Onine Stores

Uniqlo is a Japanese fashion retailer that says that they make apparel from the values of simplicity, quality and longevity. They also say that their clothing is made with modern elegance, features the best in fit and fabric and that they are affordable and accessible to all.

Yes, Uniqlo is a legit fashion store. We cannot say it is a scam because there has never been a complaint about the store stealing money from its customers. And Uniqlo, according to our finds while writing this review, delivers its customers’ orders without a problem.

But does Uniqlo deliver quality? Continue reading!

These are the attributes of the perfect clothing product – elegant styles that are of high quality and timeless, yet affordable. The question is whether Uniqlo really provide such perfect fashion products, or their statements are just advert-speak. What about their services; do they provide excellent service (such as ordering, payment, shipping, customer service etc) which makes it painless to shop from the online store? In the first place, is Uniqlo legit?

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

Uniqlo review at a glance:

• Japanese fashion retailer that started in 1949; and a subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd since 2005
• Specializes in clothing for everyone – women, men, boys, girls and babies
• Operate stores in several countries
• Has different website for different countries, and do not ship outside the domestic market
• Offers low and affordable prices

Uniqlo Background

The company that is today known as Uniqlo started in 1949 in Japan. At the time, the company was selling only men’s clothing. In about 1984, they started selling unisex casual wear, and their new store went by the name Unique Clothing. It was not until 1988 that the name Uniqlo was birthed, and by an administrative error. The company wanted to go with a contraction of Unique and Clothing, which was supposed to give uni-clo; but in a twist of faith, the “c” was erroneously changed to a “q” and Uniqlo was birthed.

Since 2005, Uniqlo has been a fully owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. Though a chance error brought about the classy name Uniqlo, there is nothing close to chance about their operation. The company has strategically operated over the years and has grown as a result. From just one store in Japan, the company now has hundreds of store in Japan; as well as in several other countries across the world.

Features

Region-Specific Websites

The website is the first contact with the customer so the ideal online store should have a website that makes a good first impression. Uniqlo aims to achieve that by developing websites that offer personalized service.

Unlike most online fashion retailers that operate one website that’ll have customers shifting through to extract information that pertains to their territory, Uniqlo operate different region-specific websites. Thus, if you’re resident in “Kafansha” and will be receiving your package there, you’ll have to go to the Uniqlo “Kafansha” website, and every detail there pertains to Uniqlo’s operation in Kafansha. All the items will be listed in your local currency, payment options will be only those available to the region, delivery options will be only those available for the region, the help lines will be those applicable to the region, and so on.

Apps

Shopping with a fashion app holds a lot of advantage; and as a result the ideal fashion retailer should develop apps. Apps provide easy access to the online store, because once the app is installed on the customer’s device, the store is just a click away. Apps also facilitate the payment process, because a customer may save certain payment data and not have to type them in every time at checkout. Most importantly, apps use push notifications to alert customers of new additions, and special offers, and this can position the customer to get exclusive products or get significant cost savings.

Thankfully, Uniqlo has fashion apps for iOS and Android. The apps can be found in their respective app store. The iOS app supports iOS 9.0 or newer, while the Android app supports Android 4.4 or higher.

Product Range

The ideal fashion shop should hold a wide product range (that is, different fashion products), so that you can buy all your fashion needs in one place. There are many advantages of buying products in one place, apart from the obvious convenience of looking up only one store, there are cost savings. You’ll have to pay for one order shipment, as against paying to ship different orders from different stores. Also, when you buy all your items in one store, the order amount will be high, and you may qualify from bulk purchase discounts.

In this regard, Uniqlo is on point. The store holds a wide product range. Where many online stores specializes in fashion for just women, Uniqlo is a one stop shop for everyone, as they have a great selection of clothing and accessories for men, women, and kids. The product categories and the different items in each product category are as follows:

• Women

In the women category, you’ll find Outerwear and Blazers, Fleece, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, Sweaters and Cardigans, T-Shirts and Tops, Graphic Tees, Shirts and Blouses, Dresses and Jumpsuits, Skirts, Jeans, Pants, New Warm-Lined Pants, Leggings Pants, Activewear, Innerwear, Bras and Underwear, Socks and Hosiery, Loungewear, Accessories and Shoes

• Men

In the Men category, you’ll find Outerwear and Blazers, Fleece, Stretch Wool Jackets, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, Sweaters, Casual Shirts, Dress Shirts, T-Shirts, Graphic Tees, Jeans, Pants, New Warm-Lined Pants, Activewear, Undershirts, Underwear, Socks and Tights, Loungewear, Accessories and Shoes

• Girls

In this category, you’ll find Outerwear, Fleece, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, T-Shirts and Tops, Graphic Tees, Pants and Shorts, Warm-Lined Pants, Dresses and Skirts, Activewear, Innerwear and Loungewear, and Accessories

• Boys

In this category, you’ll find Outerwear, Fleece, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, T-Shirts and Tops, Graphic Tees, Pants and Shorts, New Warm-Lined Pants, Activewear, Innerwear and Loungewear

• Baby

The Baby wear category has two sections – Toddler and Newborn. Toddle wear include: Outerwear, Tops and Dresses, Pants and Leggings, Innerwear and Socks, Pajamas; while Newborn wears include: Newborn Outerwear, Bodysuits, One-Pieces, Newborn Innerwear and Socks, and Accessories

Prices and Related Policies

The prices of items are the first thing most people look at, as people will not want to pay above what is reasonable for any product. Therefore, the ideal online fashion store should hold merchandise that are perceived as reasonably priced.

Remember that one of the promises of Uniqlo is to provide clothing that is affordable and accessible. Thus, this section of the review examines whether items in Uniqlo are affordable.

Shopping from the US website, you’ll find: women’s flannel shirts for about $15; luxe cashmere sweaters for just about $60; wind-proof pants for about $30 – $40. You’ll also find a lot of kids wear (fleece shirts, Tees, innerwear, and more) for less than $10. We can go on and on, and only one conclusion can be reached, which is that the items in Uniqlo are relatively low and affordable.

Customer reviews in independent review platforms also agree that Uniqlo provides affordable clothing. Reviews contain comments like “Prices here [Uniqlo] are reasonable”, “[Uniqlo] delivers cheap clothing to the masses”, and more.

That said; if you want to shop cheap, uniqlo is a fashion destination to head to. Apart from providing affordable prices, Uniqlo also pledge to do a one-time price adjustment. If an item purchased in the Uniqlo website is marked down within 14 days of your purchase, you can reach out to the company, and they will refund you the price difference. This is to ensure that they always provide the best competitive prices.

Promotions and Bonuses

A review of the promotions that are offered by an online store is important because they allow customers get products for free or for less than their full prices. Most online fashion retailers run promos; and Uniqlo is no exception.

They run different promos from time to time. These promos are usually time-specific – only running for specified time periods, after which the items return to their normal prices. At the time of writing these reviews some promos being offered by Uniqlo included:

• 20% price discount on most product – this promo knocked off 20% from the price of cashmere sweaters, hoodies and some other products
• A signup bonus – this promo rewards new customers with $10 off their first purchase if the order is over $75. All you need do is register, signup with your email, and make your first purchase as a first-timer.
• A “Get $10, Give $10” referral bonus – this promo rewards you for telling someone about the fashion store. If someone you invite successfully makes a purchase (of over $75), you get $10 off your next purchase. Since there is a $10 welcome bonus; that individual also gets $10 off his/ her purchase.

Shipping Policy

It is a fact that most customers abandon their carts at checkout after the shipping cost is added to the item prices. This shows that they perceive the total expenditure on the item as unacceptable, even though the items themselves were perceived as acceptably priced. A review of an online shop is therefore not complete until the shipping rates have been examined. Thus, the ideal online store will have shipping costs that are as low as possible.

Another shipping consideration is the time it takes for the package to be delivered – shipping times. Customers do not like to wait too long to receive delivery of their orders. Thus, the ideal online shop will have relatively short delivery times.

However, before going into shipping times and costs; it’s also important to consider the destinations that the online store ships to. This is because, if the store does not ship to where you’ll want to receive the package, there’s no point buying from them in the first place; and there’ll be no need to look shipping cost or delivery times.

In this regards, Uniqlo does not ship to as many locations as most online fashion retailers. In fact, Uniqlo does not ship internationally. They operate different region-specific websites; and when you buy from any website, they’ll ship to only the domestic market. Thus, if you’ll be receiving your package in the US, you’ll have to buy from Uniqlo US website; and if you’ll be receiving your package in Australia, you’ll have to buy from Uniqlo Australia website. The different region you can choose (and get your package shipped to) are: Australia, Canada, China, Eu, France, Germany, Hong Kong & Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA. Eu covers Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. The list of countries covered shows that customers in many locations will not be able to buy from Uniqlo, except they’ll be ready to receive their package in one of the countries covered.

In terms of shipping cost; the lowest possible cost that an online fashion store can give is zero, which is free shipping. Thankfully, Uniqlo offers that.

For US purchases, Uniqlo ships to all US states including APO/ FPO and US territories. The delivery options include “pick in store”, Standard shipping, Two Days shipping, and Express shipping.  The “pick in store” option delivers the package to a Uniqlo store of your choosing and you’ll go there for collection. It takes 3 – 7 business day for the package to get to the store; and it is free for all orders. The Standard delivery option gets the package to your home in 3 -7 business days (but could take up to 7 – 11 days for Alaska and Hawaii, and up to 15 days for APO/ FPO addresses and US territories); and it cost $5.

There’s a Two Day Delivery option which will deliver the package to your home in two working days if the order is placed before 12PM (but in 3 working days if the order is placed after 12PM EST or on weekends); and it cost $17. There’s also an Express Delivery option which will get the package to your door in 1 – 2 working days for orders placed by 12 PM EST (Monday – Friday); and it cost $22.The Two Days and Express Delivery options are only available to the 48 contiguous US states.

When you shop from the UK site; there are a couple of delivery options. The free delivery option is an in-store delivery called “Click and Collect”. The package will be shipped to a Uniqlo store of your choosing where you can pick it up; but the good part is that the package will be ready for collection the very next day after placing the order (minus weekends). The Standard delivery option will get you the package in 2 – 4 working days, and it cost £3.95. There is a Next Day delivery where the package will be delivered to your home the day following your order placement (minus weekends); and it cost £5.95. You can also use the Nominated Day Delivery to select a particular day that you’ll want the package delivered, at a cost of £5.95. Lastly, you can have your Uniqlo purchase sent to a nearby Convenience Store for pick up the next working day, at a cost of £4.95. However, it should be noted that for orders to ship as stated, they must be placed before 6PM.

To the region/ countries in the Uniqlo Eu website, there are just two delivery options – the standard delivery and the express delivery. The standard delivery takes 2 – 4 working days for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and takes up to 5 working days for the others; while the express delivery takes 1 – 2 working days for all. The standard shipping cost range from €3.95 to €11.95; while the express shipping cost range from €9.95 to €19.95.

For other countries that Uniqlo operate in, you can go to the country specific website for the shipping cost and times, or you can view the information at checkout.

The review of Uniqlo shipping policy reveals some good and ugly things that are worth highlighting. For the good part; Uniqlo’s free shipping, where it is offered, is for all others. Unlike most online fashion retailer that will only offer free shipping for orders up to a high amount, Uniqlo will ship free no matter the order amount. This means that you don’t have to spend more than you intended just because you want to chase free shipping. The ugly part is that Uniqlo does not offer free shipping for home deliveries. To get free shipping, you’ll have to ship the package to a Uniqlo shop and go there to pick it up. To many customers (me inclusive), this removes the convenience of online shopping. The whole essence of online shopping is to click and have the items at your doorstep – abracadabra-style. If I’ll have to go to the store for pick-up; I’ll rather go to the store in the first place for the original purchase. It also does not help that Uniqlo does not offer this constrained free shipping in all the regions that they operate in.

It must be said that at the time of this review, there were some shipping promos delivered items free of charge to customers’ door. On the EU website, there was a promo of free standard shipping for orders above €50, and on the UK website there was also a promo of free standard shipping for all orders over £20. But being promos, after the promo period, delivery will go back to status quo.

Also, it is well known that many fashion retailers do not live up to their advertised delivery times. Fortunately, it seems that Uniqlo is not plagued by this problem, and that in majority of cases, they deliver as expected. This can be attributed to their mode of operation; as they do not technically ship internationally, but will ship from the local distribution center/ store to the destination address.

Returns Policy

When you purchase any item online, you are relying on product descriptions and images in assessing the product. The fact that the item was not physically seen and assessed leaves a risk, that when it is actually received, it might not be totally satisfying. There is even the possibility of the item being damaged in transit. Thus, it is important that the store you buy from allow you to return items to them for a refund or an exchange.

Like most other online fashion retailers, Uniqlo allows returns for refund or exchange. The returns policy of Uniqlo differs significantly depending on the Uniqlo website you are shopping from.

For the US website, they allow a returns window of 60 days. This means that you have 60 days from the time of receiving the package to return any item you opt to return to their warehouse. If you’ve checked other reviews of online fashion retailers, you’ll find that the industry average is 30 days, because that is how much time most of the retailers in the industry allow for returns. However, Uniqlo doubles that for US returns. This means that you won’t have to run against time, or worry about not getting your returns to their warehouse on time and being ineligible for a refund or exchange. When the returned items are received by Uniqlo, they’ll be processed and if approved, your refund will be issued. Uniqlo says that you should allow up to 28 days to receive your refund. In my opinion, this is too long a time.

For orders purchased from the Uniqlo “Eu” website, the returns window is 30 days, which is on par with the industry standard. Also, the returns/ refund processing time is relatively shorter, and you will get your refund in 15 working days after the returns get to Uniqlo. That said, for any particular country, you’ll have to check the appropriate Uniqlo website for the returns window, and returns/ refund processing times.

That the returned items are inspected after reaching Uniqlo website means that there are some conditions that must be met for them to be accepted. All merchandise to be returned must be in their original selling condition, and must have their original product packaging, tags, and labels. They items must not be worn, washed or damaged. For hygiene reasons, certain items will not be accepted. These include inner/ underwear which are not in their original packaging, and swimwear which do not have the plastic sticker.

When you choose to return an item, how you go about the return also depends on your shipping destination. In some destinations (such as Netherland and Belgium), Uniqlo allows purchases made online to be returned to Uniqlo stores. But in others (such as the US), you cannot return online purchases to stores; online purchases must be returned directly to their warehouse, while in-store purchases only can be returned to stores.

When making US online returns, there is a returns packing list and prepaid returns label that you’ll have to print from the Uniqlo website for easy returns. All you need do is pack your items appropriately, attach the returns label and drop it off at any United States Postal Service or FedEx location. However, returns are not free, and $7.00 will be deducted from your refund as the returns shipping cost.

Payment

Part of the stress-free service that the ideal online shopping site should offer is convenient payments. In other to achieve this, the store has to support a wide range of payment options, so that customers can easily find one for use in paying for their orders.

In this regard, Uniqlo ticks the box. As a typical online fashion retailer, they do not break the roof with a long list of options; rather they support just a few options that are readily available and that afford convenience for online payments. Also, the options available to any customer at checkout depend on the Uniqlo website being used. For the US website, payment options supported include PayPal, ApplePay and the major credit/ debit cards (such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, DISCOVER and JCB). They do not accept Bill Me Later, C.O.D. or checks. When using the EU website; in addition to Visa, Master card and American Express, you’ll find other options like, Visa Electron, Visa Delta, CartaSi, Dankort cards. They also do not accept payments by cheque or by phone.

That said, you’ll have to get to checkout to know what options are available depending on what Uniqlo website you are shopping from; alternatively, you can look up the information on the appropriate page in the website. However, you can be rest assured that Uniqlo supports generic options that affords convenient payments.

Customer Service

It is not enough that an online fashion shop is legit. The store should also have an efficient customer support service so that customer queries and issues can be swiftly answered/ resolved. No customer plans to have issues; but issues are inevitable, and it is good to know that the store will quickly resolve them when they do arrive.

When you have questions, the first place to go is the website. Uniqlo have an elaborate FAQ page that is divided into categories such as payment, ordering, promotions, delivery, returns, my order, miscellaneous, and more. Each category holds series of questions that are adequately answered. For example, in the payment section; some questions that are answered include: What payment methods are accepted? What currency can I pay in? Can I have a different billing address to my delivery address? What information is required for payment? How safe is it to shop in Uniqlo? Why has my payment been refused? When will I be charged for my order?

The FAQ resources in the Uniqlo websites are detailed and you’ll find answers to most of the questions that you have about Uniqlo. Also, the categorization aids easy navigation to the appropriate support article. However, if you still need to contact Uniqlo, they provide direct contact channels. These include telephone, email, and online contact form.

However, the particular option you may use and when such option is active depends on the Uniqlo website you’re using. US Customers have all options available. They can use the online contact form in the Uniqlo website, and the company will reply via mail. Alternatively, they can contact Uniqlo directly from their email account using the email address WeCare@MAIL.Uniqlo-usa.com. The response is not instantaneous with the email service; thus, customers might want to use the telephone service to get instant feedback. There are two phone lines provided; one (1-855-486-4756) is for store related inquiry, and the other (1-877-486-4756) is for online related inquiry. Both phone lines are available 7 days a week, but only between 9am – 9pm EST.

UK customers only have the option of telephone and the online contact form. The telephone number to call is 0207 886 4930; the service is active between 8am – 10pm GMT (Monday – Friday) and 10am – 7pm GMT (Saturday and Sunday). One downside of the UK telephone service is that it is not toll free, and you’ll be charged at the local telephone rates. Another small annoyance with the Uniqlo customer support service is that it is not available round the clock (24/ 7).

Summary

Uniqlo is a legit and safe online fashion retailer. They operate over a thousand shops in different parts of the world, with over 700 of those in Japan where the company is headquartered. For almost 70 years the company has been operating, and since they started online business they have been fulfilling orders.

Uniqlo’s unique region-specific operation means that they effectively serve each region that they operate in. It also means that policies and service offerings are different from region to region. Generally, they provide good quality clothing for everyone – women, men, boys, girls and babies. Their prices are also in the acceptable range. They provide free shipping to some locations; they allow returns if you are not totally satisfied with the item; and they have a responsive customer support service.

I liked:

• One stop shop for everyone – men, women, and kids
• Provides region-specific services
• Provides very affordable fashion products
• Free shipping available
• Offer a good number of promotion including a sign up bonus, and a referral bonus
• Allows returns, and offers a long return window (60 days for US returns, and 30 days for most of the other countries)

I didn’t like:

• Does not ship to many countries
• No student discount
• Customer support service is not available 24/ 7

Do you have any experience with Uniqlo? If yes, you may use the review section below to give us you brief Uniqlo review.

A theory is a set of principles that explains something. Theory.com is an online fashion retailer; and they explain that the design principles that make the perfect clothing piece are fit, fabric and style. They promise that their men and women apparel are built on these principles, so they have only versatile and sophisticated styles, featuring expert tailoring, and made from the best materials.

Theory is a legit fashion store. It is not a scam because they will never steal you money. And all purchased items are delivered to the orders without a problem. But does Theory.com deliver quality materials?

The big question is whether these statements are just marketing blurbs or the items in Theory.com are actually built to those lofty principles. In other words, does Theory.com actually offer perfect clothing pieces? Do they also offer affordable prices and excellent service?  In the first place, is Theory.com legit? This review will examine Theory.com and provide the information that will help you answer those questions.

Theory.com review at a glance

• US-based online fashion retailer
• Provides both men and women clothing, and accessories
• Operate almost 230 stores (and almost 500 if you add franchises)
• Ships to only the US and select US Territories
• Offers free Standard shipping to all US addresses
• Allows returns within 14 days of delivery
• Payment is via credit/ debit cards, PayPal and Theory Gift cards
• Customer support is available via email, live chat, and telephone

What is Theory.com?

The fashion store theory was founded in 1997 by Andrew Rosen and Elie Tahari. When it started back then in New York, Theory was exclusively selling women’s wear with a focus on stretch pants that fit perfectly and was also comfortable. The company claims that these pants “changed the way American women dress”. The success of this innovative collection only led to expansion, and a men’s line was added in 1999. The men’s wear was built on the same principles that saw the women’s wear succeed; the collection was innovative, highly functional, and stylish. In 2003, bags and shoes were to the product offering at Theory. Currently, Theory stands as a one-stop fashion store holding every fashion for both men and women from clothing (dresses, tops, bottoms, suits, blazers etc) to accessories, shoes and more.

The company started a global expansion way back in 2000; so apart from the many stores they have in North America, they also have stores in Asia and Europe. Their brick and mortar stores (including franchise) are almost 500. The company is owned by Link Theory Holdings which is a Japanese company.

Is Theory.com legit?

Theory.com is legit, not a scam. You want to make sure that an online store is legit before proceeding to do business with it. There are just too many scam artists on the internet; and unless one makes sure to identify the legit platform from the fake platforms, one could fall prey and be ripped off by these fraudsters.

In this regard, Theory.com comes strong – legit. The first test is legal recognition. Theory is a duly registered company, which means that it is 100% legal. Also the owner of Theory.com (Link Theory Holdings) is not only a duly registered company but also a public company. This shows that Theory.com is legit because it’s unheard of that a fake company trades in a Stock Exchange.

Another consideration is the test of time. Theory has been existing for over two decades; and in that time the company has only expanded, adding a men’s line and accessories, and opening more shops both domestically and internationally. Generally, scam stores go the other way because they can best be described as “hit and run”. If scam store succeed in ripping off a few people, the information will be out, and with such exposure, the store will close up and disappear. Theory’s over two decade of operation proves that the store is legit because no fake store can operate for that long.

Also one thing that led to the success of Theory was that they fulfilled orders with high quality and functional products. Currently, Theory has a lot of physical stores all over the world with the capacity to fulfill orders. This shows that Theory is legit because fake stores do not fulfill orders. To the average buyer, a fake store is one that does not ship to him/ her when he/ she place orders causing him/ her to lose the payment. The fake stores do not fulfill order because they do not have the capacity to since almost of them operate only as a fancy website, without the backing of a production center, warehouse, store or showroom. That said, the many stores of Theory.com prove that the online store is legit.

Is Theory.com safe?

Theory.com is safe. A legit store will not rip you off, but if it is not safe, it will simply leave you exposed to other fraudsters. This is because you share sensitive information (such as your credit card details) with a store when you register and shop with them; and fraudsters can wipe you clean if they get this information. Thus, a legit store should be safe and ensure that the information you share with them is protected.

In this regard, Theory.com makes the right promises. They say that protection of customers’ data is a top priority of theirs, and that they use “commercially reasonable measures to keep your financial information private and safe”.

They give details of some administrative measures that they take such as limiting the number of people that can physically access their database servers, not sending credit card details via email, as well as employing electronic security systems and password protections that guard against unauthorized access. However, they fail to give detail of the encryption standard that they use. Such details will give assurance that they are safe. For example, I’ll rest easy knowing that my retailer uses the same encryption protocols used by banking institutions. That said, it is safe to say that Theory is safe.

Product Range

Theory Dresses:

Theory Bags:

Theory Shoes:

You’ll want an online store that holds a wide product range. As a fashion retailer, you’ll expect the store to be a one-stop store for fashion needs, and offer everything from apparel, accessories and beauty products. The one advantage of this is that it leads to significant cost savings. Where the store offers flat shipping rates, you can get all your fashion needs, and get them deliver as one order. This will be cheaper than having to ship different orders from different stores.

In this regard, Theory.com ticks the box. The fashion retailer specializes in both men and women wear, and their product categories show that they offer the gamut. The product category and the items in each category are as follows:

• Women: This hold women clothing, you’ll find

Outerwear – The choice is by length (Short or Long) or material (Wool, Shearling& Faux Fur, Puffers)

Jackets & Vests – Anoraks, lightweight jackets, denim jackets, moto jackets, leather jackets, suede jackets, and bomber jackets

Pants – Skinny, Slim, Leggings, Relaxed, Flare, and Cropped

Dresses – shirt dresses, wrap dresses, crepe jumpsuits, cocktail dresses, occasion dresses, maxi dresses and more

Sweaters – cashmeres and cardigans

Tops – tanks and camis, short sleeve, long sleeve

Accessories – Gloves, Hats & Scarves, Jewelry, Sunglasses

T-Shirts, Jumpsuits, Skirts, Denim, Swim wear, and more

• Men – This is the category to go to for men’s wear; you’ll find Outerwear, Pants, Sweaters, Suits, Shirts, Blazers, T-shirts & Sweatshirts, Denim, and Shorts
• Shoes – This include pumps, ankle-strap sandals, ballerina flats, kitten heels, short boots, and winter boots
• Bags – Crossbody Bags, Duffle Bags, Clutches, Bucket Bags, Totes, and more

It can be seen that Theory.com hold the gamut of women and men’s fashion; that is, all types of clothing, the accessories to compliment the dressing and the beauty products to bring out the shine.

However, apart from the different product categories, it’s also important to examine the number of particular items in each product category. This is very important because a large number of items mean you are more likely to find something that you like as you scroll through the selection. Unfortunately, Theory.com fails in this regard because the actual number of items held is relatively small. Thus, while they have all the different types, they don’t have enough items within each type. For example, at the time of writing this review, they held only 19 women’s shoes. The women clothing category was also no different. It held only 16 jackets, 21 dresses, and 34 women pants. It was no different in the men’s collection. For example there were only 12 items in the suits section, and 10 items in the blazers section.  We can go on and on, and only one conclusion will be reached. Theory.com has a small inventory. Thus, you will be severely limited in terms of making choices.

Product Quality

However, in terms of quality; you’ll find that the quality of clothing in the store is really top notch. The design principles of Theory.com are: fit, fabric and style, and true to this they provide expertly tailored pieces made from the best materials, that that are highly functional (comfortable and fits well). You’ll find that all dresses are fashioned from the highest quality fabrics, and also impeccably tailored. Their jackets are made with all-season Italian stretch wool and come with modern silhouettes. This innovative stretch fabric is also used in most pants, and the clothing pieces can undergo heavy stretching without bagging.

Product Description and Images

Buying products online hold some risk as you do not get to physically assess the items before making the purchase. To reduce the risk inherent in blind purchases, online stores provide resources to help one assess the items. These include product descriptions and images.

As a legit online store, Theory.com provides detailed product descriptions and clear, high quality product images to help you assess their products. The detailed description includes the material composition of the clothing (such as the type(s) of fabric), and measurements including the size of the models (on-model items). The images are high quality pictures. Many of the products include both on-model images and stand alone images. The images are shot from different angle (front view, back view etc). Interestingly, Theory.com also uses video technology to show most of their products. The slow motion video features the clothing piece on a model, and you’ll be able to see how the cloth in ways that no picture can convey. Very few online fashion retailers use video technology; thus, Theory.com use of it put them a step ahead of many stores.

Price, Promotions and Payment Methods

Price

Price is the most important element in any purchase. You don’t want to pay over the tops for an item no matter its perceived quality. Thus, it’s important to determine whether the items in Theory.com are competitive/ affordable.

First, it should be said that low prices for high quality clothing is a selling point so retailers that do offer low prices make it known. Theory.com says a lot of things about themselves but none included offering low priced quality items. That was the pointer that their items are on the high side in terms of pricing.

However, we dived in and checked all their items to make sure ourselves. That we could check every item in their inventoryconfirms what we’ve established earlier;that their inventory is small. Upon going through their items, what we find did not make for good reading.Theory.com does not talk of offering low prices because they do not. Every item listed is on the high side.

For example:the women jackets in the store were price $395 – $995; the cheapest shoes (flats) went for $320; the cheapest dresses was priced at $295; and the women’s pant wereall above $200. It was no different for the men’s wear. And the painful thing is that many of their items were excluded from their promotionswhich would have soften the price blows.

You’ll have to steer to their sales page to get a cut off their steep prices. Though the cuts are substantial, final prices are still on the high side. That said if you’ll be shopping on a budget, Theory.com is probably not the store you should be looking at. However, they provide top quality, which some will argue, requires paying top dollar for.

Price Adjustment

Thankfully, Theory.com offer price adjustment if an item is marked down on the site. This happen if you’ve ordered an item that happens to be out of stock, and when available it is listed for a price lower than it was when you ordered it.

If you reach Theory.com (via email or telephone) within 14 days of your order placement, they’ll give you the item at the lower price. The price difference will be refunded through your original payment method. However, price adjustment is a onetime offer; and it will not be given on sales merchandise or promotional purchases.

Promotions

The promotions offered by a store cannot be left out of any review because they give customers the chance to get items for less than their full price; some promos can even net customers free products. Online fashion retailer offer promotions; and Theory.com is no exception.

The promos are usually time-specific, which means they run for only a specified period of time. Thus, you’ll have to continually check their website to know what promos are being offered at any point in time. In fact as you get to their landing page, you’ll find many of the promos that are being offered.

At the time of this review, one promo that was running is 25% Off Select Styles + Extra 25% Off All Sale by using the promos code: 25EVENT.

As mentioned earlier, there are not a lot of items in the inventory of Theory.com, and many of the items are clearly marked “Excluded from Promotion”. This means that this promo can be applied to only very few items. Also, since the items have very high prices, 25% off sales items does not do much to bringing the items to affordable range. Also the first thing I saw as I got to the landing page of Theory.com is a pop up, that invited me to sign up for their newsletter to get 15% off orders.

I looked around but didn’t see a student discount anywhere; I also couldn’t find any reference to a referral program that’ll reward a customer for bringing someone to the store; of a loyalty program that’ll reward a customer for continuous patronage. That said, I think it’s safe to say that Theory.com can do a lot more on their promotional packages. I’ll like to see a lot more options such as student discount, referral bonus, etc. Also, the promos currently offered are too conservative. Some of the top fashion retailers run promos that knock off as much as 50 – 70% from prices.

Payment Methods

You have to pay for your order; and you need a payment method for that. Thus, the ideal casino should support a wide range of payment options so that you won’t have issues with finding one that you can use to conveniently make payment.

In this regard, Theory.com is no different from many other online fashion retailers. They accept payment from all the popular Credit and debit cards such as American Express, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. They also accept payment using PayPal, as well as Theory Gift cards and eGift Cards.

With these options, making payment will be a breeze. However, with crypto currencies becoming very popular for online transactions and threatening to overtake fiat money soon, I’ll like to see online fashion retailers embrace it as a form of payment.  Some E-wallets could also be thrown into the mix.

Shipping

Shipping is second only to cost in importance when shopping online. What is considered is how much it takes to ship orders (shipping cost) and how long it takes order to arrive at the destination (shipping times). The ideal online fashion retailer will have shipping cost that are as low as possible, and will deliver orders as fast as possible.

Another important consideration is the destinations that the shop ships to; this is because stores do not ship to some locations, and if you are based in a location that is not supported, you shouldn’t worry placing any other in the stop. In this regard Theory.com does not score many points. This is because the ideal store should ship to a lot of worldwide locations, so that no matter where you may be based, you can buy from them. However Theory.com ships to only the United States, P.O. boxes and select U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands). They do not ship to international addresses or to military addresses (APO/ FPO).

In terms of shipping cost, Theory.com scores some high points. This is because the lowest possible shipping cost is zero (that is free shipping); and they offer free shipping. Not only do they offer free shipping, it applies to all orders. This is an unusual but welcome development. Usually, online stores have order that qualifies one for free shipping; and some tend to put high amounts so that customers will spend much in order to get free shipping. However, in Theory.com there is nothing like free shipping for orders above $XYZ. Whatever the total amount of your order, you’ll get free standard shipping.

This takes us to the subject of delivery times. There are different shipping options that a customer may choose; and these determine how long it takes to receive delivery of the orders. These options include standard shipping, expedited shipping and express shipping. The standard shipping is done with two services – UPS SurePost and UPS Ground Post. With either service, the orders will require a processing time of 3 – 5 days before being picked up by the shipping service. After pick up, UPS SurePost will take 5 – 7 days to deliver the package while UPS Ground will take 3 – 5 days.

Expedited shipping takes 2 business days and cost $18. Express delivery is an overnight delivery option that should get you the package the very next day, and it cost $25. For the expedited and express delivery options, orders are processed the same day if placed before 11am (ET). These shipping options are not available for shipment to Hawaii and Alaska.

What the order processing times mean is that delivery will be delayed for the standard shipping. The addition of the order processing time which can take up to 5 days, to the actual shipping time which can take up to 7 days means that it can take up to 12 business days (over two weeks) to receive delivery of your items. This long waiting time can be reduced if Theory.com works to reduce the order processing time.

Returns and Exchange Policy

Returns

Online purchase is characterized by blind purchase. The ideal online fashion retailer understands that there are risks inherent in such purchases such as not being satisfied with the item when the customer finally receive it; so it’ll take steps to reduce the risk for the customer by allowing the customer to return the item if he/ she is not satisfied with it.

Fortunately, Theory.com allows returns. Merchandise purchased online at Theory.com may be returned to them within 30 days of receiving delivery of the item. If the returned item is received within 30 days and meet the conditions of returns, they will issue a refund in the original means of payment. The conditions include that the returned items must be in the new original conditions; they must be unused, unwashed, and must have all tags and labels intact. Items that are bought in Theory retail store or Theory outlet store may also be returned to the respective stores; but that must be done within 14 days of original delivery. However there are certain items that are final sale items and cannot be returned; this include Gift card, all sale items, swimwear, intimates, jewelry, third party items and special order items.

Upon receipt of the returned item, Theory.com will process it, and only if passed will they issue the refund. The returns processing can take up to 21 days; and after the processing, the refund will take 3 – 5 days to appear in your account. It can already be seen that a customer that makes any returns may have to wait for nearly a month to get the refund; and this is in addition to about 7 days returns shipping time. This is very poor by every standard. Theory.com should do well to reduce this by significantly driving down the returns processing time.

Another thing that should be noted is that all sales items are final sales that cannot be returned. It’s been established that because of high prices in the store, people will more likely visit the sales page, which means that they will not be allowed to return the items.

Exchanges

If you’ll rather return the unwanted item and get another item in exchange for it instead of getting a refund, you can do that. Theory.com allows exchanges of items. This makes for better customer experience, as you’ll be able to get the desired item faster.

Customer Support Service

Needing help is inevitable in any service. There’ll be questions you may need answers, or issues with orders. Whatever the case, you’ll not want to be left hanging when you need help. Therefore, it’s good to consider what provisions the online store makes for assisting customers.

The first bus-stop in seeking help is usually a self-help FAQ page. Theory.com provides this, and you’ll see a link to the FAQ page on their homepage. The FAQ answers some of the question you may have about the company. However, if you want to directly contact the company and deal with a customer support agent, they provide three means for that – email, telephone and live chat.

For the mail service, the address to send your enquiries is: clientservice@theory.com. Theory.com endeavor to answer all submission within 24 hours. While this is good enough, there are many customers that’ll want instant feedback. If you’re one, you can pick up the phone and call (877) 242-3317. It’s a toll free line so you don’t have to worry about charges when you place your call through. However, the telephone service is active only between 8am – 9pm ET, Mondays – Fridays. You can also use the live chat feature for instant feedback; the can be accessed on their website. Also, the live chat is active only between 8am – 9pm ET Mondays – Fridays, and 8am – 5pm ET, Saturdays – Sundays. The good thing is that during its active periods, there is always an agent available.

Summary

Theory.com is a legit online fashion retailer based in the US. They have over 20 years of seamless operation and over 200 physical stores spread across Europe, Asia, and North America, so there’s no doubt that the company will fulfill your orders and deliver to you.

There are many reasons to want to visit the store, but for every reason you’ll find another to stop and think again. For example: They have a wide product range that includes both men and women wear and all the fashion accessories to complete the look. However, you’ll find that the actual number of items in each product category is few which will limit choices. Also, the quality of items in the store is also top-notch, as every item is features expert tailoring and made from excellent material. However, you’ll find that prices are on the high side, and the promotions that would have slashed down prices are few and too conservative. Again, they offer free standard shipping on all orders; but you’ll find that they ship only to the US and select US Territories.

That said, Theory.com comes out as an ideal fashion store for the busy, high-end American shopper. If you’ll have the time to search through a selection, or would want to shop cheap, or will want to ship outside the US, you’ll have to look at another online fashion store.

I liked

• Offers a wide product range that includes all the clothing types and fashion accessories for both men and women
• Use video technology
• Offer onetime price adjustment
• Exceptionally high quality items
• Free standard shipping on all orders

I didn’t like

• Very small inventory
• Prices are on the high side
• Very few promos and bonuses; and the ones offered are too conservative
• Ships only to the US and select US territories
• Long order processing time for standard shipping (up to five days)
• Long returns processing time (up to 21 days)
• Customer support is not available 24/ 7

Do you have any experience with Theory.com? Use the review section below to give us your brief Theory.com review.

Forever 21 is a US-based online fashion retailer. They offer the fashion gamut – clothing (for men, women, and girls), fashion accessories, beauty products, and home goods. They promise to always have you looking 21 (read as dazzling), by providing you with on-trend fashion styles at affordable prices.

Forever 21 is a legit fashion store. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money or credit card details. And customers always receive their orders just as they from the store.

But do they offer to deliver fashion materials? This review will examine the store to know if they deliver what they promise or not.

The big question is whether they live up to the promise. Is the online fashion store the go-to place for the latest fashion trends that’ll have you dazzling? Are their prices really affordable? In the first place, is Forever 21 product genuine?

This Forever 21 review will examine Forever21 in order to provide you with the information that’ll help you answer those questions.

Forever 21 reviews at a glance

• Established in 1984; owned and maintained by Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang.
• A fashion retailer offering to clothing for women, men and girls, as well as accessories, beauty products, home collections
• Has an extensive list of products including dresses, tops, skirts, trousers, jeans, shoes, lingerie, swimwear, beauty products, bags, home goods and more
• Offers very low prices; as well as some enticing promotion
• Offers free shipping
• Returns are allowed if made within 30 days of receiving an order
• Payment is by Credit/ debit cards and PayPal, JCB, Master card, and Apple pay
• Customer support is by email, live chat and web portal
• Website (https://www.forever21.com) is compatible with mobile devices, and available in English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese

What is Forever 21?

Forever 21 was founded on April 21, 1984, by Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang in Los Angeles, United States. It originally started as a shop called Fashion 21. Over the years Forever21 has only gotten bigger, and was rated as the 5th largest speciality retailer in the United States. Forever21 was created to meet the fashion need of people in all shapes and sizes around the world. To do this their commitment was to providing affordable clothing. It is the low prices offered that launched them to the consciousness of the fashion world. They also offer different styles for every season and occasion, recently a line of bridesmaid dresses was introduced.

Forever21 has made some remarkable accomplishments over the past 34years. They have more than 30,000 employees; the net worth of more than $124 million. Though many online retailers are busy closing stores, Forever 21 continues to expand. They have stores all over the US (Rochester, Minnesota, Santa Cruz, California, and many others); they also have stores in another part of the world. In total, their stores are over 500, with an average size of 38,000 square feet (the largest is about 162000 square feet).

For a company that has operated for so long, you’ll expect that they’ve met one or two bumps on the way. Forever21 has been involved in so many controversies, ranging from labour practices issues to accusations of copyright infringement. Most of the products in Forever21 are produced in China. This was after a 2001 lawsuit that was as a result of complaints from American workers about the poor working environment in Forever 21. Also, like many fashion retailers, there have been different accusations of the company allegedly stealing the work of different designers. However, most of these claims have been settled.

This review cannot be complete unless this important question is addressed. This is an area that can save customers from losing their money to scammers. There are just too many scammers in the internet opening fake platforms to rip people off. Thus, anybody who intends to purchase any item online would want to know if the store is legit and not a scam platform. Also, you need to ensure that your personal information is safe and secured.

Is Forever 21 legit??

Forever 21 is legit. It is not a scam because you will receive any product you ordered from the store. Determining that an online store is legit is important before proceeding to place orders. However, it is hard to recognize which online store is legit or a scam simply by looking at the website. That is why a review like this is written to guide you to know if the forever21 online shop is truly legit or scam.

In this review, there are two important factors that will be examined to determine the legitimacy of Forever21. The two factors are the test of time and physical existence.

Test of time: Forever21 has been in operation for over 34 years. If they were a scam store they wouldn’t have lasted even a decade. If a fake store scams people, the information will be out in no time. In these days of social media and viral posts; there’ll be no hiding for such a fake store. Nobody will want to patronize them again, but that won’t be necessary because a scam store that’s been exposed almost always close up and disappear. However, Forever 21 has taken the other route. They have only been waxing strong over the years, and this is despite all the bumps (controversies and lawsuits) on the way. They’ve expanded, launched new lines, built many stores, and are still growing. Forever21 ticks the test of time which shows that the online store is 100% legit.

Physical existence: Any online fashion store that has a functioning physical store, warehouse, office, showroom, production centre and others is legit. Scam stores do not have all these. They have only a virtual existence. That is why scam stores do not fulfil orders; they don’t have any product to deliver to customers who unsuspectingly place orders. On the other hand, Forever 21 is a duly registered company with physical headquarters in Los Angeles (US); they also have over 500 stores (including warehouses and offices) in the US and around the world. This shows that forever21 has all it takes to fulfil orders, and is therefore legit and not a scam.

Is Forever21 safe?

Forever 21 is safe. It is very important to ensure that the online store you want to make a purchase from is safe and secured. This is because cyber fraudsters are on the increase day by day with new ideas on how to scam people of their hard earned money. They do not just stop at scamming people by creating scam website; they also try to hack into legit sites to steal people’s information.

When you register with Forever21.com, you’ll be required to give sensitive data such as e-mail address, phone numbers, billing address, credit card number, and more. If such sensitive information is allowed to get into the wrong hands (fraudsters), you can have cleared. For this reason, the ideal online store should provide safety and security measures to protect customers’ data.

In this regard, Forever21 makes all the usual statements. They say that the privacy and security of customer’s personal information is a priority. Different technical and organizational measures are taken to ensure the protection of data. The technical measures include a safe site with the appropriate firewalls and use of encryption protocols. While the organizational measures include not sharing customers data with unauthorized third parties.

However, it would seem that these measures are not top-notch, or in the least not constantly upgraded to stay on top of any hacking activities. This is because Forever21 suffered a data breach in 2017 which led to the theft of customer’s payment details. The bad part is that the breach was not discovered on time, as customers were exposed for over 8 months (April 3 to November 18). The investigation will later reveal that encryption on some point of sale was not always switched on; which allowed the hackers to penetrate the system to steal the payment details. The breach affected millions of people, and over $50,000 was used for compensation.

That said, though Forever 21 takes security measures to protect customer’s data, the data breach they suffered raise questions about how tight the measures are. Other legit sites like Forever 21 are Dresslily, Pretty Little Things, Zaful etc.

Forever 21 complaints and feedback:

Forever 21 complaints and feedback we found, we have shown you below. We did not add or remove anything from them. That means this post provides you with what customers are actually saying about Forever 21.

• Diana says:

I’ve ordered around 20 times from forever 21 over 2 years and have never had an issue. I find that most orders ship fairly quickly and get to me within 1.5 weeks. I live in Canada and I can just return items in store if I needed to but they only give store credit which sucks. The reviews are really bad here and I never had a bad experience online with them so I’m pretty surprised.

• Rose says:

Harrible company. Making online shopping with them impossible. I bought denim shorts online but did not guess the size. They refused me to return. They have radiculas rules do not refund items sold online if its sale. I can not understand it because you never guess the size. How it possible create such rules for online purchases? I lost 30 dollars. I will never shop with forever 21 and will tell about to all my friends.

• Jessica says:

Usually the workers at forever21 are a little serious.. but today when I went in I had the best customer experience! I think her name was Sara (she had long dark hair) she was beyond super helpful! She went out of her way to help me find a birthday outfit!! They need more workers like her because forever 21 is already such a big store that it can sometimes be overwhelming trying to find a prefect outfit! So thankyou Sara for the friendly help!!

• Jane says:

I submitted my order and immediately noticed the shipping address was wrong when the email confirmation came to me. I called twice and was put on hold, no manager came to the phone. I submitted four emails, not one response back. Needless to say, I never received my order and have not received a credit or a response to any of my emails. They keep sending me surveys, I keep filling them out and nothing. Ridiculous experience. Will never order from them again.

• Caley says:

$38 for shipping INT. is really expensive I’ve ordered from Department stores websites and they offer way less shipping that is trackable and it gets delivered within a week or less to SAUDI ARABIA. some websites even if I order only a 5$ product the shipping would be for sure less than 8$ and it’ll be trackable and arrives quickly. I don’t know why forever 21 offers $38 shipping even if I wanna order one top, that is really crazy expensive for little items. ALSO, a lot of products DO NOT QUALIFY for int. shipping! like, WT? it’s just clothing! why not ship them anywhere? really frustrating.

Mobile compatibility

Online retail stores should make their website user-friendly and easy to assess by those that wish to make purchases. One of the ways to achieve this is by making their website compatible with mobile devices for easy access anywhere and anytime.

You can get the online store at https://www.forver21.com. The website, which is available in the English language, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and more, is compatible with both desktop platforms (such as MacOS and Windows) and also mobile operating systems (such as Android, iOS, and more). Their website is not only mobile friendly but also easy to navigate. With your mobile devices, you can have access to the website, be able to view the products, select the one you want to buy, make your payment, follow up the delivery, and have access to every other service that desktop devices can access.

Product Range

It is very important that online retail stores provide a wide range of products because most consumers prefer stores that have different products. This will not only give customers the opportunity to make all their purchases in one store, but it will also give them the advantage of cost saving. This cost savings advantage is as a result of a discount on bulk purchases, and one order flat shipment instead of shipping different items from different stores. Therefore, it is important to consider the product range of a fashion store you plan to buy from. In this regard, Forever21 ticks the box. Forever 21 provides a wide range of fashion products for men, women and girls. These include clothing, accessories, shoes, beauty products, Home goods and others.

Forever 21 also add new items to their inventory on a daily basis; that way you are sure of finding trending/ latest fashion styles in the store. The product categories in the store include:

Clothing

Forever 21 provides trending fashion that can make you stand out from the crowd.

• Women clothing includes: Tops and Tees, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Blazers, Dresses and Jumpsuits, Pants, Denim, Skirts, Shorts, Suits, Swimwear, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, Pajama, intimates   Formal Trousers, and others.
• Men’s clothing includes T-Shirts and Polos, Shirts, Dress Shirts, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Blazers, Suits and Tuxedos, Pants, Denim, Shorts,  Sweaters,  Cardigans, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, Underwear and Pajamas, Swimwear, Sportswear & Joggers, etcetera.
• Cloths available for girls are: Tops and Tees, Bodysuits, Sweaters, Graphics Shop, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Dresses and Jumpsuits, Leggings & Pants, Denim, Skirts, Shorts, Swimwear and Rash Guards, Sweatshirts, Hoodies, Sleepwear, pyjamas, and more

Shoes

At Forever 21, you’ll find boots, flats, heels, mules & slides, loafers, sandals, sneakers, slippers, Ankle Boots, Flats, Flip-Flops & Sliders, Heels, Leather Sandals, Slippers, Trainers, Wide Fit, Boots, Flats, Heels, Sandals, Trainers, Boot Edit, School shoes, Mid-knee socks boot, Knee high boots, Toe boots, Lace-up boots, Ankle boots, Block heels,  Suede Chelsea boots, High heel sandal, Lace-up stiletto  boots, Suede snickers, Tennis shoes, Knee high riding boots, Lace-up sneakers,  Combats boots, and more

Accessories

There are different accessories available at Forever 21. These includes Earrings, Necklace, Watches, Fit Guide, Bra Shape Guide, Knicker Guide, Bags, Bags packs, Caps, Hats, Scarves and Gloves, Socks, bum bag, hair bobble cracker, headband, jewelry, hair clip, hair bobbles, lingerie, fragrance, belts, sunglasses and readers, hair accessories, tights, gift items, phone cases and others.

Beauty products

Forever21 have different types of beauty products such as Lipstick, Lip gloss, Lip scrub, Luxury lip tint, Lip slip, Eve Lom, Face gloss, Cat eye, Universal stick, Medieval palette, Eyebrow Gel, Lip treatment, Luminizer, Mascara, Dew pot, Tinted balm Eye shadow, Lip shine, Ointment, Eyeliner, Boosting base, Lippen, Radiant translucent powder, Tinted lip conditioner, Cucumber water stick, Nail polish, and others.

Cost / price

Price is seen as a major factor in buy decisions. Low prices tend to attract more customers than the higher prices.  Thus, the ideal online store should have reasonably priced items.

In this regard, Forever21 promises low and affordable prices for all its products. That they are famous for their low prices means that they have lived up to the promise of keeping the cost as low as possible. In fact, while some global fashion empires turn their backs on slashing prices, Forever 21 has fully embraced it as a market strategy and is the leader in an affordable fashion.

It was mentioned earlier that the company has faced a lot of lawsuits. Many stemmed from accusations of using cheap labour. Well, the commitment to always providing low and affordable product was at the heart of the issues.

That said, if you will shop with a budget, Forever21 will be an ideal shop to look at. Their prices are very competitive. The prices of items listed on the website are subject to change; they can decide to change prices without prior notice. But the price of confirmed orders cannot be changed.

Promotions

Every business gives promotions to drive patronage and increase sales. This is also common among online stores, and Forever21 is no exception. A review of the promotions offered by an online store is important because taking advantage of such promotions can result in significant cost savings.

Forever run different promotions many of which are for only specific times; thus, it’s important to always check their site to know what promotion is running.  At the time of writing this review, there were over 850 active coupons that can be used for discounts on Forever21.com. Some of the tops offers to include:

• 35% off the full cost on one single item (by activating the code F21HAPPY)
• 30% off the full cost of Everything and Free Shipping (with code CYBER30)
• 30% off orders of €100 (by activating promo code save30%)
• 30% off storewide and free delivery. (use promo code BLKFRI30)
• Student discount
• A reward program to earn rewards at Forever 21 (e.g a certificate of $5 for every 300 points earned)
• 20% off your first regular-priced purchase
• A birthday discount of $10 on a $25 minimum purchase.
• 21% off on your Forever Rewarded Anniversary and for Forever 21’s birthday

Payment method

It is the wish of any online retail store to operate globally, that’s why it is important that they accept a wide range payment options so that customers can easily find a payment method that is supported in their home country.

In this regard, Forever 21 accept only a few payment methods such as visa debit card, visa credit cards, master card, JCB, pay pal and Apple pay. This is on par with what many of the online stores support. However, some customers will want to see a few more options such as cryptocurrencies and e-wallets.

When an online store accepts a good number of currencies, it saves customers the stress of converting their currency to the accepted one. Many of the online stores accept payment in different currencies, but Forever 21 use only the U.S. Dollars.

Shipping

Forever21.com delivers items to customers in all the 50 US states, the U.S. territories, P.O. Boxes and APO/FPO addresses. U.S. territories include American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Forever21 also ship to international destinations which include: Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belize,  Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The two important shipping considerations are shipping cost and delivery times. Almost every customer would want to pay as little as possible for shipping, with free shipping even better. Also, no one would want to wait forever to receive delivery of his/ her orders.

Forever 21 offers free shipping but you must make a minimum purchase of $50. The free shipping offer only applies to standard ground shipping to U.S. delivery addresses in the 48 continental states only. It is not valid for international delivery addresses or Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, P.O. Boxes, and APO/FPO addresses. If you’ve checked other reviews, you’ll find that this is one of the lowest free shipping order- qualifying amount in the industry. Some fashion retailers will require that you spend as much as $100 to qualify for free shipping.

Where free shipping is not applicable, Forever 21 offers flat shipping rates which means that your shipping cost will not increase with an increase in order weight. There are a few shipping options available, which include standard shipping and express shipping.

When shipping to addresses in the continental US 48 states, standard ground shipping takes 3 – 6 working days, and cost $4.95; while Express shipping takes 2 – 3 working days and costs $9.95. There is also a “Next day” shipping option which will get your package to you the very next day, as long as the order is placed before 11 am. It cost $24.95 for orders less than $75, and $18.95 for orders of $75.00 and above.

Only standard delivery is available for destinations like Alaska, Hawaii, P.O. Box, APO/FPO; and it takes 5 – 13 working days. Shipping costs to these places changes with the order amount. For these US territories, order amount of: $0 – $25 cost $10.90; $25.01 – $49.99 cost $11.90; $50.00 – $100 cost $13.90; $100.01 – $150 cost $15.90; $150.01- $200 cost $17.90; and $200.01+ cost $20.90.

Standard shipping & handling for APO/FPO may take up to 18 working days; and the cost is on the expensive side. Order amount of $0 – $50 cost $38.00; $50.01 – $100 cost $48.00; $100.01 – $200 cost $58.00; $200.01 – $300 cost $78.00; $300.01 – $400 cost $138.00; $400.01 – $500 cost $188.00; and $500.01+ cost $238.00.

We cannot exhaustively cover the shipping cost for all international addresses. You’ll get the applicable cost at checkout. However, know that all international shipments are subject to taxes, import duties, and other customs fees, which are not included in the shipping cost at checkout, but which the recipient is to settle once the package reaches its destination. This means that there will be extra cost upon delivery of items.

When orders are placed, Forever 21 takes 1 – 2 business days to process them before dispatching them for shipping. This is great as it means that most items are dispatched within 24 hours. Order processing and dispatching may be delayed if a customer’s payment information is inaccurate or incomplete. Also, you should always allow for the handling/ processing time, by adding 1 – 2 days to the advertised delivery times.

Forever21 does not ship orders on weekend and holidays. Orders are packed and shipped during working days (Monday – Friday). Every order placed on the weekend or holidays will be processed on the next working day.

Returns and refund policy

It is important to ensure that the online shop you want to make your purchases allows returns and exchanges. This is because in online shopping you do not physically assess the products before the purchase; and in such blind purchase, there’s the possibility that you will not be totally satisfied with the item when you receive delivery of it. There is even the risk of being delivered the wrong item

Returns

Fortunately, Forever 21 accepts returns and will issue refunds. If you meet the entire return requirement, you will get a full refund (which is the original purchased price; any duties and taxes paid on the item are not refundable). Your refund will be in the currency and exchange rate at the time of the order.

To return an item, you have to simply fill the order returns form (the reason for the return, number of items being returned etcetera), custom papers, and the return label that may have come with the package; attach the returns label on the package, and mail it to Forever21.

However, there are certain terms to be met if your returns are to be accepted and the refund processed. This includes that the returned items must be in their original unused condition with original tags still attached; they must not be worn or washed; there should be free of stain or dire, and swimwears must still have their sanitary liner in place. Also, items that are specifically designated final sale items cannot be returned for a refund. This includes cosmetics, jewellery, gift cards, and an online gift certificate.

For returns to be accepted, the items must get to the warehouse of Forever21 within 30days of receiving your order. If you’ve checked reviews of other online fashion retailers, you’ll find that this is one of the best returns windows you’ll find. There are some stores that even allow only 18 days. That said, you don’t have to worry about racing against time to get your returns to Forever21.

Also, items purchased online may be returned to any of the brick and mortar stores of the company. All you need is the original invoice/ receipt. However, if you return the item to store, you will only receive store credit or exchange; you cannot have your refund as cash to your bank account. For all online returns, the refund will be issued through the original payment method. You should allow for some time after the returned item is received by Forever21 for them to process it and issue the refund.

It should be noted that customers bear the cost of all returns, and they are non-refundable. However, you have received a defective item, you can send the Return Shipping Receipt along with your return and your return shipping cost will be refunded. If your item is inspected and confirmed defective, a replacement will also be shipped to you at no cost.

Exchanges

Forever21 allows exchanges except items returned from U.S. Territories, APO/ FPO address, or international address. In fact, certain conditions allow you to exchange your item instead of a refund. For example, if your items are either defective or wrong; if you communicate them and return the item; they’ll the items and they pass you’ll get a replacement shipped to you at no cost.

Customer support

Customer support service is very important in any business. Whenever you walk into a store or a business organization, you’ll need someone to attend to you; a person that can respond to any question you may have relating to the business transaction. It is the same even when you are purchasing from online stores; there is a need for an active customer support service so that all your questions, issues or complaint will be addressed effectively. Therefore, it’s important for customers to ensure that there are channels available for reaching the online store they want to purchase from; it’s also important to know the effectiveness of these channels.

Forever21 provides three channels for direct contact with a customer support agent – phone number, email and their portal (online contact form). They also have a FAQ section, where you can access self-help articles that may answer some of your questions.

For the telephone service, they provide toll-free lines so you don’t have to worry about charges when seeking assistance. For customers from the United States or Canada, the phone number to call is (888) 494-3837; and for international customers, the number to call is (213) 741-8257. To use the email service, one email address to send your submissions is eucustomerservice@forever21inc.com. You can also contact them through their customer service portal.

Unfortunately, the customer support service is not available round the clock. You can call support only between 5 am – 6 pm (Monday – Friday), between 7am-5pm on Saturday, and between 8 am – 5 pm on Sunday. Also, while telephone service and the mail option (email and ticketing system) may do the job, it was disappointing that Forever21.com does not offer live chat as a channel for customer service at the time of this review. It will be fine for them to add live chat to their customer support arsenal, as this will help in providing prompt/ instantaneous responses to customers’ queries.

Summary

Forever21 does live up to its promise of providing trending fashion at low cost. They ensure that they have new arrivals daily; so you’ll definitely find the latest fashions styles in the store. Their prices are low, and they run numerous promotions regularly that bring their prices to very enticing low levels. Also, they prioritize customer satisfaction because they allow you to return items that you don’t like for an exchange with another item or refund. And the refund you receive is the full purchase price issued in cash to your original payment method (if you did online returns) or issued in store credit (if you did in-store returns).

This review clearly established that Forever21 is legit and not a scam. Also, it was found that while the company takes measures to be safe and ensure the protection of customers’ data, how safe those measures are is questionable owing to a recent data breach. Thus, we’ll want the company to really strengthen security measures and do more to assure customers that they are safe.

Another small area that can see some improvement is increasing the payment options available by adding e-wallet and cryptocurrencies, and yet another area is adding a live chat to their customer support options.

I liked

• An extensive product range that includes women’s wear, men’s wear, and girl’s wears, accessories, beauty products and even some home products
• Affordable prices for their items
• Regular enticing promotions
• Free shipping for orders of $50 or more (albeit to only the 48 US continental states)
• 30 days returns and exchange window
• An effective customers support service
• Exchanges are allowed

Not sure

• Encryption standard

I didn’t like

• Limited payment option
• No live chat feature
• Refund processing time is too long

Do you have any experience with Forever21? If so, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Forever 21 review.

This Denmark based online fashion retailer says that they have “a passion for functionality, quality, the classics and the ultra-modern”. This conveys a brand that perfectly blends timeless styles with latest styles to provide exquisite styles that are qualitative and just-right for every occasion.Yes, Norse Store is legit. And it is not a scam because they will never steal your money or credit card details. And you will receive any item you purchased from the store without a problem.

The question is whether the Norse Store lives up to its promise and really provides top-quality, just-right clothing. In the first place, is the online fashion retailer even legit? This review will x-ray the Norse Store (by examining their product offerings and policies) in order to provide the information that will help you answer those questions.

Norse Store review at a glance

• A Denmark based online clothing retailer that started in 2004
• Specializes in streetwear and classic non-stylish Scandinavian outerwear
• Offers both men’s wear and women’s wear
• Offers free worldwide shipping
• Allows returns within 14 days of delivery of package
• Accepts credit/ Debit cards and PayPal
• Customer Support available via email, telephone service

What is Norse Store?

Norse is an online fashion store. The online store can be found at www.norsestore.com. The website (www.norsestore.com) is the official online shop for the Danish company, AM Company ApS. This is a duly registered company with the necessary company registration certificates, and with registered office at Vestergade 12A, 1456 Copenhagen K, Denmark.

Norsestore.com is the home of Norse Projects and Norse Projects Women. Norse Project is the company’s line of men’s wear, and Norse Project Women is then – you already know – women’s wear collection.

The company was founded in about 2004 as a retail shop for streetwear and art gallery. They launched their own men’s wear line in 2009 and added the women collection in 2015. The company has only grown since its launch, and at one time (2013) topped a list of the 15 best Scandinavian men’s wear brands. Apart from their own-brand collections, norsestore.com also sells clothing and accessories from a tightly curated selection of like-minded and complementary brands.

Is Norse Store legit?

Norse is legit. it is not a scam because you will receive any product you purchased from the store without a problem. There are too many scam artists on the internet all very eager to dupe people of their hard-earned money. One tactic that has worked for these scammers is putting up scam stores where they lure unsuspecting buyers to pay for items that do not exist. People who fall prey do not receive delivery of goods, lose their payment, and may even have their accounts wiped. Therefore, before shopping in any online store, it’s wise to determine if the store is legit, or just another scam.

In this regard, Norse Store ticks the box; there’s no doubt that the online fashion retailer is legit. First, it’s been mentioned that AM Company ApS (the owners and operators of norsestore.com) is a legally recognized company. Suffice it to say that only a legit company will seek legal recognition and registrations; scam stores definitely don’t. Also, Norse Store has physical stores in Copenhagen (Denmark) where they are headquartered, and from where they ship orders worldwide. Suffice it to say that only legit companies have the capacity to fulfil orders; most often than not, scam stores exist only virtually, with no physical stores (or products) and therefore do not fulfil orders. Also, having started in 2004, it means that the Norse Store has been operating for over 14 years. Suffice it to say that no scam store can continue ripping people off for that long a time.

Is Norse Store safe?

Norse is safe to use. That Norse Store is legit means that they will not rip you off, but the question that needs to be asked next is whether shopping in the store will leave you exposed to other fraudsters. To avoid that ugly situation the online store need to be safe, that ensures the protection of the data that you share with them.

To create an account and shop in Norse Store, you’ll submit personal data (your name, e-mail address, address etc) and payment information (such as your credit card information). If this information, especially the latter, is allowed to fall into the wrong people, there’ll be no difference to being scammed by the store itself. Thus, the legit store should be safe.

Norse Store ticks the box. Their privacy policy starts with: “Data privacy is of high importance for Norse Store”. In line with that, classic technical and organizational measures are used to ensure the protection of data. Technically, Norse Store uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology to create a secure and encrypted connection between the buyer’s device and their (Norse Store) servers. Every data transferred in the secure link is private and outside the clutches of unauthorized third parties. That the data is encrypted before being transferred in the link, also assure optimal security. Organizationally, Norse Store pledge not to share your personal data except it is in connection with the service they are delivering to you. Also, they do not store the credit card information of customers after completing the transaction; and even if there is a data breach, the card details of customers cannot be accessed.

That said, there is no doubt that Norse Store is safe. They will not scam you, neither will shop there exposes you to other scammers.

Norse Store complaints:

Norse Store complaints are not much. Below are some of the complaints and feedback we found online.

• Sane says:

They did not care that they had marked a polo at 650 kr – they wanted to sell it to me for 1280 kr. They said that they had marked it wrong – and they knew that they should sell it to me for 650 kr- but they didn’t care. Said that the law of buying had nothing to do with reality.

• Linday says:

I won the raffle for a pair of Yezzy boost 700 wave runners as I’ve never use this store before I was a bit dubious but there was nothing to worry about they packed my order shipped it to me I received it in perfect order would definitely recommend this company thank you Norse store kind regards Mark.

Features

The website

The first thing you’ll see in an online store is the website, as that is how you interact with the store. Therefore, a review of the website is very important. The ideal store should have a website that is clean and uncluttered. The Norse store website takes the minimalist approach; therefore it is not cluttered with text. It features big images on on-model clothing and nicely placed links that makes everything else happen behind (which is good). Navigation is smooth. There are a search bottom and a selection feature which you can use to narrow your search by brand, size, colour etc.

Also, the Norse store website is compatible with mobile operating systems – Android, iOS, Windows phone, Blackberry etc.  This means that you can access the site to search and purchase for items on the go (at anytime and anywhere) using your mobile phones and tablets. The website not only works on mobile devices; it is fully mobile optimized. Thus, it resizes to fit the small screens of mobile devices – you don’t need to drag the left and right to view the full page.

Brands

Most often than not, online fashion stores do not sell only own-brand clothing. Whether it is to increase their inventory or to cater to people who are into designer clothing, fashion stores usually list products from other designer labels; and Norse store is no exception.

If you are into branded clothing, you’ll find a host of brands in Norse Stores. For men’s wear branded items, these include: A Kind Of Guise, A.P.C., Adidas Originals, Adidas Yeezy, Andersen-Andersen, Anderson’s, Anonymous Ism, Arc’teryx Veilance, Aspesi, Barbour, Barena Venezia, Beinghunted, Bianca Chandon, Blue Blue Japan, Book Works, Books, COMME des GARÇONS PARFUMS, COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT, Common Projects, Converse, D.S. & DURGA, Dries Van Noten, Engineered Garments, Gestalten, Gimme Five, Gitman Bros, Haglöfs, Hender Scheme, IDEA, Junya Watanabe MAN, Know Wave, Leatherman, Levi’s Vintage, Linda Farrow, M Missoni, Magazines, Margaret Howell, Marni, Master&Dynamic, nanamica, Needles, Nemen, New Balance, Nike Sportswear, Norse Projects, orSlow, Our Legacy, Paraboot, Reception, Red Wing, retaW, Salomon, Sunspel, Teätora, Trine S, TS(S), Vibeke Rohland, and Visvim

The women’s wear, the brands you’ll find in Norse store are A.P.C. Women, aagé, Adidas Originals, Adidas Originals Women, AF AGGER, Amanda Johanne Linde, Andersen-Andersen, Aspesi Women, ATP Atelier, AYM, BAGSINPROGRESS, Barbour, Barena Venezia Women, Baserange, Birkenstock, Blue Blue Japan, Books, COMME des GARÇONS PARFUMS, COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT Women, Costes, Cousu De Fil Blanc, Gestalten, Hender Scheme, Hestra Women, IDEA, Laulhere, Le Mont St Michel, Linda Farrow, LOUS, M Missoni, Mackintosh, Magazines, Margaret Howell Women, MM6 Maison Margiela, New Balance Women, Norse Projects Women, Orslow Women, Paraboot Women, Red Wing, retaW, Sofie D’Hoore, Studio Nicholson, Swedish Stockings, TAIKAN, Tangent Garment Care, The Skirt Chronicles, Totême, Trine S, Vans Women, Vibeke Rohland, Visvim Women, Weejuns G.H Bass, Woman by Common Projects, and Yuketen

Product Range

The ideal fashion store should have a wide product range so that you’ll be able to get every fashion item you need in one place, as against buying from different stores. First, a wide product range means that you have a wide selection to make a choice from, and you’ll be more likely to find something that you will like. Also buying products from one place can help you save significantly. First, you can take advantage of bulk purchase discounts; also you can order pay for one order shipment, as against individually shipping items from a different store. That said, a review of the product range of Norse store is important.

In this regard, Norse Store provides fashion items for both men and women. The three categories under Men’s wear and the items in each category are as follows:

• Clothing – Blazers, Jackets, Jeans, Knitwear, Shirting, Shorts, Sweatshirts, Trousers, T-shirts, Vests
• Footwear – Boots, Casual, Sneakers
• Accessories – Audio & Technology (such as In-ear and on-ear headphones), Bags, Beanies, Belts, Hats, Glasses, Gloves, Grooming, Publications (books and magazines), Scarves, Socks, Wallets

The female collections also have three categories; the categories and the items you’ll find in them are as follows:

• Clothing – Dresses, Jackets, Jeans, Knitwear, Shirting, Shorts, Skirts, Sweatshirts, Trousers, T-shirts
• Footwear – Boots, Sneakers
• Accessories – Audio & Technology, Bags, Beanies, Glasses, Gloves, Grooming, Publications, Jewelry, Socks, Wallets,

Apart from men and women clothing and fashion accessories, Norse Store also holds some home collections. You’ll find these in the “Object” category on their website. Some of the items you’ll find there include paraboot, chair, stool, shelf, wallpaper, and others.

Now once the review moves beyond the different items in the store, you’ll find that Norse Store does not offer exquisite daring styles, and the number of items on offer is also conservative.

It must be remembered that the Norse Store started by as a store for selling streetwear. In a way, they have maintained that identity. Therefore, the store is not where you should be heading to for formal wear, party turning dresses, special occasion styles etc. For example, at the time of this review, in the women clothing section, only one dress was listed, and it is anything but elegant. It was more like a work-wear apron. There was no mini, midi, or maxi dresses, or the cute little dresses that you’ll find in fast fashion retailers. Also, listed in the women’s short section were just two shorts; the skirt section had 9 items, and so on. What you’ll find plenty in the women clothing section are jackets, jeans, T-shirt; and they are more street style than dazzling trends. For some cute items in the women section, you’ll have to go to the footwear collection; but even there the number of items listed is just too small.

The men wear range is no different. To find a lot of items, the section you should go to include trouser, T-shirts, shirt, and jeans. Most of the sections (such as Blazers, Vests, Shorts etc) had less than 10 items listed. Looking at the number of listed items in the store, I actually got thinking if I was seeing right. Also, all items are more of classic, ordinary street-style and less of modern dazzling styles.

Product Quality, Prices and Promotions

Quality

When you buy fashion products, especially clothing, you want them to stand the test of time. Thus, the ideal fashion store should provide pieces that are timeless.

Though quality is subjective, one element of quality clothing that all consumers will agree to is that the items do not fall apart easily, and do not fade when washed. In this regard, Norse Store ticks the box. You’ll find the Norse Project Jackets as exceptional pieces. According to the company, these pieces draw inspiration from street culture and skateboarding, and you’ll find that they are made strong for the rigours of the street and outdoor activities.

Prices

A review of the prices of items listed in a store is important because the customer does not want to pay over and above for items. That said, looking at the prices of items in Norse Store reveal that their merchandises are competitively priced.

Promotions

Almost every online store runs promotions from time to time. It’s very difficult to open the website of an online fashion shop and not find a promo being offered. These are used to boost sales by attracting new customers and making existing customers return to the store for purchases. To the customers, promotions mean cost savings because it allows the customers to get items from the store for less than the items’ full prices. Therefore a review of a store is incomplete without highlighting the promotions offered.

At the time of writing this review, Norse Store was not running any promo. This was surprising because these fashion retailers almost always offer, at least, one promo at any time. However, after digging around, I found that Norse Store runs promos of their own. That no promo was running at the time of writing doesn’t mean that they do not run promos.

One of the promos they ran gave customers a discount of 10% for many items in their inventory. They also run different raffle draws/ sweepstakes where lucky winners get to win free items. That said, you’ll need to keep checking the site to know what promos are running at any particular time.

Two Years Warranty

The ideal retailer is one that stands behind their products, and there’s no better way to stand behind a product than to offer a warranty.

All products sold by Norse Store are covered by a two years warranty, which allows you to return an item if at any time within two years of its purchase it gets damaged due to a manufacturing fault. Not that damage due wear and tear from regular use is not covered.

Shipping

Shipping is the second most important element, after price, in online purchases. The two shipping considerations are shipping cost and delivery times. Shipping costs have been known to make customers abandon items at checkout even when they felt that the items are acceptably priced; the deal breaker is that shipping costs were not acceptable and pushed the total expenditure to the unacceptable range. Thus, the ideal online retailer should have shipping rates that are as low as possible; with free shipping being the ultimate deal clincher.

In this regard, Norse Store scores some vital points in offering free shipping to every shipping destination. However, just as in every other online fashion retailer, there are order qualifying limits. To qualify for free shipping in Norse Store, your order must be up to €250 / $300 / £230 / 1,300 KR. You’ll see that the qualifying amount for free shipping for purchases in dollars is $300. If you’ve checked other online fashion stores, you’ll find that their qualifying amount is far lower (sometimes $50). It should be noted that many of these stores with low amounts are US based or have fulfilment centres in the US, and their primary market is the US. However, Norse Store is based in Denmark (which is their primary market), and they will be shipping your orders from there.

Where free shipping is not applicable, Norse Store charges flat shipping rates which means that your shipping cost will not increase with an increase in your order weight. Since Norse Store is based in Denmark, there are different shipping options for Danish orders. There’s the “Self Collect” option where your package will be shipped to the closest delivery service office, and you’ll have to go there to collect your package. This option costs DKK 30. Another option is the “Home-Delivery, where the package will be sent to your door. It cost DKK 50. Finally, there’s the “Bike Messenger” which is an express delivery option available to only Copenhagen orders. It cost DKK 150. For the rest of Europe, shipping cost €10; shipping to Greenland and The Faroe Islands cost DKK 120; shipping to the US and Canada cost $25; and shipping to the rest of the world (Asia, Australia, etc.), it cost $30. Note that while Norse Store does not offer to ship to Russia.

In terms of shipping times; Customers do not want to wait for too long to receive delivery of their items. Norse Stores knows this, and their shipping policy also reflects it. They use Post Denmark, FedEx and EMS (for Hong Kong shipment). They process orders very fast; orders received before 9 am can be dispatched on the same day if it’s a working day. Generally, a shipment of regular orders to Denmark are delivered within 2 working days, while the Copenhagen-only “Messenger Bike”, which is the express delivery, is delivered the same day if ordered before 12 PM. Outside Denmark, orders are delivered: within 4 working days to the rest of Europe, within 5 working days to the US and Canada, and within 5 working days to the rest of the world (Asia, Australia, etc). Norse Store warns that sometimes, shipping delays outside their controls may occur (e.g. from customs)

Returns

There are many reasons you may want to return merchandise to an online fashion retailer. First, fashion products are sized products, and there is the possibility of ordering items that will not fit because of being too large or too small. Also, there is the possibility of items being damaged or lost during shipping. Also, it may be that when you receive the item, you may not see the same fire you saw in it when viewing it on the company’s the website. Whatever the case, if you’ll rather be without the item, you’ll need a store that allows you to return it for refund or exchange.

Legit online stores will recognize that the big disadvantage of online shopping is “blind purchase” and will allow customers not satisfied with their items to return the items. Thankfully, Norse Store has a return policy. There’s a pre-addressed returns slip enclosed with all orders for making easy returns. You simply have to fill it, attach it to the returns package, and mail the package.

They allow you to return any item you are not satisfied with within 14 days from the day you receive the goods. While it’s okay that returns are allowed, you’ll find that the returns window of Norse Store (which is 14 days) is shorter than that of many online fashion retailers (which is usually about a month). Norse Store offers free returns, where you don’t have to bear the returns shipping, but that is available for only Danish customers. Every other customer bears their returns shipping cost.

The returned items must be in their original conditions. They must be undamaged, unworn, unwashed and in their original (undamaged) packaging; also all price stickers, hang tags etc must still be attached.  When items are received by Norse Store within 14 days of the delivery date and meet the conditions of returns, you will be issued a refund of your original payment to your original method of payment. After the processing of your returns, it may take up to 28 days for funds to appear in your account for orders placed with credit cards, but refunds to PayPal accounts are generally faster (about 24 hours).

Payment Method

The ideal legit online retailer will support a wide range of options so that customers can conveniently pay for their orders. Also, you’ll want the store to support different currencies so that you may not have to worry about currency conversions. Norse Store does support different currencies; the currencies that prices are listed in include the following: Danish Kroner (DKK), U.S. Dollars (USD), British Pounds Sterling (GBP) and Euro (EUR).

In terms of alternative payment options, Norsestore.com accepts Dankort, VISA/ Dankort, VISA Electron, MasterCard, Maestro and PayPal. With credit and debit cards and PayPal which are global options, you are guaranteed to be able to make a payment from anywhere that you may be. However, you’ll find that the payment options supported are not as many as you’ll want. For example, e-wallets are not supported, and neither are crypt currencies (such as bitcoin).

Customer Support Service

If there’s one thing that is inevitable in online purchases, it is that customers will have questions about the company, and/ or issues about their orders. Therefore, the ideal online store should provide a means for addressing customer inquiries and issues.

Norse Store is no different in this regard. They have an FAQ on their website which provides answers to some of the questions that you may have about the company, its offers and services. However, you’ll find that the FAQ is not very extensive.

However, if the FAQ self-help articles do not answer your questions or if you have issues with your order, you’ll have to contact the company. Norse Store provides direct contact support through email service and a telephone support service.

The email address to send your submissions to is support@norsestore.com. You’ll find that Norse Store answers all email submissions promptly, but you’ll to allow about 24 hours to get their response. If you’ll rather get instant feedback, you can pick up the phone and talk to a support agent at +45 53 69 66 26. Norse Store also has a strong social media presence; so you can reach them via their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Reputation

In the reputation section, we will go over how Norse Store is perceived in the online fashion community. The focus will be on what real customers who have bought from the company and used their items think about them; we will also examine what some industry watchers think.

Going by how much Norse Store doesn’t feature in many of the popular customer review platforms; it is safe to say that Nores Store isn’t very popular in the online community. For example, on one of the most popular customer review platforms (Trust Pilot) which usually holds thousands of customer reviews of the popular fashion brands, there are only 11 reviews for Norse Stores. The average rating is a 3 out of 5 which is only average. In one of the reviews, a customer complained that Norse Store did not honour the laws of buying/ selling by insisting to sell an item for more than it was listed, saying that it was wrongly marked.

To make an excuse for Norse Store; they state in their T&C that they have the right to change the prices of their listing at any time. However, this does not even hold up, because their website has to reflect whatever price review has occurred. Where the lower prices are still featured on the site, it is misleading. Stores should definitely sell items for the prices shone on their website.

Many other reviews in Trust Pilot were scathing, with customers citing slow and impersonal service as reasons. However, it was not all gloom. There were some good reviews; one was of a customer who won a raffle and received free items from the store.

Scouring the internet for Norse Store reviews was a chore because they were hard to come by. My search got me to fashionsauce.com where I saw as many as ONE reviews. And it wasn’t one that Norse store will want to see because the customer says there’ll be no more shopping from Norse Store. The issue: items were always out of stock during sales season, and Norse Store always shipped without proforma invoice and the customer had to cover the extra cost at customs.

Many of the customer review platforms draw customers from the US, and Canada, and sometimes the UK. That said, it is safe to say that Norse Store is not popular in these markets. However, the online clothing store seems to be popular in Denmark where it is based. For example, Norse store topped a list of 15 Scandinavian men’s wear brands prepared by Complex. Though Complex is an American magazine, when recognizing Norse store as the finest, Complex was looking at only Scandinavian clothing brands.

Summary

As an online clothing retailer, Norse Store is legit and safe. They advertise as having a passion for “the classic and the ultra-modern”. That initially got me thinking that their clothing styles will be a perfect blend of timeless vintage pieces and elegant modern styles. To say the least, I was disappointed; their street-inspired styles tend more to classic than ultra modern. This is a brand that specializes in streetwear and classic non-stylish Scandinavian outerwear. However, if you want any real modern stylish designs or formal and special occasion styles, Norse Store is not where you should look.

For their niche (streetwear and classic non-stylish Scandinavian outerwear), Norse Store does have the quality to match, and their prices are competitive. If you do choose to get a piece from them, you’ll get free shipping for certain order amount. If you happen to not like the items, you can return. Returns are also free for Danish orders.

However, there are some bumps on the road to Norse Store. Only 14 days are allowed for returns, and this might come short especially with international returns. Also though Norse Store draws items from literally up to 50 different brands, the number of items in their inventory is too small.

I liked

• Legit and safe online fashion retailer
• Free worldwide shipping, and fast delivery times
• Allows returns and will issue refunds as cash to the original method of payment
• Two Years Warranty

I didn’t like

• Only a few items in their inventory
• Short returns window (18 days)

Whiteflash is one online diamond and jewellery retailer that has been dubbed the “Lord of the online Rings”. This was to imply that Whiteflash is the go-to online store for the best of the best diamond rings. Is this Whiteflash really the go-to online shop for top quality diamond and other jewellery? In the first place, is Whiteflash legit? This review will x-ray Whiteflash in order to provide the information that will help you answer those questions.

Yes, Whiteflash is legit. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money. And you will receive any item you purchased from the store without a problem.

This Whiteflash review will examine the store to provide you with all the answers to your questions.

Whiteflash review at a glance

• A Texas-based online diamond retailer that started operation in 2000
• Specializes in ideal and super ideal diamonds, but also offers other jewellery
• Stocks the largest inventory of AGS ideal diamonds in the world
• Offers true super ideal diamonds in their “A Cut Above” collections
• Offers free shipping and returns
• Offers a host of enticing customer-oriented programs (Financing options, Life Time Trade Up, One Year Buy Back, Customer Loyalty Program, Servicing Plan, and more)
• Provides exceptional optical performance imagery and reports
• Provides the most extensive diamond education knowledgebase in the industry
• Offers exceptional customer service available via live chat, telephone, and email

What is Whiteflash?

Whiteflash is an online jewellery retailer that made their entry into the industry in 2000. The company is headquartered in Sugar Land Texas, from where they serve their customers all over the world.

Whiteflash is a member of the American Gem Society, and as a result, they have a strong commitment to integrity and consumer education.

The company specializes in ideal and super ideal diamonds. Their in-house signature “A Cut Above” diamonds are the hallmark of true quality, as these stones show excellent cut precision and light performance. Where some online jewellers do drop-shipping by listing stones on their supplier’s counters and shipping straight from these suppliers to the customers; the Whiteflash stones are in-house, in-stock, available exclusively at Whiteflash.

Whiteflash also sells designer products from reputable brands such as Verragio, Simon G, Ritani, Vatche, Danhov and Benchmark. When you buy any piece from Whiteflash, you can also be confident that it is a conflict-free diamond.

Is Whiteflash legit?

Whiteflash is legit. It is not a scam. It’s understandable that you’ll ask if Whiteflash is legit. There are too many scam platforms on the internet, and no one will want to be ripped off. In this regard, there’s no doubt that Whiteflash is legit.

The company is duly registered in the US which gives them legal recognition; suffice it to say that scam stores do not seek legal recognition and registrations. The company has their headquarter and showroom in Sugar Land (Texas) which gives them physical existence and the capacity to fulfil orders; suffice it to say that scam stores exist only virtually, and cannot fulfil orders because they do not have the merchandise. Whiteflash has been operating since 2000 which gives them over 18 years of operation; suffice it to say that scam stores cannot rip people off for that long a time.

Also, Whiteflash is a member of American Gem Society, they have IS0 9000 Total Quality Management certification, they’ve received the highest award of the BBB (the BBB Pinnacle Award), and they’ve been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and more. That strict industry watchers and certifying organizations recognize and highly rate Whiteflash settle the discussion; Whiteflash is legit. You can also find other stores like Whiteflash at Ritani and James-allen

Whiteflash complaints and feedback:

Whiteflash complaints and feedback are shown in this section. This will be of great help if you are interested in what Whiteflash customers are actually saying about them.

• Linda says:

“I love Whiteflash and we love the rings we received yesterday. The rings and the diamond are just absolutely stunning. Whiteflash said the order would take 3 weeks to make and deliver because of the designer setting we picked, but they got it here in 2 weeks and a day.

I will admit that I was more than a little hesitant about wiring money out of state to buy a round 1.5 carat F VVS2 and two platinum rings, but Whiteflash’s reputation is first rate and everything went so smoothly with responsive communication.

Yes, I looked at other online vendors, but Whiteflash had the information I needed to make a decision and their videos are addictive.

Thank you Brittany. And thank you Whiteflash for your beautiful ACA diamond.

P.S. – I’ve been buying stuff online since the dark ages of dialup, and nobody has wrapped anything better than Whiteflash – a #5 bubble bag inside a medium Fedex box and that was inside a large Fedex box.”

• Benjamin says:

“I shopped a few jewellers prior to making my purchase at Whiteflash (Rice Village Diamond/Robbins Brothers). None of the others was able to provide an experience that rivals Whiteflash.

Whiteflash and their staff exceeded not only my expectations but those of my fiancé as well. We are both extremely satisfied with the finished product. The jeweller was able to capture my vision of the perfect fully custom engagement ring perfectly! The fiancé loved it! (Probably why she said yes)

Thank you for all of your assistance in the process, Becca. You, Vera and the rest of your team have been nothing less than ultimate professionals. You all made the process pain free and enjoyable, all while staying on budget!

I highly recommend Whiteflash to anyone looking for wedding/engagement pieces. You can’t go wrong – Whiteflash’ perfect rating should give you peace of mind!”

• Jessica says:

“Purchased a cut above diamond engagement ring from Whiteflash overall A+ experience Becca was extremely helpful friendly and knowledgeable! The ring was shipped to CA with no issues would definitely recommend Whiteflash!”

• Ggett says:

“I love Whiteflash! They have a fantastic bench, best-cut diamonds, awesome service and great prices to boot. Whenever my friends are looking to buy jewelry I try to steer them here because you cannot go wrong with this business”

Features

Education Page

It’s understandable that many diamond shoppers don’t know what to look out for when shopping for diamonds. That is a bad situation because it means they might not get the best value. Legit diamond retailers ensure that you are empowered with the information necessary to make a brilliant choice when choosing your diamond. They accomplish this by means of an education page.

The good news is that not only does Whiteflash provide an education page; their knowledge base is the most extensive you’ll find in the diamond jewellery industry.

Their education page is divided into beginners guide, intermediate guide, and advanced guide. The beginner’s guide is for those completely new to diamonds; and it covers the 4C’s of diamonds – Diamond Color, Diamond Clarity, Diamond Carat, and Diamond Cut (Shape). It should be noted that the education page of almost every other diamond online retailer starts and ends with the 4C’s and how they affect the diamond’s wow factor.

The intermediate guide is for those who already know about the 4C’s. It covers the journey that a diamond takes in acquiring laboratory certification, detailing laboratory procedures for the diamonds 4C’s grading. You’ll also know all about AGS and GIA certifications, as well as the full value added by their grading reports.

Whiteflash crowns their education page with the advance guides which are technical articles for seasoned diamond enthusiasts. It covers the essentials of diamond craftsmanship and light performance that cannot be obtained from grading reports. You’ll know how to use data from simple reflector tools (such as Ideal-Scope, H&A viewer, and ASET) and more sophisticated ray tracing software programs (such as AGS Light Performance and DiamCalc) to determine an ideal diamond.

When you’ve consumed the education page of Whiteflash (especially the advanced guide), you’ll feel like a diamond pro when shopping. For one, you’ll know what to look for beyond the 4C’s.

Information

What characterizes online shopping is a blind purchase. You are buying merchandise (in this case, a piece of jewellery) that you do not get to physically see and examine before making the financial commitment. Therefore, you need all the help you can to get a thorough assessment of the merchandise before buying it.

Generally, online jewellers provide detailed product descriptions, grading reports, and product imagery for this. Usually, you’re provided with the details about the diamond’s 4C’s (colour, clarity, carat and cut), as well as its dimensions. You may also have some HD images (some magnified) of different angles of the diamond. Some of the top jewellers even provide 360⁰ video viewer which allows you to see the diamond from all the possible angles as if you were holding the diamond in your hand.

While these resources are useful in helping with assessing a particular stone, diamond experts know that they are not enough. Experts who know what to look out for in a diamond look beyond the 4 C’s to certain details that determine an ideal or super-ideal diamond. The retailers know these as well and will usually provide these additional reports when requested (but not immediately).

This is one area where Whiteflash outperforms every other online diamond retailer. They provide the most complete and accurate information about their diamonds. Every diamond available on the Whiteflash website is listed with not just the grading reports, but also with all the different light performance data including a Sarin report. For example, when it comes to a diamond’s cut which is the most important of the 4 C’s, you’re not left with just reading a cut grading. Rather you are provided with the data that expert gemologist use in judging cut quality, such as Idealscope data, ASET data, and Hearts and Arrows patterning.

Two diamonds with same cut grading can come out differently when viewed with an ideal scope. The two ideal scope image shown below are of diamonds with GIA Triple Excellent Ratings. But as can be seen, the first stone heart patterning is distorted which means the diamond will be less brilliant. On the other hand, the symmetrical patterning in the second image shows a stone that will have great brilliance.

Figure 1: Ideal-Scope images of two diamonds with GIA Triple Excellent Ratings; showing one (left) with poor symmetry which is poorly cut and the other (right) with excellent symmetry which is an excellent cut

If you are wondering why a GIA graded diamond will turn out to be of less-ideal cut under an ideal scope, it is because most diamonds are not cut for optimal light performance. Most times, the jewellers sacrifice light performance for carat but do that while meeting the minimum criteria to obtain necessary GIA grading.

Since cut grading reports do not tell the whole story of a diamond’s brilliance, and the cut quality of a diamond becomes clear when viewed under an ideal scope; the Idealscope data is not something you want to neglect if you really care about the cut precision of your diamonds. It is possible that you just might not go ahead with the purchase of that stone with an excellent cut grading (from the grading reports) after seeing its ideal scope image.

Another important report that Whiteflash includes is the Sarin report. This gives you specific measurements of the proportions of the diamond instead of the averaged measurements shown in grading reports; these can be used to verify the measurements in the grading reports.

Whiteflash In-house diamonds

Whiteflash has three categories of in-house diamonds – the Premium Selection, the Expert Selection and the “A Cut Above” diamonds. Whiteflash promises to bring to their customer’s super ideal diamonds; that is, diamonds excellent cut precision and optimal optical performance. They do that with the “A Cut Above” diamonds, which is their signature diamonds. These diamonds are the best of the best.

After the manufacturer evaluation and also going through the stringent process of laboratory grading, each diamond must also go through more stringent internal Whiteflash review to be listed as an “A Cut Above” diamond. The internal tests include: checking light performance tests using ASET and Ideal-scope imagery; checking for optical symmetry of Hearts & Arrows, ensuring that the diamond exhibit negligible fluorescence; checking that the diamond does not have significant light leakage; checking for clarity features that may impact light performance and more.

Because of these stringent checks, very few AGS triple ideal diamonds (and even fewer GIA Triple Excellent diamonds) can make it into the Whiteflash “A Cut Above” diamonds. Thus, you can pick a diamond randomly from the “A Cut Above” diamonds, and you’ll find that it has unsurpassed performance. Because of their commitment to providing super ideal diamonds, Whiteflash has the largest collection of super ideal diamonds (whether online or traditional retailers).

The Whiteflash Premium selection holds diamonds that possess GIA triple excellent rating, and that can easily pass for ideal and super ideal in some other stores. However, these stones may have small distortions in the H&A patterns, as a result, Whiteflash drops them from the “A Cut Above” diamonds.

The same can be said of the Expert Selection diamonds; some of these stones may have AGS ideal ratings, but because of small light leakage, Whitflash downgrades them from their super ideal “A Cut Above” diamond to their Expert Selection category.

Virtual Select Diamonds

A few of the diamonds in Whiteflash are not in-stock diamonds. Rather they are owned and held by some of their suppliers; as a result, you’ll find that these diamonds do not feature as much information as the Whiteflash in-house diamonds. If you are interested in any of the diamond, Whiteflash will have the diamond shipped to their lab where they will go over it with their experts and advice you accordingly.

Products

You’ll want the ideal shop to have a good number of items so that you’ll have a huge selection to choose from. That way, you are more likely to find items that meet your specs. It’s no different for online jewellery retailers.

In Whiteflash, the different product categories, and the items you’ll find in each category are as follows:

• Diamonds

Whiteflash are, first of all, about diamonds. So the first category of products is loose diamonds. You’ll find all the popular diamond shapes – Round, Princess, Cushion, Oval, Radiant, Emerald, Asscher, Pear, Heart, and Marquise. In this product category, you can also decide to shop from the premium diamond collection – the “A Cut Above” diamonds. You’ll find “A Cut Above” Hearts and Arrows (round) diamonds, “A Cut Above” Princess diamonds and more.

• Engagement Rings

For your engagement rings, Whiteflash offers all the most important styles. You can choose Solitaire Engagement Rings, and have the simplicity of a single central stone shining brilliantly from its setting. You can also choose the more sophisticated Halo Engagement Rings that have smaller stones framing the central stone for more carat and brilliance. You can also choose the 3 Stone Engagement Rings which gives you two smaller stones (or another precious gem) flanking the central stone. If you choose to have the sparkling brilliance all the way around the band; you can choose the Pave Engagement Rings, where you can have small diamonds lining the sides of the band.

You can also select Custom Engagement Rings, where you can design a personal ring. You’ll drop your ideas, and Whiteflash team of highly skilled and experienced craftsman will bring those ideas to fruition to provide you with an elegant ring that’s all about you. You may also shop designer engagement rings from the top designer labels that Whiteflash sells, which includes Simon G, Danhov, Ritani, Verragio, Tacori, Vatche, and Ajaffe.

It is in this section that you can shop for your wedding sets. Whiteflash carries them in all styles. You may get a classic Solitaire engagement ring matched with a simple colour-matching band, or you may choose sophisticated styles like a to pave engagement ring with a matching eternity wedding band.  Getting wedding sets is better than getting an engagement ring and wedding ring separately because the wedding sets are specifically designed to fit flush together.

• Wedding Rings

You’ll want to proceed from engagement to wedding; and Whiteflash has you covered for the big day also. In the wedding ring category, you’ll find Women’s Wedding Rings and Men’s Wedding Rings. These include diamond wedding rings, classic wedding rings, and eternity wedding rings.

If you’re into designer products; Whiteflash has excellent wedding rings collections from other designers such as Simon G, Ritani, Verragio, Tacori, Vatche, Benchmark, and Ajaffe. Some of these designers include distinctive elements that make their collections unique and recognizable.

You may have your wedding ring in any of the traditional precious metals such as gold (white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold) and platinum, and palladium; or you may choose alternative metal such as titanium, cobalt, and tungsten.

• Jewellery

For the non-rings collections, you’ll find diamond earrings which include diamond studs, diamond hoops, diamond drops, and diamond halos. Other items you’ll find in this jewellery category include diamond pendants, diamond necklaces, diamond bracelets, diamond bangles, anniversary rings, right-hand rings, men’s jewellery (such as cuff links), and gemstones & pearls. You may also find pieces from other designers including Tacori and Simon G.

Payment and Financing

Prices

You might find that the price of items in Whiteflash is on the high side. It’s understandable considering that stones that some retailers may list as super ideal may not meet that grading in Whiteflash. The company is quality driven, and will not compromise on cut precision to save carat, and hence to make more profits. That said, some items are competitively priced, but you’ll find that many are not. Unfortunately too, Whiteflash does not have a diamond price match program like some of their competitors.

That said, if you’re bent on low prices, you may be turned off by prices in Whiteflash; but if you’ll be bent on getting the highest possible value for every credit unit spent, then Whiteflash is where you should be shopping for your diamond jewellery.

Payment Method

The ideal retailer should support a host of banking options that can be used to conveniently make a payment from wherever you may be shopping from.

The banking options you can use depend on your location. Whiteflash accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal and Bank Wire Transfer for purchases made in the USA and Canada. For all other purchases (from outside the US and Canada), only bank wire transfer is accepted. However, Whiteflash may accept credit cards from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore; but you’ll need to reach out to their customer support service for directives.

It means making payment will be a breeze if you are in the US or Canada but may not if you are anywhere else. In fact, it is not uncommon to find customer reviews where certain international customers are left frustrated when their foreign credit cards are rejected. It should be noted that accepting only bank wires for international purchases is not peculiar to Whiteflash; it’s a pretty common practice in the online diamond retail industry. However, given the inconvenience to customers, these retailers can do well to look at supporting convenient alternative payment methods.

That said, the wire transfer payment is incentivized – you’ll a discount of 3% when you pay for your order by wire transfer. This can result in substantial cost savings if your order is big. It should be said that the discount is more than what most of the competing online diamond jewellers offer for wire transfer purchases (which is 1.5%).

Financing Options

If you must get a diamond ring or other piece of jewelry but you’re unable to totally cover its cost at the moment; the sad reality is that you may be have to forgo the piece. Not quite. Whiteflash has financing options for you, which allows you to get your desired jewelry piece and complete payment later.

The two financing plans they offer are:

• Flex Plan – This is a popular interest-free plan that requires you to pay only 20% of the order cost, while the balance will be paid in three equal instalments every 30 days. This gives you a total of 90 days to complete payment. The only condition is that to qualify for the Flex Plan your order must exceed $1,500.
• Affirm Financing Plan (the US only) – This is a plan that allows you to spread payments out over 3, 6, or 12 months. The good part of the Affirm Plan is that you don’t need a high order amount to qualify for financing (you can secure financing for any order amount). However, it is not interest-free; depending on your credit profile, you may qualify for full or partial financing at rates between 10 – 30% APR.

Shipping

Shipping is a very important element of online shopping. Customers want to pay as little as possible for shipping, and they don’t want to wait too long to receive delivery of their package. Thus, a review of an online shop is not complete without examining its shipping cost and shipping time.

Whiteflash ships to all over the US, including APO, FPO, and DPO location, as well as to over 70 international destinations. Whiteflash uses FedEx for the US and international shipping but uses US Postal Service Priority Mail for military shipment. Given that the merchandise being moved is expensive; Whiteflash shipping comes with complimentary (free) insurance to all locations.

In terms of shipping times, Whiteflash ticks the box, as they endeavour to meet or beat the delivery times included in the product descriptions. Because of this commitment, they have very short order processing times. All in-house diamonds (A Cut Above, Expert Selection and Premium Select diamonds) are shipped the same day the orders are placed, as long as the order is placed and payment received before 2 pm. Virtual select diamonds are shipped the same day the diamond is approved (if payment is gets to them before 2 pm of that date). Custom items take time to be built, so they’re available for shipping in about a month.

After the items are processed and shipped out, international package may take 2 – 3 business days to get to their destinations, while US customers will usually get their package the next day. Deliveries to military addresses are done only on Fridays, and may take as much as three weeks. Saturday shipping is available for US addresses but it will attract $30. Besides the special weekend (Saturday) delivery, all shipping is free for new purchases (and servicing for the first year).

Where free shipping is not applicable (for example, shipping your ring back to you when you send it for servicing after one year of the initial purchase), the shipping and insurance costs are as follows:

• Domestic Shipping: $35 as shipping cost, and 0.3% of the price of the item as insurance cost. If the item cost $5,000.00; total cost will be $35 + $15 (which is $5000 x 0.003) = $50.
• International shipping: $50 as shipping cost, and 1% of the price of the item as insurance cost. If the item cost $5,000.00; total cost will be $50 + $50 (which is $5000 x 0.01) = $100.

The list of countries that Whiteflash ships to is: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, China, Curacao, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Monaco, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Montserrat, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saipan, Saudi Arabia, Scotland (U.K.), Singapore, Seychelles, Saint Maarten, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenedines, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City, Vietnam. However, the maximum purchase limit differs from country to country and range from $5,000 to $50,000.

While Whiteflash bears shipping cost as well as shipping insurance costs, the customer is responsible for applicable Customs fees, taxes and duties. It should also be said that Whiteflash method of delivery is Fed Ex “Hold for Pickup”. This means the package will not be delivered to your door, but to a staffed Fed Ex location where you’ll have to go to and show identification in order to receive the package. While it may not be super convenient, it is strictly for security purposes.

Returns

In the interest of customer satisfaction, legit online stores offer “money back guarantees” that allows customers to return merchandise that they are not totally satisfied with and get a refund of their payment. In this regard, the online jewellery industry is no exception. Though returns in the industry are rare, there is still a need to look out for a returns policy. There’s the possibility that you may be sent a damaged item, or you may simply have a change of mind about the purchase. Whatever the case, you can rest easy knowing that you can return the item and get a full refund.

Whiteflash has a return policy that makes for good reading in many aspects. If you opt to return any item, call customer service, and you’ll be given instructions for securely shipping the diamond back to Whiteflash, as well as a return authorization number (RA#), and a pre-paid FedEx label including insurance.

The allowed returns window is 30 days for all in-stock diamonds, which means that you have a full month from the time of receiving delivery of the item to get it back to Whiteflash. However, for Diamonds from the Virtual Selection category, the returns window is only 10 days. The 30 days window is on par with many of the other online retailers. However, with only 10 days allowed for virtual selection, the customer may find themselves racing against time to get the return to Whiteflash.

There are certain items that cannot be returned. These include jewellery items that have been modified to customer specified requirements (other than normal sizing or engraving), non-catalogue special order items, and full eternity rings.

Other Services

There are other services offered by Whiteflash that may make them the ideal store for you. These include Life Time Trade Up, One Year Buy Back, Customer Loyalty Program, and One Year Service Plan.

Life Time Trade Up

Well, it’s true that you can get too used to something, and it will no longer give that initial excitement. That is even true for diamonds. But that shouldn’t be a problem because Whiteflash has a trade-up program that allows you to exchange your diamond for another sparkling delight. In Whiteflash, no matter how long you’ve had the diamond for, as long as the diamond is undamaged and you still have the original diamond laboratory certificate, you can choose to return it to Whiteflash for another diamond of equal or higher value.

True, other retailers have trade-up programs, but none of them measures up to Whiteflash’s program. Usually, these retailers will require that the new diamond you’ll be getting must be twice the amount of the stone you are returning. What is more, Whiteflash may even consider trade-up for diamonds purchased elsewhere.

One year buyback Guarantee

If for reasons you want to sell your Whiteflash in-house diamond within one year of its purchase; they will examine it and, if it passes, will buy it back at 70% of the diamond’s purchase price.

Customer Loyalty Program

Word of mouth is one of the primary ways the Whiteflash brand is propagated, and they have a cool referral program to ensure that the propagation continues. As an existing customer, if you refer a friend who makes a purchase of over $2,000, Whiteflash will reward you with a check of $100. You get such a check for every qualifying new customer.

Also, if you’ve purchased from Whiteflash in the past, you’ll be eligible to receive a Customer Loyalty Discount of $100 on other purchases from them over $2,000.

One Year Service Plan

All Whiteflash pieces of jewellery are backed by a one-year service policy. This policy covers not only refinishing and repair needs due to a manufacturing defect but also due to normal wear. As it is a one-year policy, it only covers the one year period from the time of delivery of your Whiteflash jewellery. Whiteflash will take care of all repairs cost. They will also cover return shipping and insurance to customers in the US and Canada.

That said, being that jewellery should last for years (even decades), a one-year complimentary servicing seem utterly inadequate.

3 Year Ultimate Care Plan

If you sign up for this program, you’ll pay just a token, and you’ll be able to send in your diamond ring for any repairs that it may need if it cracks/ breaks (due to faulty workmanship) or gets damaged (due to normal wear). The token you pay is a one-time payment, and depends on the original price of the ring (for example it’s $25 for items of $100.00 – $199.99; it’s $45 for items of $400 – $600; and it’s $70 for items of $1,000.00 – $1,499.99).

However, the token that is paid for the care plan does not compare to what would have been paid for some repair work that is covered by the plan. For example, replacing a quarter or half shank cost $95 – $275; replacing a clasp or link cost $55 – $185; and replacing a damaged or cracked stone may cost $95 – $975. These and many more repair works will be enjoyed free of charge under the Care Plan.

Customer Support Service

Every legit diamond/jewellery retailer should provide channels for contacting them. This is because, with high-end purchases like diamonds, you may have questions that you need to be answered, whether about the merchandise or about some aspect of the company. Issues are also inevitable no matter how efficiently a retailer operates, and you should want to ensure that the company has proven means for resolving customers’ issues.

In this regard, Whiteflash ticks the box. They have a very extensive FAQ section that other online retailers should really emulate. The FAQ covers virtually everything- from the company itself, its certifications and policies, to the product offerings (diamonds and other jewellery), to payment methods and more. If there is any question you have, there’s a pretty good chance it is already covered in the FAQ page.

However, there are times when you have to directly contact the company. Whiteflash provides the regular contact options for this, which includes live chat, email, postal mail and telephone.

For email you may use the email address: Info@Whiteflash.com; and for postal mail, you may send your letters to the mailing address: 2150 Town Square Place #330, Sugar Land, TX 77479.

For obvious reasons, the postal mailing option will definitely not be the favourite option; the email has a relatively shorter response time and will be far better option than the postal mail. However, for instant feedback, you can use the live chat or the telephone service. For the phone service, Whiteflash provide toll free lines so you don’t have to worry about charges when contacting them. US toll free line is 1-877-612-6770, while the international line is 1-832-252-6770. Whiteflash also has a strong social media presence, and can be reached via all the popular social media platforms.

Summary

If I am to define Whiteflash in one sentence, I’ll say: Whiteflash is a legit online jeweler that is home to true super ideal diamonds. They really prove that they are the “lords of the online rings”. They have excellent products from designer brands. Of their in-house diamonds, the “A Cut Above” collections feature superb cut precision and optical performance, making them real super ideal diamonds, and the best you’ll find anywhere. Their other collections (Expert selection and Premium collection) are also top notch, with many of the stones having AGS triple excellent ideal grading. Another thing that sets Whiteflash apart is that for every in-house diamond, they provide its optical performance imagery and other technical reports, so that you can prove its cut quality for yourself. They also provide extensive customer education such that when checking out diamonds, you’ll know to look out for the details that the very pros look out for.

Excellent quality stones are completed with excellent services. Whiteflash offers free shipping, and free returns, good financing options, lifetime trade up warranty, servicing plan and more.

If there’s really anything that would stop you from looking at Whiteflash when shopping diamonds, it will be their relatively higher prices; but even that should not hold you back when you consider that what you’ll get is top quality.

The name Madewell itself is an advert blurb. It tells you the company makes something well. Not to leave you guessing what it is they make well, they answer: “Simply put, we make great jeans. We also focus on
all the things that go with denim, like easy tees, keep-forever bags, wear-every-day jewellery and compliment-worthy shoes”.

This makes Madewell one of the many online shops for fashion and fashion accessories. But they say what sets them apart from the others is that their merchandise is made well (that is, of high quality).  Is the shop worth trying?

Yes, MadeWell is legit. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money and credit card details will not be stolen. And you will get the products you ordered from the store without a problem.

This Madewell review will shine the spotlight on Madewell to determine whether the online shop is genuine, whether they offer fashion styles that’ll excite a fashionista, whether their products are actually made well (high quality), whether their items are pocket-friendly, and whether their services would give a painless customer experience.

Madewell review at a glance

• The brand was founded in 1937 and went under decades later, but was reborn to its current identity in 2006
• It is owned and operated by J. Crew Group Inc – a giant fast fashion online store based in the US
• Madewell is better known for their denim wears, but they offer other women clothing and fashion accessories, including some men’s wear
• They are reputable for offering high quality (albeit relatively expensive) items
• Offers free shipping (uncapped for US loyalty-member customers and on $175+ orders for Canada customers)
• Allows returns for refund or exchange
• Customer support is available 24/7 via email, telephone, fax, twitter

What is Madewell?

MadeWell is an online fashion store. You’ll see in the tags and some documentation of Madewell that 1937 is the year the Madewell brand started.

This is true but does not mean the company has been operating seamlessly since that time. Madewell was actually founded in 1937 in New England by Julius Kivowitz. But it definitely wasn’t a trendy choice for women because it was not the fast fashion shop that’ll have you stepping out in sexy, cool, tomboy or artful styles of the time. Though sexy, cool, tomboy, and artful are some of the words that describe Madewell today. At the time, they only sold jeans, bib overalls, and dungarees for factory workers and fishermen. They operated for decades, but all operation ceased when their last factory was shut down in 1989.

Fast forward to 2006, and J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler purchased the brand name and turned Madewell into what it is today – one of the most promising brands in the mass fashion market. Thus, Madewell is currently owned by J. Crew Group Inc. Madewell emphasizes their denim line; as a result, they are better known for their denim wears. Upon their rebirth in 2006, Madewell started off as a women fashion store. So apart from denim, they offer other women clothing. They would later add men’s range and some home collection to their product offering range as part of their expansion project.

Madewell is one fashion store that pursues creativity, and this has to lead to some super fashion products over the years. One of such is the Thermolite fibre which is touted as cold-weather denim which will keep you; another such product uses the latest stretch technology and is said to not sag even with heavy stretching.

Is Madewell Legit?

MadeWell is legit, not a scam. For fear of being ripped off, when buying anything online, you’ll want to make sure that the online shop is legit. There are too many scam artists on the internet, and they use the online store as a front. They’ll display elegant merchandise which draws unsuspecting customers to make a payment, but there will be no delivery. Thus, one of the first questions that any online shopper will ask is whether Madewell is legit or just another scam.

The evidence shows that Madewell is legit. First, the company is registered and headquartered in the US. Also, it is owned by the equally fully registered (and legit) fashion giant – J. Crew; and its operators are well known. Suffice it to say that, scam stores do not pursue company registration, and their operators hide behind the scenes and are usually unknown.

The history of Madewell is a testament to their legitimacy. The brand is almost synonymous with the evolution of American shopping; also since its rebirth in about 2006, it has been regularly delivering orders. That’s over a decade of seamless operation. Suffice it to say that no scam store can last that long.

Another thing is that Madewell has the capacity to fulfill orders. This is made possible by the different fulfillment centres (physical stores) that the company has all over the US and in the UK. There’s no doubt that they have the merchandise and will ship it to you when you order it. This is far from scam stores that do not deliver items because there is usually no product to deliver. Scam stores have only virtual existence; there’s usually no physical factory, warehouse, or store.

That said, there’s no doubt that Madewell is legit – this is evident from their legal recognition, physical existence, storied history, a track record of fulfilling orders, and more.

Is Madewell Safe?

Madewell is safe and will not be ripping you off, but another concern should be whether shopping there will leave you exposed to other scam artists. When you shop in any online store (including Madewell), you submit personal and sensitive information such as your name, date of birth, mailing address, credit card details, and more. A safe store would ensure that this information is protected, and not allowed to be captured by unauthorized third parties (that is, fraudsters).

We can’t give Madewell full stars here, but that is not to say it isn’t safe to shop in the store, but because there is no information provided about the security measures employed to ensure the protection of customers personal information and transaction details. Some other online stores clearly detail the technical and administrative data-protection measures taken in a dedicated page or as part of their privacy policy, but that was not the case with Madewell.

However, it is safe to say that Madewell is safe because their parent company J. Crew use the latest technology and some outstanding administrative measures to ensure the protection of Customers’ information and credit card details.

Features

Labels

Though they offer own-branded products, Madewell also draws products from other top designers/ brands. The brands you’ll find being sold in Madewell are Apiece Apart, Hansel from Basel, Karen Walker, Maiami, Melissa Joy Manning, Owen Barry, Penfield, Snowe, Vans, and W&P.

Loyalty Program

Madewell has a tiered loyalty program that rewards you based on how much you spend. The first level (Madewell Insider) is free and open to everyone without having to spend any amount. All you have to do is create an account online, or go to any of their physical stores and create an account with one of their associates. The next higher level is the “Madewell Star”; and you’ll need to spend $500 or more to qualify. The highest level is the “Madewell Icon”, and you’ll need to spend over $1000 to be that icon.

The benefit you enjoy depends on your tier level. However, the Madewell Insider, which is the very first tier and which requires no minimum purchase amount to qualify, has some juicy benefits. These include free standard shipping and handling, free returns, free leather and denim personalization, free hemming, a birthday gift and more. The Madewell Star will get everything a Madewell Insider gets including the dedicated concierge phone line and annual collectable tote; while a Madewell Icon gets everything a Madewell Star gets including a semi-annual gift.

One downside of the loyalty program is that it is for US customers only. Thus, all international customers do not get any of free shipping, free returns, free hemming, free product personalization, a birthday gift, semi-annual gift etc. That’s almost like making living outside the US criminal.

Madewell Clothing

Madewell clothing is quite a lot. Below we have selected some of the ones we found on the website. You can go click on the image to see more Madewell clothing samples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madewell Shoes

Madewell shoes are listed here. We just randomly chose some of the shoes so you may click on the image to view more samples and choose the one that suits you most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madewell Accessories

Madewell has lots of accessories to help complete your fashion desires. We just a random selection so make sure to click on the image for more samples.

Product Range

The idea Madewell should have a wide product range. That way you are able to make a choice from a huge selection, and you are more likely to find something you like. Apart from giving you a choice, a wide product selection can also result in significant cost savings. This comes from bulk purchase discounts, and/ or paying for one order flat-rate shipment instead of buying items from different stores and shipping them individually.

is able to offer a wide range of fashion products for young women. However, the thrust of Madewell’s advertisements is their range of denim. They claim that Madewell is for denim lovers, and that appears spot on. They give you every denim piece of clothing. In the denim category, you’ll find two sections – denim fits and denim dressings. Items you’ll find under denim fits include Skinny Jeans, Curvy Jeans, Demi-Boot Jeans, Boyjeans, Perfect Vintage Jeans, Straight-Leg Jeans, Wide-Leg Jeans, Overalls & Jumpsuits, and Maternity Jeans. Under Denim dressing, you’ll find Denim Dresses, Denim Jackets, Denim Shirts, Denim Shorts, and Denim Skirts.

The denim thrust can give you the impression that Madewell sells only denim/ jeans, but that is not the case. Madewell is much more than just denim/ jeans. The online store focuses on women fashion, and they have the full gamut. Under women clothing category, you’ll find Sweaters, Sweatshirts, Tees & Tanks, Tops & Shirts, Dresses, Pants, Overalls & Jumpsuits, Shorts, Skirts, Jackets & Coats, Activewear, Intimates & Pajamas, Swimwear and others.

Other product categories include: women shoes (where you’ll find boots, flats, heels, mules & slides, oxfords & loafers, sandals, sneakers, slippers and more); women fashion accessories (where you’ll find bags, jewellery, scarves & bandanas, hats, gloves, sunglasses & cases, hair accessories, belts, socks & tights, and more); women beauty products (where you’ll find aromatherapy, bath & body items, beauty accessories, fragrance, hair care products, makeup, skin care products).

Madewell has also added a range of Home Collections, where you’ll find bed & bath accessories, Candles, Décor items, Gifts & Tech items, kitchen & bar collections, stationery, cards & books, travel & luggage items, and more. In recent times, expansion has caused Madewell to add a men’s range to their product offerings. Also, there is a focus on denim. You’ll find skinny jeans, slim jeans, and straight jeans being offered. Once again, it is not all about denim; there’s a men’s clothing category, where you’ll find Tees & sweatshirts, shirts, and jackets. You can also get men shoes and fashion accessories like belt, sunglasses, etc.

You’ll agree that it doesn’t matter if a shop holds a humongous inventory if the quality is generally poor. Therefore, after determining that Madewell has a good enough product range, the next concern should be the quality of the items offered.

On the Madewell website, you’ll find that the company makes a serious case for the technical superiority of the fabric used for their jeans line. Not only is the material said to give a “super-comfortable feel”, but it’s said that it uses the latest stretch technology, and thus have a high degree of stretching without bagging out.  Madewell CEO is even quoted as saying that the material seems to “have memory and keep their shape” even after heavy stretching.

If you think this is a classic “company praising their product” stuff, it will interest you to know that customers’ reviews seem to agree. On a lot of customer review platforms, real customers who have bought from Madewell tend to agree that the items, especially the jeans, are top quality. Reviews include comments like: If we’re only talking about the jeans: 5 stars; their clothes are timeless pieces of which never get old; the quality of everything is top notch; they have incredible quality clothes, shoes, leather purses etc; some of the highest quality jeans I have ever owned; the fit of the jeans are incredible, and they don’t stretch out and lose shape even after years of wear; Madewell is forever my go-to denim brand. One review of bags from Madewell commented: “I have the transport tote and small leather pouch from them and I love them so much! The material is top quality and durable”.

From the numerous customer reviews of Madewell, one thing that can be gleaned is that the quality of their merchandise is not in doubt. The company advertises timeless pieces that don’t sag even after heavy stretching, and customers agree that the items they got from the store are just that. The company advertises super comfortable material, and customers agree that the pieces they got from the store are soft and worth every penny.

Price

To most customers, price is the most important factor in any buy decision. Most often than not, customers do not want to pay over what is reasonable for an item no matter how desirable the item is. Therefore, it’s important to consider whether the merchandises in Madewell are within the reasonable price range.

Unfortunately, items in Madewell are on the high side. You’ll be hard pressed to find jeans that are priced below $75, as most of the jeans are over $100. Also, you’ll find that sweaters are in the $60 – %140 range; while most Tees are in the $40 – $80 range.

My opinion is that if you want to shop cheap, Madewell is not the place you should be checking. If you must know, it isn’t just me who think Madewell is quite on the high side. Customer reviews also seem to be unanimous on that. Remember the reviews that attested to Madewell’s quality, over 90% of those think Madewell can work to make their prices more competitive. The reviews include comments like: they should consider lowering the price on some items; Madewell offers terrific basics but they all seem to be overpriced; Madewell is expensive; they are more pricey; and more.

Does this mean that you should close the tab, and go to another online fashion shop? I don’t think so, and the many customers who have shopped in Madewell also do not think so. While Madewell is quite expensive; customers seem to agree that it’s completely worth it because of the top quality offered.

Payment Methods

When checking out online stores, you’ll want to know the payment methods supported so that you’ll know if one of them is available to you for use in your territory, as well as whether it will be convenient. Convenient payment is should be part of the smooth and painless customer service that any online shop offers.

In this regard, we were not totally impressed with Madewell. It wasn’t that they do not support a good range of payment options, or that they supported options does not make for convenient payment; rather, it was because there is no information on the subject. There’s no dedicated page on their website that gives payment method details. Instead, you’ll have to select items and get to the checkout to know what options are available to you for making payment by virtue of where you are shopping from. The implication is that the payment options available to you at checkout may differ depending on your territory. Thus, no particular reviewer can determine the full range of payment options supported by Madewell.

That said, Madewell definitely accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal and gift cards, because these options were available to me from my location. They are global options; as such it is safe to say that they’ll be available for payment in almost every location that Madewell ships to. The options also afford convenience; thus, it can be drawn that paying for your orders in Madewell is painless.

It would also seem that Madewell accepts payment by check (cheque), because a statement on their returns/ refund policy is about how customers who made their purchases by check can process the request for refund. Many online fashion stores do not accept checks. Thus, it would appear than Madewell supports more payment options than many shops support.

Shipping

Shipping is second only to price in the most listing of factors affecting online purchases. Two shipping considerations are shipping cost and shipping times. You don’t want shipping cost to be too much; else the total expenditure on the order will be too high. Also, you don’t want the shipping times to be too much; else you’ll have to wait frustratingly before receiving delivery of the order.

As a US-based retailer, Madewell ships to all 50 US states, including Washington DC, US P.O.Boxes, US territories, and military (APO/FPO/ DPO) addresses. There are different shipping options, such as economy shipping standard shipping, expedited shipping, and Overnight shipping; and the option chosen will determine the shipping cost and time.

Economy cost $3.00 and will take 5 – 8 business days; standard shipping cost $5.00 and will take 3 – 7 business days; expedited shipping cost $15.00 and will take 3 – 4 business days; while overnight shipping cost $25.00, and as the name suggest, you’ll receive delivery of your order the next day (as long as the order is placed before 1 PM ET Monday through Thursday).

Madewell’s shipping costs are flat rates, which mean that the cost does not increase with an increase in order size and weight. This is a good one because it will help you save significantly if your orders will be large. However, free shipping wins it anytime and draws the crowd because most customers will want to pay nothing to get their orders.

Thankfully (to US customers at least), Madewell offers free shipping. However, it’s only as part of their loyalty program (Madewell Insider, Madewell Star or Madewell Icon). The Madewell Insider has up to free standard shipping; while the Madewell Star and Icon have up to free expedited shipping.

There’s a plus and minus side to this “loyalty program attached” free shipping offer. On the minus side, you must be signed in to your Loyalty customer account at the time of purchase to be eligible for the free shipping and handling. If you’re not signed in to the loyalty account, you’ll be treated as a non-loyalty member and will be whatever shipping fees apply to your selected shipping option. Also, since the loyalty program is for only US customers, it means only US customers are eligible for free shipping. On the plus side, you (US customers of course) don’t have to spend up to a particular qualifying amount to be eligible for free shipping. As far as you are a Madewell Insider, you can get free shipping no matter the amount of your order. This is better than the regular free shipping model, where customers’ orders have to be up to a particular amount to qualify for free shipping. Thus, in Madewell, there is no psychological pressure to spend more than you wanted to just because you want to get free shipping.

Madewell also ships internationally. To Canada, two shipping options are available – standard and express. The standard shipping is via UPS i-parcel; it takes 2 to 10 business days and cost CAD 10. The UPS Worldwide Express takes up to 5 business days and costs CAD 25. Interestingly, Canadian customers are given a free express shipping offer; but this time, it’s the regular free shipping model. Every order of CAD 175 or more is eligible for free express shipping to Canada.

Madewell also ships to the Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Africa and the Middle East. The shipping costs to a specific destination are provided at checkout.

To Asia Pacific destinations, Standard shipping takes: 5 to 11 business days to Japan; 5 to 9 business days to China and Taiwan; 5 to 13 business days to India; 6 to 9 business days to Singapore; 6 to 10 business days to Korea and New Zealand; 6 to 12 business days to Thailand; 6 to 18 business days to Australia; 7 to 9 business days to Hong Kong; 8 to 15 business days to Indonesia. Standard shipping is not available to customers in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Macau, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Madewell offers express shipping to all the Asia Pacific destinations mentioned above which take only up to 6 business days.

Express shipping is what’s mostly available to Latin America and Caribbean destinations. It takes 2 to 4 business days to St. Kitts and Nevis; and 2 to 6 business days to any of Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Only Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico have the standard shipping option, and it takes 5 to 10 business days.

The two shipping options are available to European destinations. To addresses in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Iceland, Jersey, and Malta, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days. To addresses in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping 4 to 8 business days. To addresses in Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping takes 5 to 9 business days. To Russia, Express shipping takes 3 to 6 business days while Standard shipping takes 5 to 13 business days. Only standard shipping is available to Romania, and it takes 3 to 6 business days.

Madewell also ships to the Middle East, but currently ships to only Egypt in Africa. To Turkey, Express shipping takes 2 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping 5 to 13 business days. Only Express shipping is available to addresses in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Reunion, and it takes 3 to 6 business days. To Saudi Arabia, Express shipping takes 3 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping takes 5 to 12 business days. Finally, to Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Express shipping takes 3 to 6 business days, while Standard shipping 5 to 9 business days.

If your country is not in any of the above-mentioned, you should not order from Madewell, because it means that they do not currently ship to your country. However, there’s one good thing about the international shipment, which is that there are no additional costs that will be due on receipt of your order. Your final order total at checkout includes all international taxes, tariffs, value-added tax (VAT), etc.

In some online stores where international shipment attract additional costs (duty, customs, tariffs or COD), customers’ reviews are full of frustration at having these extra charges thrust on them, sometimes unsuspectingly. Therefore, it’s a big plus that international shipment in MadeWell is “clean”, where the order total presented at checkout is the exact total you pay to receive your orders.

Returns Policy

When making online purchases, there is a need to consider whether the store allows returns. This is because there are a lot of reasons why you may have to return an item after receiving delivery of it. For sized products, there is the possibility that the item ordered is a wrong fit. It could also be that an item gets to you damaged, and there’s even the possibility of getting a wrong item. The list is endless.

Thankfully, Madewell allows returns. Their returns policy allows a 30 days returns window. If you are not totally satisfied with your order, you can return it for a full refund, or for exchange with another item. Madewell will accept the returned items as long as the return is made within 30 days of the original purchase.

The returned items also need to be in their original conditions. That is, they must be unworn, unwashed, and undamaged. Also, all tags must be intact. In the case of swim wears, body suits and intimates, all protective liners must also still be intact.

As a perk of the Madewell loyalty program, Madewell Insiders can make free returns. Madewell includes a shipping returns label to ease the returns process. The cost of the returns label is $7.50, and it is borne by Madewell for their loyalty members. But for all others, the cost will be deducted from the refund. It should be said that as a loyalty member if your items do not get to Madewell within the 30 days window, they will still be accepted, but you’ll lose the free returns perk, and will be charged the $7.50.

As much as possible, refunds are made through the original payment method.  However, you have to allow for two weeks for the returned items to be processed.

Customer Service

You may have some questions relating to your transaction or you may have issues with your order; in either case, you’ll need the shop to have an effective customer support service to provide you with needed assistance.

There are different ways through which you can reach a support agent of Madewell – email, fax, post, telephone or twitter. One good thing is that the support service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, it will appear that the company favours email and telephone options.

For email support, you can send them a mail from the contact form on their website, or directly from your mail box using contactus@madewell.com or Julie@madewell.com. Madewell pledge that email support submissions will be replied within 48 hours, which in my opinion can be improved upon.

You can use the telephone service at 434 385 5792; or the fax at 434 385 5754. If you’ll rather use social media, their twitter handle is @askmadewell; and for the good old traditional mail, you can post to Madewell Customer Relations, One Ivy Crescent, Lynchburg, VA 24513-1001.

However, it should be said that while Madewell has glowing reviews in most areas, customer support is not one of them. Many customers were left unimpressed with their customer service, especially the in-store service. The online store seems to better but does not qualify for a five-star rating.

Summary

Madewell is a legit fashion store that is underlining what it takes to stay successful in the mass fashion market – Quality. The company has stayed true to its name: its products are made well. They have thrown their weight behind their denim line, and the shop is definitely one you’ll want to go to if you want top quality jeans.

Their product line is not the largest you’ll find, but they offer other women clothing, including a men’s range, and home collection. Their prices may initially want to scare you off, but if you steer to the sales section, you’ll find reasonable prices (though relatively higher) for top quality items.

On the service angle, they have a loyalty program that is too juicy for those that qualify – free shipping, free returns, free items personalization, free hemming and more. However, since only US customers can qualify, it makes it look like a crime to be outside the US. Though there are different customer support channels, and the service is available 24/ 7, response times and helpfulness of the support service can see some improvement.

I liked:

• Top quality timeless items
• No additional charges upon receipt of order
• Free shipping and free returns available
• Good range of support options, which can be accessed round the clock (24/ 7)

I didn’t like

• Prices are on the high side
• No information on the full range of payment methods supported
• No incentive for loyal international shoppers
• 48 hours response time for email support submissions

You may use the review section below to give us your brief MadeWell review.

Unique Vintage is one of those few online fashion retailers that started a business online before proceeding to open up brick and mortar stores. It was started in 2000 by Katie Echeverry. According to the site, Katie was simply posting vintage dresses on the website for fun; and only when orders began to flood in did she take it seriously.

The first brick and Mortar store was opened in 2008 in Burbank, California; and the store has been expanded over the years and is now over 4,000 square feet.

Unique Vintage runs its own label, and many of the items in the store carry the UV label. However, they also sell many gorgeous vintage designs from other vintage labels. Thus, you’ll find every timeless design in the store, from floral chiffon gowns to retro Hollywood inspired swimsuits.

Everyone who thirteen (13) or over can create an account and use the online shop. The website which is available only in the English language is https://www.unique-vintage.com. It is fully mobile optimized; so you can access it with mobile platforms, such as Android, Apple, Blackberry and more.

All you need do is type in the URL in your browser, and you’ll be directed to the mobile version. You’ll be able to view all available items, place an order, track your order, and access whatever service you can access when operating with desktop devices.

In the fast fashion world of today, every day seems to generate a new fad. As a result, it’s hard to keep up with what’s in and what’s out. The simple solution for most fashion enthusiasts is a trend that has stood the test of time and doesn’t seem to be going away, and that is cute and stylish vintage clothing and accessories.

Unique Vintage is an online fashion retailer. As their name suggests they offer vintage-inspired fashion but with a modern twist, which according to them make their fashion offerings the “just-right options for a range of events and occasions”.

Yes, Unique Vintage is legit. It is not a scam store because you will receive any product you purchased from the store without a problem. And they will never steal your money or credit card details.

For just about anything, you’ll want to step out in the just-right clothing. Therefore a store that claims to offer the “just-right clothing” deserves some attention. However, it’s a cold truth that talking is one thing, but doing is quite another. So the big question is whether Unique Vintage actually provides the “just-right” fashion options. If they do, are their prices also just-right? Is the Unique Vintage even a genuine store to begin with?

This Unique Vintage review will x-ray the online fashion store and provide the information that will help you answer these questions such as ” Unique Vintage legit?”, “Is Unique Vintage Safe” or “is Unique Vintage a Scam?”.

Unique Vintage at a glance

• Established in 2000
• Offers top quality vintage-inspired styles
• Focuses on young women, and holds a wide range of styles including dresses, tops, bottoms, shoes and accessories
• Allows returns within 30 days of receiving the delivery, and issue a refund to the original payment method
• Payment is via popular credit/ debit cards, PayPal, Amazon gift cards, and UV store credit
• Customer support is available through email and telephone service
• Website is https://www.unique-vintage.com, and it is fully mobile optimized
• Use industry standard SSL technology to safeguard customers’ information.

Is Unique Vintage Legit?

Unique Vintage is legit, not a scam. One of the most important questions any customer should ask is whether any online shop he/ she plan to buy from is legit. You only shouldn’t ask this question if you don’t mind being scammed, and I’ll bet you do mind. With many scam artists on the internet trying to defraud people, you should be concerned whether Unique Vintage is Legit.

Legit online stores can be identified in many ways. One way is by passing the test of time, and another is by looking for physical existence.

Most often than not, scam stores do not last long. Once the spotlight is shone on their scam operation, they pack up and disappear. On the other hand, a legit store will continue its operation almost perpetually. In this regard, Unique Vintage passes the test of time because they have been operating since 2000. Delivering vintage clothing for almost 18 years is no small feat. Suffice it to say that no scam store can stay in business for that long.

Also, most often than not, the scam stores have only virtual existence. They exist at best only as a website; there is no production centre, warehouse or physical stores. In short, there are no physical items; so when an unsuspecting buyer makes a purchase from such stores, nothing is delivered. On the other hand, a legit shop will have a physical existence, especially physical stores holding actual items.

Unique Vintage has such a store. In fact, the Unique Vintage Magnolia Boulevard Boutique is one of the biggest fashion shops you’ll find. And because of its prime location, it has become the go-to place for many celebrities. True, Unique Vintage started as an online store and existed for some eight years before establishing the physical store; however, they had a physical fulfilment centre were items were inventoried and shipped from.

That said, that Unique Vintage has been operating seamlessly for almost two decades, and also that they have a large physical store/fulfilment centre shows that the store is legit, and they will fulfil your orders.

Is Unique Vintage Safe?

Unique Vintage is safe and secure. Unique Vintage is legit and will not be ripping you off; that part is very much settled. However, will shop in the store exposes you to other scam artists and fraudsters? That is another question that need be asked.

When you create an account and shop in an online store, you reveal personal and sensitive information such as your name, email address, contact address, credit card information and more. Almost everyone knows the horrors that play out when credit card information is captured by fraudsters. Therefore, it is important that Unique Vintage is safe, in preventing the information you share with them from being captured by unauthorized third parties.

In this regard, Unique Vintage ticks an important box. They process all service orders on a secure server that encrypts all financial information through (SSL) technology. SSL, which stands for, Secure Socket Layer is the industry standard for creating a secure link between the device of the buyer and the web servers of the seller, such that any data transfer between the two entities is private. The use of encryption ensures that even if the data is captured, it cannot be deciphered.

Apart from the use of this technical measure, Unique Vintage does not store credit card information in their database. That way, even if there is a data breach, your credit card details are not exposed. Unique Vintage acknowledges concluding their total security assurances by saying that though total security does not exist on the internet, they will make commercially reasonable efforts to safeguard the information that you share with them.

That said, their use of technical and administrative measures to safeguarding customers’ information, as well as their security consciousness testifies that Unique Vintage is safe. You can also see similar to stores at Liligal, Zappos and Rotita

Product Range

Normally, you’d want your fashion shop to have a wide range of items so that you’ll be able to choose from a wide range.

Unique Vintage is able to offer a wide range of products. The categories and the items in each category are as follows:

• Clothing – You’ll find dresses, tops and bottoms in the store. There are dresses for every occasion such as prom dresses, cocktail dresses, wedding dresses, holiday dresses and more. You’ll find different dress styles such as swing, pencil, plus size, LBD, rompers and jumpsuits, fit and flare, wrap, sweater and more. The tops you’ll find in the store include tanks and Tees, crop tops, cardigans, blouses, coats and sweaters and more. Some of the bottoms you’ll find include skirts, shorts, and pants.
• Swimwear –Unique Vintage has different styles that you can do for your swimming sessions. This includes one piece, two piece, swim sets, high waisted wear, plus size swimwear, swim trends, unique vintage brand swimwear and more.
• Flapper – For vintage flapper clothing, Unique Vintage serves you well with flapper dresses, flapper shoes, flapper accessories, flapper coats and more
• Wedding – Unique Vintage is willing to dress you up on your special day. They have wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, wedding guest attire, wedding shoes, wedding accessories and more
• Shoes – You’ll find heels, flats, T-straps, bridal shoes, flapper and more
• Accessories – For the accessories to complete your dressing, Unique Vintage offers sunglasses, gifts and home products, handbags, jewellery, hats and hair accessories, belts, petticoats, stockings and tights, beauty products, gloves and scarves, umbrellas, flapper, lingerie and more

Unique Vintage offers fashion for everyone; that is, for all shapes and sizes. Thus, you’ll find Plus Size dresses, plus size tops, plus size bottoms and more. You can also choose to shop specific styles from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and the 1970s.

Payment Method

You won’t want to have a headache when making payments for items in online stores. Therefore, it’s important that an online fashion store supports payment methods that are readily available to you, and that will be convenient to use.

In this regard, Unique Vintage ticks the right box. The online fashion store accepts all major credit cards such as Master Card, Visa card, American Express, and Discover card. They also accept PayPal, Amazon payment and Apple Pay. Checks and Money Orders are not accepted in the store.

Credit/ debit cards and PayPal are global payment options that will be available to you from virtually everywhere on the planet. Thus, making payment in Unique Vintage should be hassle-free. However, some customers will want to see more options, especially web wallets and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoins.

Price and Promotions

Price

Price is the most important factor affecting sales. No customer will want to pay more than reasonable for items; thus this review will examine whether prices of items in the store are in the affordable range.

Unique Vintage offers a variety of items, and new items are added on a daily basis. Thus, it is difficult to quote prices for their items. However, if you check the prices of the featured items, you might find them on the high side.

Thankfully, the sales page significantly brings down these prices, and you will find timeless vintage fashion styles at a fantastic bargain. These include a lot of flapper dresses, pencil dresses, high waisted trousers, and more for just about $50.00.

Promotions

Many customers look out for bonuses and promotions. This is because these promos give them an opportunity to get items in the store for less than the full prices. Therefore, any review of an online fashion store should examine the different promotions offered by the store, as well as the sizes of the promotional packages.

In fact, one way online fashion stores compete is by promos; and Unique Vintage also run promos from time to time. These promos are aimed at attracting new customers to the store, as well as stimulating existing customers to shop more.

At the time of writing, some of the promos running included a 10% bonus for the newsletter, and a share and get $10 offer. The former gives you a discount of 10% of your orders simply for signing up to receive email promotional messages; while the latter is a referral bonus. When you spread the word about Unique Vintage and get anyone to buy from the shop, Unique Vintage will reward you with $10 credit with which you can get elegant items in the store.

Also, the store holds enticing sweepstakes/ bonus draws. At the time of writing this review, one such sweepstake was a partnership between Unique Vintage and iconic hair brand Manic Panic to reward lucky winners with $1,000 Unique Vintage gift card and a years’ supply of Manic Panic.

Unique Vintage also has a rewards program that awards loyal customer with points, which can then be converted to store credits for making purchases in the store. You can earn points for a range of activities which include creating an account with the store, making purchases, referring a friend, writing a review, signing up for email and more. When you create an account with Unique Vintage, you are rewarded with 250 points; every $1.00 spent in the store nets you 10 points; if you share promotional articles on social media you are rewarded with 5 points per referral click; you get 100 points when you sign up for email newsletter; and you earn 25 points when you leave a review for a product (subject to 5 reviews per month). After accumulating at least 1250 points, you can redeem them for a $5.00 store credit. Thus, Unique Vintage is one of those stores where you can shop by using credits earned from various activities in the platform.

Shipping

Shipping is an important part of every review. This is because customers want to know the cost of shipping as well as whether delivery is fast. Even when prices of items are acceptably priced, high shipping cost can turn buyers away from the items. Thus, customers want shipping cost to be as low as possible; and free shipping will surely win the day.

Not many online fashion stores are able to offer free shipping. Thankfully, Unique Vintage does, but only for domestic (that is, continental US; excluding Alaska, Hawaii). However, to qualify for free shipping, you’ll have to spend over $150 on your order. Relatively, this is on the high side. There are many fashion stores that will deliver your packages free of charge if your order is only $50.00. This means that the qualifying order amount for free shipping in Unique Vintage is 300% that of what many stores offer. That said, it’s a good thing that free shipping is offered at all.

There are a couple of shipping options available for US customers. There is FedEx SmartPost which will take about 6 – 12 business days for delivery; there is also FedEx Ground, which takes 3 – 6 business days for delivery. However, if you want to express delivery; you can choose from “2 Day Air”, Standard Overnight, and Priority Overnight.

The moniker of these express delivery options would suggest that if you choose them you will receive delivery of your order in 2 days or the very next day, but in reality that is not the case. This is because Unique Vintage has a 2 – 4 days handling time. Generally, all shoes have a 4 days processing time, while most other items have a 2 days processing time.

After placing your order, the items will be processed by Unique Vintage in 2 days (and 4 days for shoes) before the order will be shipped from the warehouse. Thus, if you’re paying for overnight shipping option for an order of shoes, you will definitely not receive your order the next day, but about five days later.

This is one area that has caused negative customer reviews. That is, customers pay the steep price for express overnight delivery, and are left disappointed when their order does not come as advertised (the next day). To be fair to Unique Vintage, the fashion shop has it in their shipping policy that delivery times advertised do not include order/ product handling times. Also, they state that if you must receive your order the very next day, you should call the customer service for availability.

Unique Vintage also ships internationally, but they do not offer free shipping for international deliveries. All international orders are shipped using US Postal Service. You’ll find the shipping cost at checkout, or you can contact customer service to know the applicable shipping cost.

Returns Policy

When shopping online, you should want an online shop that has an easy returns policy. This is because, unlike a brick and mortar shop, you do not get to physically examine the item before making your purchase. You will be trusting the product descriptions and product images provided by the shop in making your buy decisions, and there’s the possibility that the item may not meet certain expectations you had of it when it is delivered to you. There is even the ugly situation of items being delivered to you damaged, or the wrong items being delivered. That said, it is important to go to shops that allow returns.

Returns Window

Almost all online fashion shops allow returns, and Unique Vintage is no exception. You can return items within 30 days of the original delivery date, and the company will process and issue you a refund. There is a returns label provided in packages for domestic orders, or that can be printed online by international customers; all you need do is properly package your returns attach the label on the package, and then mail it back to the company. However, Unique Vintage stresses that when if you receive a damaged item or the wrong item, you must first contact the customer service (within 48 hours of receiving your order) to receive a returns authorization label before proceeding with making the returns.

Cost of Returns

However, returns are not free. The only good news is that a prepaid returns label is provided which can be used for making easy returns. At least, at the time of returns, you won’t have to worry about the cost of returns. By using the returns label, Unique Vintage will deduct $7.00 from your refund when issuing it to you.

Also, there are some items that have a restocking fee. For example, all shoes have a 10% restocking fees. Thus, 10% of the cost of the shoes will also be subtracted from your refund when it is issued to you.

Refund

Refunds are issued to the original method of payment (that is, cards or PayPal). After receiving the returns, the company take about 5 – 7 business days to process the refund, after which it is issued. If your initial payment method was PayPal, you’ll receive your refund within 24 hours after it is issued, while it may take 4 – 7 business days for credit cards payment to be reflected.

However, some long-standing customers with a good returns history might qualify for instant refunds. If you qualify for the instant refund code and elect to use it, your refund will be issued immediately the company receives delivery of your returns. That is, the 5 – 7 business days processing time is waived.

Exchanges

Sometimes customers only want to return a particular item and get another one in its place. Unique Vintage allows such product exchanges but only for a different size of the same product. Thus, you cannot exchange a shoe for a dress; not even a wrap dress for a shirt dress. Also, exchanges are not free. The company will charge your original means of payment for the cost of shipping the exchange to you. If there is a price difference between the exchanged items; they will charge or refund your original payment method as applicable.

However, if the value of the item you are getting is equal to or more than the item you are returning, Unique Vintage will waive all applicable restocking fees.

Non-returns Items

There are certain items that are non-returnable.  These items are marked as final sale items, and cannot be returned for refund, exchange or store credit. They include cosmetics, hair accessories, lingerie, stockings and tights, Catch of the Day items, special occasion dresses, and most clearance items. Thus, before placing your order, it is important to check for the notation of a final sale, especially since order cancellation is not allowed.

Condition of returns

That there is a processing time for the returns means that the returns are examined, and only if approved will you be issued a refund. Thus, al returns must meet certain conditions.

They must be in the exact condition they were when they were delivered to you. The items must not have been worn or washed, and all tags must still be attached. Also, the items must be damaged in any way; they must be devoid of stains, makeup, deodorant markings, snags, missing beading, cigarette smoke, perfume, animal or human hair etc. If these conditions are not met, the returns will not be approved, and will be sent back to you, at your own cost – your original payment method will be charged. That’s what we call “double trouble”. You are charged for making a return, and charged again when the unapproved return is shipped back to you. It could be “triple trouble” if you add that you’ll end up being stuck with the items that you’ll rather not have.

Sometimes when returns do not meet the conditions for them to be approved, Unique Vintage will charge you a $25 cleaning fee; and issue whatever remain of your refund to your original payment method (that is, the original payment less $7 (returns label cost) and $25 (cleaning fee)).

Customer Support

A review of any store should include an examination of the customer support service of the store. This is because customers may have questions, or they may have issues with their orders and will have to reach out to the customer support service. At that time, no one will like to be left hanging. Thus, it’s important to review the different channels that Unique Vintage provides for contacting them, as well as the effectiveness of the channels.

The first step to getting assistance (answers to a question) is the FAQ articles on the UV website. These self-help articles hold answers to many of the questions that you may have, especially those having to do with shipping, returns, and payment methods.

However, if you still need to talk directly with someone; Unique Vintage provides three support channels – email, telephone. Some of the phone numbers listed with which you can contact them are (800) 721-6589 and (818) 953-2877. However, the company strongly suggests that email is the best way to contact them; and they pledge to respond to all email support submissions within 24 hours. This is faster than you’ll get with most fashion stores, who can keep you waiting for more than a day for feedback. Also, many customer reviews reveal that feedback is usually helpful.

Reputation

In this review, I decided to include the reputation of the online fashion store in the online community; that is, what real life customers of Unique Vintage are saying about the store. First, everyone agrees that Unique Vintage is a legit store, and not a scam.

That off our back; the actual reviews are mixed. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are utterly scathing. To start with, in one of the foremost customer review sites, Unique Vintage has a rating of 6.8 out of 10 on Trust Pilot. Many customers were satisfied with the service, and especially being able to get retro clothing, which is of good quality. One good thing that reviewers highlight is that, when they receive delivery of a damaged (stained etc) item, Unique Vintage allow will not only allow them to order a new item but in most cases, they get to keep the original item that they had wanted to return. The negative comments centred on items being pricey, as well as the high cost of international shipping.

In another review site (site jabber), Unique Vintage has a rating of 3 out of 5. There were favourable reviews about the quality of vintage clothing. A few commentators mentioned top notch customer service that turned certain disappointment to relief. Like always there were some bad reviews. These centred on the prices of the product being too high, and especially so for international orders when custom duties are factored in. One or two negative reviews also touched on items taking too long to be delivered even after paying for the pricey overnight delivery.

As explained earlier, one reason for such delay is the 2 – 4 days processing time on all others, which can make an overnight delivery take as many as 3 – 5 business days. Also, Unique Vintage has a practice of holding your order until all the items are available before shipping the order as one. Where customers order a lot of items and one is unavailable, it can hold up their order to their frustration.

In another review site (welding wire), Unique Vintage has a rating of 4.4 out of 5. It should be noted that in the site, the reviews are primarily about the wedding range. Most of the customers have nice words for the quality of the wedding dresses, and especially for the experience and service they received.

From all the many reviews online, it can be gleaned that Unique Vintage is actually a go-to place for top quality vintage clothing, and they have a very responsive customer service that will give you personal attention. However, you might find that their prices are on the high side. Also, import duties and other taxes will easily shoot up your total expenditure if you will be shipping outside the US. Also, I’ll add that paying for express overnight delivery is virtually worthless, as it is anything but overnight; and if any of the items on your order is unavailable, you’ll have more waiting to do than you bargained for.

I liked

• Offer a selection of excellent vintage styles
• Global and convenient payment method (credit/ debit cards, PayPal)
• A sales page that significantly reduces prices of items
• Offers excellent customer service

I didn’t like

• Limited banking options (no web wallets or cryptocurrency)
• Prices are on the high side
• Qualifying amount free shipping is high ($150)
• No free returns or exchanges

Summary

The name “Unique Vintage” gives them away; this is the place to get vintage fashion styles. These are not old and forgotten styles you would want to take your eyes away from; but vintage styles with modern twists that you’ll want to own. Lovers of vintage-inspired styles will find the collection in Unique Vintage just right. You’ll also breeze through making payment for your order because global payment methods are supported, and you have a very good customer service to give you personalized assistance.

However, there are a few things that you should consider before flying into Unique Vintage. You might find that the items are pricey. Free shipping is offered, but you’ll have to spend more ($150) in the shop to get it than you’ll have to in some other shops ($50 – $100). Though returns are allowed, it will be at your own cost. Exchanges are also allowed if it’s for the same product, but a different size; and it’s also at your own cost.

Do you have any experience with Unique Vintage? Good or bad experience, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Unique Vintage review.

J Crew is a store that promises to offer quality and good fashion products for men, women, boys and girls at affordable prices.

J Crew is a legit fashion store. The store is not a scam because they will not steal your hard earned money. And you will get your ordered item just as it is on the store.

At a time where there are so many fashion stores online, does J Crew offer the product range and quality as well as the prices to make them stand out from the crowd? Is the online fashion store even legit to start with?

This J Crew review will examine everything about J Crew to provide the information that you will need to answer those questions.

J Crew Review at a glance

• Established in 1983; owned and maintained by J crew
• A fashion retailer offering clothing, fashion accessories and beauty products for men, women, boys, and girls
• Has an extensive list of products including dresses, tops, skirts, trousers, jeans, shoes, lingerie, swimwear, beauty products, bags and more
• Offers low prices, as well as some enticing promotions
• Does not offer free shipping
• Returns are allowed if made within 60days of receiving an order
• Payment is by the J.Crew Credit Card, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, PayPal J.Crew Gift Cards online.
• Customer support is by email, phone and post
• Website (https://www.jcrew.com) is compatible with mobile devices

What is J Crew?

A review of the fashion store will be incomplete without a little background information. J Crew came into existence in 1983. They started with the idea of mailing of their first catalogue; and six years after, they opened one of the best fashion stores at New York’s South Street Seaport.

J Crew factory was launched in 1988, where they produce exclusive designs. However, the designs are slightly changed sometimes so as to keep their prices competitive, as well as to ensure that the quality and integrity expected by their customers are maintained.

Millard “Mickey” Drexler joined J.Crew in 2003 to serve as both chairman and CEO in a bid to improve on their services, quality and innovation. In order to be among the best in the very competitive fashion market, J Crew had to partner with the finest global fabric mills, craftsmen and more. As a result of these partnerships, J.Crew has several line extensions, including crewcuts for kids, J.Crew weddings & parties, and more.

Presently, the business includes retail and outlet stores all over the US and a growing online and catalogue business. Also, there is a constant addition of new products/ items to the existing stores. J.Crew stands proudly as not only a legit fashion store but one of the most popular fashion stores for men’s wear, women’s wear and kids’ wear. And not just in the US. In August 2011 J.Crew went international. They had their first Canadian store opened at Yorkdale Center in Toronto and another two stores at Vancouver and Edmonton. Their e-commerce site serves more than 100 countries as at early 2012; and till date, they are still breaking into new countries.

Mobile Compatibility

Online shopping should not be a chore. It is something that you should be able to do at any time and anyplace; even when reclining on your bed or couch. That is only possible if the online store is compatible with portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets.

You can get the online store at https://www.jcrew.com, and their website is available in the English language. Thankfully, the J.crew website is compatible not only with the desktop platform (such as Windows and MacOS), but also with mobile operating systems (such as Android, iOS, BlackBerry and more). J.Crew website is mobile friendly and easy to navigate. With your mobile devices, you will be able to view the products, select the one you want, make your payment, and access every other service that can be accessed using the desktop platforms.

Is  J.crew legit?

J Crew is legit. It is not a scam. In the world we are in, the number of cyber fraudsters is increasing, and so is the number of tactics used by these fraudsters for scamming people. Thus, people will be concerned whether an online platform they plan to join is legit or a scam. This is especially so if the online platform is an online store. This is because “online stores” is one of the ways fraudsters scam people; they’ll design a scam platform, and lure people to pay for goods that never exist, and so will never be delivered.

Different factors can be examined to know the legitimacy of an online store. In determining whether J.crew is legit, we will look at two of these factors – a test of time and physical existence.

Test of time – It is a given that scam stores do not survive for a long time. In this age of social media, the information about their scam activities will spread wide in a short time such that nobody will fall prey for them again. The exposure always causes them to close the scam site and disappear. The good thing is that J.Crew passes the test of time.

They started way back in 1983, which is about 35 years ago. And through all the years that follow; instead of closing shop and disappearing, they have weathered whatever storm, grown bigger and continue to meet customers’ fast fashion needs. There is no doubt that J.Crew is a legit store, as no scam online retailer can remain in business for decades.

Physical Existence – It is a given that most scam online stores have only a virtual existence. They do not have a physical office, factory, warehouse, or physical stores. There is usually nothing physical, except a phoney website showing enticing pictures of products that do not exist. On the other hand, J.Crew has a physical existence. J.crew.com is operated by J.Crew and other men that are prominent men in the fashion business. They have physical stores in New York City, Canada and other major cities in the world. That means they are legit and not scam.

Is J Crew safe?

J Crew is safe to use. The high rate of hacking and phishing activities has shone the spotlight on the safety of any online retail store. Apart from not being scammed by an online store; you should also be concerned that your using the store should not leave you exposed to other scam artists.

The online purchase involves customers giving out details such as your name, email, mailing address, credit card details and more. If such personal and sensitive information is exposed to third parties (read: hackers), you can have your identity stolen, or have your account wiped clean. Therefore, every shopper will want to make sure that the sensitive information they share with an online store is safe and secured. For this reason, any online store that fails to provide the information/ transaction safety measures is bound to a loss in the competitive market.

In this regards, J.crew says that they have in place technical, administrative and physical safety measures to prevent unwanted third parties from having access to customers’ data. Technically, J.Crew uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. SSL is the security industry standard for establishing a secure link between buyer and seller, such that any traffic transferred between the buyers’ device and the sellers’ servers is private and shielded from third parties.

SSL also uses encryption to ensure that even if the information is captured, it cannot be deciphered and read. However, there is no information about the actual encryption level used. There is no way of telling if the encryption standard used is the secure 128- bit encryption, or the 256-bit encryption which is widely regarded as the most secure.

Administratively, J Crew pledge not to share your information with any third parties without your prior express consent. Also, personal data are retained for business needs and legal requirements only. It will be retained as long as it is necessary for the purpose of processing the transaction and other related purposes for which the data was collected.

For instance, certain transaction details may be retained until the expiration of the time for claims arising from the transaction. That means the information is deleted after it has served the purpose for which it is gathered. J.crew operates in the U.S and other countries; thus, it is possible that customers’ information is stored, accessed and transferred to other jurisdictions that may not have provided the same levels of data protection as your own jurisdiction. But the good part of it is that they have promised to ensure that every personal data collected receives an adequate level of protection in the jurisdiction in which it is processed.

This puts the question of whether j.crew is safe to rest. J.crew is very much safe based on the fact that they have different measures in place that ensures that vital information of their customers is safe and secured.

J Crew Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVKHFY61EuE

Product range

It is very important that stores provide a wide range of products because most consumers prefer stores that have different products  This will not only give customers the opportunity to make all their shopping in one store. There is also the advantage of cost saving. This cost savings advantage is as a result of the discount given on bulk purchases and flat shipping rates. Most shops will give you some discount on your total order if the order amount is up to a particular amount.

It will be important to buy all your fashion products in one shop so that your order will be up to the qualifying amount to receive such bonuses. Also, when it comes to shipping, most fashion shops gives flat shipping rates, which means that no matter how many items you are purchasing, you are paying the same amount to get them delivered to you. Therefore, buying all your items in one place will mean that you will pay for less, unlike buying items from different stores and paying their individually shipping cost.

Therefore, it is important to consider the product range of a fashion store you plan to buy from to know if they hold a wide range of products. In this regard, J.Crew ticks the box.  J.crew provides a wide range of fashion products that are needed by men, women, boys, and girls, such as clothing, accessories, shoes, beauty products and others.

Clothing

J.crew offers different types of clothing for women, men, boys, and girls.

• Women clothing includes Tops and Tees, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Blazers, Dresses and Jumpsuits, Pants, Denim, Skirts, Shorts, Suiting, Swim, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, Pajamas and Intimates.
• Men’s clothing includes T-Shirts and Polos, Shirts, Dress Shirts, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Blazers, Suits and Tuxedos, Pants, Denim, Shorts, Sweatshirts and Sweatpants, Underwear and Pajamas, Swimwear.
• Cloths available for girls are: Tops and Tees, Graphics Shop, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Dresses and Jumpsuits, Leggings & Pants, Denim, Skirts, Shorts, Swimwear and Rash Guards, Sweats, Pajamas, and more
• Boys clothes available include T-Shirts and Polos, Shirts, Graphics Shop, Sweaters, Coats and Jackets, Suiting, Pants, Denim, Shorts, Swimwear and Rash Guards, Sweats, Pajamas and Underwear, Shoes and Accessories, and more.

Accessories

Women accessories available at J.crew includes: crystal mirror statement earrings, crystal-studded bead and tassel earrings, crystal-studded bead and tassel necklace, crystal and gold circle drop earrings, crystal and lucite mirror earrings, crystal and tortoise drop earrings, pearl hoop earrings, different colours of passport cases in Italian leather, Glitten in cashmere blend, and others.

Shoes

At J.crew, you can get different types of shoes. This includes high heels, flat shoes, sadle ankle boots in velvet, pointed toe flats, pointed stiletto ankle boots in leopard calf hair, Tall high heel boots, stella bow heels in embellished glen plaid and velvet, Tall high heels in faux snakeskin, over the knee leather boots, Matte Chelsea rain boots, Cap – toe ankle boots, kitten -heel Chelsea boots, MacAlister suede flats, MacAlister wedge boots, Nordic boots, Nordic wedge boots, Black watch tartan loafers, Kiltie monk-strap loafers,  pointed – toe slides in brocade, Academy penny – loafer mules in patent leather, Academy penny – loafer mules in metallic leather, Academy penny – loafer mules in croc- embossed leather, Poppy two strap ballet in leopard calf hair, poppy ballet flats in embellished plaid, Poppy two- strap ballet flats in suede, Velvet Mary Jane flats, Convertible smoking slippers in velvet, Pointed toe loafers, pointed toe sling back flats, Suede smoking slippers, Leopard smoking slippers, Ryan penny loafers in leather, strappy block heel sandals, pointed – toe slide in denim, stappy buckled sandals, Buckled midheel sandals, and many others.

Beauty products

J crew have different types of beauty products; ranging from Lipstick, Lip gloss, Lip scrub, Luxury lip tint, Lip slip, Eve Lom, Face gloss, Cat eye, Universal stick, Medieval palette, Eyebrow Gel, Lip treatment, Luminizer, Mascara, Dew pot, Tinted balm Eye shadow, Lip shine, Ointment, Eyeliner, Boosting base, Lippen, Radiant translucent powder, Tinted lip conditioner, Cucumber water stick, Nail polish, and others.

Cost/ price

Price is one of the major factors affecting both the buyer’s decision and the level of sales. That makes it important to determine whether the prices of products in any store are in the affordable range.

J.crew offers a variety of products, and they keep adding new products and re-branding from time to time. So their prices are subject to change making it difficult to quote a particular price for any product. At any point in time prices fluctuate a lot, and you’ll have to keep checking their website for the price of any particular product at a particular time.

However, J.crew prices are competitively okay, but not as low as some other online retailers. When the prices of their products are compared with similar products in other stores, it shows that their prices are higher than some low priced online stores.

Promotions

Online stores are aware that one of the things that increase sales is discount or promotions. Most people are eager to purchase products that are discounted, they always look out for where products are cheaper than normal.

J Crew knows this secret. As a result, they offer promotions from time to time that significantly slashes their prices. All you need do is to be checking their website to know which promotion is running at any particular time.

At the time of writing, some of the promotions that were running included:

• 40% of women fall favourite: this offers a discount of 40% of the normal price for women
• Women up to 50% off inmates: Here women are given 50% off the full price for underwears
• 40% off men fall favourite:  J.crew offers 40% off the full price of some items for men
• 40% off kids fall favourite: they give kids 40% discount of the full price
• They offer free standard shipping with J.crew rewards: which allows you to get your order delivered free of charge

Payment method

Different parts of the world are targets of every online store, therefore there is a need for them to accept a wide range of payment methods to avoid losing customers who might not find a payment option supported in their location. In this regard, J.crew provides a variety of payment options, such that you’ll easily make payment in the store from anywhere in the world. J.Crew accepts the following payment methods: The J.Crew Credit Card, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover card, JCB, PayPal, J.Crew Gift Cards online.

Shipping

Shipping is the second most important factor (after price) affecting online purchases. On one hand, there is shipping cost, and on another, there are shipping/ delivery times. Very often, shipping cost makes customers abandon their shopping carts when high shipping cost adds to the cost of the items to make the total expenditure on the items higher than expected. In such situations, if the shipping cost had been zero or acceptably low, the customers would have proceeded with the purchases. Thus, if you want to avoid spending too much over and above the cost of the items you are buying, it is important to check the shipping cost of the store.

Free shipping is definitely the deal clincher. J.crew offers free standard shipping, but only when you sign up to their reward; and not all orders qualify for it. Orders that qualify for free shipping and handling will be offered free shipping and handling for all addresses. In their words: “Free standard shipping and handling is valid for logged-in J.Crew Rewards members on qualifying orders. Offer cannot be applied to previous purchases or the purchase of gift cards and cannot be redeemed for cash”

Their shipping covers all 50 states in united states, Washington DC, U.S. P.O. Boxes, U.S. territories, and APO/ FPO/ DPO addresses. The shipping methods offered during inspection depends on the item selected and the customer’s specific shipping address. Orders shipping free to the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii will be sent through standard shipping and delivered by UPS or USPS. Orders shipping free to P.O. Boxes, APO/FPO/ DPO addresses, Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands will be sent through USPS.

One good thing about J.Crew is that delivery times take effect the next working day after you place an order. This means that orders are processed the same day that the purchase is made. This is the fastest order processing time in the business, and as a result, J.Crew is able to fast delivery. There are many fashion stores that will take up to 3 days to process your orders.

Shipping and handling charges are based on the shipping method, the time the customer expect to receive the item, as well as the shipping address. The order size and weight do not affect flat-rate shipping and handling fees. Monogrammed and personalized orders take more than 14 working days to reach their destination. The standard shipping will cost you $5 and takes 3 to 6 working days, while expedited shipping cost $10 and takes 2 to 3 working days.

J.crew shipping also covers Canada and more than 100 international destinations. They offer flat-rate shipping to international destinations through UPS Worldwide Express. The prices are provided at checkout.

Shipping to Japan via standard shipments takes 5 to 11 working days to arrive while express shipments take 2 to 6 working days. Shipping to North America by express delivery takes 3 to 5 working days while 2 to 10 working days is the Standard Delivery Times. Shipment to India takes 3 to 6 days for express delivery and 5 to 13 days for standard shipments. Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Macau, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka takes 3 to 6 working days. China, Taiwan and Singapore will take 3 to 6 days (express) 5 to 9 working days (standard). Korea and New Zealand take 3 to 6 business days via express shipments, and 6 to 10 business days via standard shipments.

Thailand, 3 to 6 working days (express) and 6 to 12 working days (standard). Australia, 3 to 6 days by express delivery, and  6 to 18 business days for standard shipping. Hong Kong, 3 to 6 business days- express, 7 to 9 business days – standard shipments. Indonesia, express delivery takes 3 to 6 working days while standard delivery takes 8 to 15 working days.

The standard shipments to Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands takes 2 to 6 business days to arrive.

Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico take 2 to 6 work days for express delivery and 5 to 10 work days for standard delivery. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Iceland, Jersey, Malta takes 2 to 6 work days. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,  and United Kingdom takes 2 to 6 work days via express shipments and 4 to 8 work days for standard shipments.

Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia takes 2 to 6 work days for express delivery and 5 to 9 work days for standard delivery. Shipping to Romania takes 3 to 6 work days for the items to arrive. Shipment to Russia takes 3 to 6 work days for express delivery and 5 to 13 work days for standard delivery. Turkey takes 2 to 6  days by express and 5 to 13 working days for standard delivery.

Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Reunion will take 3 to 6 business days. Shipments to Saudi Arabia will take 3 to 6 work days for express and 5 to 12 work days for standard delivery. Israel, and United Arab Emirates, standard shipments take 3 to 6 work days.

Return and Refund policy

When you are making online purchases, especially of sized products, there is a need to know the return or exchange policy applies to the online store. This is to ensure that after making the purchase and the product is undersized or oversized you will be able to return it or exchange it for another item. Apart from the sizing issue, the item might be damaged or not meet the certain expectation of yours (quality or even colour). All these can be taken care of only if the online store in question has a favourable return and exchange policy.

Returns

The good news is that J.crew accepts returns and will issue refunds. US addresses get a full refund; but for international orders, you will receive the original purchased price and not any duties and taxes you paid on the item in the currency and exchange rate at the time of the order. Also, international customers will be responsible for the shipping charges incurred during the returns

However, there are certain conditions and terms you must follow so as to ensure that your returns are accepted and your refund processed.

• The items to be returned must not be worn, washed, damaged or defective. They must be in the original condition they were before purchase.
• The returns must be made within 60 days of receiving your delivery package
• International customers should email julie@jcrew.com or contact them at +1 800 261 7422 to make arrangements for a return or initiate return.
• Request for refund or exchange of purchased must be accompanied by the original receipt.

However, there are certain products that cannot be returned. This includes all monogrammed and personalized items, lingerie, vintage, altered or final sale items, and fine jewellery. Also, once your return is received, you should allow up to two weeks for it to be processed.

If you’ve checked the return policy of some other online fashion stores, you’ll find that J.Crew’s return window of 60 days is double what many other stores allow. From a customer’s perspective, this is enough time which greatly reduces the risk of your returns not reaching the retailer on time and disqualifying you from getting refunded.

Exchanges

Most online stores do not allow exchanges. Which means that if you are not satisfied with the apurchased item when you receive it, you cannot request to exchange it for another item. It is good to know that J.crew accepts exchanges on every item purchased except those aforementioned that cannot be returned. However, exchanges are handled in-store. If you are not satisfied with the item, and you need an exchange, bring your invoice or receipt to any J.Crew store for an exchange, in accordance with their policy.

Unlike other online stores that you have to first return the item, get refunded and place a fresh order, J.Crew exchange policy makes for smooth user experience when getting a new product in place of an another.

Customer Support

The importance of efficient customer support service cannot be overemphasized. If you walk into a store or a business organization; no doubt you’ll need someone to attend to you, somebody you can, at least, ask any question you may have relating to the business transaction. But when purchasing from online stores, you will not meet any physical human to talk to. You might still have questions you need to be answered, or issues you need to be solved. Therefore, it important to know the provisions that the store makes for addressing customers’ questions or issues.

J.crew has provided four different channels to support their customers. The first stop is a self-help FAQ section on their website. The FAQ is loaded with some answers to many questions that customers have asked in the past.

You might have a need to directly contact a customer support representative. J.crew supports such contact via email. You can send them a mail using the email address: help@jcrew.com. Their response time is impressive. So you’ll get your answers in a few hours.

J.crew also supports telephone support service, you can reach them through this telephone support line: 1800-562-0258 as shown in the “contact us” page on their website. Another channel is through twitter you can lay your complaints or ask you questions through @jcrew_help.

Phone and email channels are the fastest in attending to issues. It doesn’t take much time to get your feedback when you reach them through email. The phone is instant feedback, though your issues might not all be addressed at that moment.

Summary

J Crew tries to meet up with its promise of providing fast fashion. They have many new arrivals daily; so you’ll definitely find the latest fashions styles in the store. Their prices are affordable, they run promotions that bring their prices to very enticing levels, and they offer free shipping (through J.crew rewards). Also, they prioritize customer satisfaction because they allow you to return and exchange items that you don’t like, and you’ll be refunded your payment, or get a replacement. When it comes to customer support, many customers will agree that they provide excellent customer support service.

I liked

• An extensive product range that includes women’s wear, men’s wear, boy’s and girl’s wears, accessories, beauty products and even some home products
• Affordable prices for good quality items
• Orders are processed the same day that they purchase is made
• Free shipping
• Regular enticing promotions
• 60 days returns and exchange window
• An effective customers support services

I didn’t like

• No detail about encryption standard used
• Refund processing time is too long
• Limited payment options (no e-wallets and cryptocurrencies)

Do you have experience with J.crew? Good or bad, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief J Crew review.

What is H&M?

H&M (Hennes & Mauritz AB) is a fast fashion retail store. The store brings you all the trending fashion styles. H&M is an acronym for Hennes & Mauritz AB, a Swedish multinational clothing retail company. H&M is virtually ageless. It was started in 1947 by Erling Persson. It took off as an exclusive women fashion shop called Hennes (which means “hers” in Swedish). A menswear was added in 1968, and they rebranded as Hennes & Mauritz.

H&M was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1974. In 1998 the company took its business online with the launch of www.hm.com.

Backed by decades of operation, H&M has increased its product range to include kids wear and home furnishings. They have about 4,800 stores in over 70 markets around the world. This include the Americas, Europe, Oceania, Asia (including the Middle East) and Africa. Their scale of operation suggest that when penguins develop a fashion sense, H&M will have stores in Antartica.

H&M (Hennes & Mauritz AB) is an online fast fashion retail store with a focus on providing the latest fashion styles. They say their business concept is not just to offer fashion, but to offer quality fashion at the best prices.

H&M is legit. It is not a scam because customers receive their ordered items from the store. And there is no credit card details theft report about the store. But do they deliver quality? 

What is promised is the latest fashion styles, top quality at that, and at affordable prices. Is this just advert speak, or does H&M deliver on their promise?

This HM review will x-ray H&M (and examine their offerings, policies, features etc) in order to provide the information that will help you answer the question such as if “is hm legit?” “is H&M Scam?” or whether they are legit.

H&M Review at a Glance

• Established in 1947, and started online operations in 1998
• A legit fashion retailer, registered in Sweden, and listed in the Swedish Stock Exchange
• A true one stop fashion shop for the whole family, as they offer men’s wear, women’s wear, kids’ wears, and home furnishings
• Has about 4,800 stores in over 70 markets around the world
• Offers unbelievably low prices
• Offers free shipping in certain markets
• Customer support available via email, live chat and telephone
• Mobile optimized website; iOS and Android apps available

Is H and M legit?

H and M (HM) is legit  and not a scam. There are different scam artists in the internet who scam people of their hard earned money. Interestingly, one of the “tested and trusted” methods used by these scammers is online stores, where unsuspecting customers pay money for products that are never delivered. Therefore, before purchasing anything online, it is important to consider whether the online store is legit, or just another scam front.

There are different ways of establishing the legitimacy of an online retailer, and we will put H&M through three of these tests – test of time, legal recognition and physical existence.

• Test of time: Usually, scam houses are short lived. After ripping off a few customers, the light is shone on them, and with such exposure, they close up and go into hiding. H&M, on the other hand, started operation in 1947, which means that they’ve been in the business for over 70 years. Suffice it to say that no scam store can operate for that long a time.
• Legal recognition: By far the best proof of a company’s legitimacy is recognition by a competent jurisdiction, via a license to operate. That is why scam companies fake company registration certificates. In this regard, H&M is a company duly registered in Bolagsverket/ Swedish Companies Registration Office as Hennes & Mauritz AB (company registration number: 556042-7220), with registered headquarters in Mäster Samuelsgatan 46A, 106 38 Stockholm, Sweden.

Also, H&M got listed in the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1974, and they still have their stocks being traded on the floor till date. Suffice it to say that scam company do not go public, by being listed in stock exchanges.

• Physical Existence: Online scam stores have only a virtual existence. There’s usually no production center, or warehouse, or stores; and thus, no products to be delivered when orders are placed. However, a legit retail store will have a physical existence. In this regard, H&M checks the box. With almost 5,000 stores, you’ll find a H&M store stocked with products in virtually every major city of the world.

With over 7 decades of seamless operation, being a registered company listed in a stock exchange, and having hundreds of stores worldwide, there’s no doubt that H&M is a legit online fashion retailer.

Is H&M safe?

H&M is safe. When you create an account and order items from an online retail store, you share personal information (such as your name, mailing address etc) as well as sensitive details (such as credit card information). It’s a no-brainer that these information should be secured, and prevented from falling into the wrong hands.

In this regard, H&M has taken technical and organizational measures to protect your data from loss, manipulation, unauthorized access, etc.

Organizationally, they will not share your information to third parties, except it is necessary to fulfill a transaction, complete a service, for administrative purposes, or required by law.

Technically, they adopt standard security technologies to ensure the protection of data in their systems. Specifically, they use SSL (Secure Socket Layer), which creates a secure link between buyer and seller, encrypts all buyers’ information, and route it through the secure link; thereby ensuring that external thrid parties cannot capture and decipher buyers personal information and payment details.

Features

Different Markets

H&M is one big company that operates globally. To serve their customers better in different locations, they divide their operations into different markets such as H&M United States, H&M Germany, H&M France, H&M China, H&M South Africa and more.

When you access their site for the first time, you’ll be asked to choose a market; and you’ll be subsequently redirected to that market anytime you try to access H&M.

What you get with this arrangement is personalized service. Thus, anytime you access the H&M site, you’re redirected to the appropriate region specific market, and there’s no risk of getting generic information that may not be applicable to you by virtue of you location.

Optimized for mobile

The website of a fashion store should be compatible with the small screens of mobile devices and tablets. It’s a no-brainer; most people do their product search (and eventual shopping) on the mobile devices.

Thankfully, the website of H&M is compatible with all mobile operating systems and platforms. The website opens well on Android, iOS, Windows phone, Blackberry, and other mobile platforms. Once you type the URL into a web browser, you’ll be redirected to the mobile site. You’ll be able to browse and shop the latest fashion, follow your order status, check your balance, and do whatever else you can when accessing the website from a desktop device.

Mobile apps

H&M is one fashion store that has invested in the development of mobile apps to make shopping even easier for heir customers. They have both Android and iOS apps.

With these apps downloaded and installed on your devices, accessing the fashion store to browse and shop the latest fashion is just one click away. However, the biggest draw for shopping with the mobile app instead of shopping from the site is that the app keeps you up-to-date with both latest additions and promos. By using push notifications, the apps gives you instant alerts about offers and events. With this, there’s no way you’ll miss any special promos.

Being a global company serving a global market, the apps are available in English and over 20 other international languages that includes German,  French, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and more.

You might have a problem with the iOS app as it is not light weight. It is a heavy 113.2MB file, but the Android app is just fine at only 8.2MB.

Reviews suggest has H&M has a lot more work to do on the apps as there are just too many complaints about the apps. Some of these include that visual search not working on the Android app, order history disappearing from both apps and more. As a result of this, the app has poor ratings in ther respective stores. The iOS app has a low 2.4 out of five rating on itunes, while the Android app has a more respectable but poor 3.7 out of five rating on play store

Product Description

You’ll agree that it is important to examine an item properly before buying it. In a brick and mortar store, you can physically see, touch, and feel the item; and this will help you in making your “buy decision”. It’s different when buying things online, as the physical product is not before you. A good product description serves to put the product before you, and help you with making your “buy decision”.

Therefore, it’s important for stores to have detailed product description that can help you “see”, “touch”, and “feel” the item.

H&M ticks this all important box. All items in store have detailed product description, fully describing it including dimensions and composition. This comes complete with images from different angles including on-model ones. With this, you are able to make a thorough assessment of the product, and ensure that what you order is the right item for you.

Ethical Practice and Corporate Social Responsibility

Sustainability is one topic that most customers pay attention too; and you should too if you want our planet to remain after us. Therefore, while we want a fashion provider that gives us the best, it should not be at the cost of our planet. Almost every region retailer has one sustainability program or the other; and H&M is no exception.

One particularly impressive one is the clothing collection program. Instead of simply throwing away your old and abandon clothes (which may disturb the ecosystem) or simply burning them (which will pollute the air, as well as disturb the ecosystem), you can bag them and send them to the nearest H&M store to you. They accept all textile no matter its condition or brand, even old socks, worn-out T-shirts and old sheets.

If the clothing can be worn again, H&M markets them as second hand goods; if the textile can no longer be worn, H&M may convert them to other products such as remake collections or cleaning cloths; and in the worst case, the textiles are recycled as textile fibres, or are used to manufacture products such as damping and insulating materials for the auto industry.

Interestingly, H&M rewards you when you drop off your unwanted clothing. For every bag of textile you drop off, you’ll receive a discount card that you can use to get 15% off hour next in-store purchase. In all, this is a “three in one offer for you”. H&M make you contribute to preserving the planet, H&M helps you dispose your unwanted clothing, and H&M gives you cost saving.

H&M also has different social responsibility programs for positively affecting society. One of such is its partnership with UNICEF, whereby H&M donates 10% of the sales price for every T-shirt to the children’s emergency fund to support the provision of emergency food and healthcare to children.

If you need a fashion retailer that is both passionate about providing exquisite fashion styles, and doing the right thing, you have found one in H&M.

Product Range

Even when buying from brick and mortar stores, many customers will rather visit a big shop where they can get all they want than visit different stores to get different items. This shows the importance of products range in retail purchases; therefore it’s important to examine the product range of any online store under review.

H&M comes across as a one-stop fashion shop for the family, as they offer men’s wear, women’s wear, kids’ wear as well as home furnishing. Each of this range have different categories, and each category hold different types of products.

Women’s wear range

The women fashion range is the pioneer fashion product of H&M; as they started as one store for women’s clothing, in Västerås, Sweden.

They still give the latest fashion and new favourites in women’s clothing. You’ll find everything for every occasion in H&M; from casual day wears, to sharp office wear, to stylish occasion-specific wears, to flattering active wears and bikinis/ lingerie. Some category of women wear are:

Dresses (short, knee-length and long dresses; short sleeved, long sleeved, flounce sleeved, puff sleeved, butterfly sleeved, and sleeveless dresses; lace, satin, and patterned dresses; short dress; V-neck and turtle neck dresses; knitted dresses; fitted dresses; pleated dresses, jacket dresses, chiffon dresses; embroidered dresses, and more).

Jumpsuit (long sleeve and short sleeve jumpsuits; playsuits; off the shoulder jumpsuit; halter neck jumpsuit and more). Tops (cotton T-shirts, vest, printed tops, oversized tops, top with lace details, top with collars, satin scrappy tops, V-necks, boat necked tops, rib-knit jumpers and more).

Shirts and blouse (patterned blouses; cotton, satin, lace and silk shirts and blouses; v-necks and toe collar blouses, fitted shirts, blouses with shocking and more).

Cardigan and jumpers (knitted cardigan, cashmere, polo-necks, and more).

Blazers and waistcoat (long jackets, double breasted jackets, straight cut jackets, fitted jackets and more). Jackets and Coats (Faux fur coat, wool-blend coat, leather jacket, pile coat, biker jacket, padded jacket and more).

Shorts (denim shorts, sweatshirt shorts, viscose shorts, twill shorts, and more).

Trousers and Jeans (cigarette trousers, wide trousers, leather trousers, velvet trousers, leggings, denims,  sweatpants, suit trousers, leggings, joggers, chinos & slacks and more).

Skirt (skirts with fringing, pencil skirts, wrap over skirts and more).

Shoes (leather and suede boots (ankle boots, knee high boots), loafers, court shoes, trainers, and more).

Beauty products (make up, make up brushes nail polish, wash bags and more). Accessories (scarves, hats, belts, bags, and more).  Other clothing categories are swimwear, lingerie, night wears, socks and tights, and maternity wear.

Men’s wear range

H&M also hold all the current and coming men’s clothing collections, drawing inspiration both from the catwalks and the streets.

The categories you’ll find include: T-shirts and vests (polos and round necks, short sleeved and long sleeved, slim fit and regular fit, and more); Shirts (twill shirts, denims, cotton flannel shirts and more). Others are Hoodies & Sweatshirts, Cardigans & Jumpers, Blazers & Suits, Jackets & Coats, Shorts, Trousers, Jeans, Swimwear, Underwear, Shoes (boots, trainers and more), Socks, and Accessories (hats, bags, belts, gloves, scarves, back packs, braces and bow ties, sunglasses, and more).

Kids wear range

In H&M, you’ll find adorable clothes for newborns, babies, toddlers and teens. The kids wear are divided into age categories such as 0 – 9 months, baby girl/ boy 4m – 4yrs, boys/ girls 1.5yrs – 10yrs, and boys/ girls 8yrs – 14yrs.

Baby wears include tops, bottoms, body suits and all-in-ones, and accessories (hats, tights, socks, moccasins, mittens etc). For older kids and teens, you’ll find different types of Jumpers & Cardigans, Tops & T-shirts, Blazers & Waistcoats, Shirts, Blouses, Dresses & Skirts, Outdoor Clothing, Trousers, Leggings, Jeans, Shoes, Accessories, Nightwear, Underwear, Socks, Swimwear, Shorts, Sportswear, Fancy Dress, Dance Wear, Cartoons & Comics, Occasion Wear, and School Uniforms.

Home Furnishing

Here, you’ll find products that will enliven every room in your home, be it the living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, or kids room.

Some of the items include cushions, bed linen, towels, christmas decorations, bathmats, shower curtains, storage items, blankets, curtains, decorations, candles & candleholders, glassware, kitchenware, tea towels, table runners, napkins, porcelain, aprons, rugs, tablecloths, furniture, lighting, and giftwraps.

Prices and Promotions

Price

Price is one of the most significant factor that drives purchases. You will not want to break your wallet to look good. Therefore, you’ll have to consider the prices of products in any online fashion store that you’re looking at.

H&M says that their business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. If you’ve checked customer online review, you’ll find that customers hail H&M prices as excellent. Many of the dresses and products at hm.com are at unbelievably low prices. You’ll find a host of gorgeous dresses, even maxi dresses, costing $30 or under. You’ll also find cute tops below $10, as well as exquisite jeans (for both men and women) under $25.

Promotions

Stores, whether brick and mortar stores or online stores, offer some form of inducement to to drive sales. H&M is no exception, as they offer different promotion from time to time.

This should interest you because the promotions will enable you get items gor free and/ or get them for less than their full prices.

At this time of writing, there were some exciting promos running. One was an exclusive offer to sign up for their newsletter and get 25% off the cost of any one item of choice with your next online purchase. To put icing on the cake, the offer included free delivery of the order. Another promo offer to give you 20% off every order of $60 or more from the kids department. Again, the offer include free shipping of the order.

Shipping

Many online shoppers abandon their carts at checkout; and one of the reasons they cite is unexpected shipping cost. This shows that shipping cost can turn your expenditure on products from acceptable to unacceptable. Therefore, it’s important to examine shipping policies when looking at online stores.

For simplicity, some stores offer free shipping while others charge a shipping rate. Needless to say, free shipping is a major motivator for online shoppers, as customers like spending the least possible to get their products. Another important shipping consideration is how long it’ll take for the items to be delivered. This is also important because, you won’t want it to take forever for you to get your items.

In this regard, it’s important to remember that H&M divides their global operation into different markets in order to be able to better serve specific regions. Thus, the shipping policy (shipping cost, delivery options and times) differs in these markets.

We’ll show this with the US market that serve most of the North American region, an the South African market that serves most of the African region.

For the US market, there are two delivery options – standard delivery and next day delivery. Standard delivery takes 3 – 5 business days and cost $5.99. The next day delivery cost $24.99, and it is everything it’s name suggest; all orders placed in weekdays are delivered the very next day, but orders placed in weekends will take 2 days.

Also, if you’re in the US customers, you can get free shipping. The catch is that your order has to be up to $40 to qualify, and it’ll take 5 – 7 business days to get to you. One impressive thing about the free shipping offer is that you d not have to break the bank to get it. The amount you have to spend to qualify for free shipping in H&M is one of the lowest in the industry. The industry average is: spend $50+ to get free shipping. By offering you free shipping with orders up to $40, H&M impressively beats the industry average by up to $10.

Now to the South African market; there is no offer of free shipping. However, don’t write this off as a con just yet, as the shipping policy still make for good reading.

There’s still the choice of choosing between standard delivery and Next Day delivery. Only in this market, standard delivery takes 2 to 3 working days. However, there’s a marked difference in cost. Standard delivery cost £3.99, while the next day delivery is £5.99. With the standard delivery, you can use “Pick up in store” arrangement. It allows you to select a close H&M store that the orders will be delivered to; then you can visit the store to pick them up. They also offer a Nominated Delivery option which cost £7.99. This option allows you to pick a home delivery date and time.

Though the normal free shipping offers is absent, you can still get free delivery. If you’re a H&M club member, you get free standard delivery and free pick up in store delivery. You can still get free delivery without being a club member; but it’ll have to be a pick in store delivery, and the order have to be £20.

You’ll notice that, within each market H&M uses flat rate shipping, where every customer is charged the same amount for shipping, regardless of what is ordered. This could motivate more spending, as the size of the parcel will not affect shipping cost.

Returns Policy

You’ll agree that it will be frustrating to order something online, but on receiving the order the item does not meet certain expectations you had of it. There are many reasons that could cause that. But whatever the reasons, you’ll agree that being stuck with a clothing material that you do not like from day one, is not the best of experiences. Therefore, when shopping online, it’s important to consider whether the shop has a return policy, that allows customers return items they do not like and get refunded.

Thankfully, H&M offers returns. Their returns policy states that you can return item(s) within 30 day of receiving delivery, without giving any reason.

You can return items to H&M provided that:

• They have not been damaged or soiled
• They have not been worn or washed
• All labels and tags are still attached

However, there are certain items that cannot be returned for health and hygiene reasons, these includes cosmetics, pierced jewellery, underwear, and swimwear bottoms.

If you decide to return any item, included in your package is a returns form which you will use in making the return. Fill the return form, and put it together with the item in the parcel. If you’re in the UK, there are a couple of free returns option that you can use, including Hermes courier, Hermes parcel shop, and Royal mail. For many others, the returns label is pre-paid and pre-addressed, and the flat return shipping fee ($5.99 in almost every case) will automatically be deducted from your refund.

Alternatively, you can choose to make your returns to a H&M store closest to you. One advantage of returns in store is that they are free. However, there are some items that cannot be returned to a H&M store, this include missing and/or incorrect items, as well as furniture and lighting.

H&M will fund you using the same payment method you used for the purchase. You might have to wait for up to 14 days after the items are returned for you to get the refund.

Interestingly, H&M allows exchanges. You can exchange an item for another up to the amount of the returned item(s), but that has to be done in store, and only when the original purchase was made by credit/debit card, gift card or a combination of the two. If the exchange exceed the amount of the returns items, you’ll have to pay the difference.

This is one thing that scores points for H&M because many online fashion stores do not allow exchanges. With these no-exchange stores, getting another item is a long process that does not make for good buying experience; you’ll have to return the original order, get refunded, and place a fresh order.

Payment Methods

You won’t want to see a wonderful item, only to learn at checkout that the store does not support any banking options available for use in your location. Therefore, it’s important to consider the payment options that an online store supports.

The ideal online store should support a lot of payment options, so everyone from everywhere can easily find one for use in making payment. In this regard, H&M check another box.

They accept PayPal and credit/ debit cards (with MasterCard or Visa symbol) as well as Alipay, bank transfers, and China Union Pay. You can also pay using their gift cards (both physical gift cards and e-gift cards).

To use debit card or gift card in hm.com, you must be at least 16 years old; but for every other payment method, you must be at least 18 years old.

That said, the payment methods supported by H&M means that you should not have problems with finding one for making your payment no matter where you are buying from. However, e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller are very popular for making online payments, and its a shame that these options are not supported. Also, cryptocurrencies (such as bitcoin) are becoming increasingly popular, and are touted as successor to fiat money; but these options are also not supported by H&M.

Customer Support

There might be need to contact the company, therefore it’s important to consider the channels that the company provides for reaching them, as well as the responsiveness of these channels.

First, H&M provides an extensive Q&A section that holds answers to most of the questions that customers might have.

To directly contact a customer support rep of H&M, you can use an email service, a live chat, a telephone service, as well as social media support.

H&M responds to all email submissions within 24 hours. This is okay considering that some platforms can keep you waiting for up to 48 hours. However, if you’ll rather have instant feedback; you can use live chat or telephone. They provide toll free lines (855-466-7467); so you don’t have to worry about charges when contacting them.

H&M also have a strong social media presence; and they give support through their Twitter and Facebook handles.

I liked

• Almost 5000 physical stores world wide
• Extensive product range that includes womens wear, men’s wear, kids’ wear, and home furnishings
• You do not have to break the bank to get free shipping in markets where it’s offered (US free shipping is for $40+ orders)
• Possible to return items and get a refund
• Allow exchange of one product for another
• Customer support available through live chat and telephone

I didn’t like

• No free shipping in certain markets

Summary

H&M gives you every reason for you to make them your store. From being legit and safe, to being passionate about providing you with the latest fashion styles, to being passionate about positively affecting society and the environment.

There’s is a humongous variety of fashion product for women, men and kids, including home furnishing; and these are offered at very reasonable prices. The company has a global reach with stores worldwide; and they strategically divide their operation such that specific regions are better served.

Do you have any experience with HM? If yes, kindly use the review section below to give us your HM ratings and also a brief HM review.

Charlotte Russe is a one-stop shop for young women fashion. They offer all the trending fashion trends to make you step out in style. Charlotte Russe was started in 1975 by three brothers in California. The company changed hands in 1996 when it was acquired by Saunders Karp & Megrue (SKM), and again in 2009 when it was bought from SKM by Advent International. In that time, Charlotte Russe has gone from being private to going public and back still to being a private holding.

Through all the changes, Charlotte Russe has expanded, and now operate stores (over 500) in almost every state of the US. They still focus on their original customers of young women in their late teens and twenties. There are many new additions daily, to ensure that you have all the latest trending styles.

The online store can be accessed at https://www.charlotterusse.com. The website is available in English and Spanish.

Yes, Charlotte Russe is a legitimate retailer. The company has been around since 1975 and sells a variety of clothing, shoes, and accessories for women.

Also, the website is fully mobile optimised. You can access it with all mobile platforms, such as Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows phone etc. All you need do is type the URL into your browser, and you’ll be redirected to the mobile shop. You’ll be able to browse through all the items in stock, place orders, and access every other service that you can access using the desktop.

Charlotte Russe makes it easy for customers to make purchases by providing detailed product description and product images. Images include close-ups and are shot from different angles, to give you a good view of the products. The products are described with clear bullet points. Where they have on-model clothes, the height of the models is given, to communicate dimensions properly.

Charlotte Russe is a French dessert. However, this is not about the recipe and fast food shops, but fashion and fast fashion shops.

This is because three brothers started a fast fashion store some decades ago and named it Charlotte Russe after their favourite dessert.

Charlotte Russe has passed through different ownership and stages but remains one of the most popular online fashion retailers in the U.S. They promise to provide you with the latest styles at the most affordable prices.

This Charlotte Russe review will also x-ray Charlotte Russe to provide the information that’ll help you decide if the online fashion store lives up to its promises, as well as whether it is worth trying.

Charlotte Russe at a glance

• Online fashion retail store started in 1975, and currently owned by Advent International
• Focuses on trending fashion for young women in their teens and twenties
• Has over 500 physical stores in the US and Puerto Rico, and ships merchandise from these service centres to only the U.S. and some U.S. outlying territories
• Provides an extensive product range which includes dresses, tops, bottoms, plus sizes, shoes, beauty products and accessories
• Offers affordable prices as well as enticing promotions
• Offers free shipping and product exchanges
• Payment methods supported include credit/ debit cards, PayPal, store gift cards, Android and Google Pay
• Use SSL technology and top-notch encryption to secure customers’ sensitive information
• Customer support available through telephone, and email

Is Charlotte Russe legit?

Charlotte Russe is legit, not a scam. When it comes to buying things online, you can never be too careful. If you walk into a brick and mortar store to buy something, at least there is a physical location you can return to if it turns out that you were played; but with online transactions, it is different. Thus, almost all the time people will ask if an online platform is legit or a scam before sending in their hard earned money.

In this section, we’ll provide the information that will help answer if Charlotte Russe is a legit online fashion retail shop or a scam. What was considered include the store’s longevity, whether it is recognized by any legal jurisdiction, the identity of its operators, existence of physical stores etc.

• Longevity: Charlotte Russe was founded in 1975, with their first shop opening in San Diego, California. This means that the company has been operating for over four decades.

Suffice it to say that no scam shop can operate for that long. The scam houses are always short-lived. In just a short time, their scamming operations are discovered; and when the spotlight is shone on them, they pack up.

• Legal recognition: Charlotte Russe is a company that is duly registered as Charlotte Russe Holding, Inc., having a registered office at 5910 Pacific Center Blvd. Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92121. In the least, this shows that the company is 100% legal.

Scam platforms never obtain relevant licenses as registered companies. At most, they fake certificates to present to customers who are wise enough to ask. Don’t go wondering if Charlotte Russe’s certificates of incorporation are faked because the company went public in 1999 and traded stock in the stock exchange. Suffice it to say that there is no way a scam company will file papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It would also interest you that in 2009 the company was led back into a private holding for about $380 million (with shares bought at a price of $17.50 per share). Do you still doubt the legitimacy of Charlotte Russe?

• Operators: Though started by three Brooklyn born brothers (Daniel, Frank and Larry Lawrence), Charlotte Russe has changed hands over the years, and is owned by Advent International since 2009. Advent International is a global equity firm that focuses on buyouts and strategic restructuring of companies. Apart from Charlotte Russe, the company has successfully completed the buyout of some other 335 companies in 41 countries all over Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. Suffice to say that scam platforms have hidden operators.
• Physical existence: Charlotte Russe has over 500 physical stores in over 45 states in the US, including Puerto Rico. From these stores, they ship out merchandise. On the other hand, scam platforms, have only virtual existence. Usually, there’s no warehouse or physical stores holding the merchandise, and that is why they cannot fulfil orders.
• That said, the question of whether Charlotte is legit can be put to rest because with so many service centres, you’ll most definitely get your orders.

Is Charlotte Russe safe?

Charlotte Russe is safe to use. You want to also make sure that the online shop is safe. Being safe means that your shopping with them will not expose you to cyber criminals and information phishers.

For example, when you use Charlotte Russe, by visiting the website, placing an order, and/ or contacting their support team, they collect sensitive information such as your name, email address, postal address, phone number, and credit card details. If this information is not adequately protected, it can be captured by hackers (of the underworld). You definitely will not want your personal information or sensitive information like your credit card details in the hands of these unauthorized third parties.

Charlotte Russe says that they take precautions, to protect the security of your personal information and to provide you with a safe and convenient shopping experience. This includes the use of encryption technologies and authentication tools, as well as organizational and managerial safeguards.

On the technical side, they use secure socket layer  (SSL) technology. SSL is the security industry’s standard for establishing a secure link (between a device and a web browser) over a public network like the internet. In essence, a secure link is created between you and Charlotte Russe, and unauthorized third parties cannot peep in to see any of the data exchange in the secure link. Also, the data is encrypted before it is sent through the link, ensuring that even if it is captured by hackers, it cannot be read.

Organizationally, Charlotte Russe pledges to respect your privacy and use your personal information only as necessary to provide you with essential services, or to comply with laws and regulation.

That said, with the use of industry-standard security certificates and encryption, as well as a love act friendly policy, there is no doubting that Charlotte Russe is safe.

Product Range

There is a reason big supermarkets get more customers than smaller stores even if they offer similar prices. One is that customers will rather visit one store where they can find all the items they want to buy, rather than visit multiple stores to get different items.

Apart from the convenience offered, there’s the prospect of cost savings by taking advantage of promos which gives discounts if total expenditure reaches a particular amount.

It’s the same with online stores. You should want to buy everything you need in one place not only because of the inconvenience of visiting different stores for your fashion needs, but also so that you can take advantage of promos linked with the size of total expenditure. Therefore, it’s important to consider if an online fashion store has a wide product range that will cover all your fashion needs.

In this regard, Charlotte Russe is focused on females in their teens and twenties; and they provide every fashion item for that class. The various product categories (as well as some product in each category) that you’ll find in Charlotte Russe are as follows:

• Clothes – these include tops, bottom, coats and jackets, and others including intimates and swimwear. The tops you’ll find include: Tees, sweaters and cardigans, sweatshirts and hoodies, shirts and blouses, casual tops, going out tops and more. The bottoms you’ll find include leggings, wide legs, trousers, joggers, shirts, skirts and more. Coats and Jackets include blazers, anoraks, faux fur, bomber jackets, moto jackets, denim jackets and more
• Dresses – you’ll find dresses for every occasion including Home Coming dresses, Holiday dresses, Party and Cocktail dresses, Wedding guest dresses, Bridesmaid dresses, Nightout dresses, Casual dresses, and Formal Dresses. These dresses different styles such as skater dresses, jumpsuits and rompers, bodycon dresses, sweater dresses, button-down dresses, T-shirt dresses, wrap dresses, long sleeve dresses, shift dresses, off the shoulder dresses, maxi dresses and more.
• Jeans – products here are grouped by style and fit. In style, you’ll find ripped jeans, cropped jeans, refuge jeans, and colour jeans. In a fit, you’ll find skinny jeans, high waist jeans, push up jeans, bootcut jeans, mom jeans, and more
• Plus sizes – this include plus dresses, plus jeans, plus bottoms (leggings, pants, skirts etc), plus tops (shirts and blouses, bodysuit, sweater and cardigan, casuals and going out tops etc)
• Beauty – this include lips product (such as lip gloss, lip balm and more), eyes products (such as eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and more), face products (such as contour kit, powder and more), nails products (such as nail polish, fake nails and more), perfumes, and tools & accessories
• Shoes – this includes boots and booties, heels, flats, sneakers and more
• Accessories – this includes scarf, bags and wallets, hats, belts, socks and tights, hair accessories, sunglasses and more
• Jewellery – these include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and jewellery sets

From the different product categories and a wide variety of products in each category, Charlotte Russe will get you stepping out in style no matter the occasion or season. But that is only if you are a young woman.

For everyone else (older women, kids or men), Charlotte Russe is not the place to shop for your clothing. This might be a disadvantage where a customer needs a one-stop shop for family fashion.

That said, Charlotte Russe is a one-stop young women fashion shop.

Prices

It is a no-brainer that you should consider the cost of products in any store, be it a brick and mortar store or an online store. Prices need to be pocket-friendly. Even when you are willing to pay top dollar for top quality, you’ll still want to make sure that the particular item is reasonably priced.

In this regard, Charlotte Russe ticks all the right boxes. You’ll be able to step into the store and come out in style no matter the depth of your pockets.

For example, you’ll find a lot of elegant dresses at just about $20 or under; you’ll find that almost all the top quality boyfriend jeans are below $25; there are excellent tops costing $15 or under, and almost all the leggings are $10 and under. Even shoes have attractive prices; with $15, you can get an array of flats, and with about $25, you’ll be killing in some exotic boots and booties

Charlotte Russe Shipping

Two important shipping considerations are shipping cost and delivery times. You don’t want the total expenditure on items to soar when shipping costs are added, and you also don’t want to wait forever for your orders to be delivered to you.

In terms of shipping costs, online retail stores know that reducing shipping costs gives them a competitive advantage. As a result, many have employed various strategies to bring down the shipping cost, which includes offering flat shipping rates as well as free shipping. Thankfully, Charlotte Russe is no exception.

First, you should know that Charlotte Russe ship only to the United States, Military (AA, AE, AP) addresses, Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. This would come as a big disadvantage because it means that if you live anywhere else, there’ll be no luck ordering from Charlotte Russe.

In terms of delivery times; Charlotte Russe offers standard (ground) delivery for all addresses, but for US addresses they have additional shipping options such as economy air, expedited delivery, and express delivery.

To the US addresses (except Hawaii and Alaska), Standard delivery takes 5 – 10 business days and cost $5.00; Economy Air takes 3 – 4 business days, and cost $13.99; Expedited delivery takes 2 – 3 business days and cost $17.99; while Express delivery takes 1 – 2 business days, and cost $24.99.

To Hawaii and Alaska, standard delivery takes 5 – 15 business days, and cost $15.99, while Expedited delivery takes 2 – 3 business days, and cost $29.99. Only standard delivery is available for all other addresses that they ship to. To Canada, it takes 5 – 12 business days and cost $19.99; to Puerto Rico, it takes 5 – 15 business days, and cost $15.99; to Guam and the US Virgin Islands, it takes 15 – 20 business days, and cost $15.99; while to military addresses, it takes up to 24 business days, and cost $19.99.

An interesting takeaway from the shipping rate is that Charlotte Russe offers flat rates. Thus, you can order a lot of items at the same time without worrying that your shipping cost will increase with the number of items ordered.

Apart from the flat shipping rate that Charlotte Russe offers customers, it will interest you to know that they also offer free shipping. The only catch is that your orders must be equal to or more than a particular amount; and the amount is not set in the skies, as it is just $50.

If the total value of your order is equal to or more than $50, after all, discounts and promos have been applied, you’re not charged a cent for the shipping. Offering free shipping is impressive, but it’s more impressive that you do not have to spend over and above to qualify for free shipping. However, the free shipping offer is available to only US customers, excluding those in Hawaii and Alaska.

Returns Policy

Another important consideration when shopping online is whether the store has a returns policy that will allow you to return (to them) and an item that you do not like when you receive the delivery.

This is important as there are many reasons why you might not like an item when it gets to you. For clothing material, there’s the issue of sizing. The item might not be the right fit, and therefore, unusable by you. There’s even the possibility of the quality not meeting your expectations, or the item getting to you damaged. Whatever the case, a shop that prioritizes customer satisfaction will have a returns policy, and that’s what you should go for. Thankfully, Charlotte Russe is that shop.

If you are not completely happy with your purchase, you may return it to Charlotte Russe within 30 days of the delivery date. They accept both returns by mail, and to any of their stores near you.

However, there are certain items that they do not accept returns on, these include jewellery, electronic gift cards, physical gift cards, swim, intimates, fragrance, nail polish, opened beauty products, and any other item noted as final sale.

To return items that are allowed, the items must be in their original conditions, with all tags still attached. This means items should not have been worn or washed.

Charlotte Russe makes returns very easy by including a returns label with every package. To make returns by mail, you can make use of the pre-paid returns label, and not worry about the cost of return at that point. It is when issuing you your refund that $6.99 is deducted as the cost of returns.

However, if you’re returning any item because an incorrect item was delivered, or because it is defective or was delivered to you damaged, the cost of returns is borne by Charlotte Russe. They also allow you free returns for bridesmaid collection dresses. But for other reasons (such as sizing), you’ll bear the cost of returns or use the returns label at $6.99.

Charlotte Russe also allows exchanges, that is returning an item and getting another as a replacement. However, exchanges are only allowed in the store. It’s a good thing as exchanges are allowed at all because not many stores allow exchanges. The stores will require you to return the first item, get refunded for it, and place a fresh order for the other item. Exchanges make for a smoother buyer’s experience, as it gets you the desired item faster. Therefore, it’s a plus that Charlotte Russe allows exchanges.

Also, after receipt of your returns, Charlotte Russe will process a refund of your payment and will issue the refund to the original means of payment. The refund can take between 2 – 3 weeks to get to your bank account.

I was blown away by what followed. If returns get to Charlotte Russe after the allowed 30 days from the date of delivery, or the returns is without a packing slip or shipping confirmation email, you will still get a refund. Only that it will be issued as a store credit, instead of cash in your bank account.

This is super impressive. Many stores do not issue any refund if your returns do not get to them within the returns window. But, Charlotte Russe issues your merchandise credits which you can use to make purchases in the store.

Promotions

Almost every shop offer some form of inducement to attract new customers and to make former customers return to the shop. Online shops are no exception. The promos that these shops run should interest you because they slash the prices of items in the store, allowing you to get the items for less than their full prices.

Charlotte Russe, like every other online fashion retailer, run promotions from time to time. These promotions are varied and are both products specific and time specific. That is, they apply to particular products, and only run for specific periods. So at each particular time, you should check to know what promotion is running.

At this time of writing, some of the promos that were on include a 30% discount on dresses, shoes, plus sizes, jeans and accessories. Also, it was open to everyone, both first-time customers and others. Another promo was free shipping for orders over $30. This knocks $20 off the total expenditure required for a customer to get free shipping.

Promos that Charlotte Russe had run in the past included “buy one get one free” offers, as well as huge discounts of up to 50% on certain items. If you open their website, you’re greeted by any promo running at the time. If the affordable prices of Charlotte Russe do not give you enough reason to buy from them, their enticing promotions which further knocks down their prices just might.

That said, I was disappointed to find that Charlotte Russe was not offering student discounts. There’s actually a “student discount” tab on their website, but the excitement it brought died when it opened to a page that declared “discount not available”.

This unavailability of a student discount is also surprising since Charlotte Russe targets the student age bracket (females in their teens and twenties). Also, this put Charlotte Russe a little step behind the competition, as many of the competing stores give student discounts. There are some that give 10%, while there are others that give as much as 20%.

That said, a students discount will surely give the target crowd more reason to come to the Charlotte Russe.

Charlotte Russe Payment Methods

Making payment for your items in a brick and mortar store is as simple as dipping your hand into your pocket/ purse/ bag and bringing out bills or your credit/ debit card.

If you’ll also want a hassle-free payment process when shipping online, then you’ll want to consider the payment channels that the online store supports.

Charlotte Russe does support a wide range of payment options, which ensure that making payments for items in the online shop is convenient. You can pay with a host of credit and debit cards, such as American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, and Visa. You can also pay with Charlotte Russe Gift Cards and E-Gift Cards. They also support PayPal and PayPal Credit, as well as Apple and Android Pay.

Understandably, they do not accept Checks. They do not support cash on delivery and layaway plans, so you’ll have to pay for your items at checkout, and your payment must be in full.

However, though it is not significant enough to be a deal breaker, it’s disappointing that Charlotte Russe does not support web wallets or cryptocurrencies. Web wallets are increasingly becoming popular for making payments online, while cryptocurrencies (like bitcoin) are even threatening to replace fiat money in the future.

Customer Support

When shopping online, one service that you should not overlook is the customer support service of the store.

You may have questions that you want to be answered, or you may have issues with your order that you want to be resolved; and when you contact the support team with your questions or issues, you wouldn’t want to be left hanging.

First, Charlotte Russe provides an FAQ on their website. This answers many of the frequently asked questions that have to do with shipping, payment methods, and more.

If you rather contact a support team for assistance; there’s no problem as Charlotte Russe has set up a responsive team for that. The team is available every day of the week to attend to customers inquiries/ issues, but you can only reach them between 9 am – 10 pm (EST) on weekdays, and between 10 am – 7 pm (EST) on weekends.

You can reach the support team by phone (using the line: 888-211-7271) or by mail (using an online support ticket available on their website). It would interest you to know that Charlotte Russe does not keep you waiting forever when you send them a support ticket/ mail. They answer all mails in just a few hours; most times even under an hour. The telephone support is also impressive; as not too many online stores provide this.

I liked

• They have a wide young women fashion product range
• They offer affordable prices
• They offer convenient payment methods
• They offer flat shipping rates, as well as free shipping
• They allow exchange (in store) and returns (by mail and in-store), within 30 days of the delivery date, and they issue the refund in cash
• They include a prepaid returns label in order packages for use in making easy returns
• Even if returns are made past the 30 days returns window, they still issue refunds (though in merchandise credit)
• Customer support is available via telephone

I didn’t like

• They do not accept payment using web wallets and cryptocurrencies
• They do not ship internationally
• They do not offer a student discount
• They do not have s men’s wear range or kids wear range

Summary

There are many reasons to like Charlotte Russe. There’s the fact that the online store is legit and safe. Also, they have a wide variety of excellent clothing and accessories; and there are daily additions to their inventory. Every young woman, no matter your fashion preference, will walk into the store and come out glowing. Most importantly, you don’t have to break the bank to get that.

Charlotte Russe also runs attractive promotions, offer free shipping, and allows returns and product exchanges.

There are only a few disappointments, which include that only young women are served, as there are no fashion products for men or kids. Also, Charlotte Russe serves a very limited market, as they ship to only the U.S., and some U.S. outlying territories.

Do you have experience with Charlotte Russe? Good or bad, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Charlotte Russe review.