult to receive delivery of the item. Thus, you’ll want a store that ships to many locations across the globe so that where you are resident is more likely to be covered.

In this regard, A’gaci does relatively well. The store itself ships to only locations in the US. However, this does not mean that international customers are not served; this is because A’gaci has partnered with a third party company (International Checkout) to fulfil international orders. International Checkout ships to over 250 countries across the globe.

Through the partnership with International Checkout, A’gaci is able to get its merchandise to many more countries than most the other fashion stores.

Shipping Times

When you place an order for an item online, you definitely do not want it to take forever to be delivered. Thus, the ideal online fashion store will feature fast delivery.

There are two elements that affect the total waiting time for the package. One is the order processing time, which is the time between when you place your order and when the package ships out of their fulfilment centre; while the other element is the transit time, which is the time between when the package ships out of their fulfilment centre and when it gets to where you’ll receive delivery of it. For fast delivery, you want both times to be as short as possible.

For shipment to the US and the US Territories, A’gaci offers Standard Shipping, Priority Shipping, and Next Day Shipping. A’gaci advertises that they process orders 7 days a week excluding holidays and that most orders placed by 2.00 PM (EST) Monday – Friday will ship out that same day. However, we’ll suppose that such fast processing of orders applies to the expedited shipping options (priority shipping and Next day shipping).

This is because most customers’ reviews in independent online platforms report that their orders were processed in 2 – 3 days after order placement, and most of the orders were standard shipping orders. In our own test of the system, we selected Standard shipping, and our order was processed two days after order placement. While 2 – 3 days is not the fast order processing we’ll like, it is still relatively fine, as there are stores that take up to 5 business or more to process orders.

For the transit times, fashion stores usually give an estimate of the transit times of their shipping options. Unfortunately, A’gaci does not. So while we can glean that the Next Day shipping will be delivered the day after order placement; there’s no way of telling how long the Priority shipping or the Standard shipping takes. We’ll like A’gaci to give such information on their website. However, during our test of the system, we received our Standard order 7 days after order placement. Since its processing took three days, it means the transit time was 5 days. Reviews online have US customers receiving their Standard orders in 5 – 7 days and their Priority orders in 3 – 5 business days.

It’s also impressive that you won’t find too many complaints of late delivery in the reviews of A’gaci found in the independent customer reviews platforms. The negative reviews you’ll find are about the expedited shipping options. Really, the 3 – 5 days customers reported receiving their Priority orders is not the “expedited” option you’ll want. It’s clear to see the delays come from the order processing time. Thus, as long as you’ll use Standard shipping, it cannot be said that the store is plagued by late delivery.

It should be noted that for international orders, International Checkout is the shipper and not A’gaci. It takes about 8 – 20 days depending on the country the order is travelling to. You’ll find the estimated period applicable to your location at checkout.

Shipping Cost

The shipping costs add to item cost in getting the total expenditure on an item. Thus, if the shipping costs are too high, even an item that is acceptably priced may become too expensive to get. That said, you’ll want the shipping costs of a store to be as low as possible.

For US orders, A’gaci has a set of shipping charges for orders travelling to the continental US states and a different set for orders travelling to Hawaii and Alaska. For the continental orders; Standard shipping is $5.50 for orders less than $50, but free for orders of $50 or more, Priority Shipping is $14.95, while Next Day shipping is $19.95. For Alaska and Hawaii orders; Standard shipping is not available; Priority shipping cost $17.95, while Next day shipping cost $22.95.

For international orders, the shipping cost also depends on the country the order is travelling to. You’ll find the charges that apply to your country at checkout.

We’ll say that A’gaci does well in the shipping cost section. First, they offer the lowest possible cost, which is free shipping. Though, we’ll like it better if free shipping does not have minimum purchase requirements; it is good that the qualifying order is not high. That is, to get free shipping, you only need to spend $50 in the store. To put this in perspective, there are stores that’ll require you to spend $100 or more to qualify for free shipping.

Also, where free shipping is not applicable A’gaci charges flat shipping rates. This means that what you pay for shipping will not increase with an increase in the order size or weight. Lastly, the rates themselves are relatively low. For example, $5.50 is one of the lowest Standard shipping charges you’ll find in the industry.

Returns

There’ll be reasons to want to return an online purchase to the store. Since you did not physically assess the item before paying for it, it might not meet your expectations when it is delivered to you. Also, since fashion items are sized products, they could be the wrong size. There’s even the possibility of an item getting damaged in transit; or of the wrong item being delivered. Whatever the case, you want to be able to return (to the store) any item in your order that you are not totally satisfied with.

In the current fashion retailing business, there’s really no place for a store that does not accept returns, so it’s not surprising that A’gaci allows returns of unwanted items. What’s even more important is a dissection of their return policy, and this is what follows.

Returns Window

First, it should be said that while A’gaci does allow returns, it is only for US orders. Orders shipped internationally through their international shipping partner (International Checkout) cannot be returned. This is because International Checkout does not handle returns or exchanges. This is bad news for international customers since it’s been documented that there are many reasons you’ll want to return a fashion item purchased online. Luckily, returns are possible for US orders. 

Also, fashion stores only accept items that are returned within a time period. As a result, you want an extended period so that you’ll not have to race against time when returning items. In this regard, A’gaci allows returns of items made within 30 days of the original purchase date.

This is somewhat different from the return window of other fashion stores. Granted, the average returns window of the fashion retailing industry is 28 – 30 days; but usually, most of the other stores open the window on the day the package is delivered to you. That is, you have 30 days from the date of receiving the package, to return any item in it you don’t like back to the store.

However, A’gaci’s 30 days window opens the date the package ships out of their fulfilment centre. So even while the package may take another 5 days to get to you, your return window has opened. It means that by the time you finally receive the item to know whether there’ll be any item in it that you’ll rather not keep; one week may already be off the 30 days offered for making returns.

As a result of this policy of opening their 30 days return window the day your order ships out of their fulfilment centre, you’ll definitely find yourself racing against time to return an item back to A’gaci. It was surprising then that when we looked up the customers’ reviews on independent platforms, we found a lot of disgruntled customers whose returns were rejected by A’gaci for the reason that the returned item did not get back to the stay within the allowed window.

Another thing that should be said here is that in some stores if your returned item is not received within the allowed window, the store will refund you in-store credits which can be used to purchase another item(s) in the store. But in A’gaci, there is no such olive branch; if your items do not reach them on time, they will be rejected and sent back to you, and you’ll be stuck with an item that you’ll rather not keep.

That said; don’t let the 30 days flatter you. If you have to return an A’gaci item; you should do that quickly after receiving the item, because the days it took the item to get to you have eaten up part of your return window.

Items that can be returned

Granted, in every store, not every item can be returned; but it should be said that A’gaci seems to draw a tighter line on the items that cannot be returned. For example, A’gaci does not accept the returns of accessories, swimwear, intimates, skincare, cosmetics and gift items. Definitely, you’ll find a lot of stores that accept returns of many accessories. For swimwear and intimates, stores typically do not allow their return for hygiene reasons. But you’ll see some stores that’ll accept these items if they are returned with the hygiene seal unbroken.

For the items that are accepted for returns; they must be in their original new conditions. That is, they must be unworn, unwashed, unaltered, or undamaged. Also, price tags and any other tags or stickers must be attached; and items should be returned in their original packaging.

Return Process

First, A’gaci purchases can be returned either by mail or in-store. If your item qualifies for returns you can either mail it back to the store, or take it to any A’gaci store closest to you. However, there are a few exceptions to the in-store returns. If your online purchase was made using PayPal, you’ll have to initiate the return via mail because PayPal Tenders are non-refundable at A’gaci store locations. Also, all Plus items cannot be returned to the store.

For the return process proper, you want a hassle-free process so that you’ll not have a headache when trying to return an item to the store. A’gaci really aced it in this regard. They have one of the simplest returns processes you’ll find in the industry.

First, they provide return labels; and secondly, the return labels are included with your package. Thus, you’ll not have to visit their website and go through the process of producing and printing a return label. To return an item, all you have to do is package the item appropriately, enclose a copy of your invoice in the package, attach the pre-paid return label on the outside of the package, and mail the return package to the store.

Cost of Returns

You don’t want a situation where the high cost of returns will force you against returning an item to a store; thus, you’ll look for stores with the cost of returns that are as low as possible. The lowest possible cost you can have is zero, which is free returns. Thankfully, A’gaci offers that.

The return label is not only pre-paid but free, so nothing will be deducted from your refund as charges for the return label.

Exchanges

Sometimes, you return an item so that you can get another one in its place. Such product exchange is something that customers look out for because it makes getting a new item faster. This is because the time of waiting to be refunded is cut out, and the new item will be shipped to you immediately after the returned item is processed.

While A’gaci offers product exchanges. It is available only in-store. Thus, if you’ll want to return an item and get another in its place, you’ll have to do in-store returns.

Refunds and Refunds Processing

After receiving the returned item, the store processes it, and only if passed will they issue the refund. Since you won’t want to wait forever to be refunded, you’ll want a store with fast returns processing.

A’gaci advertises that you should allow 2 – 3 weeks from the date of return shipping for your account to be credited. And after your account is credited, you should also allow some time for the credit to be reflected in your statement. Thus, before you’ll have your funds ready, you’ll have a total waiting time of 3 – 4 weeks from the time you mail back your return package. This is not the fast refund processing we like to see, but it’ll do.

It should also be said that A’gaci does not refund the original shipping charges. They only refund the amount paid for the item. Also, the refund is made via your original payment method. Given that there are stores that issue refunds only via store credits (which will mean that you can only use the funds in the particular store), we like to see stores that give you back your cash so that if you so choose you may go to another store for your purchase.

Customer Support

If there is one constant, it is that there’ll always be customers who’ll have questions and others who’ll have one problem or the other. Thus, the ideal store must make provisions for the addressing of customers’ enquiries and complaints. It starts with providing different channels for contacting the customer care unit and having the unit dish out prompt and helpful responses.

In this regard; getting help from A’gaci starts with an FAQ page on their website. From the self-help articles, you’ll find answers to many of the questions that customers have asked in the past. If you still need to directly contact a support rep of the store, you can do so via email or telephone.

You may send a mail to them through an online contact form that can be accessed from their website; or you may send an e-mail to them directly from your email account using the e-mail address: customerservice@agacistore.com. Responses to email submissions should be within a few hours, which means that response time is relatively good.

If you’ll rather not wait to get assistance, you may use the instant-feedback telephone support service. The phone line to call is 866 265 3036. For international customers served by International Checkout, there are a number of country-specific telephone numbers available on the A’gaci website.

However, supporting different options for contacting the support unit is good, and it’s even better than the customer support unit responds promptly; but what will be best is for the response obtained from the customer support unit to be helpful in resolving the issues that necessitated the contact. It will seem that it is in the last part that A’gaci falters.

In almost all the independent customer review platforms online, A’gaci has a poor overall rating. Looking at the reviews, we found that the main thing customers had against the company was poor customer service. Given what we’ve identified as problems with the store (such as delays in priority orders, quality issues, inability to apply reward points, etc), you’ll expect that customer support will be inundated with submissions. The sad part is that too many reviewers report that the customer agent contacted looked as confused as they [reviewer] were, and the response given was largely unhelpful.

The positive to report here is that at the time of writing this review, A’gaci said they were working on providing a new and improved customer service experience. We can only hope that the new service when launched and rolling will lead to less and less of the scathing reviews online.

Shopping Experience

The ideal fashion store should offer a hassle-free shopping experience. Because in online stores the website is the interface between the customer and the store, an excellent shopping experience starts from having a functional website. The ideal store will have an intuitive website that affords easy navigation, so that customers can easily access the product categories, browse through listed items, select items into their shopping cart, and proceed to place the order at checkout.

However, it would seem that the website of A’gaci (agacistore.com) is not as functional as it should be. Though our test of the website for this review turned out pretty well, we found some recent customers’ reviews on independent platforms that were very unpalatable.

One was that items jumps out of the shopping cart. Many customers reported patiently browsing listings and selecting items into the shopping cart only to find some (or all) items missing from the cart afterwards. This is understandably frustrating, as it will mean that one will have to go through the search and select the episode again.

Another prominent complaint is that some of the times, the “Place Order” button does not work when called upon. Since hitting the Place Order button is the final step of the ordering process, it is understandably frustrating if this button doesn’t work because that will effectively waste the time and effort put into the whole ordering process.

Again, items disappearing from the cart and issues with the “place order” button were frequent occurrences in customers’ reviews. Thus, it appeared to us as more of a problem than as a one-off glitch, or an unfortunate two-time coincidence.

Pros:

• Offers a wide product range that includes clothing, shoes, and accessories
• Offers a sizeable inventory of each product type
• Prices are some of the best (cheapest) you’ll find in the market
• They offer huge cost savings offers
• Relatively fast order processing time which translates to relatively fast delivery
• Partners with International Checkout which means their merchandise ships to over 250 international countries
• Free shipping is offered, and the qualifying amount is low (only $50+)
• Where free shipping is not applicable, flat shipping rates are charged which are relatively low
• Very easy returns process
• They offer a loyalty program which rewards customers with $5.00 for every $50 spent in the store

Cons:

• The returns window is relatively short
• Returns of international orders are not possible
• Too many complaints about item quality
• More than normal complaints of receiving items significantly different from the advertised picture (product image)
• Gift cards cannot be used for online purchases
• Too many complaints of unhelpful customer support

Conclusion

A’gaci is a legit and safe online women’s fashion store. They provide a range of women’s fashion products and a sizeable inventory of each product; so they have the variety and styles to serve your selection needs. The store lives up to its promise of providing all things fresh. They add thousands of styles regularly, so you’ll definitely get the “now” fashion in the store.

A’gaci is better known for offering cheap and affordable prices. On the other hand, the store is not the darling of quality items; while you’ll find some items with decent quality, you’re equally likely to find items that’ll fall short of your quality expectations. And it doesn’t help that there are just too many reports of customers getting items that significantly differ from the product images that informed the buy decision.

On the good side, free shipping is offered; and for their standard delivery, you should receive your package without delays. Returns are also easy and free, but that’s for US orders because International Checkout which handles international orders does not allow returns. Another issue with the return process is that its window is relatively short.

While their customer support service has some serious issues at the moment, A’gaci seems to have realized this, and is currently working to provide an improved support service.

Have you purchased an item from Agaci before? How was your experience? Kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Agaci review.

TopShop is a UK based fashion retailer. Having started in 1964, Top Shop is one of the longest-running fashion shops in the business today. They started as a branch extension of a department store (Peter Robinson); the extension was called Peter Robinson’s Top Shop, and they sold fashion items targeting the young.

It was in 1974 that they launched as a separate retail brand. Top Shop grew and established many more stores all over the UK. Top Shop expanded into the US in the early 2010s.

They simultaneously oversaw expansion drives into Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa (South Africa). They currently operate over 320 shops in the UK alone, and another 272 shops (including franchises) in other parts of the world.

Top Shop currently operates as a part of Arcadia Group Ltd which is a multinational retailing company that owns and operates other clothing retailers such as Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, Wallis and more.

Top Shop operates as a women’s wear clothing brand. They draw products from some of the best brands in the business such as Adidas, Champion, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Glamorous, Club L, Jaded London, Quay Sunglasses, Selected Femme, Ivy Park, and more.

The online shop can be found at www.topshop.com. The website can be used for online shopping by anyone who is 14 years of age and older.

TopShop is a UK based women’s fashion retailer. Their name says much about what they think of themselves; they even advertise as the “style setter and the star of your wardrobe” and the “Mecca for cool girls”. That would mean that they are the go-to destination for exquisite fashion styles.

Does Top Shop really set the styles in the fashion circles? Do they offer fashion products and the service that should make every young woman go to the store for their fashion purchase? In the first place, is TopShop legit?

This TopShop review will examine Top Shop in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

TopShop review at a glance

• Website is www.topshop.com
• Started in 1964 as an extension of a department store, but launched as a separate retail brand in 1974
• Headquartered in London (UK); currently owned by Arcadia Group Ltd
• Operate over 500 stores worldwide
• They offer a wide product range of women’s wear (clothing, shoes and accessories)
• Ships to over 100 countries
• Free shipping is offered worldwide
• Returns window is 14 days for returns by post of online purchase
• Customer support is available via the online contact form and telephone at (+44) 0344 984 0264)

Is TopShop legit?

TopShop is a legit store. It is not a scam as of writing this review. They have been online and delivering exactly what customers ordered from it. And you have a chance to return the item if you are not satisfied.

However, when doing any transaction online, you want to make sure that the platform is legit so that you’ll not fall prey to cyber fraudsters. These fraudsters sometimes set up fake stores where they lure people into paying for non-existent products that will not be delivered.

There’s no doubt that Top Shop is legit. The first check of legitimacy is legality. In this regard, Top Shop is a duly registered company with registered headquarters in London. They also operate as part of the Arcadia Group, which itself is a 100% legal and reputable multinational retailing company. Suffice it to say that no scam store will seek legal recognition.

There are other considerations that establish the legitimacy of Top Shop. First, the Top Shop name has been in the public sphere for over 55 years, while Top Shop has been operating as a separate entity for over 45 years. Suffice it to say that no scam store can operate for that long a time without being called out.

Top Shop also has a history of fulfilling orders. There over hundreds of self-owned stores that hold millions of merchandise, which gives them the capacity to fulfil orders. Where scam stores do not fulfil orders, Top Shop ships merchandise worldwide from their fulfilment centres.

Top Shop has been a major sponsor of the London Fashion Week, which is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year and that showcases over 250 designers to a global audience. Being that the London Fashion Week is one of the so-called “big four fashion weeks” that includes New York, Milan and Paris; it will take some feat for a scam store to be associated with the event.

In fact, scam stores exist only to rip people off; suffice it to say that such stores will not risk the publicity or the parting of money that goes with sponsoring fashion events.

Top Shop has sold a lot of franchises, and these franchised stores operate in different countries of the world. Suffice it to say that a retail outlet will only buy the right to a business name if the business is well established and burgeoning. Thus, there’s no doubt that Top Shop is legit.

Is Top Shop safe?

TopShop is also safe. You also want a store that is safe. A safe store is one that effectively protects the sensitive information that you share with them. When you use an online store, you share information such as your personal information and your credit card details. You don’t want such information leaking to unauthorized third parties.

Top Shop says that they are committed to maintaining your privacy. The website uses SSL technology which creates a secure link between devices and their servers during data exchange ensuring that any data shared is private.

It also encrypts the data before sending it through the channel ensuring that it is unreadable even if intercepted by unauthorized third parties. With such a technical measure in place, there’s no doubt that Top Shop is safe. Visit more similar fashion at Prettylittlething and Rotita.

Product

Product Range

The ideal fashion store will be a one-stop-shop that allows you to get all or most of your fashion needs in one place. Getting your items in one place saves you the inconvenience of checking up multiple fashion stores.

There are also cost savings associated with getting your items in one place. First, you may qualify for large order discounts; secondly, you’ll have to pay to ship one order, instead of paying differently to bring in your different orders from multiple stores. A fashion shop would only qualify as a one-stop-shop by offering a wide product range.

Top Shop speaks big of itself with its name; and in this regard, they not only speak big but act big. The fashion retailer sells women’s clothing; and in their niche, they provide a wide range of fashion products. You’ll find every women’s clothing (from casual wear to workwear, and from swimwear to bridal wear), as well as the fashion accessory to make a complete style.

The different categories you can shop from on the site, as well as the items you’ll find in each category, are as follows:

• Clothing

Dresses (slip dresses, shirt dresses, bodycon dresses, pinafore dresses, wrap dresses, bardot dresses, shift dresses, skater dresses, mini dresses, midi dresses, maxi dresses, petite dresses, maternity dresses workwear dresses, etc) Jeans (Jamie jeans, Joni jeans, Mom jeans, Editor jeans, Leigh jeans, Orson jeans, Hayden jeans, Sidney jeans, Flared jeans, Boyfriend jeans, wide leg jeans, maternity jeans, etc), Denim, Shirt Blouses, Jackets & Coats, Jumpers & Cardigans, T-Shirts, Trousers & Leggings, Hoodies & Sweats, Playsuits & Jumpsuits, Shorts, Skirts, Suits & Co-ords, Camis & Vests, Bodysuits, Lingerie & Nightwear, Loungewear, Workwear & Suits, Maternity, Petite, and more

• Shoes

Heels, Sandals, Boots, Trainers, Flats, Going Out shoes, Wide Fit shoes, and shoe Accessories

• Accessories

Beauty hub, Bags & Purses, Hats, Scarves, Sunglasses, Belts, Jewellery, Watches, Socks and Tights, Hair accessories, phone accessories, Gifts and Novelty items

Inventory Size

Another important consideration when looking at stores is the size of their inventory. The ideal store will not only have a wide range of products but will also have a large number of items in each product section. A large inventory of every product type ensures that no matter the product you’re looking at buying on the site, there is a large selection to choose from which will make it more likely to find something that appeals to your taste, preference and budget.

Top Shop does well in this regard because they hold a large inventory of most of their product sections. For example, at the time of writing this review, in the clothing category: the dresses section had over 450 different styles, the jeans section had over 500 different styles, the Tops (blouses) had over 250 different styles, and so on.

It was no different in the accessories category. For example, there are over 500 products in the shoe section and over 230 products in the bags $ purses section. Many online stores stock their clothing category well but fail miserly in their accessories, but Top Shop does admirably well in both categories. With hundreds of different products to choose from in every product section, you’re sure to find something that you like and that matches your budget.

Product Quality

When assessing stores, even more, important than product range and inventory size is product quality. You’ll want that the items in a store are of high quality. Quality means different things to different people; good fabrics (material) and expert tailoring are some of the quality attributes that some will want to see. It should be said that the items that we got from Top Shop for this review ticked those boxes.

The fabric was excellent; the fit was good, and it showed excellent seam finishes.

Another thing that people tend to converge on is that quality fashion pieces will be timeless. That is, the items should last a long time, without significantly changing form or colour. We were unable to use the Top Shop clothing for a significantly long time in order to get the information to rate its durability.

So we resorted to looking up customer reviews of Top Shop quality. It can be gleaned from the reviews that customers are largely satisfied with the quality of Top Shop items. You’ll find reviews stating that “Top Shop items are nice”. However, you’ll also find some negative reviews stating that clothing goes wobbling after a few washes; but such reviews are not significant enough to be a theme.

Prices and Promotions

Prices

The price of items is one of the first things that potential buyers look at. No matter the perceived quality of a clothing piece, no one will be willing to pay what is perceived as unreasonable. Thus, the ideal online fashion store will have prices that are reasonable.

You’ll find that the prices of items in Top Shop are in the okay range; though they may not be considered very cheap, they are not even close to being expensive. For example, at the time of writing this review: most of the dresses in the store are in the £20 – £55 price range, most of the jeans were priced at £35 – £45, and most of the blouses were going for £30 – £45. To put this in perspective, you’ll be hard-pressed to find clothing pieces less than three digits in the stores considered expensive.

While Top Shop is not the cheapest fashion destination you’ll find, it’ll not burn a huge hole in your finances either. And you’ll be able to get some exceptional pieces at some very reasonable prices.

Promotions

Promotions are simply cost-saving offers. Promotions allow customers to get items for free or for less than their full prices. Thus, the ideal shop will run lots of promotions.

Top Shop is one of the online fashion shops generous with promotions. They run different promotions from time to time. The promotions are usually time-specific, so you’ll have to check the website from time to time to know what promotion is running at any particular time. For example, at the time of writing this review, on getting to the landing page of their website, we were greeted with “20% off all Jerseys Tops, Denim Skirts and Brands”.

Top Shop also gives a student discount. If you show a valid student ID or present a Studentbeans or Unidays ID, you’ll be given a 10% discount on your purchases. While having a student discount is fine, the 10% offered is less than the student discount that most fashion stores give (which is usually up to 20%).

Payment and Related Policies

Payment Methods

You want an online store that allows you to make your payment without hassles. Thus, you’ll want support for a range of payment methods so that you can easily find one that is supported to conveniently pay for your order.

Top Shop ticks the box in this regard as they support Klarna. If you’re familiar with the system, you’ll know that Klarna offers all the popular payment methods in one payment solution. That is, Klarna allows you to pay in a number of different ways; you can use PayPal, credit and debit cards (American Express, Visa, Visa Debit, Visa Electron, Maestro, Master Card, and Solo), Union Pay, Ali Pay and more.

If an alternative payment method is a concern, you won’t be too disappointed with the options that Klarna opens to you in Top Shop.

Financing Plans

Have you found that wonderful piece in Top Shop that you must have now but do not have the funds ready to complete the transaction? You can still have the piece because Top Shop offers alternative financing with Klarna which allows you to buy now and pay later.

It’s a simple, easy, and interest-free financing plan that allows you to complete your payment in two months. Klarna slices the payment into three instalments; you’ll be required to pay the first instalment at checkout, the second instalment is automatically debited from your account one month later, and the third instalment is also automatically taken from your account one month following the payment of the second instalment.

The best thing about the Pay Later financing plan is that it is interest-free, meaning that the total you’ll pay for the item will be the amount of the item.

Shipping

Shipping is something you cannot do without in online purchases because the purchased item has to get to you. The important shipping considerations are the shipping destinations of the online shop, the shipping/ delivery times of the online shop, and the cost of shipping.

Shipping Destination

Before looking at the items in a fashion shop for something you may like, you’ll want to consider the locations that the shop serves to know if the shop ships to your location. If they do not ship to your location, it will be difficult to receive delivery of your order, so you’ll have to look at another shop for your purchase. Thus, the ideal online fashion ship will ship to as many worldwide locations as possible.

Top Shop does relatively well in this regard. According to their website, they ship to over 100 countries across the world. If you are in any of the countries, you may proceed to Top Shop for your fashion purchases, and they’ll deliver to you. The countries are: Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Eritrea, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Guyana, Holy See, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (South), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saint Georgia & Saint Sandwich Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Virgin Islands (British).

The 112 other countries (other than its UK domestic territory) that Top Shop ships to is more than the number of countries served by many online fashion stores. Thus, with Top Shop, your destination is more likely to be covered.

Shipping Times and Shipping Costs

You don’t want to wait forever to receive delivery of your order, so the ideal online fashion shop will offer fast delivery. Also, you don’t want to pay more than reasonable for your order to be delivered, so the ideal online fashion shop will have shipping costs that are as low as possible.

For domestic order within the UK, there are a number of delivery options which includes Standard Delivery (to home, and to store), and Express Delivery (to home, to store, and to myHermes ParcelShop). Thus, the shipping times and shipping cost depends on the chosen delivery option.

The Standard Delivery to the home will deliver the package to your door. It takes up to 4 working days, and it cost £4 for all orders under £50 but is free for all orders over £50. The Standard Delivery to store will deliver the package to a selected store close to you, and you’ll go there for pick up. The delivery takes 3 – 7 working days, and it is free.

All Express Deliveries are Next Day deliveries (that is, the item will be delivered the day after the order placement); but to receive the delivery as scheduled, you’ll have to place the order by 9 pm on weekdays or 12 pm Sundays. Express Delivery to home costs £6; Express Delivery to store costs £3; while Express Delivery to myHermes ParcelShop cost £4 for orders under £50, and is free for orders over £50.

For international shipping, the shipping cost and shipping times are largely determined by the country the order is travelling to. Only delivery to home is available; the Standard option is available for all international territories, while the Express option is available for all but 9 (which are Cook Islands, Croatia, Falkland Islands, French Southern Territories, Greenland, Kazakhstan, New Caledonia, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands).

For Orders travelling to most European Countries, Standard shipping takes 4 – 7 days and costs €5 – €7, while Express shipping takes 3 – 4 days and costs €10 – €20. For Canadian orders, Standard shipping takes 5 – 8 business days and costs £7.50, while Express shipping takes 3 days and costs £20. For US orders, Standard shipping also takes 5 – 8 business days but cost $10.00, while Express shipping takes 2- 4 business days and costs $30.

Thankfully, free shipping is also provided for international orders. It applies to orders over £100; but for Australian orders, free shipping applies to orders over £75. It’s good to see that free shipping is offered worldwide, unlike many online fashion stores that offer free shipping on only domestic orders.

The qualifying order for free shipping is also relatively low, at least, for domestic orders. It is $50 domestically, which is one of the best offers you’ll find; internationally it is £100 (and £75 in Australia), which is also not over the top. Thus, you’ll not have to break the bank and spend more than intended just because you’re chasing free shipping.

Where free shipping does not apply, we find that Top Shop offers flat rates, which is very good because your shipping cost will not increase with an increase in the size or weight of your order. Also, the rates are relatively fine – standard shipping ranges from £4 to £10.95, while Express Shipping ranges from £6 to £40.

For the shipping times, it should first be noted that the advertised Standard shipping times are transit times; this means that if you use standard shipping you should allow some time for processing of the order and dispatching it to the carrier before the advertised times start counting off.

Express deliveries are expedited deliveries; and according to the Top Shop website, such orders would be processed and dispatched until midnight; so order processing time that stretches the delivery of the Standard shipping should not affect the Next Day promise of the Express shipping.

However, the many customer reviews found on independent customer reviews platforms show that Top Shop does not live up to its delivery promises.

First, Top Shop does not state how long their order processing time is, so when you use Standard shipping, you know how long your order will take in transit but do not know how long it’ll take before it is dispatched for it to start its journey; thus, there is really no way of estimating how long it’ll take to receive your order.

Many of the negative reviews of Top Shop centre on late deliveries. It’s safe to reason that many of the customers using Standard shipping had only the quoted shipping times in mind without factoring in the order processing time.

However, this is not to excuse Top Shop because unlike some fashion shops committed to fast delivery, Top Shop did not furnish an estimate of order processing time for their Standard Shipping. More so, the online customers’ reviews show that Top Shop also delivers late even for Express Shipping, despite the fact that the Next Day delivery promise of Express Shipping is supposed to be “immune” to order processing time effects.

In Trust Pilot (which is one of the most reputable independent customer reviews platform on the web), Top Shop has an overall “bad” rating with 62% of the 627 reviewers giving the fashion shop the worst possible rating. Themes in their review include: “items not received”, “items FINALLY arrived”, “still waiting for items”, “always late”, etc.; and just too many of such late delivery complaints were for supposedly expressing orders.

That said; it’s safe to say that when you shop from Top Shop, you will most definitely receive delivery of your order, but it might be later than you expect even if you pay for expedited delivery.

Returns

There are many reasons why you may not be satisfied with the item when your order is delivered. Being that you made the buy decisions without having physically assessed the item, it may lack the wow factor when it is finally before you.

Also, anything could happen to the package in transit leaving the item that gets to you damaged. Also, since fashion products are sized products, you may have ordered the wrong size. Whatever the case, you’ll want to be able to return (back to the shop) an item that you are not totally satisfied with. Thus, the ideal online fashion store will have a returns policy allowing returns for exchange or refunds.

Returns Process

Top Shop does allow returns. There are three ways to return domestic (UK) orders to Top Shop – returns to store, return via Parcelshop, and return by post.  But it should be noted that only items bought in store can be returned to the store, while all items bought online must be returned by post. However, for international orders, only return by post is available.

No matter how you choose to return an item, you won’t want to be frustrated by a cumbersome process; thus, the ideal online fashion store will offer easy returns. In Top Shop, returning in-store is just a matter of taking the item to the Top Shop store closest to you.

Returning via Hermes Parcelshop is available only in the UK where there are some 4,500 participating stores within the UK that you can send the returns package. Returns via post are available for all orders.

Returns are simpler in Top Shop than it is in many online fashion shops because Top Shop does not require you to create a Returns Authorization Number. For the Hermes Parcelshop option, you’ll find a Hermes returns label enclosed with your order. Where the returns label is not with the order, the process of generating one is also very simple and straightforward.

Returns Window

An important consideration in return policies is the returns window, which is how much time you have from the delivery date to return the item to the store. Usually, if the item gets to the store after the allowed time, they’ll not accept the returned item; thus, you’ll want a wide returns window so that you’ll not have to race against the calendar when returning items.

Top Shop allows a returns window of 28 days when returning items to the store, but 14 days when using the other returns options. Many of the competition offers a 28 – 30 days returns window which is like the industry average. Thus, it’s disappointing that Top Shop has a reduced window of 14 days for returns via post.

Cost of Returns

For the same reasons you need an easy returns process, you wouldn’t want to return an item only to find the process cost-prohibitive. Thus, you’ll want the lowest possible cost for returns.

The lowest possible cost is zero, which is free returns. Interestingly, Top Shop advertises that they offer free returns. The returns labels that are provided for domestic orders are not only prepaid but free, which means that nothing will be subtracted from your refund as the charge for the returns label. However, international customers will have to bear the cost of return shipping.

Returns and Refunds Processing

You’ll not want to wait forever to get your refund after you’ve returned an item to an online fashion store. Thus, you want a store that processes and issue refunds as fast as possible, especially where you’ll need the funds for other purchases.

In this regard, Top Shop does not come out strong. First, their advertised returns and refunds processing time is not the best. They say that they “expect most parcels to be refunded within 10 – 14 days of reaching

[them]

”. But they are also quick to add that you should allow up to 28 days. It should be noted that if Top Shop actually issues refunds within 10 – 14 days of receiving the returned item(s), the store will be amongst the fastest. However, the evidence shows that they do not live up to that 10 – 14 promise; but that they are more of (or even later than) the 28 days period they caution. This evidence is the numerous customers’ reviews on independent review platforms.

In Trust Pilot, a contributor to the overall bad rating that Top Shop has is complaints about refunds. There are too many customers complaining about not receiving their refunds at all, and those who did receive their refund had nothing good to say about how long they had to wait.

These complaints littered the reviews, showing that it is more of the norm than an exception. That said; you will get your refund when you return a Top Shop purchase (though I cannot stick my head out to say that), but you may need to build a patient spirit because it may take a more than normal waiting.

Exchanges

Sometimes you’ll want to return an item, not for a refund but to get another item in its place. This is especially so when the wrong size was ordered. Such product exchanges allow you to get the new item faster because you’ll not have to wait to get refunded before placing a fresh order. Thus, you’ll want a store to allow exchanges.

Top Shop allows exchanges for some products but only for items bought in-store. They do not allow an exchange for online purchases. Thus, if you’ll want another item, you’ll have to return the one you’re not satisfied with, get a refund, and place a fresh order.

Customer Support

No matter how well a platform is run, customers will always have questions that need answering and issues that need resolving. Thus, the ideal online fashion store will provide for addressing customers’ concerns (questions and issues).

This means that they should have an effective customer care department. The effectiveness of the department is measured by the number of channels available for contacting the support agents, as well as the responsiveness of the channels.

Top Shop offers an email service and a telephone service. You can send them a mail via a contact form that can be found on their website. They’ll respond to your query through your email inbox. The response time of their email service is within 24 – 48 hours.

If you’ll rather not wait to get a response to your submissions, you can pick up the phone and use the telephone service. The number to call is (+44) 0344 984 0264.

There are a number of things we didn’t like with the support service. First, the service is not available round the clock. The Top Shop customer care department is open between 9 am – 9 pm (UK time) Monday to Friday, and between 9 am – 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. We’ll expect that a world facing platform run a 24/ 7 service because the uptime in the one-time zone is the downtime of another time zone.

Another thing we didn’t like is the response time of the email service. 24 – 48 hours response time is relatively slow. You’ll not want to be kept waiting for up to do days when you need issues resolved. Lastly, we didn’t like that the phone line for the telephone service is not toll-free.

If you use the telephone service to get instant feedback, you’ll be charged the national call rate if you’re calling from within the UK, and you’ll be charged international rates if you’re calling from outside the UK. This brings in a conundrum; which is that you’ll spend money if you need instant feedback, and if you don’t want to spend money to get needed assistance, then you’ll have some waiting to do to get the needed assistance. We’ll like to see toll free lines, or the use of a live chat feature, which will give customers free access to instant feedback.

It should be noted also that the customers’ reviews found on the numerous online platforms show that customers do not rate the support department of Top Shop. It’s been documented that Top Shop has faced serious problems (especially late delivery and refund-related issues), thus you’ll expect that their customer support unit will be inundated with submissions.

You’ll also expect that customers will quickly write off the customer support unit when their problems are not treated satisfactorily. However, it should be noted that some of the negative reviews of the customer support unit were about basic failures such as the customer support unit not responding to email submissions, seeming not to know relevant information (such as order status), and more. Some of the reported failures of the customer support unit are really inexcusable.

It was also disappointing that the customer support unit did not seek out disgruntled customers in the independent customers’ reviews platforms. From our numerous reviews of fashion online stores, we’ve seen fashion stores reaching out to customers on different platforms to bring them back to the table to resolve their issues. But we did not see Top Shop responding to any of the numerous negative reviews they have online.

Pros:

• They offer a wide product range and a large inventory of each product type
• They ship to 112 countries across the globe
• Free shipping is offered worldwide
• They have an easy returns process; which includes free returns for UK orders
• They provide a wide range of payment methods
• They run a lot of cost savings promotions
• They give a 10% student discount (albeit smaller than what many stores offer which is usually up to 20%).
• They offer a “Buy Now Pay Later” plan with Klarna

Cons:

• Their products are a bit overpriced
• Their 14 days returns window for “returns by post” is relatively short
• They do not allow exchanges of items bought online
• Relatively long returns and refunds processing time
• Customer support is not available 24/ 7; live chat is not available, email response time is relatively slow, and telephone service attracts charges

Conclusion

TopShop is one of the longest-running fashion retailers in the business today. With over 55 years in the business, Top Shop has shown to be a legitimate and reputable fashion destination and they offer quality women’s fashion pieces from some of the biggest brands in the business.

There is no doubt that Top Shop is legit and safe. You’ll most definitely receive your order and your sensitive information will not leak out to unauthorized persons.

Apart from offering quality pieces and large inventory sizes, Top Shop also offers some outstanding services such as a hassle-free payment system, shipping to over 100 countries, free shipping worldwide, and free domestic returns. However, the online store also has those stubborn pimples that spoil the perfect face.

It would appear that they are plagued with late deliveries, refund processing takes longer than customers like, and their customer support service has drawn more sighs than smiles.

Have you purchased an Item from TopShop before? How was your experience, good or bad? Kindly use the review box below to give us your TopShop review.

Farfetch is a UK-based fashion store that was established in 2007 with over 500 boutiques and more than 200 direct brands.

Farfetch is an online store that promotes itself as a place for the love of fashion. This implies you may find high-quality and unique clothes at Farfetch. The major issue is whether or not Farfetch has truly stunning fashion items that will be appealing to people into fashion.

Farfetch is a fashion house that sells high-end apparel to clients. This business model has several issues, the most important of which being: Is Farfetch legal? Will an item purchased on Farfetch not be a fake replica of the real thing in their partner boutiques?

This Farfetch review will examine Farfetch in order to provide the information that will help you answer if Farfetch is legit and worth shopping from.

FarFetch review at a glance

• The website is Farfetch.com
• Farfetch is a UK based fashion place that was founded in 2007
• They operate simply as an e-commerce platform for some 500 boutiques and 200 direct brands
• They do not hold any inventory; they only connect you to the stores holding the inventory
• Farfetch is all about luxury fashion, so items are pricey
• There are no (or very few) saving offers
• Returns are allowed if made within 14 days of the delivery date
• Customer support is available via email (customerservice@farfetch.com) and telephone (+44 (0) 20 3962 2362)

What is FarFetch?

According to Farfetch, the platform was “born out of a deep love of fashion and a firm conviction that fashion is an essential manifestation of individuality and what sets us apart.”

In other words, if you want a piece of clothing that is well-crafted and seems like it was designed specifically for you, then Farfetch is the store for you.

Farfetch was founded by Jose Neves in 2007. Their mission is “to be the global technology platform for luxury fashion, connecting creators, curators and consumers”. Thus, when they launched in 2008, they had for sale products from 25 boutiques in 5 countries. By 2010 they have expanded to include 64 boutiques, and the expansion led to the opening of offices in the US and in Brazil.By 2014, the network has further expanded to include over 300 boutiques in 35 countries. By 2015, more boutiques and direct brand partners joined the platform; and local offices were opened across Asia, including China and Hong Kong. By 2016, Farfetch was boasting of almost 500 boutique partners and 200 direct brand partners.

It is important to understand that Farfetch operates simply as an e-commerce platform of her over 700 boutique and direct brand partners. Thus, Farfetch is not a fashion store that sells owned merchandise. When you purchase products from farfetch.com, you are not purchasing the items from Farfetch, but from the named partner.Farfetch simply acts as an agent on behalf of the partner, authorized by the partner to conclude the sales contract on their behalf. Thus, Farfetch does not hold any inventory, everything is in the stores/ showrooms of the partners, and it is from there that the item(s) will be shipped to you when you make an order.

Some of the partner boutiques you’ll find in Farfetch are 13 metriquadri (Ballaria, Italy), 202 (London, UK), 20 Twelve (Memphis, US), 4 (Kuwait City, Kuwait), 400m2 (Marseille, France), 519 (Verona, Italy), A Me Mi (Carate Brianza, Italy). Designers you’ll find include Balenciaga, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Gucci, Monnalisa, Prada, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Versace, and more.

Is Farfetch legit?

FarFetch is a genuine service, not a scam. When you’re purchasing anything on an internet platform, the first step is to ensure that the site is trustworthy; otherwise, you risk losing your money. There are simply too many fraudulent/scam websites in existence for you to be comfortable.

Our first check in determining whether Farfetch is legit or not is legality. That is, is the platform 100% legal? In this regard, there’s no doubt that Farfetch is legal. Farfetch.com is owned and operated by Farfetch UK Limited, which is a company registered in England and Wales with registered office in London (at The Bower, 211 Old Street), and with registered company number 06400760.Suffice it to say that fake/ scam stores do not seek company registration. Also, apart from that registered headquarter in London, they have 10 more offices in major cities worldwide. This means that they do not operate only virtually with no physical trace, which is one characteristic of scam stores.

Another check is the test of time. Farfetch has been operating since 2008, which means that they’ve been fulfilling orders for over a decade. Suffice it to say that no scam store can go about scamming people for a decade; it’s only a matter of time before a fake store will be called out, and they disappear with the exposure.However, Farfetch have towed the other line of disappearing; from having 25 partners’ stores when they started, they now have over 700 partners’ stores that include some of the biggest names in the fashion industry. Also, in a bid to grow its brand, Farfetch holds various A-list events that bring together the best of the bests in the industry as well as industry watchers. Suffice it to say that scam stores run away from the spotlight.

That Farfetch fulfill orders is the ultimate test of legitimacy. When you place an order in the platform, no matter the partner store that lists the item, you’ll definitely receive delivery of it. Thus, there’s no doubt that Farfetch is legit.

Is Farfetch Safe?

Farfetch is also a safe store. While Farfetch is legit and will not rip you off; will using the store leave you exposed to other fraudsters? A store will leave you exposed to other fraudsters if it cannot safeguard the information that you share with it.In using an online store, you’ll submit personal information such as your name, and contact information, as well as sensitive data such as your credit card details. That is information you don’t want leaking out to third parties. Thus, the ideal store should not only be legit but should also be safe.

Farfetch says in their Privacy Policy that keeping customers and customers’ data secure is very important to them, and so they take a number of reasonable steps to try and protect customers’ data. One of these steps includes using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology.SSL creates a secure link between your device and their servers and any data that is relayed in the link is private, as it is shielded from third unauthorized parties. SSL also encrypts the data before its transference so that even if it is captured it cannot be read by the hackers. Farfetch also does not keep details of credit card that will allow a third party to transact using that card such as CCV number. They also regularly monitor their systems for possible vulnerabilities and attacks.

Thus, it’s safe to say that, Farfetch is safe, and that you can use the platform for your fashion shopping without worrying too much of your data being compromised.

Product

Product Range

It’ll be more convenient to walk into a fashion store where you’ll get everything that you need, instead of visiting multiple stores for your items. Apart from offering convenience, a wide product range can also give cost savings. For example, you may get to pay one order shipping costs, instead of paying multiple shipping costs to ship from different places. Thus, the ideal fashion place should have a wide product range.

Farfetch ticks the box in this regard. First, you can shop for women’s wear, Men wear, Kids’ wear and lifestyle items on the platform. The different items you’ll find in each product category are as follows:

Visit here for more beautiful dresses

Women

• Clothing – activewear, beachwear, coats, denim, dresses, jackets, jumpsuits and All in Ones, knitwear, shorts, skirts, suits, tops, pants
• Shoes – Ballerina shoes, boots, brogues and Oxfords, Espadrilles, flip flops and slides, lace-up shoes, loafers, mules, pumps, sandals, slippers, sneakers
• Bags – backpacks, belt bags, bucket bags, clutch bags, luggage, mini bags, satchel and cross body bags, shoulder bags, tote bags, bag accessories, vintage bags
• Accessories – belts, glasses and frames, gloves, hair accessories, hats, key rings and chains, make up bags, scarves, sunglasses, wallets and purses, vintage accessories
• Jewellery –bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, watches, vintage jewellery, fine jewellery

Men

• Clothing – activewear, beachwear, coats, denim, jackets, polo shirts, shirts, shorts, suits, sweaters and knitwear, trousers, T-shirts and vests, underwear and socks, vintage clothing
• Shoes – boat shoes, boots, brogues, derby shoes, espadrilles, flip flops and slides, lace-up shoes, loafers, monk shoes, oxford shoes, sandals, slippers, and sneakers (Hi-Top, Low-Top, Performance sneakers, and more)
• Bags – Backpacks, belt bags, clutch bags, laptop bags and briefcases, luggage and hold-alls, messenger bags, shoulder bags, tote bags, vintage bags
• Accessories – Belts, braces, glasses and frames, gloves, hats, key rings and chains, scarves, sunglasses, ties and bow ties, umbrellas, wallets and cardholders, wash bags, vintage accessories
• Jewellery – bracelets, brooches and pins, cufflinks, earrings, necklaces, and rings
• Watches – aviator watches, chronograph watches, diving watches, dress watches, smartwatch watches, and sports watches

Kids

• Baby Girls (0 – 36 months) – accessories, baby suits, coats, dresses, jackets, shoes, shorts, skirts, swimwear, tops, tracksuits, trousers, and changing bags
• Bay Boys (0 – 36 months) – accessories, baby suits, coats, jackets, shoes, shorts, swim wear, tops, tracksuits, trousers, and changing bags
• Girl – There are items for kids (2 – 12 years) and Teens (13 – 16 years) which includes accessories, coats, denim, dresses, jackets, playsuits and jumpsuits, shoes, shorts, skirts, swimwear, tops, trousers
• Boys – There are also items for kids (2 – 12 years) and Teens (13 – 16 years) which include accessories, coats, denim, jackets, shoes, shorts, swimwear, tops, tracksuits, and trousers

Lifestyle

You’ll also find a few lifestyle items such as Arts, books and magazines, homeware, phone, computer and gadgets, stationery, and umbrellas

The different fashion pieces you can find in Farfetch makes the platform a true one-stop for everyone. For those head-turning evening gowns, party-stopping styles, smart formal styles and more, there’s no better place to get your designers pick.

Product Size

Another important consideration when looking at items in fashion stores is the size of the inventory. It’s not enough that a fashion store/ house offer different product types; it’s also important that they offer a large inventory of each product type.

This is because with a large inventory, you’re more likely to find that piece that’ll make you cry. No doubt, many persons will want to go over a large selection of styles, rather than just a handful of styles when browsing listings to buy a product.

In this regard, Farfetch ticks the box. In fact, it is not possible for anyone fashion store out there to have as many listings as Farfetch. As explained before, Farfetch simply draws together about 700 boutiques and direct brand stores; this means that products from the 700 stores are available in Farfetch.

Farfetch spoils you with choices. For example, at the time of writing this review, in the women product category, there were almost 10,000 different styles in the dress section, and almost 3,000 styles in the skirts section. The men category had over 1,500 styles of polo shirts, and

Product Quality

What you’ll get in Farfetch are luxury items from top-end brands and A-list boutiques. The quality of the items is beyond doubt. Farfetch has grown a business development team with an experienced eye of finding the best boutiques in the areas they work in. Because of the high standards of Farfetch, not every boutique gets admitted into the platform. As a result, those selling in the platform have been thoroughly screened and found and carefully handpicked.

Thus, you’re sure to find exceptional clothing featuring the best fabrics, best tailoring, best designs, and every other best there are in the quality dimensions.

One question mostly asked by customers is whether the items gotten through Farfetch will be of the same quality as when they are bought directly from the store. In order words, if I buy a Givenchy product from Farfetch, will it be of the same quality as when I buy directly from the Givenchy store? The short answer is: Yes. As mentioned earlier, when buying through Farfetch, you’re buying from the Farfetch partner that owns the item; Farfetch role is that of an agent or facilitator.

A look at various independent customer reviews platform also shows that customers are generally satisfied with purchases made in Farfetch.com. For example, Farfetch was given an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 in Trust Pilot; with 76% of the almost 6,500 reviewers rating the platform as excellent. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find a negative review of the quality of items from Farfetch.

Prices and Related Policy

Prices

Farfetch has as their mission to be a platform for luxury fashion, and not a platform for fashion. The “luxury” that qualifies fashion tell you everything about what prices are like in the platform.

The prices of items in Farfetch are boutique-specific, meaning they are fixed by the particular boutique (or direct brand) partner; so you may find some price difference. However, prices are generally on the high side. For example, at the time of writing, we couldn’t find any skirt priced below $200; and the prices of the cheapest dresses were in the mid-hundreds (about $500). It’s the same story for items in the men’s category.For example, of the over 1,500 polo shirts, not more than 20 were priced below $100; and these ones were going for $72 – $93. Almost all the polos were in three figures, and some even managed to cross over the three-figure barrier and were costing over $1,000.

When branching into Farfetch to get your fashion items, you know you’re getting designer pieces. You know these pieces are stunning, and you would expect that stunning pieces will come at stunning costs. You’ll be holding hundreds of dollars to get “moderately priced” items in the platform, while you’ll be needing tens of thousands of dollars to get pricey ones.

Promotions

Promotions afford the opportunity to get products for free or for less than their full prices. As a result, we’ll want the ideal fashion store/ house to run as many promotions as possible. 

Unfortunately, you’ll not be getting promotional offers in Farfetch. We know a platform that is generous with promotional offers the moment we get to their landing page; there’s usually the price slashing discount offers and co boldly plastered on the site.

However, the website of Farfetch showed no sign of an offer. Digging, we discovered that the absence of any promotional offer at the forefront is actually because Farfetch do little to no promotion.

With many persons having to jump to reach the prices of items in Farfetch, you’ll expect that there should be some a couple of price slashing offers. However, it would seem that by advertising as a platform for luxury fashion, Farfetch expects its customers to have the money to meet luxury items.

While there are no huge promotional offers, Farfetch does feature a sale section for almost all product types listed in the platform. You can steer to the sales section to get some savings on items. You can save as much as 50 – 70% on most items by shopping from sales.

Payment Methods

You don’t want a fashion store/ house that affords painless services which include easy payment. Thus, the ideal place will support a wide range of payment methods backed by an easy payment process. You want alternative payment methods so that no matter where you are resident in the world, you can easily find one method that is supported that you can use to pay for your order conveniently.

Farfetch ticks the box in this regard. They accept payment from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Delta, Visa Electron, PayPal, Apple Pay, Ali Pay, Union Pay, JCB, iDeal, Sofort banking. However, it should be noted that this is the range of methods accepted; it does not mean that all the methods will be available to you in your location.

For example, iDeal is only available to the Netherlands, JCB is only available in Japan, while Apple Pay and Union Pay are only available in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.  

Farfetch does not accept cash on delivery or instalments as payments. However, with some of the global options supported, you should not have any problem with paying for your order no matter where you are in the world.

Also, Farfetch transacts in a host of international currencies. This will save you the hassle and associated cost of currency conversions. However, if your local currency is not available, your order will be charged in USD.

Shipping:

When buying products online, you walk into the store, select an item and pay for it; but you do not walk out of the store with the item.  The item will have to be shipped to you. That brings in other considerations such as: whether the store ship to your location; how much extra it will cost for the store to ship the item to your location; and how long you’ll have to wait before the item will be delivered to you in your location.

Shipping Destinations

If you’ll want to receive delivery of your order in your location, you’ll want the store to ship to your location. That’s except you’ll be willing to pick up your package at a location that the store supports that’s closest to you. However, that’s a proposition that’s cost prohibitive; and so shipping to your location is really the only option. In this regard, the ideal online shop will ship to many locations across the world, so that your location will most likely be covered. 

Farfetch ticks the box in this regard. They ship to over 230 locations of the world which includes every region of the world. No matter where you are resident in the world, Farfetch is more likely to serve you than many of the fashion stores or fashion houses in the industry.

Shipping Times

You don’t want to wait too long to receive delivery of your package. Thus, the ideal fashion store/ house will offer fast delivery.

There are three shipping methods used by Farfetch – DHL Express, UPS Express Saver, and UPS Standard. When using DHL Express, delivery to most of Europe and the US takes 2 – 4 days while delivery to the rest of the world takes 3 – 7 days. It’s the same for UPS Express Saver: Europe and the US takes 2 – 4 days, while the rest of the world takes 3 – 7 business days.  The UPS Standard is available for only delivery within Europe, and it takes 5 – 7 days.

The delivery times are based on the time from dispatch. After placing your order, it will take 1 – 2 days for the order to be processed and dispatched. If you’ve seen reviews of other fashion shops, you’ll find that Farfetch has one of the shortest orders processing time. That they process and dispatch your order quickly means that their overall delivery time will be fast.

Farfetch also offers a Same Day delivery service, where you’ll get your package the same day you place the order. The delivery service is available in the following cities: Barcelona, Berlin, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Milan, New York, Paris, and Rome.

Expectedly, Same Day orders will be given fast processing. You’ll have to place your order before 11 am (local time) to receive it the same day. If your order is completed before 11 am, it will be processed swiftly, and you’ll receive the package by 7 pm of the same day.

From our reviews of fashion stores/ houses, we find that most fashion stores offer same day delivery in only their domestic markets. That is if a store is US based, Same Day delivery will be available for only US orders, and so on. Therefore, it’s impressive that Farfetch is able to give Same Day delivery in the major cities of the world.

Also, while Same Day delivery is the fastest delivery that you’ll get in almost all the other fashion stores/ houses, Farfetch is able to offer something faster. With the launch of their F90 service, they are able to deliver orders from select partners to doors in 90 minutes.The F90 Farfetch partners’ stores are located in Berlin, Dubai, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Milan, New York, Paris, and Sao Paulo. If the service (F90) is available in your location, you’ll be presented with the option during checkout.

Shipping Cost

You don’t want to pay over the tops to have your order shipped to you. When shopping online, the total expenditure on an item is not just the cost of the item, but also includes the cost of shipping the item. Therefore, high shipping costs can easily shoot the total expenditure up. As a result, the ideal fashion store/ house will have shipping costs that are as low as possible.

The lowest possible shipping cost is zero; that is free shipping. Unfortunately, Farfetch does not offer free shipping. Where free shipping is not offered, we like to see low rates. It’s even better if flat rates are offered so that the amount that you pay for shipping will not increase with an increase in the quantity or weight of the order.

However, because Farfetch is not a store, they do not have a particular distribution centre from where they ship worldwide, and so they are not able to fix flat shipping rates. When you buy using Farfetch, you may be buying from a store in your own customs zone, or from a store at the other end of the world. Therefore, in Farfetch, shipping costs will vary depending on the size, weight, and destination of the chosen item.However, if you’re willing to raise your order above a particular threshold, you’ll get flat shipping rate. Depending on where you’re shipping (applicable currency of your purchase), the flat shipping fee applies to orders above the following thresholds: 100GBP, 150USD, 140EUR, 215 AUD, 200 CAD, 10,000 RUB, 18,000 JPY, 1,000 CNY, 180,000 KRW, 215 SGB, 150 CHF, 2,500 MXN, 1,200 HKD, and 580 BRL. The flat shipping offer means that you can purchase multiple items from multiple partner stores and still pay one shipping fee. The one shipping fee you’ll pay in that case will be the lowest price shipping option available for the item in your order which will be travelling the farthest to reach you. At checkout, you’ll find all available delivery option available to your location, as well as how much each will cost.

Something that turns most customers off is having to pay additional fees upon delivery of their package. They’ll want a store that includes all charges in the shipping costs, so that after paying for shipping, they can receive their package without extra charges.

In Farfetch, cost of taxes and duties are included in the order for many locations. If you’re located in any of the following locations, you won’t have to pay additional fees to get your package; these are European Union, Canada, Brazil, China, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, Israel, India, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, U.A.E., Japan, Isles of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, San Marino, and Mexico.

However, if you’re located outside these countries, what you pay to exclude import duties and sales tax, and you’ll have to pay these fees to have your order released from customs. That’s except all the items in your order are coming from a partner store in your custom zone.

Returns

Online purchase is characterized by blind purchase; that is, you’ll be buying items that you did not have the opportunity to physically examine. Needless to say, there is the chance that the item may not be what you expected it to be.Even where the item wows in every way, fashion products are sized items, and there’s a chance that an item you order will turn out to be too big or too small and does not fit. There is even the ugly case of being delivered a faulty item, or a wrong item altogether.Whatever the case, if for some reasons the item in your order turns out to be something you’ll rather not keep, you’ll want to be able to return it back to the store. Thus, the returns policy is a very important consideration when rating fashion stores. Thankfully, Farfetch allows returns.

Returns Window

With return policies, the seller will give you a number of days to return any item to them; and only if your items are returned within the allowed time will they accept it and issue you a refund or exchange. Thus, it’s not enough that a store allows returns; you’ll also want to determine how many days you have to return the item to the store. You don’t want a short returns window that’ll have you running against time to get in your returns on time.

Farfetch gives a 14 days returns window; which means that any item you’re returning to them must get to them not later than 14 days after the delivery date. From reviewing numerous fashion stores, we find that many of the stores allow up to 30 days for returns. Thus, the 14 days allowed by Farfetch is about half what you’ll get in most other places.

That said; if you’ll want to have enough time to do your returns, Farfetch might not be the best platform. However, if you’ll quickly repackage and send back any item that you want to be returned, there’s no reason why 14 days wouldn’t suffice. 

Ease and Cost of Returns

Sometimes, customers will want to return an item, but will rather not go through the difficult process. The result is that the store would have retained the payment, but would have lost a customer (and future sales). Thus, the ideal store should offer easy returns. That’s exactly what Farfetch offers.

The returns process is very easy and straight forward. They even offer free returns pick up. You only need to (i) go to “My Orders & Returns” and select the items you are returning, and confirm your pick up address and time; and (ii) package the items appropriately, and attach the returns label. The courier will come at the chosen time to the selected pick up address to collect the returns package.

The returns label that Farfetch provides is also free, which means that there will be nothing deducted from your refund for the label.

Conditions of Returns

Just as it applies in all the fashion shops/ houses in the market; when returning items they must be in their original new conditions. That is, they must be unworn, undamaged, and unused; and must have all tags and labels attached. The items must be returned in their original packaging; foot wears and accessories should even be returned with their dust bags where provided.

Care should be taken to ensure the items are not damaged or stained in any way when trying them on. Else they won’t be accepted when returned. Hosiery, lingerie, and swimwear must be returned with the hygiene seal unbroken; and beauty and cosmetic products must be returned unopened.

Refunds

If the returned items get to Farfetch within 14 days of the original delivery date, and the items meet the conditions for returned items, you’ll be issued a refund in the original payment method.

It’s a good thing that Farfetch issues refunds as cash to the original payment method, unlike some stores that only issue store credits. With your cash back in your bank, you can decide whether to continue with Farfetch or to go to another store/ platform. However, Farfetch does not state how long it will take them to process returns and issue the refund. This is one detail we’ll like to know.

Customer Support

The first step to getting help is the self-help service – FAQ section of their website. This holds articles that may answer some of the questions that you’ll have about Farfetch and their service. However, if you still need to directly contact someone from the customer support team, they provide an email service and a telephone service.

You can send them an email by using the contact form on their website, or by sending your mail directly from your email to customerservice@farfetch.com. In either case, you’ll get your response in your after a few hours.However, if you’ll rather not wait for a response, you can put a call through using +44 (0) 20 3962 2362. The phone line is active between 8am – 11 pm GMT from Monday to Friday, and between 9am – 9pm GMT on Saturdays and Sundays.

It’s good that they support the traditional email service and the instant feedback telephone service; however, the miss the live chat feature, which would have completed the trifecta. We’ll like to see the live chat feature for those who’ll want instant feedback but don’t want to pick up the phone.

Also, for an international company, it’s disappointing that the customer support service of Farfetch is not round the clock (24/ 7). The active GMT time is another person’s downtime in another time zone; so, in our opinion, a 24/ 7 customer support service is necessary for a worldwide company.

• Offer a wide range of products; as well as a large inventory of every product type
• Products are of the highest quality
• Relatively fast order processing time (2 days) and fast delivery
• Same day delivery is available in the major cities of the world
• They offer super fast 90 minutes delivery when buying from select partner stores
• Efficient customer support service

• This is exclusively a platform for luxury items, so prices are on the high side
• There are no huge saving offers such as price slashing discounts
• They do not offer free shipping
• They offer a relatively short returns window (14 days)
• Live chat is not supported

Conclusion

Farfetch.com is a legit and safe platform where you can shop luxury fashion for men, women, and kids. They operate as a market place where the best boutiques and brands are brought to connect with their customers.Having luxury items means that the quality of the items you’ll get in Farfetch is top-notch; and as to be expected with luxury items, their prices are also in the skies.

With a wide product range and a humongous amount of items to choose from, this is a platform where you’ll find exquisite styles.Also, their service is one of the best you’ll find in the business: a good range of payment options is supported and paying for orders is painless; orders are processed speedily and delivery is fast. It only hurts that there is no free shipping, and you get flat shipping rates only if your total spend to reach a threshold.

You’ll like the items you get from Farfetch; but if for some reasons you have to return an item, you’ll find that they have an easy and free returns service. The only bump on the returns policy is that their returns window is only 14 days, and not the often seen 28 – 30 days.Their customer service is also very efficient; there are a couple of options to reach the service, and response is usually timely and helpful. There is no reason why you shouldn’t look at Farfetch for your luxury fashion items. For more sites like FarFetch, visit Prettylittlething.com and Zaful.com

If you have experience with FarFetch, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief FarFetch review.

There are so many online fashion retailers that it can be confusing to determine where to go for your fashion shopping. Fat Face is a UK based retailer that pledges to “combine trusted quality with considered style” to offer customers great value.

FatFace is a legit fashion store. It is not a scam because it will never steal your money. And you are going to get your items shipped to you with a problem.

Does FatFace offer quality materials just as they promised?

The big question is whether that is just a marketing speech or whether they really offer that (trusted quality + considered style = great value). In the first place is Fat Face legit?

This FatFace review will examine FatFace in order to provide the information that’ll help you answer these questions and more.

Fat Face review at a glance

• UK based fashion retail Company started in 1988
• Currently, operating over 200 stores in the UK
• Offers clothing and accessories for women, men, and kids (boys and girls)
• The quality of items is good, and the prices are competitive
• Offers free standard shipping and free Next Day delivery for UK orders over £60 and £100 respectively
• Offer flat shipping rates, which are also low
• Returns are allowed for both full-price orders and Sales orders; the former should be made within 30 days of the delivery date, while the latter’s window is 15 days
• Customer support is available via email and telephone

What is FatFace?

FatFace was founded by Tim Slade and Jules Leaver in 1988. The owners started out selling printed T-Shirts at the French ski resort Meribel; afterwards, they moved to other ski resorts and added other outdoor-related clothing to their collection.

The first FatFace store was opened 4 years later in 1992 in London. The company grew and many more shops were opened across Europe. FatFace had been selling only men’s clothing but introduced the women’s and kids’ clothing ranges in 1997. Though, Tim Slade and Jules Leaver still have some shares in the company, since 2007 FatFace has been operated by Bridgepoint Capital when they bought about 55% of the shares.

The online store can be found at www.fatface.com. The online e-commerce platform was launched in 2001; and since then, FatFace has not failed to fulfil orders placed online. The website is can be used only if you’re above 18; if you’re under 18, you’ll need to involve a parent or guardian. The website is available in English Language only; it is fully mobile-optimized, so you can shop on the go using your mobile phones and tablets.

Is FatFace Legit?

Fat Face is legit, and not a scam. Whether an online platform is legit or a scam is one of the questions that must be asked before proceeding to join. This is especially so when you’ll have to send in your hard-earned money. There are many scam artists on the internet; and if you do not verify that a platform is legit before sending them your money, it may be too late before you realize that you have been ripped off. In this regard, there is no doubt that Fat Face is legit.

First, the company has been in operation for over 30 years (since 1988). Suffice it to say that no scam company can continue scam operation for 3 full decades. Also, Fat Face is a company that is 100% legal. The company is registered as Fat Face Limited, registered in England and Wales, with company number 2954734. Suffice it to say that no scam company will pursue company registration. Also, the company’s operators are well known. From its inception, when it was run as a partnership, to when the Living bridge came on board, and then to Advent International, and now to Bridgepoint Capital; who is responsible for the company has never been doubting. Suffice it to say that the operators of scam stores are never known, and always hide behind phoney names and monikers. Lastly, Fat Face has a physical existence, and with it the ability to fulfil orders. Scam stores do not fulfil orders, and that is why they are a scam. When an unsuspecting customer pays for items, the money is taken (sometimes, the account could be wiped), and such items are never delivered. The problem is that scam stores operate only virtually; there is no production centre, no physical stores/ showrooms, and no products. On the other hand, Fat Face boasts of a robust physical presence with a network of over 200 stores in the UK alone. These stores hold hundreds of thousands of merchandise. Thus, when you place an order; Fat Face is sure to fulfil it, and deliver your package. That said; there is no doubt that Fat Face is legit.

Is FatFace safe?

FatFace is safe. It is not enough that a store is legit; it is also important that it is safe. Being legit means that the store will not rip you off, and being safe means that the store will not leave you exposed to fraudsters who’ll rip you off. Thus, a store being safe is as important as it being legit. When you shop in an online store, you submit personal information and sensitive data such as your name, mailing address, credit card information etc. For a store to be safe, it should ensure that the information that is shared with them is protected and not allowed to fall into the wrong hands. You don’t want information like credit card details to get to be captured by fraudsters.

In this regards, Fat Face says they use “strict procedures and security features to try and prevent unauthorized access” to customers’ information. Part of the security features is SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology which creates a secure connection between your device and their servers so that every data that is exchanged remains private. SSL technology also encrypts the data before it is relayed in the secure link; thus, even if it is captured, it cannot be read. Thus, there’s no doubt that Fat Face is safe.

Product Range

The ideal online fashion store should hold a wide product range so that you can shop all your fashion items in one place. This will save the time and effort of having to check out multiple stores; it will also result in cost savings. The cost savings come from bulk purchase discounts, and from paying for one order shipment instead of paying to ship different orders from different stores.

In this regard, Fat Face ticks the box because they come out as a true one-stop fashion shop. They provide fashion products for everyone – women, men, and kids (boys and girls). They hold a wide product range, and you’ll find almost every clothing piece for each category. The different categories in the store and the items you’ll find in each are as follows:

Women

• Women Clothing – Athleisure, Coats and Jackets, Dresses and Skirts, Jeans, Jumpsuits, Knitwear, Nightwear and Pyjama sets, Shirts, Shorts, Sweatshirts and Hoodies, Swimwear, Tops and T-Shirts, Trousers, Underwear and /socks,
• Accessories – Bags and Purses, Bath and Body products, Bedding, Belts, Books, Gloves, Hats, Jewellery, Phone cases, Scarves, Seasonal Essentials, and Socks
• Footwear – Boots, Sandals, Slippers, Trainers, Wellies, and Branded Footwear

Men

• Men’s clothing – Coats and Jackets, Jeans, Knitwear, Nightwear, Shirts, Shorts, Sweatshirts and Hoodies, Swimwear, Trousers and Chinos, T-Shirts and Polos, Underwear and Socks
• Accessories – Bags and Wallets, Bath and Body products, Belts, Books, Hats, Scarves, Phone cases, Seasonal essentials, and Socks
• Footwear – Boots, Branded Footwear, Shoes, Slippers, and Trainers

Kids

• Girls Clothing – Coats and Jackets, Dresses and Skirts, Jeans, Shorts and Trousers, Knitwear, Nightwear, Sweatshirts and Hoodies, Swimwears, and Tops & T-Shirts
• Girls Footwear and Accessories – Bedding, Footwear, Gloves, Hats, Scarves, and Socks
• Boy’s Clothing – Coats and Jackets, Jeans, Shorts and Trousers, Knitwear, Nightwear, Shirts, Sweatshirts and Hoodies, Swimwear, T-Shirts and Polos.
• Boys Footwear and Accessories – Bedding, Footwear, Gloves, Hats, Scarves, Socks, and Sunglasses

Another important consideration when examining the products in a store is the size of the inventory. The ideal store should not only have a wide product range (that is, have different products), they should have a large inventory of each product type. That way, in each product section, you’ll be able to make a choice from a huge selection, which means that you’ll be more likely to find something that you like.

In this regard, we think that for an international retailer, Fat Face can do more. At the time of writing this review, there were: 36 products in the Women At leisure section; 40 products in the women dresses and skirts section, 35 products in the coats and jackets section; 28 products in the women jeans section; 42 products in the Sweatshirts and Hoodies section; 31 products in the women’s Boots and Wellies section. The men’s category was no different; there were only 36 products in the trouser and chinos section. The men’s T-Shirts and Polos section held the kind of numbers we want to see – 140 products. That said; it’s safe to say that Fat Face holds a sizeable enough inventory to serve selection needs.

However, the inventory is not large enough, resulting in items going out of stocks very often. This is one problem that has plagued the company as gleaned from customer reviews of the company in different online platforms. In many cases, customers were frustrated that the company allowed the placing of the order(s) only to communicate them later that the item(s) is out of stock. The customers will then have to wait until the company receives new stock before their package will be delivered. If you were expecting the item for an occasion, you’ll understand the frustration of the customers. To the customers, FatFace becomes a company who is only interested in grabbing their money. This ugly situation can be avoided by increasing stock, or by preventing the placing of orders that have gone out of stock.

Also, another important consideration is the quality of the items in the store. It’s not enough that a store holds a wide product rage or a sizeable inventory, it’s also important that the items it sells be of high quality. That way, you’ll be sure to be getting good value for whatever amount leaves your wallet/ purse. In this regard, Fat Face does produce clothes that are meant to last; they feature high-quality fabric and trims, which offers consistent fits and authentic finishes and washes. It’s interesting to know that in the many customer reviews of Fat Face in independent online platforms, the complaints about the quality of items obtained from Fat Face is very few to non-existent. This is despite the fact that the company has some very scathing reviews online. You’ll find reviews that start with: “Fat Face may have good products but…” Suffice it to say that if the products of Fat Face are lacking in quality, it will be drummed in the customer reviews.

Prices, Promotions and Related Policies

Prices

The prices of items in a store affect sales. Even where stores are reputable for selling premium high-quality items, there is a certain amount above which customers will not be willing to pay. Thus, the ideal online fashion retailers should expertly blend quality and cost, and produce good-quality items that are affordably priced.

In this regard, Fat Face also ticks the box. Sure, the shop is not where to go if you’re looking for super cheap fashion products; as there are fashion retailers that pride themselves on low and unbeatable prices. However, Fat Face is affordably priced; and the store will definitely not burn a hole in your wallet/ purse.

At the time of writing this review, you’ll find women’s Athleisure crop tops/ vests for £10.00 – £22.50; dresses were priced at £20 – £49.50; most of the women’s coat and jackets were priced at £45 – £110; a lot of women’s jeans were priced at £49.50; Sweatshirts and Hoodies were priced at £39.50 – £69; and most of the women’s boots cost £65 – £75. The men’s category was no different. You’ll find a lot of men’s trousers with the full price in the £42 – £49.50 range, while a lot was discounted to £22.50 – £28.50. Also, the full price of many of the men’s Polos and T-Shirts was £22 – £32.50; but you’ll find some discounted to £10 – £20. That said; if you want an online store that provides good fashion pieces at okay prices, Fat Face should make the list.

Promotions

Customers are always looking out for promotions because these present opportunities to get products for free or for less than the full prices. Thus, the ideal fashion retailer should offer huge promotional offers, and should also run these offers frequently.

In this regard, Fat Face comes out strong. Fashion retailers that are generous with promotions will display different such offers on their landing page, and Fat Face is no different. At the time of writing this review; the landing page of Fat Face announced a 25% off “our latest collections”.  Other than that, there were other promotional offers such as 3 for 2 underwear and socks where you get three of the items for the price of two. The landing page also advertised a “sales” that promised “further reductions”. True to that, many of the sales items were discounted by as much as 50%. The company also offers other avenues for getting products for less than their full prices such as Newsletter Bonus, Student Discount, and Military Discount.

Fat Face used to give a 15% discount if you register with your email to get newsletters from them; however, at the time of writing this review, it wasn’t clear if the newsletter bonus was still available. However, there was no doubt that the student discount and military discounts were still available. Student discounts are for online purchases; all you need do is register with Student Beans to verify your student status, and you’ll get a 10% discount for all online purchase. Military discount is for in-store purchases; all you need do is walk into any Fat Face store, present a valid military ID card which identifies you as a member of the UK Armed Forces and you’ll receive 10% off full price for your purchases.

Payment Method

You should want an online store that supports a lot of payment methods. That way you’re more likely to find a payment method that you can use to conveniently pay for your orders.

In this regard, Fat Face supports many of the popular credit and debit cards. You can pay for your orders in the store using Visa, Visa Debit, Master card, Diners Club International, American Express card, Discover card, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

With these payment options, you should not have any problem with making payments no matter where you live. However, the supported options are limited; we’ll want to see more options such as Visa Electron, Solo, Laser, as well as for cryptocurrencies.

Shipping Details

Shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. You want to know if the online store ships to your location; because if they do not, getting your package will be a problem if you somehow order from the store. Also, you want to know how much it will take to ship your package to you. Lastly, you’ll want to know how long it will take for your package to get to you.

Shipping Destinations

In this regard, the ideal online store should ship to a lot of countries so that people from many more worldwide locations can order from the store. Fat Face comes out strong. They ship to a lot of worldwide locations in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa.

Shipping Cost and Times

In terms of shipping cost, the ideal online store should offer the lowest possible shipping costs, which is free shipping. Granted, free shipping cannot be offered on all orders; however, were not applicable the ideal store should offer flat shipping rates – that is shipping cost that will not increase when your order amount/ weight increases.

In terms of shipping times, the ideal online store should deliver orders as fast as possible. Also, the store would give estimates of delivery times (which should be low enough); and they would endeavour to deliver within the estimated delivery times.

The shipping policy of Fat Face makes for good reading. In terms of shipping costs, Fat Face offers some of the lowest costs you’ll find in the industry. They provide in-store delivery, where the order will be delivered to a Fat Face store closest to you for pick up. Domestically, they offer Standard Delivery and Next Day delivery; and lastly, they offer international delivery.

Delivery to store is free. It will take about 2 – 3 days; but during sale periods, it will take as many as 6 – 7 working days. The Standard Delivery will get the package to your door. It usually takes 2 – 4 working days, but could take 4 – 6 working days during sales periods. It cost £2.95. Fat Face also offers free Standard shipping, but it is only for orders that are over £60. If you’ve seen reviews of other online fashion retailers, you’ll find that this is fairly okay. Though there are stores that’ll ship free for orders of about $50; it’s not uncommon to find stores that’ll ship free for only orders in three figures. With Fat Face requiring you to spend only £60 to ship the orders to your door free of charge, you’ll not have to spend over the tops.

The Next Day Delivery is as its name suggest; it will get you your package the day after placing your order. The only catch is that you’ll have to place the order before 1pm (EST). However, if orders are placed after 1pm (EST) or on weekends, it’ll take two working days to receive delivery. Thus, orders placed by 1pm Monday – Thursday will be delivered the next day; orders placed on Friday by 1 pm will be delivered Monday, but orders placed Saturday and Sunday will be delivered on Tuesday. The Next Day Delivery cost £5.95, and it is not available during the Sale period. Another interesting thing is that the Next Day Delivery is free for all orders over £100. This scores Fat Face a lot of points because most online retailers offer free shipping only for the Standard Delivery option which will take a couple of days; and will require that you pay for all expedited delivery option. But in Fat Face, once your order is over £100, you are qualified to receive free Next Day Delivery.

While the Next Day Delivery is available for only domestic UK orders, there are certain locations in the UK that are not available for Next Day Delivery. This includes Northern Ireland, Jersey, the Hebrides, Orkney, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Aberdeen, Northern Highlands, Republic of Ireland, Argyll, Glasgow, Dundee, Guernsey, Shetland Islands, and Isle of Scilly.

If you’ll be shipping outside the UK, all international orders are delivered within 5 – 12 working days; and the cost is £10.00. If you’ve checked reviews of other fashion retailers (and especially if you’re in some of these international locations), you’ll find joy in knowing that Fat Face ships to all international locations for £10. In some of these stores, shipping cost increases the farther a location is from the store’s domestic region. Thus, you’ll find that it can be cost prohibitive to ship to locations in Asia and Africa.

You’ll agree that it’s one thing to advertise shipping times, but it’s quite another to deliver within those times. Thus, we looked into the reviews of customers who have bought from Fat Face to determine if they are satisfied with how long it took for their package to be delivered. One the whole, customers were satisfied with delivery times. Although there is the occasional late delivery, it is few and far in between to constitute a generic problem. That said; if you want a store that delivers promptly, Fat Face is worth looking at.

Returns

When buying any merchandise online, it’s important to make sure that the store will allow you to return the item to them if it turns out that after receiving delivery of the items, you are not satisfied with the items. This is especially so with fashion products which are mostly sized items. If it turns out that a wrong size was ordered, you’ll want to return it and get the right size. It could even be that the item is damaged in transit, or a wrong item was delivered to you. In any case, the ideal online shop will not leave you stuck with an item you’ll rather return.

Like almost every online fashion retailer, Fat Face allows returns. Their returns policy also makes for good reading. First, they allow a returns window of 30 days for full price items and 15 days for sales items. This means that you have 30 days (or 15 days) from the time of receiving delivery of the items to return it to Fat Face for a refund. 30 days is like the industry average for returns. The 30 days window is long enough, and you won’t have to race against time to get your returns to the company. While 15 days (for the sales items) might not appear as enough time, you’ll be able to get the returns to the company if you act quickly. Also, it’s a plus that Fat Face even allows for returns of Sales items, because many online fashion retailers do not. In many of those stores, Sales items are final sales which mean that you cannot return them. In such stores, buying sales items is a risky proposition because you cannot return the item if it turns out to be not to your liking. However, such risks are removed in Fat Face. You can purchase sales items knowing you can return them, only that you’ll have a shorter window for such returns.

Returns can be done in-store or by post. For in-store returns, you just have to walk into any of the over 200 Fat Face stores in the UK and Ireland with proof of purchase. Fat Face also allows returns via Collect+ where you can return the item to over 5800 participating convenience stores. However, you’ll have to package the item, attach the Fat Face returns label, and write your order number on the Collect+ label.

To send you returns by post from the UK, you’ll only need to attach the Royal Mail returns label to the packaged returned items and drop it off at any post office. For international returns, the package has to be addressed to: Fat Face Customer Care, Unit 2, Dunsbury Park, Fitzwygram Way, Havant Hampshire, P09 4EE.

All returns to store are free. Also, for the UK returns, the returns label is free for returns by post, meaning that Fat Face offers free domestic returns. However, for international returns, the customer will have to bear the returns shipping cost. However, during sales period, free returns are not available. That said; it’s also a plus that free returns are offered at all, because there are many online fashion retailers that do not offer free returns.

However, for the returns to be accepted by the company and a refund issued, the items must be in their original new conditions. That is, they must be unworn, and unwashed; they must also be undamaged and unaltered; all tags and labels must still be attached, and they must be returned in their original packaging. For hygiene reasons, there are certain items that cannot be returned. Swimwear and underwear cannot be returned except their hygiene strip is in place; also earrings cannot be returned except they are faulty.

After the returned items have been received by Fat Face, they say it takes them 14 working days for the returns to be processed. A couple more days should be allowed for the refunds to be reflected in your bank account; which means that in under a month, you should have your refund in your bank. In our opinion, even if Fat Face sticks to these refund time estimates, a whole month is too much time for a refund. Where you have to wait for the funds in order to place another order, waiting a full month will be very frustrating. However, it would seem that Fat Face does not even meet up with its already poor refund window. As mentioned earlier, Fat Face has a lot of negative reviews on many customer review platforms. In Trust Pilot, the company is rated “bad” with an average rating of 2.6 out of 10. One of the reasons for such scathing reviews is refunds. Reviews include comments like: “where’s my refunds; four weeks later and several emails… no money has been refunded”, “they do not want to honour returns”, “took 3+ months for returns”, and more. That said; we will like to see Fat Face reduce their returns processing time so that refunds can be issued out more quickly.

Customer Support Service

Customer support makes or breaks a product/ service provider. No matter how good the product/ service is, inquiries and complaints are inevitable. Thus, the ideal provider would make provisions to effectively address customer questions and complaints.

The first step to getting answers from Fat Face is the FAQ section of their website. The FAQ is detailed enough and provides answers to many of the questions you may have about the store and their offerings. The FAQ sections include account, placing an order, product information, delivery information, refunds and exchanges, gifts – wrapping and returns.

If you do not get the necessary assistance from the self-help FAQ articles, you may choose to contact Fat Face directly. You can do that via email or telephone. The email address for such direct contact is customerservices@fatface.co.uk. When you drop any support submission, you would expect to get a response within 48 hours. While the response time can be improved upon; it’s satisfying to know that you will surely get a response, which most often than not is helpful. If you’ll rather not wait for a response, you can use the telephone service via 0330 124 0000.

It is one thing for a customer support service to respond to your submissions, and it is a different thing entirely for them to actually resolve the issue. Fat Face is one of the few fashion retailers that not only put how long it’ll take to respond to customers’ queries but also how long it’ll take them to actually resolve the issue. They say: “We aim to resolve all complaints within 10 working days unless there are extenuating circumstances”. For this, Fat Face scores a lot of points. Where other stores can keep you hanging with the standard “your issue has been received and is being treated”; in Fat Face, you have an idea of how long it will take.

On their website, Fat Face even provides the details of a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution provider (RetailADR) that you can contact if you are not satisfied with how your complaint is handled and concluded. RetailADR will re-open the complaint, and Fat Face will be bound by their decision. You may contact RetailADR by post using the address: RetailADR, 12-14 Walker Avenue, Stratford Office Village, Wolverton Mill, Milton Keynes MK12 5TW. The email address to use is enquiries@cdrl.org.uk; if you’ll rather use the phone, the telephone number is +44 (0)20 3540 8063; while the RetailADR website is: www.retailadr.org.uk.

While it is good that Fat Face supports the regular direct contact channels, and even give an estimate of how long it takes them to clear complaints; it should be said here that the main reason for the negative reviews of the company is because of its customer support service. Because of some of the issues in the company which have been discussed (such as late refunds, out of stock items causing late deliveries etc), it’s understandable that customer support service will be flooded. In the review platforms examined, customers drummed that the service was largely ineffective in solving their issues. We went with the customers in this regards because in all the independent review platforms we look at, we did not see Fat Face agents reaching out to the customers. Often, fashion retailers seek out disgruntled customers in review platforms and try to help them out.

Conclusion

Fat Face is a legit fashion store that offers gold quality clothing and fashion accessories at competitive prices. The company is based in the UK, and that means UK customers will find joy in the store more than other customers. For example, there is free shipping and free returns for UK orders. However, every customer would be happy to know that in the store, the website is easy to navigate which makes browsing listings and selecting items easy. Also, global payment methods are supported which makes placing orders/ making payment easy and convenient. Delivery is generally fast; and to ensure a happy customer, they allow returns, even for Sales items.

ALSO READ: TopShop Review: Legit or Scam?

However, you might find that the items you select into your cart and order are out of stock, and you’ll have to wait longer than normal to receive the delivery. When you do return an item, you might have to wait longer than normal to get your refund.  When you do need to contact customer service, the experience shows that you won’t have a smiling face.

Pros:

• A one-stop shop for that holds a good product range for everyone – women, men and kids (boys and girls)
• Prices are in the affordable range
• Promotions are regularly offered
• Free standard shipping for orders over £60; and free expedited Next Day delivery for orders over £100
• Where free shipping is not available, shipping cost are flat rates and are very low

Cons:

• Inventory size can be increased to prevent the problem of items going out of stock too often
• They allow orders to be placed for out of stock items which cause missed delivery date
• Returns processing time is too long; thus, it takes a lot of time to get refunds
• Customer support is largely unhelpful in solving customer complaints

Do you have any experience with Fat Face? If yes, use the review section below to give a brief Fat Face review.

Urban Outfitters is the e-commerce platform of the American retail and wholesale fashion company. Three persons including Richard Hayne started Urban Outfitters in 1970. They were college mates at the time; a topic was needed for an entrepreneurial class, and the decision was made to open a retail store.

At the time, the store operated as Free People; and its mission was to provide second-hand clothing and some other home collections to college-age customers. It was in 1976 when the company was incorporated that they started going by the name Urban Outfitters.

Currently, Urban Outfitters is part of the URBN Group which consists of other brands such as Anthropologie, Free People, BHLDN, Terrain and the Vetri Family. In 1993, the URBN Group (together with its entire brand which includes Urban Outfitters) went public 1993 and has been trading ever since as a public company.

Urban Outfitters is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When the URBN Group started the international expansion, Urban Outfitters was the first brand in its portfolio to cross the Atlantic into Europe. This was with the opening of a store in London. When businesses started moving online, Urban Outfitters joined the bandwagon in other to reach more customers around the globe. Thus, in 2000, they launch their online shop.

The shop can be found at www.urbanoutfitters.com. Urban Outfitters accepts customers who are 13 and above. If you’re in the accepted age range and live in a region that the shop supports, you can visit the website and place your order.

Alternatively, you can download, install and shop from their fashion apps. Urban Outfitters have Android and iOS app that can be gotten at the respective app stores. The advantages of using the app include personalized service, getting alerts of exclusive items and offers, and more.

The company advertises itself as a “lifestyle brand”, “the fashion destination for customers who define their own sense of style”, and a shop that holds “an updated mix of premium basics and on-trend fashion pieces”

Urban Outfitters is a legit fashion store. It does not scam its customers because it is a very popular and highly regarded store online. You will get your item just as you ordered it from the store.

But do they deliver quality materials?

That sounds like the go-to place for your fashion needs. But are their claims true or just advert-speak? In the first place, is Urban Outfitters genuine?

This Urban Outfitters review will examine Urban Outfitters in order to provide the information that will help you determine if the online fashion store is legit and worth going to for your online shopping.

Urban Outfitters review at a glance

• An American fashion retailer started in 1970
• Is part of the URBN Group
• Offers a wide product range that includes different pieces of women’s wear, men’s wear, accessories and home collections
• Offers low and affordable prices
• Offers free shipping for the US, Australia and New Zealand orders
• Returns are allowed within 30 days of the delivery date
• Customer support is available via chat, email, social media, and telephone (albeit available in the only US and Canada)

Product Range

When shopping in brick and mortar stores, you’ll want to be able to walk into a store and get all your related items instead of going to multiple stores to shop for different items. It’s no different when shopping from online stores. Apart from the convenience that visiting only one store has; there are cost savings associated with it.

You can save costs when your order amount is large and qualifies for bulk purchase discounts, and you can save costs by shipping only one order from one store, as against shipping different orders from different stores. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should hold a wide range of products, so that customers can get all their fashion needs in one place.

In this regard, Urban Outfitters comes out strong. They provide men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, as well as home and lifestyle collections. The different product categories in Urban Outfitters and the products you’ll find in each category are as follows:

Women wear

• Dresses and Rompers – You’ll find styles which include Party and special occasion dresses, Going out dresses, Casual dresses, Mini dresses, Maxi and Midi dresses, and Sets)
• Tops – You’ll find whatever style (cropped, fitted, oversized etc), neckline (crew neck, v-neck, plunging, turtle neck, collared, hooded, off the shoulder, etc) or sleeve (long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless) that you want. The tops include Sweaters and Cardigans, Hoodies and Sweatshirts, Shirts and Blouses, T-Shirts, Graphic Tees, Camis + Tank Tops, Going Out Tops, Bodysuits
• Coats and Jackets – This includes Faux Fur Jackets, Coats and Puffers, Denim Jackets, Lightweight and Shirt Jackets, Leather and Suede Jackets,
• Bottoms – This includes jeans, pants, skirts, overalls, shorts, sweatpants and leggings
• Intimates – This includes Bras and Bralettes, Undies, Bodysuits, Lounge tops, Lounge Bottoms, Slips and Rompers, Socks and tights
• Swim – You’ll find Mix and Match swimwear, One-Pieces, Bikini Tops, Bikini Bottoms, Pool Floats and Beach Towels
• Beauty –This includes Makeup, Skincare, Perfume and Fragrance, Bath and Body Products, Hair Products, Nails accessories, Wellness products, Accessories, Gift sets
• Accessories – This includes Bags and Backpacks, Scarves, Hats, Gloves, Socks and Tights, Belts, Jewelry, Sunglasses and Readers, Hair accessories, and Cold weather sets
• Shoes – You’ll find Sneakers, Boots and Booties, Mules, Heels and Wedges, Flats, Sandals and Slides
• Others – This includes Cozy essentials, Vintage clothing, Animal prints etc

Men’s wear

• Graphic Tees – Some of the graphics you’ll find emblazoned on the Tees are drawn from Brands and Logos, Music, Pop Culture, Art and Design, Team Sport and Athletic, and more
• Tops – You’ll find all styles of tops including branded, pop culture styles, striped and printed and more. You’ll also find different necklines which include a hooded, crew neck, collared and turtle neck. Specifically, some of the tops you’ll find are Hoodies and Sweatshirts, T-Shirts, Shirts, Sweaters and Cardigans, Graphic Tees
• Coats and Jackets – This includes Denim and Trucker Jackets, Windbreakers and Rain Jackets, Sherpa and Faux Fur Jackets, Coats, Puffers and Parkas, and Bomber Jackets.
• Bottoms – This includes Pants, Jeans, Track Pants and Joggers, Short and Swimwear
• Suiting – Here, you’ll find different branded and own-brand men’s suits and blazers for formal occasions and offices
• Shoes – This includes Sneakers, Boots and dress shoes, Slides and Slippers, Nike Shoes, and Vans Shoes
• Accessories – Bags and Wallets, Hats and Beanies, Watches, Sunglasses and Readers, Scarves and Bandanas, Gloves, Jewelry and Pins, Belts, and Tech accessories
• Grooming products – This includes Haircare products, Beard and Shave products, Cologne and Fragrance, Skincare products, Oral care products, Grooming kits and sets
• Others – This includes Socks and Underwear, and vintage items

Home Collection

Bedding, Furniture, Art and Décor, Rugs and Curtains, Lighting, Kitchen and Bar, Bath,

Lifestyle

Vinyl and Cassettes, Audio, Cameras and Film, Phone and Tech items, Books and Stationery, Fun items and games, Pet items (dog toys, leash etc), Wellness products, Skateboarding products

Beauty Products

Gift sets, Makeup, Skincare, Perfume and Fragrance, Bath and Body, Haircare, Nails and accessories, Wellness products, Men’s grooming, etc

Some stores may offer a wide product range by having all the different clothing categories (such as dresses, skirts, jeans etc), but they have only a few items in each category. As a result, when you open up their listing, you may not find a style that you like. Thus, it’s not enough that a store has a wide product range; it’s also important that they have a large number of items within each product type. With a large inventory of the different items offered, you’re more likely to find something that you like.

In this regard, Urban Outfitters also comes out strong. For example, at the time of writing this review, in the women category Urban Outfitters held over 350 different styles in the Dresses + Rompers section, over 740 styles in the Tops section, almost 200 styles in the coats and jackets section, over 500 styles in the Bottoms section, and over 380 styles in the Intimates section.

Price and related Policies

Price

One of the very first considerations in purchases, whether in online stores or in brick and mortar stores, is price. No matter the perceived quality of merchandise, there is a price range that will be considered unreasonable and unacceptable. Thus, this section of the review will examine whether the prices of items in Urban Outfitters are in the reasonable (read as; affordable) range.

In terms of affordability, Urban Outfitters ticks the box. All their listings are in the purse/ wallet-friendly range. For example, you’ll find a lot of elegant women’s dresses and rompers at the full price of $49 – $79. A lot of Camis and tube tops were under $20, and a lot of sweaters, sweatshirts, cardigans and blouses had full prices of less than $60. Many of the women’s Coats and Jackets were priced at $69 – $130 (full price).  And you’ll find pants and skirts starting at $39

In many online fashion stores, you’ll only get these prices if promos have been applied. However, in Urban Outfitters you can shop full prices comfortably from any section as they are largely low and affordable. Where promos are applied and on the sales page, you’ll find that prices are slashed to very low ranges. You’ll find classy strappy heels at $39, mules at $14, dresses under $30 and more.

That said; if you’ll be shopping on a budget, you’ll find Urban Outfitters an appealing fashion store, because they have lovely pieces at very good prices.

Price Adjustment

You want the best deal when you make any purchase. Because prices are volatile and fluctuate; sometimes an item that you buy is marked down almost immediately following your purchase. You don’t have to worry about not having waited to get a better deal, because Urban Outfitters offers one-time price adjustments.

If the price of an item you buy in the online store is marked down within 14 days of your purchase, all you need do is contact the store and they will credit you with the price difference via the original payment method.

Promotions

Every business offer promotions as a strategy to induce sales. To the customer, promotions represent opportunities to get items for knocked down prices. As a result, customers are always on the lookout for promotional offers of stores Thus, a review of an online fashion store is not complete without examining the promotions that they run. As a generic rule, the more promotions a store runs and the bigger the promotional packages, the more appealing the store will be.

You’ll know the promotion-rich fashion retailer the moment you get to their landing page. However, we didn’t see any of the price discounts and other such promotions on the landing page of Urban Outfitters. That does not mean that Urban Outfitters does not run promos, for we saw an advert for UO REWARDS (daily deals, sales and offers).

The sales offer are not the crazy price slashes that some stores offer, but bothered by the conservative. To be fair to Urban Outfitters, their prices are already on the low side, so it’s understandable that there are no crazy discounts. However, we didn’t see a student discount, a referral program/ bonus, a loyalty bonus, and other such offers. That said; it’s safe to say that Urban Outfitters is low on promotions.

Payment Methods

The ideal store should offer convenient services, and part of that is the payment system. You’ll want to be able to easily find a means to pay for your orders no matter where you may be shopping from. Therefore, you’ll want the store to support a wide range of options.

In this regard, Urban Outfitters accepts the following payment methods: Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, JCB, China Union Pay, Diners Club, PayPal, Urban Outfitters gift cards, and Urban Outfitters merchandise gift cards.

Shipping

In online shopping, one of the first things to look at is the shipping policy of the online store. First, you’ll want o know what destinations the store ships to; you’ll also want to know the cost of shipping; and lastly, you’ll want to know how long it will take the store to deliver your package after placing your order.

Shipping Destination

When you browse a listing in an online store and make a purchase, you’ll want it to be delivered to your location. If the store does not ship to your location, you can’t make any purchase there because you won’t be able to receive your package. Therefore, the ideal store should ship to a lot of countries across the world. That way, they’re more likely to cover your location.

In terms of shipping destinations, Urban Outfitters comes out strong. They ship to countries in every region of the globe. Their coverage includes Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Shipping Cost and Delivery Times

When shipping to the US, there are different delivery options; and the option chosen determines how much you’ll pay for shipping and how long it’ll take to receive your package. There is a Standard Delivery that takes 5 – 8 business days and costs $4.95. However, it is free for all orders over $50.00. There is also an Express Delivery which takes 2 – 3 business days and costs $14.95, and there is also a Rush Delivery which takes 1 – 2 business days and costs $21.95.

When shipping to Canada; the only two options are Standard Delivery by UPS and Express Delivery by DHL. The Standard Delivery takes 7 – 10 business days and costs $7.95; while the Express Delivery takes 5 – 7 business days and costs $24.95.

For Australian orders, Standard shipping also takes 7 – 10 business days, but costs $10.00. Customers will have to pay duties and taxes upon receipt of their package, but the good thing is that standard shipping is free for all orders of $50 and above. The Express shipping also takes 5 – 7 business days and costs $40.00. Gladly, there are no additional charges to be paid upon receipt of the package.

New Zealand standard delivery cost $40 and takes 7 – 10 business days, while Express delivery takes 5 – 7 business days and costs $60. In addition, there is an Economy Delivery option which will take 10 – 12 business days, and cost only $10. Orders above $50 qualify for free Economy Delivery. However, only Express Delivery is exempt from payment of additional charges (taxes and duties) upon receipt of the package.

For every other international country that Urban Outfitters ships to; they offer Economy Delivery which takes 10 – 12 business days at a cost of $30, and Standard Delivery which takes 7 – 10 business days at a cost of $40. Express delivery is available but only in some countries; where available it takes 5 – 7 business days and costs $60. Also, only express shipping is exempt from payment of additional charges upon receipt of the package.

Taking a closer look at the shipping cost and times for the different countries they support, you’ll find that Urban Outfitters does well in some respect but can do better. For example: in terms of shipping cost; you’ll want the lowest possible cost.

The lowest costs would be free shipping, and Urban Outfitters offers that. However, the free shipping offer is only available for the US, Australia and New Zealand orders. We’ll want to see free shipping available to more international countries. Also, where free shipping is not applicable, Urban Outfitters charges flat shipping rates. This is good because it means that your shipping cost will not increase with an increase in the weight of your package.

However, if you’ve checked reviews of other online shops, you’ll find that the shipping costs of Urban Outfitters are relatively high. Therefore, we’ll love to see a reduction in their shipping costs, especially for international shipping.

In terms of delivery times, you’ll notice that Urban Outfitters does not offer a guaranteed Next Day Delivery. Sadly, this is an option you’ll find in other shops; and it’s an option that will appeal to customers that want to receive their package in a blink.

The advertised delivery times for the other options (that is; 7 – 10 business days for standard delivery and 5 – 7 business days for express delivery) are also not the best we’ll love to see. This is because there are some online fashion retailers with better delivery times (e.g. Express delivery of 3 – 5 business days).

However, Urban Outfitters will still be a strong contender in the fast delivery podium if they’ll actually get the package to you within their advertised delivery times. But the evidence suggests otherwise. In many independent customer reviews platforms, Urban Outfitters is rated poorly and one of the major reasons is slow delivery.

For example, in Trust Pilot, Urban Outfitters is rated “bad” with an average rating of 2.8 out of 10. The reviews contain too many cases of packages never arriving or arriving far later than expected. Thus, it is safe to say that late delivery is one problem that’s plaguing the online fashion retailer at the moment.

Returns Policy

When you purchase an item online, it means you’ll not have the opportunity to physically examine the item before making the financial commitment. Though the online store provides resources (such as product descriptions and product images) that can help in assessing the items, there’s still the risk that the item may not be totally satisfying when you actually see and feel it.

Since most fashion items are sized products, it could be that the item you order is too big or too small and does not fit. The point is; that you want to make sure that the online shop you’ll be buying from allows returns of items that you are not totally satisfied with. Like almost every online fashion retailer in the business, Urban Outfitters allows returns.

How to return items

They allow in-store returns and returns by mail. You may return items to an Urban Outfitter store, but that’s available to only US or Canadian customers. For customers in other countries, even if there’s an Urban Outfitter store close to you, you’ll have to return the item by mail.

To return by mail, you’ll have to go to their website, initiate the returns process, print the returns label, pack the item appropriately and attach the returns label on the outside of the packaging. It is a good thing to see that returns label, which makes for easy returns, are provided.

With the returns label, you do not need additional postage; and you don’t have to worry about not having extra money for returns shipping because the returns label is prepaid. However, Urban Outfitters offers returns labels for only orders shipping to the continental US and to Canada.

Returns Window

Urban Outfitters allows 30 days from the date of delivery for you to return any item in your order to their warehouse. If you’ve checked reviews of online fashion stores, you’ll find that 30 days is like the industry average.  You’ll be hard-pressed to find a store that will allow a returns window of more than 30 days. With a window of 30 days, you’ll have enough time to get your returns to the store.

Condition of Returns

Just as it is with every other store; the items you’ll be returning must meet certain conditions for them to be accepted by the store. The item(s) must be in their original new conditions. They must be unworn, unwashed, or undamaged.

Cost of Return

The customers bear the cost of returns. Where a returns label is provided (the continental US and Canada), Urban Outfitter will deduct $5.00 as the cost of the returns shipping when issuing the refund.

Returns/ Refund Processing

After your returned item(s) gets to the store; you should allow 1 – 2 weeks for returns processing. After the returns have been processed, a refund will be issued to your original payment method. You should get your refund in 1 – 3 days.

This means that it is relatively fast to get refunded in Urban Outfitters. In some online fashion stores, one can wait for up to a month before receiving a refund.

Customer Support Service

Questions and issues are inevitable when using an online platform, especially an online shop. Therefore, you should make sure that the online shop you’re planning to enter provides for addressing customers’ questions and complaints.

Urban Outfitters provides the regular channels for contacting the support rep of an online fashion retailer. They have a chat feature where you can get instant feedback for your support submissions. The chat feature can be accessed on their website. You can also contact Urban Outfitters using their social media (Twitter and Facebook) handles.

If you’ll rather go the traditional route; they support emails. They promise to respond to all email submissions within 24 – 48 hours. Lastly, Urban Outfitters has a telephone support service. The number to call is (800) 282 2200. The service is available round the clock (24 hours a day, and 7 days a week). However, the telephone service is available to only US and Canadian customers. One dent in the support options provided is that the telephone service is not available in all countries supported.

ALSO READ: Rotita Reviews: Legit or Scam?

However, a look at the independent customer reviews platform shows that the customer support of Urban Outfitters is rated very poorly. It’s common that customers to label a support service ineffective if some of their issues are not completely solved, but this was not the case.

In many of the reviews, the customer service failed in doing basic things like communicating with the customer when that was necessary. Especially where customers cannot use the telephone service, not responding to emails can be frustrating; and that was one prominent complaint in the reviews.

It’s a long shot that all that many people will be wrong at the same time. Therefore, I’ll like to see Urban Outfitters take responsibility and improve the effectiveness of their customer service, starting with responding (swiftly, I must add) to email submissions.

Pros:

• Urban Outfitter is part of a larger retail Group with decades of experience in fashion retailing and wholesaling
• Offers a wide product range, as well as a large inventory of each product type
• Prices are in the pocket-friendly range
• They offer free shipping; and where applicable, the order qualifying amount is low ($50)
• Returns are allowed within 30 days of delivery

Cons:

• Free shipping is not worldwide
• Too many cases of orders being delivered later than expected
• Customer support is not as effective as we’ll want

Conclusion

An online fashion store cannot be more legit than Urban Outfitters. This is a company that has been incorporated for almost four decades and has been trading on a stock exchange for over 25 years.

They have hundreds of stores/fulfilment centres across the world, and they have the capacity and a history of fulfilling orders. They also provide a safe shopping environment with the use of 128bit SSL technology.

The company carries merchandise for men and women, as well as a range of home collections. They have a wide product range; as such, you’ll find every clothing piece and accessory you may need in the store. They have a large inventory that will serve your selection needs, and you’ll find that their prices are very competitive.

However, Urban Outfitters can see improvement in their delivery times and the effectiveness of their customer support. With the latter, telephone support service should be made available to all supported countries, and email submissions should be answered, and promptly.

Do you have any experience with Urban Outfitters? If yes, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Urban Outfitter review.

Shopbop is an online fashion store that was started in 1999 as an online store to a brick and mortar store called Bop. The store was located in Madison (Wisconsin, USA). The fashion-conscious student base of the community coupled with the wider reach that the online store gathered saw the growth of the company.

Though the brick and mortar store was later closed, Shopbop continues to operate strongly and to ship merchandise to customers from their distribution centre in Madison.

In 2006, Amazon acquired Shopbop, and the company has existed since as a subsidiary of the retail giant. However, Shopbop operates almost independently of Amazon, and even competes with it.

The go-to destination for modern fashion styles will be the store that holds a large inventory of quality and affordable fashion styles and is also powered by customer-friendly policies and services. Does Shopbop meet this criterion to pass as a real go-to place for your fashion needs? In the first place, is Shopbop legit?

Yes, Shopbop is a legit fashion store. And does not trick or cheat its customers off their money. And you will get any item you purchased from the store without a problem. So, is not a scam.

This Shopbop review will also examine Shopbop in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions.

Shopbop review at a glance:

• A US-based fashion online store
• Founded in 1999, but a subsidiary of Amazon since 2006
• Specializes in women’s clothing, accessories, and home items
• Offers low prices, price adjustment, price matching and a loyalty program
• Offers free express shipping to worldwide destinations
• Allows returns if made within 30 days of the delivery date
• Customer support is available 24/ 7 via email and telephone
• Website is https://shopbop.com/; has Android and iOS fashion apps

Is Shopbop legit?

Shopbop is legit, not a scam. The internet came on board, and businesses moved online. Sadly, fraudsters joined the movement. As a result, there are probably as many scam online platforms as there are legit businesses. Therefore, it’s important to find out if the online platform you’re intending to do business with is legit. Except you don’t mind being ripped off.

In this regard, Shopbop comes out strong because there’s no doubt that the online fashion store is legit.

First, Shopbop is a subsidiary of Amazon – the retail giant. To suggest that Shopbop is a scam store will mean saying that Amazon is a scam company, which is simply absurd. This is because Amazon is the biggest internet retailer in the world in terms of market capitalization and revenue.

However, Shopbop is not hiding behind the strengths of their parent company; because they have a legit identity of their own. The company has corporate headquarters in Madison (Wisconsin, US) as well as distribution centres. Suffice it to say that fake stores exist only virtually.

Usually, fake stores do not have a physical headquarters/ office or distribution centre/ stores. The absence of physical existence is one reason that fake stores do not fulfil orders. However, with physical existence, and especially the distribution centres, Shopbop has the hallmark of a legit store – the capacity to fulfil orders.

Lastly, Shopbop was established in 1999, which means that they’ve been operating for almost 20 years. Suffice it to say that no fake store can operate that long. The news of the scam activities will be out in no time; and with such exposure, the site and its operators disappear. However, Shopbop has only waxed stronger through the years, even adding new clothing lines, and opening up another store.

That said; as a subsidiary of Amazon, with the capacity to fulfil orders, and with almost 20 years of seamless operation, there’s no doubt that Shopbop is legit.

Is Shopbop safe?

Shopbop is safe. It’s not enough that an online shop is legit, it should also be safe. A legit store that I’d not safe can leave you exposed to other fraudsters. This is because when you use an online store, you share sensitive information like your payment instrument details. If the store is not safe, such details can be hijacked by fraudulent third parties. There’s no need to state what happens when a cyber fraudster intercepts your credit card details.

In this regard, Shopbop also comes out strong. The store uses a secure sockets layer (SSL) technology to create a secure link over a public network like the internet. The link is between your device and their (Shopbop) web servers. SSL is the industry standard for such, and any data transferred in the link is private. SSL also encrypts the data to ensure that even if captured, it is indecipherable.

Another data protection measure Shopbop is is not displaying your full payment instrument data, even when you are to confirm orders. That way no one looking in can steal such sensitive data.

That said, there’s no doubt that Shopbop is safe.

Some features of Shopbop

Website

The website is the first contact with an online store; thus, the website should be fully functional. The website of Shopbop (https://shopbop.com) comes out strong in this regard.

The first thing about it is that it is simple and uncluttered. Appropriately placed are product images and short introductory texts. Links to the various product categories can be found at the top of the site, while links to the company policies (shipping, returns etc) can be found at the bottom. This makes the site very easy to navigate.

Also, the website has a well developed mobile page (https://m.shopbop.com). It works on all mobile operating systems including Android, iOS, BlackBerry, etc. That the site is fully mobile optimized means it resizes to fit the small screens of mobile devices and platforms. You won’t have to drag screens to view the full web page. Also, all you need do to access the mobile page is type in the URL into a web browser and you’ll be redirected.

With this full mobile compatibility, Shopbop allows you to shop on the go from anywhere and at any time.

Fashion Apps

To make for even more convenient buying, fashion retailers invest in fashion apps. This is because apps allow the fashion shop to be one click away for fast access. Also, it uses push notifications to alert customers of new arrivals and special promos/ sales. Thus fashion apps can position you to take advantage of cost-saving offers and to receive exclusive items.

If you’ll rather be shopping with a fashion app and take advantage of the associated benefits, then Shopbop is worth looking at. They have apps for Android and iOS.

The iOS app has a high 4.7 out of 5 rating in its app store, which tells you it is highly appreciated. It is a 45.4 MB file that won’t take too much of your device resources. If you’ve checked reviews of fashion stores, you’ll find that iOS apps of most stores are usually way heavier.

The Android app fared poorer with a rating of 3.8 out of 5 in its app rating. One major complaint was that the items kept repeating over and over again. However, it’s just a light 5.5MB file.

Product Range

The ideal shop should have a wide product range. That way it will be a true one-stop-shop where you can shop all your fashion needs. You’ll want this because it saves you money. Purchasing all your items in one place may qualify you for bulk purchase discounts; also, you’ll be paying to ship only one order, as against shipping different items from different stores.

In this regard, Shopbop ticks the box. They specialize in women’s fashion, and they hold every clothing type you’ll expect to see in a modern women’s fashion store, including accessories. Their product categories including the items in each product category are as follows:

Clothing:

Clothing – You’ll find clothing pieces for every occasion and season such as cold weather picks, cozy at home picks, everyday essentials, vacation styles, wedding boutique, formal workwear and more. Specifically, the items you can choose include: Activewear (jackets, leggings, shorts and skirts, sport bras, sweatshirts and hoodies. Sweat pants and track pants, tanks, and Tees); Dresses (cocktail, formal, bridal, mini, midi, maxi, knee length, of the shoulder, long sleeve and more); Jackets and Coats (blazers, bombers, coats, denim, down and puffer, fur and faux fur, leather and faux leather, trench coats, vests and more); Jeans (boyfriend jeans, cropped jeans, distressed jeans, flared jeans & wide legs, high waisted jeans, maternity jeans, overall, relaxed skinny, skinny jeans, straight leg jeans, and more); Jumpsuit and Rompers; Lingerie and Sleepwear (bodysuits and teddies, bras, camisoles, maternity, panties, robes, shapewear, Sleepwear, slips, lingerie accessories); Maternity clothing; Pants and Leggings (ankle, boot cut & flare, cropped, high waisted, leather, leggings, skinny, slouchy, straight leg, sweatpants, wide legs); Shorts (denim, dressed up, knee length, mid length, short); Skirts (mini, knee length, midi, maxi, A line and full, denim, leather etc); Suit Separates; Sweaters and Knits (cardigans, cashmere, crew and scoop neck, sweater dresses, V neck, turtle neck, and vest); Swimwear (bikini, cover ups, and one pieces); Tops (blouses, bodysuits, button down shirt, crop tops, graphic Tees, night outs, off the shoulder tops, sweater and hoodies, tank tops, short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops an more)

Shoes:

Shoes – You’ll find all types of shoes including 80’s inspired shoes and Western boots, dad sneakers and animal print pairs. Specifically, shoes you’ll find include: Booties (lace-up, flat, low heel, medium heel, high heel and ultra-high heel); Boots (knee-high, over the knee, flat, and all heels); Espadrilles (platform, flat, all heels); Flats (ballet, espadrilles, loafers, oxfords, and slippers); Mules send Slides; Pumps (open toe, platform, all heel types); Rainboot; Sandals; Slingbacks; Sneakers (high top, low top, slip-on, platform); Winter boots; shoe accessories

Bags:

Bags – You’ll find all bag types and trends including handbags, vintage bags, animal print bags, bucket bags and circle bags. Specifically, bags you’ll find include baby bags, backpacks, beach bags, belt bags, clutches, cross body bags, gym bags, luggage, satchel and top handles, shoulder bags, totes, wallets, and bag accessories send pouches.

Accessories – this includes active accessories, belts, fine jewellery, gloves, hair accessories, hats, home and gift items (books, candles, drink water and water bottles, fabric care, home decor, pool and outdoor items, stationery, towels), jewellery (anklets, bracelets, earrings, fine jewellery, hand and body chains, jewellery boxes, necklaces, personalized jewellery, pins, rings, watches), key chain and bag charm, scarves and wraps, socks and tights, sunglasses and eyewear, tech accessories, travel accessories, and more.

Gift – this section is where you can shop a gift for her, gift for him, gift for kids, and for home

The different product categories show that Shopbop has a wide product range, and is a true one-stop shop for women’s clothing and accessories. However, another important consideration is the number of individual items within each product type. It’s important that the ideal store holds a large inventory of particular item types. This will give you a large selection to choose from, and you’re more likely to find something that you like.

In this regard, Shopbop also ticks the box. Not only do they hold a wide product range, but they have a large inventory of each of the product types. They are able to do this because they also feature items from many designer brands. Some of the designers you’ll find in Shopbop include BAUM UND PFERDGARTEN, ei8htdreams, Ganni, Golden Goose, Isabel Marant, Beaufille, Facetasm, I.AM.GIA, Khaite, Retrofete. These collaborations ensure that Shopbop holds quality and authentic clothing and fashion pieces. Thus, they not only hold a large inventory, but the quality of items is top-drawer.

Shipping

Shipping comes second only to price as an important factor in online purchases. The main shipping considerations are shipping cost and shipping time.

When the shipping cost is too high, the total expenditure on the item might be perceived as unacceptable even if the item itself was acceptably priced; therefore, the ideal store will have shipping costs that are as low as possible. Also, customers don’t want to wait for too long to receive the delivery of their package; therefore, the ideal online store will have shipping times that are as short as possible.

In this regard, Shopbop comes out strong. However, an important (yet oft-neglected) consideration is the destinations that the online store supports (ships to).

The ideal store should support a long list of worldwide destinations so that you can buy from the store no matter where in the world you’ll want to receive your order. In this regard, Shopbop ticks the box. They ship to over 220 countries/ regions worldwide. If you’ve checked reviews of online stores, you’ll find that this is much more than what many online fashion stores cover.

Back to shipping cost; the lowest possible cost is zero, which is free shipping. Thankfully, Shopbop offers free shipping.

When free shipping is not applicable, they charge flat rates which means that your shipping cost will not increase when the weight or size of your order increases. In terms of shipping times, they have different delivery options; and the one chosen will determine how long it will take to receive delivery of your package.

For customers in the US; there are three delivery options – there is the standard delivery, a 2 Days delivery, a Next Business day delivery, and a Saturday delivery. The standard delivery is the free delivery option, and it will take 1 – 3 business days to get your package.

The 2 Days delivery will get you your package in two business days, and it cost $10. The Next Day delivery will get you the package the next business day following the day you place the order, and it cost $25. The Saturday delivery will deliver package on a pre-arranged Saturday, and it cost $30.

It can be seen that the US free delivery offer is fast (only three days), and also has no order qualifying amount. Usually, online fashion retailers that offer free shipping will require that your order is up to a particular amount to qualify for the offer. And when the amount is set high, there’s pressure on the customer to spend high to get free shipping. However, in Shopbop US free shipping, all orders qualify; so customers are not pressured to spend more than they’d intended just to get free shipping.

When shipping to Canada, there are no 2 Days, Next Day or Saturday delivery options, so all shipping is free. There’s free express shipping which takes 1 – 3 business days, and there’s another free shipping option that takes 5 – 9 business days. However, the latter (option with a longer delivery time) includes free returns.

However, when shipping to most of the other international destinations, there are two delivery options – express delivery and postal delivery.

The express delivery takes 2 – 4 business days and cost $10 for all orders under $100 but free for all orders over $100; while the postal delivery takes 7 – 20 business days and cost also cost $10 for all orders below $100 but free for all orders over $100. You must be asking what the difference is in the two options when they are equally priced. In express delivery, there is packaged tracking, but for postal delivery, you can’t track your package.

However, there are other international locations with different rates. For example, free express (2 – 4 days) shipping to Armenia is $20, and only free for orders over $150. It is also $20 for orders going to China, and only free for orders over $300. Chins orders have standard shipping that is $10 and free for orders over $100, but that takes 8 – 11 business days.

That said; there is a drop-down menu on the shipping information page on the Shopbop website where you can select a particular country and get the available shipping options, cost, and times.

However, one good thing about the shipping policy of Shopbop is that they offer free shipping to worldwide destinations. Usually, online fashion retailers offer free shipping domestically; and since most of these shops are US based, only US customers (and at most Canada customers) get free shipping. Therefore, it’s exemplary that Shopbop ships free worldwide.

It’s also worth noting that they have free shipping on the express delivery option which only takes 1 – 3 days (in the US and Canada) and 2 – 4 days (for international destinations). This is a welcome shift from applying free shipping to only standard delivery that takes relatively longer periods.

Usually, there is an order processing time that is not added to the advertised shipping times. When such order processing times are long, it adds to the actual shipping time, and you’ll have to wait longer to get your package. This, the ideal shop should have order processing times that are as short as possible.

In this regard, Shopbop does not earn a living of marks from us. However, it’s not because their order processing times are longer than should be, but because there is no information about it. The company only says that “orders are processed pending availability and credit verification“. This does not tell us what we want to know. For example, if the items are available and there is enough credit in the supplied account, how long will it take to process an order and dispatch it?

However, the guaranteed delivery times of the  2 Days delivery option and the Next Business Day options suggest that such orders will be processed the same day. However, for all other delivery options, there’s no way of knowing.

Returns and Exchange Policy

Returns

The blind purchase that characterizes online purchases means that you may not be totally satisfied with an item when you receive delivery of it. Instead of being stuck with an item that you do not like, you’ll want to be able to return it to the store for an exchange or a refund. Thus, the ideal legit online fashion store should allow returns.

Thankfully, Shopbop does. They include a returns label with every package which can be used to easily return any item in your order that you’re not totally satisfied with. Their return policy allows 30 days from the date of delivery to return an item to the store. The 30 days window is more like the industry standard for returns because that is what most fashion online retailers give.

If your returns are received within the 30 days window, Shopbop will proceed it and within 5 business days issue a refund to the original form of payment. After that, you’ll allow the few days that it will take your bank to do their own processing and reflect the funds. If you’ve checked reviews of fashion retailers, you’ll find that this is one of the fastest returns/ refunds processing times out there; some stores can have you waiting for up to a month to receive your refund.

However, for your returns to be accepted, they should also meet some conditions. They must not be worn, altered, or washed. They must have all tags and labels attached and must be returned in their original packaging.

Where the return policy doesn’t make for good reading is in terms of returns shipping cost. Shopbop offers free returns but that’s only for US and Canada customers.

The US free returns have the returns window reduced to 15 days. This means that to get free returns, the returned items must get to Shopbop within 15 of the original delivery date. If it gets to them after 15 days (but not more than 30 days), a fee of $10 is charged for returns shipping which will be subtracted from your refund. The reduced return window will have customers racing against time to get their returns to the store.

The Canada free returns are only available to orders that used the longer 5 – 9 days shipping option. For orders that were originally shipped using express shipping, a return shipping cost of $30 will be charged. For the other international destinations, returns shipping costs range from $30 to $110. This is relatively on the high side. Imagine getting an item for $100 and paying $20 to ship it to Armenia, only got the store to charge $110 for shipping if I opt to return it.

Exchanges

Sometimes, you don’t want to return an item for a refund; you just want to get another item in its place. Product exchange is an option that most persons prefer because it’s usually faster to get the new item than when you have to wait for a refund, before placing an order for the new item.

Unfortunately, Shopbop foes do not support product exchange at the moment. So you’ll have to wait to get refunded before placing the new order.

Price and Related Policies

Price

The price of items in a store is the most important consideration. Customers will not want to buy items that are perceived as unreasonably priced; thus, a review of online stores should examine whether prices are competitive.

In this regard, Shopbop comes out strong. Though prices fluctuate, you’ll find that though Shopbop has some very expensively priced items, they also hold items listed are on par or lower than in most other stores.

If you’re shopping on a budget, you’ll find a lot of elegant under $100 pieces to pick from

Promotions

Virtually every business offer promotion to increase sales, and online fashion retailers are no exception. A review of promotions offered by a store is important because it can make a customer get free items or get items for less than their full prices.

Shopbop does well in this regard because they run different promotions from time to time. Many of the promotions are time-specific – only available for a specific period of time. Therefore, you’ll need to always check their website to know what’s being offered. Alternatively, you can install the app and get regular promo alerts.

However, at the time of writing this review, there were not a lot of promos. Unlike many online fashion stores where we get greeted to price discounts offers and other promos on their landing page, the only thing we saw on the Shopbop landing page was an offer to “sign up for Shopbop emails and get 15% off your next purchase”.

It is only when you go to their sales page, that you’ll see a lot of items marked down by as much as 40 – 70%.

Loyalty Program

However, while we did not see as many promotions as we’ll love to see; we did see that Shopbop has an amazing loyalty program that rewards customers for their continuous patronage.

How much you spend in the store in a year determines what level of the four-tier program you fall into. The levels are bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. As with all tiered program, the higher levels promises better rewards.

At the bronze level, you get early access to sales and new arrivals (that is you get to shop sales and new arrivals before non-members); you also get alerts of back-in-stock items.

As a silver member, you get every perk of the bronze level, a special gift for breaking into a new level, and a discount of 10% off purchases on your birthday. At the gold level, you’ll get all the perks of the silver level, but the birthday discount will be 15%.

Added to this, you’ll get a VIP customer service line for more effective customer support service, and a just-for-you surprise discount at some point of the year (mystery money). Lastly, at the platinum level you’ll get every perk of the hold level (but with the birthday discount increasing to 20%), and special invitations to exclusive events such as fun parties.

That said; if you want a shop that rewards your shopping activity, Shopbop is worth looking at.

Price Adjustments

You can also get items lower than the listed price at the time you completed the transaction. If you purchase an item from Shopbop, and within 14 days of your purchase it is marked down. You don’t need to worry about not having waited a few days before making your purchase in order to get the best value.

All you need do is contact Shopbop about it; their price adjustment program allows them to review the situation and they’ll credit the difference in price to your original form of payment.

This is a nice little perk that is not seen very much in the online clothing retailing business.

Price Matching

The ultimate proof that Shopbop is committed to offering the lowest possible prices is its price matching policy.

If at the time of purchase you find an identical item in another store selling for a lower price than it is in Shopbop, all you need do is contact them. If they determine that the item is indeed identical (quality, style and colour) to theirs, they will give you their piece at a lower price.

Also, this is a strategy common to online Jewelers, but rarely seen in fashion cyberspace.

Payment Method

The ideal online fashion retailer should support a wide range of payment options so that customers can easily pay for their orders no matter where they may be residents.

In this regard, Shopbop accepts payment using the following: Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club, UnionPay and Alipay.

It is typical of online fashion stores not to break the roof with a long list of payment options; for example, they do not support the increasingly popular web wallets and cryptocurrencies. However, the payment options in Shopbop are still limited. For example, there’s no support for PayPal and any form of bank transfer that some stores accept.

That said, since the options supported by Shopbop are global options that are available in virtually every location in the world, you shouldn’t have any problem paying for your orders in the store.

Customer Support Service

No matter how effective an online store runs, some customers will have questions that they need answers to, and some may have issues with orders. Therefore, the legit store must provide for attending to customers’ inquiries/ queries.

In this regard, Shopbop provides two channels that customers can use to directly contact the – email and telephone.

To use the email service, you can submit your queries to the address: service@shopbop.com. There ate other email addresses listed on their website that you can use if you want email support in other languages. Shopbop email support is available in over 7 languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean etc. As typical of email submissions, you’ll have to wait for a while to get a response.

If you want instantaneous feedback, you may use the telephone service. Shopbop provides toll-free lines so you don’t have to worry about charges. The number for US customers is 1-877-746-7267; while that for other be countries/ regions is 1-608-270-3930.

One good thing is that telephone support is available round the clock (24hours a day, and 7 days a week). The one dent is that telephone support is only available in the English Language.

Pros:

• Has a large inventory
• Ships to over 220 worldwide locations, and offers free shipping to worldwide destinations
• Allows returns within 30 days of the original delivery date, and issue refunds within 5 business days of receiving returned items
• Offers Price adjustment and Price matching which serve to give customers better value
• Has a loyalty program that acknowledges and rewards customers’ year-long purchases

Not sure:

• Not impressed by the number of promotional offers
• Order Processing time – no time estimates of how long it takes to process regular orders

Cons:

• Product exchange is not supported
• Relatively high returns shipping cost
• Limited payment methods – does not support PayPal

Conclusion

Shopbop is legit and safe. As a subsidiary of Amazon, with 20 years of fulfilling orders, and with the use of industry-standard data protection techniques, there’s no doubt about their legitimacy or safety.

ALSO READ: TopShop Review: Legit or Scam?

They offer products from the industry’s foremost contemporary and designer labels; thus, they hold a wide product range and a large inventory. They sell quality and authentic items; their prices are in the okay range, and they offer price adjustment and price matching focused on offering the best competitive prices.

There’s free express shipping worldwide, and returns are allowed if made within 30 days of delivery, and a refund is issued within 5 days of receipt of returns.

In all, Shopbop comes out as a strong fashion store, with only a few knacks such as limited payment options, and high cost of returns.

Do you have any experience with Shopbop? Kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Shopbop review.