Onine Stores

James Allen says that the jewellery store was created to “offer consumers online the highest quality diamonds and the largest selection of diamonds at the best price”.

Largest selection; Highest quality; Best price. That sounds like the go-to online diamond/jewellery store. However, it’s one thing to promise; but it’s another to deliver. When it comes to diamonds and other jewellery, does James Allen actually provide “highest quality, largest selection, best price”? What about their service (is ordering painless, is delivery fast, is returns easy, is customer service responsive, etc)? In the first place, is James Allen genuine?

Yes, James Allen is a legit jewellery store. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money or credit card info. And you will receive any piece of jewellery you purchased from the store without a problem.

But does James Allen offer quality and genuine jewellery?

This James Allen review will examine James Allen in order to provide the information that will help you answer those questions and more.

James Allen Review at a glance

• An online diamond and jewellery store started in 2006
• Has over 200,000 loose diamonds and over 500 settings
• Has 360⁰ video viewer for all their diamonds
• Ships to only 23 destinations worldwide; but offers free shipping for all orders to every destination
• Offers a 30 days returns window; and will process and issue refunds in 2 weeks

What is James Allen?

James Allen is a jewelry store that was started in 2006, which gives them over 12 years’ experience in the industry as a company. It started with a purchase of a diamond engagement ring. James Schultz bought an engagement ring from an online auction site, and realized that diamonds can be provided online for far less than they would cost in brick and mortar stores. His wife (Michele Sigler), who the engagement ring was meant for, brought her retail experience on board. Oded Edelman, who is reputable for having a discerning eye in the diamond business, was determined to marry his rich heritage with online shopping, and he also joined the venture. Lastly, Dean Lederman, who had two decades of experience in overseeing the manufacturing and international distribution of diamonds, was drafted in to provide expert operational and financial guidance.

James Allen soared, and is easily one of the best online diamond retailers in the business. They provide over 200,000 diamonds (all conflict free). James Allen is reputable for pioneering 360⁰ video display technology; and they are the online diamond retailer whose every diamond can be viewed this technology.

James Allen operates strictly as an online business. They follow the “Virtual listing” model which means that they do not own their own diamonds. All the diamonds shown on their site is owned by their suppliers. However, the diamonds have been individually inspected and photographed to make it into James Allen listing. If you order any diamond, it will be delivered to James Allen who will then inspect it, and only when the diamond passes their inspection will it be shipped to you.

James Allen has their office in New York which host their operations and fulfillment center from where they ship orders to all over the world. They also have a showroom in New York where customers can receive personalized service by appointment.

Is James Allen legit or scam?

James Allen is legit, not a scam. And also one of the most popular online stores to get quality jewelries. They have been online for a very long time doing business without issues. Although there may be complaints here and there. This is normal for a popular online store such as this. You can never satisfy millions of customers without have having a few dissatisfied ones. We have listed some of the customers complaints and feedback below so you can go through them and decide whether to buy from James Allen or not.

            Features

Display technology

The biggest issue with online purchase is “blind purchase” – meaning you’ll be buying something that you’ve not physically seen and examined. That comes with the risk that you may not like the item when it’s finally delivered to you and you’re holding it in your hand. Online retailers try to       reduce this risk using different resources such as detailed product descriptions, certificates, and product images. James Allen is a clear leader in this regard (bridging the gap between virtual and physical). They have the best diamond display technology in the industry. In addition to having product descriptions, certificates and images, every diamond listed in James Allen can be viewed with a 360⁰ video viewer which gives you a magnified view of the diamond from all possible angles.

James Allen refers to themselves as “a diamond bridal jewelry company with a technology soul”. They cannot be more apt. They pioneered the 360⁰ video viewer technology. Though some of the other online diamond retailers have started using this technology as well; you’ll find that in these other stores only a few of the listed diamonds have the feature. However, in James Allen, every diamond can be examined with this 360⁰ video viewer technology that’s even better than a jeweler’s loupe.

Education

James Allen says that they aim to propitiate the challenges that come with buying a ring. That starts with educating shoppers on what they should really look out for when about ordering a diamond. Thus, they should have a robust education page as well as other educational resources.

James Allen provides a good educational center which holds pages where you can learn about the different products in the store – loose diamonds, engagement rings, natural gemstones, wedding rings, and fine jewelry. When it comes to information about the product; like every online jeweler in the business, James Allen provides grading reports for every of their diamond. Also, when you request it, they’ll provide other light performance reports such as ASET analysis, and H&A (Hearts and Arrows) patterning data.

Such light performance data are very important in determining the brilliance, fire etc of the diamond, and can be used to easily discern between a well cut diamond and a poorly cut diamond. Thus, we’ll like that such light performance reports be ordinarily provided and not have to be requested before being made available.

Conflict-free diamonds

If you are “human”, you’ll not only be concerned about that sparkling piece but where it came from and how it was obtained. In this regard, you’ll want a jeweler that list only conflict free diamonds. The name is self explanatory; conflict free diamonds are gems that are not obtained due to violence or human right abuses. Most recently the definition has expanded to include gems not obtained due to child labour or environmental degradation.

James Allen has strict internal guidelines to ensure that even exceed government guidelines in this regard. They use only reputable suppliers; and their deals with these suppliers ensure that diamonds are conflict-free. That said; you can be rest assured that diamonds in the store are conflict free.

Product

Product Range

You want a store to have a wide product range so that you can get all your related products in one place; and even so for a specialized store like a jewelry store. For example, it will not be best to get your ring setting in one store and go to another for the loose diamond. Getting your items in one place is, first of all, convenient. It will save and effort of checking out and dealing with multiple stores. Also, it offers cost savings. Your order amount will be high, and you may qualify for big order price discounts. Lastly, there’ll be cost savings from shipping, because the associated shipping cost will be lower when shipping one order from one store than when shipping different orders from different stores. Thus, the ideal jewelry store will have a wide jewelry product range.

James Allen ticks the box in this regard. The different product categories in the store (and the items you’ll expect to get in each category) are as follows:

• Engagement Rings

James Allen offers more ring types than you’ll find in most stores. For simplicity, there’s the Solitaire engagement ring where you’ll have a central stone with a plain mounting (usually four or six prongs). They have the side-stone engagement rings that feature two or more smaller sized diamonds flanking the center diamond. There’s the popular three stones engagement rings that also features two side stones flanking the center diamond, but this time the side stones accentuate the size and brilliance of the center piece. They also hold Halo engagement rings which features small micro-pave diamonds framing the center diamond. For more sparkling brilliance, there’re the Pave engagement rings which are encrusted with very small diamonds all along the band. For a more modern engagement ring setting, James Allen offers tension engagement rings where the center diamond is held in place by the physical force of the setting without any prong, to give the appearance of a floating diamond. Other ring styles you’ll find are Channels set engagement rings and Vintage engagement rings

• Diamonds

James Allen offers all the popular loose diamond shapes. This includes Round, Princess, Cushion, Emerald, Oval, Radiant, Asscher, Marquise, Heart and Pear. If you also want fancy colour diamonds, James Allen collections include Yellow, Purple, Blue, Orange, Black, Pink, Red, Green, Brown, and Gray.

• Gemstones

If you’ll rather have another precious stone other than diamonds, James Allen holds a collection of rubies, emeralds and sapphire. You’ll find Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Emerald, and Red Ruby

• Wedding Rings

There are different wedding bands for both women and men. They have men and women classic rings in Yellow Gold, White Gold and Platinum. For those who want more than the plain classics, James Allen women wedding ring collection includes carved rings (that feature some sort of carvings), eternity rings (encrusted with diamonds), and diamond rings. They also have women Anniversary rings and stackable rings. Apart from classics and carved rings, men can also go with alternative metal.

• Fine Jewelry

James Allen is not all about engagement and wedding jewelry. They have a collection of non-bridal/ wedding jewelry. You’ll find studs and earrings (diamonds studs, diamond earrings, gemstone earrings, and pearl earrings), necklaces (diamond necklaces, gemstone necklaces, and pearl necklaces), bracelets (diamond bracelets, gemstones bracelets and pearl bracelets), and rings (diamond rings, gemstones rings, and pearl rings).

Inventory Size

One of the things that James Allen promises is to provide the largest selection of diamonds. A huge inventory size is a no-brainer because it gives you opportunity to choose from a large pool, and you’ll be more likely to find a piece that takes your breath away.

In this regards, James Allen also ticks the box. For many years, the undisputed champion of diamond inventory size was Blue Nile; while James Allen had a relatively lower inventory and focused more on imaging technology. However, most recently, James Allen is no longer playing second fiddle when it comes to the size of their inventory. They have expanded their inventory over the years, and now have a massive inventory of over 200,000 that equals (and even chal lenges) the widely regarded inventory-champion (Blue Nile). James Allen is able to do this because they have increased their suppliers around the world, and have exclusivity deals signed with many of them, such that the diamonds listed in James Allen will not be listed in any other jewelry retailer’s store.

Apart from the size of the loose diamonds; James Allen also has a wide selection of ring settings. They have over 500 settings in different styles. Apart from the popular ring styles, they even have some that you’ll not find in many jewelry stores, even the top ones.  This includes the tension engagement ring setting.

Most top-end jewelry stores tend to focus on non-bridal jewelry (engagement rings and wedding rings) to the detriment of non-bridal jewelry. To be honest, James Allen used to have the issue; because their non-bridal range was limited. However, they have also expanded this line, and they now boast wide options in this range.

Product Quality

As you will agree, while a massive inventory is necessary, having products of high quality is even more important. In this regard, James Allen also shines. If you pick up a James Allen product you’ll be nothing but impressed with the craftsmanship. This goes for ring settings and even non-bridal jewelry such as bracelets. You’ll find some of the most detailed and breathtaking craftsmanship which are hallmark of top-drawer quality.

When it comes to the quality of the stones, James Allen leaves you well served. James Allen only sells diamonds that are 100% natural and untreated; which means that you’ll never find pieces laser-treated, clarity enhance o modified in anyway. All diamonds in their collection are GIA (Gemological Institute of America), AGS (American Gem Society), or IGI (International Gemological Institute) certified. These are gold-standards in the diamond grading industry; and their certificates assure the quality and value of the diamond. Their super ideal collection (True Hearts) consists of some of the best cut diamonds you’ll find anywhere. The best part of buying stones from James Allen is that they not only provide quality stones, but they make it easy for you to tell stones apart. The 360⁰ HD video available for each diamond in their collection helps you to find eye-clean diamonds in the store.

Price and Related Policies

Price

The price of an item is one of the most important considerations when making purchases. Even for high end items like diamonds, you will not want to pay prices that you perceive as a rip-off. Thus, the prices in an ideal shop should be competitive. In this regard, one of the three promises of James Allen is to offer diamonds (and other jewelry) at the best price. Thus, we’ll expect their prices to be among the lowest in the industry.

Checking the prices of James Allen with others, we found that James Allen offer better prices than every traditional jeweler. There was no surprise there as the overheads of retail outlets makes it impossible for traditional stores to come close to challenging their online competitors. Comparing James Allen with other online jewelers; we find that James Allen prices are really competitive. Pieces in James Allen with similar specifications with pieces in other stores are found, in most cases, to be equally or lower-priced.

Promotions

Promotions mean cost savings to customers. Thus, the ideal online store should run a lot of promotions that gives customers the opportunity to save a little on their purchases.

In this regard, it’s safe to say that James Allen is not very generous with promotions. We did not find any price slashing promotional offer at the time of writing this reviews. However, we did find an offer to join the mailing list and get $100 off your first purchase (valid for orders above $1,000).

Payment Method

You’ll want a retailer with easy payment process. Thus, the ideal online jewelry retailer should provide a good range of payment methods which are convenient to use.

In this regard, James Allen is no different from the other big jewelry retailers. They accept PayPal and all the major credit cards which include Visa, Master card, American Express, and Discover card. They also accept bank wire; and advice that the option should be used for every order valued over $1,000. To encourage this, they incentivize bank wire with a 1.5% discount.

It should be noted that James Allen says at their sole discretion, they may require bank wire payments for certain high international orders. This has been a source of frustration to certain customers who having transferred money to their PayPal account, are told to use bank wire.

Financing Option

It’s advised that you only buy a piece of jewelry that you can afford at the time. However, if you’ll want to get a piece now and pay overtime, James Allen has two financing plans that are worth looking at.

• Interest free 6 months plan – Qualifying orders must be over $1,000. You’ll pay up in 6 months via monthly equal installments.
• 90% APR 24 months plan – Qualifying orders must be over $2,000. You’ll pay up in 24 months, via monthly equal installments with the interest factored in.

Shipping

When you walk into a brick and mortar store and make a purchase, you’ll simply walk out with your package. However, it’s not that simple with online purchases. The items have to be shipped to you. Thus, it’s important to examine the shipping policy of any online store. Three important shipping considerations are: shipping destination, shipping cost, and shipping (delivery) times.

Shipping Destinations

Online diamond/ jewelry stores do not ship to every location on the planet; and James Allen is not different. Thus, you’ll want to find out whether the online jeweler ships to where you’ll want to receive delivery of the package. If they don’t, you’ll have to arrange to get the package from any of the locations that they ship to. Knowing that will be cost prohibitive, the more realistic option is to look for an online jeweler that ship to your location. Thus, the ideal online diamond/ jewelry retailer should ship to many locations across the globe, so that your location is more likely to be served.

Unfortunately, James Allen does not come out strong in this regard because they ship to relatively few countries. James Allen ships to only the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States, and United Arab Emirates.

If you’ve checked reviews of other online jewelry retailers, you’ll find many stores that ship to many more countries. With James Allen serving only the 23 above-mentioned countries, you’ll find that people from many locations who’ll want their packages delivered to their home will be unable to purchase from the store.

Shipping Cost

The shipping costs add up to the total expenditure on an item; so when the shipping costs are high, the total expenditure increases considerably. Thus, you’ll want shipping costs that are as low as possible. The lowest possible shipping cost is zero (that is free shipping); and the ideal online retailer should offer that.

Thankfully, James Allen offers free shipping. It will cost you nothing to get your James Allen order delivered to you no matter the amount of the order or the destination it is going (as long as it’s one of the 23 locations that James Allen ships to).However, it should be noted that for international orders, the customer will be responsible for all duties, VAT, taxes, and any such charges levied by the country. Interestingly, James Allen does not leave you in the dark about how much you might have to pay. They have a tax calculator which accurately predicts import duties.

It should be said that a lot of non US customers have negative reviews of James Allen in customers’ review platforms because of these extra charges. While, customers generally know that international shipping attract extra charges, they do not know that those “extras” could be as high as 25% of the purchase cost. Now you know; you might have to pay as much as 25% to clear your orders if you are shipping outside the US. For a $2,000 piece, that’s over $500 in duties.

Another good thing is that James Allen delivers to your door. For all credit card orders, they’ll deliver to the address on file; and it can even be arranged for them to deliver to an alternate address. This might not look like much, but it is because some of the top jewelry retailers only do “Hold for Pickup”. That is, your package will be delivered to a carrier’s (usually FedEx) office and you’ll go there to pick it up. This is usually done for security reasons since diamonds are high end purchases; however, it’s largely inconvenient. That said; if you want the convenience of getting your product at your door; James Allen is one store you’ll be interested in. However, they do not deliver to P.O.Box addresses.

Shipping Times

You don’t want a store that will take forever to deliver your package. Diamond and most are bought with a special date in mind. You don’t want the special day botched because your package did not arrive in time. That said; the ideal diamond and jewelry store should have short delivery estimates; and most importantly, they will deliver within their advertised estimated delivery times.

In this regards, James Allen ticks the box. Their loose diamonds are shipped immediately after passing inspection. For other jewelry and engagement rings, they are shipped immediately after production. Generally, you’ll get all such jewelry in one to three weeks.

We examined independent online platforms to know what customers who have bought from James Allen have to say about the delivery service of the company. To be honest, the reviews were back and forth. You’ll find negative reviews sandwiched between positive ones. They were many customers who were satisfied with the delivery time. Thus, while there were also a few who reported that their package came a little later than expected; in our opinion, late delivery is not a generic problem plaguing James Allen.

Returns

Most of the time, a piece of jewelry is a symbol of love (think of engagement rings, wedding bands, special occasion gift of jewelry etc). Thus, every piece should always have that wow factor. Unfortunately, sometimes when the jewelry piece is delivered to you, it will not have that wow factor that it did when you were looking at it from your device. Thus, you’ll want to be able to return it to the store. In any case, there are a lot of reasons you’ll want to return a piece of jewelry to a jewelry retailer; thus, the ideal retailer should allow returns.

Fortunately, like almost every online jewelry retailer in the business, James Allen allows returns. They allow a returns window of 30 days for a full refund or exchange, meaning that within 30 days of receiving delivery of the jewelry piece, you may return any item in your order back to James Allen (and get another jewelry piece in its place or get a refund of your initial payment). In terms of the returns window, James Allen does okay. 30 days is like the industry average because most of the competing online jewelry retailers offer 30 days. It is reasonable time, and you’ll not have to race against time to get in the returns.

If you’re resident in the US, you’ll love the returns policy of James Allen because they offer free returns for all US orders and the process is super easy. If you opt to return any item, all you need do is contact their customer service about it. In under 24 hours they’ll email you a pre-paid and fully insured returns label along with instructions on how to proceed. You simply need to package the item appropriately, attach the returns label, and take the package to the nearest FedEx location for mailing.

However, for returned items to be accepted, they must be “undamaged and in new and unused condition”. Thus, items that show signs of wear or that have been altered by another jeweler will not be accepted. Also, loose diamonds must be returned with the grading certificates, else a charge of $150 will be deducted from your refund to replace the certificate. However, there are certain items that cannot be returned such as special items.

James Allen pledges that returns will be processed within two weeks. Thus, in just a little over two weeks after your returns gets back to James Allen, you’ll get your money in your account. Refunds are issued through the original payment method; except bank wires, where you’ll get your refund via check. If James Allen actually process returns and refunds within two weeks as advertised, they will be one of the companies with the fastest refund processing time.

Other Services

Lifetime Warranty

If you want a provider that stands behind their product, James Allen is one, and they show it by their lifetime warranty. They warrant that, at the time of delivery, all their items will be free of manufacturing defects. They also warrant to repair and maintain your jewelry for a lifetime. This warranty covers prong tightening, re-polishing, rhodium plating, and cleaning services.

If your James Allen jewelry is in need of a repair or servicing, you can send it to them. They’ll examine it, and if the repair/ servicing need is covered by the warranty, it will be done free of charge no matter how long you’ve used the ring. If the repair need is not covered by the warranty, you’ll be advised, and may have to pay for the service. You’ll also have to bear the shipping cost to send James Allen the ring. However, after evaluation and/ or servicing, James Allen will bear the outbound shipping cost and ship the ring to you free of charge.

Lifetime Upgrade

One thing that makes James Allen attractive is their lifetime diamond upgrade. If you happen to need a bigger diamond from James Allen, you don’t need to cover its full price if you already have a loose diamond from the store.  As long as your first James Allen loose diamond is in its original condition, you can return it to James Allen for 100% credits towards getting the bigger stone. The only condition is that the stone you’ll be getting must be twice as expensive as the one you are returning. You also need to send the original lab grading documents of the first stone.

Free Ring Resizing

Rings are sized products; thus, no matter how dashing a ring may be, you’ll need it to be the right size if it’s to be worn with grace. There are various ring sizing kits that you can get to make sure that the ring you order will fit. However, if you happen to order your ring from James Allen and discover that it’s too small or too big for the finger; you need not beat yourself because James Allen offers free ring sizing.

The offer is for the first 60 days of the delivery date; and applies to all engagement rings and wedding bands. However, eternity rings and alternative metals bands cannot be resized. It should also be noted that free ring resizing is done only once for a customers. So after getting one complimentary resizing, you’ll have to make sure you get the size right for subsequent orders.

Note that you’ll have to take care of inbound shipping. However, James Allen will ship the resized ring to you free of charge (if you’re in the US), and charge you $50 for shipping if you’re outside the US.

Free Engraving

Will you like to have special characters on your engagement ring and wedding bands? If yes, you don’t have to pay extra for engraving James Allen jewelry because they offers free engraving on most of their engagement rings and wedding rings.

If engraving is available for your selection, you’ll see it as an option during checkout, and you can choose to have personal engravings (of alpha-numeric combination of up to 20 characters) on the ring.

Reserving diamonds

Sometimes, the search to get a diamond that is to your liking may not be as easy as it seem, especially when the retailer has a large inventory as James Allen does. Thus, after you have arrived at a diamond after doing extensive research, it will be disappointing to lose it because you did not get your purchase in on time. To avoid this, some diamond retailers allow customers to reserve diamonds for some time while they sort out their money issues to complete the purchase; in that time the diamond will not be sold to another person.

Unfortunately, James Allen does not allow you to reserve diamonds. They used to allow reserving any diamonds, until a recent policy change that allow reserving only of fancy shaped diamonds. But before even being able to reserve the fancy shape diamond, in your research, you must have requested an ASET analysis for up to three diamonds.

Some customers may cry that this new policy change is not customer friendly; but in reality, it’s not difficult to see why James Allen will come up with that kind of policy change – many times than should be, reserved diamonds are finally not purchased by those who reserved them, after the diamonds had been held back from those who enquired about them, leading to lost sales.

That said, if you’re searching for a diamond in James Allen, you’d better have your wallet/ purse ready and be willing to commit financially immediately.

Customer Service

When buying from any online store, you should want to know about the customer service of the store. Especially where it’s a purchase that involves significant financial commitment; you want to make sure that if there happens to be issues with your purchase, you’ll not be left out to dry. In this regard, the ideal legit store will provide different channels for contacting them; and they’ll also promptly provide needed assistance when contacted.

The first step to getting help from James Allen is an FAQ page on their website. The FAQ page is very detailed and you’ll find answers to most of the questions you may have. To directly contact a support rep; James Allen has a 24/ 7 customer service team that can be contacted via email, live chat, Skype, or telephone call. This scores James Allen a lot of points because we like an online Jeweler with a good range of contact options.

More importantly, James Allen responds when contacted; and their response is usually prompt and generally helpful. When you contact the store using their email address (service@JamesAllen.com), you can expect to get a response in a few hours; this is miles ahead of stores that’ll keep you waiting for days. We were particularly impressed with the live chat feature. In some stores, your submissions will be put in a queue, and you’ll have to wait for an agent to come online. Live chat in James Allen was actually “live”. When we tested the service, we were silent for just about 10 seconds, and the agent prompted us for our enquiry. It was super fast and efficient. If you’ll rather call; the phone number to use is 8778269866.

Summary

There’s no doubt that James Allen is a legit online jewelry store. In every almost list of top online jewelry retailers, James Allen comes first or second. They promise to provide high quality diamonds, the largest selection of diamonds, and at the best prices; and they deliver on all counts.

They hold high quality pieces; their “True Hearts” collections are super ideal cut diamonds with excellent beauty and optical performance. With a massive inventory of over 200,000 loose diamonds, theirs is one of the largest selections of diamond; and their prices are truly competitive.

Paying for orders is generally easy; except the few occasions they decide to veto payment option. On the whole, delivery is fast; except that they deliver to relatively few countries. There’s a 30 days returns window, so you won’t be stuck with a purchase you don’t like. There are many things to like about James Allen (but as always there are a few knacks) as outlined below:

Pros:

• Provides high quality diamonds and other jewelry, and has one of the largest selection of diamonds
• Provides 360⁰ HD video viewer for all diamonds in their collection
• Offer home delivery
• Offers free shipping worldwide, no matter the order amount or shipping destination
• Relatively fast refunds processing time (two weeks)
• Offers good financing plans
• Offers a lifetime diamond upgrade program which allows you to trade your first stone at anytime for a bigger stone
• Offers free ring sizing, free engraving, and lifetime warranty that covers cleaning services and others
• Customer service is efficient; there are good number of options to contact them, and responses are prompt and helpful

Cons:

• They no longer allow reserving diamonds (that is, to hold a diamond you choose for you while you sort your finances to complete the purchase)
• Ships to only 23 countries
• Additional charges for international orders (handling fees, taxes, duties etc) can be unsuspectingly high; sometimes over 25% of the order amount
• Very few price slashing promotions

Do you have an experience with James Allen? If yes, you may use the review section below to give us a true James Allen review.

Lulus is a California based women’s wear brand that promises to provide a bit of luxury without the price tag. This suggests that it is a shopping destination for getting high-end top quality products for relatively low prices. The big question is whether this is just some advert-speak or whether Lulus actually provides “affordable luxury”.

Also, if Lulus does provide the product (top quality and low-priced), what about its service; does it provide top service that we’ll expect of the ideal online store (such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer support service, etc)?

In the first place, is Lulus legit, or is it just another scam store out to rip off unsuspecting online shoppers?

Yes, Lulus is legit. It is not a scam because there has never been a complaint of customers not getting their products after payment. But do they send quality materials to customers? Continue reading…

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

Lulus review at a glance

• A California based women’s wear brand focused on providing affordable luxury
• Started in 1996 as a Vintage boutique, and transitioned as an online store in 2008
• Website: lulus.com
• Sells mainly own-brand items
• Offers a large selection of fashion products including clothing, shoes, and accessories
• Ships merchandise to the US, Canada and over 75 countries across the globe
• Free shipping is offered to all locations served
• Items not satisfactory can be returned if postmarked within 30 days (for US orders) or 45 days (for international orders) of delivery
• Free returns are offered (to US orders postmarked within 10 days of delivery)
• Customer support available via Postal Mail, Online Contact Form, email (love@lulus.com), telephone (1-866-918-5858), and Live Chat

What Lulus it?

Lulus’ origins can be traced to 1996 when Debra Cannon and Colleen Winter (a mother and daughter) opened the Vintage Boutique Lulu’s Fashion Lounge in Chico, California. However, Lulus started offering clothing exclusively online in 2008.

The founders say that their goal is to give fashion enthusiasts a bit of luxury without the price tag. Thus, you’ll find that Lulus hold high-end fashion products. This includes clothing, shoes, and accessories. Lulus is a typical example of a store that sells own-brand items, as 85% of products offered are Lulu’s line, with the remaining 15% coming from selected designers.

Is Lulus legit?

One cannot be too careful when buying things online, especially with the stories of people getting ripped off in some online platforms. So as not to be a victim, you’ll want to determine that any online platform that you plan to use is legit. So the big question here is whether Lulus is legit. The simple answer to that is “YES”.

Our first check of a legit online store is legality. This is because online platforms that are 100% legal are less likely to be scams. Thankfully, Lulus ticks this box. The website is owned and operated by Lulu’s Fashion Lounge LLC, which is a duly registered company in the US.

The company has raised several undisclosed amounts of funds from top financial institutions such as HIG Growth Partners, Abacus Finance Group, Monroe Capital, and more. Suffice it to say that a scam store will not bother with company registration and cannot raise funds from top investors.

Another check of a legit online store is visibility and industry-wide recognition. This is because the scam stores largely operate in the shadows. Thankfully, Lulus also ticks this box. Lulus is one of those online fashion stores that has leveraged social media to reach millions of customers, and it has over 1.3 million followers on Instagram. Suffice it to say that a scam store will not be trusted by so many industry followers and watchers.

Another check of a legit online store is the test of time. This is because the scam stores are usually short-lived. They are found out in a short time, and they always do not survive the exposure. Thankfully, Lulus ticks this box. Starting as a boutique in 1996, Lulu’s overall lifespan has exceeded 23 years; and as an online store, it has exceeded 11 years. Suffice it to say that a scam store cannot go on operating for over a decade.

However, the ultimate test of a legit online store is fitness for purpose. An online store is fit for purpose if it delivers real and functional products to customers who place orders in the platform. Thankfully, Lulus ticks this box. There’s no doubt that persons who place orders in Lulus receive delivery of real products, and these are largely functional.

That said, with Lulus operated by a 100% legal company, with it having industry-wide recognition, and with it having a rich operating record of fulfilling orders with high-quality products, there’s no doubt that it is a legit online store.

Is Lulus safe?

Yes, Lulus is safe. Legitimacy is not enough. While a legit store will not rip you off, if it isn’t safe the sensitive information (such as personal information and credit card details) that you share with it will leak out leaving you exposed to all the fraudsters out there. Thus, the ideal online store will not only be legit but will also be safe in ensuring the protection of users’ data.

In this regards, Lulus comes out well. Orders placed in the site are encrypted using SSL technology, which is the industry-standard authentication and encryption technology. With SSL implemented, information transmitted over the internet will remain unaltered and secure, and it is safe to say that Lulus is safe.

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Products

Product Range

Customers usually gravitate towards stores that offer a wide range of products. This is because such stores can be a one-stop stores, where customers can get their needs in one place. Such one-place buying affords convenience and cost savings.

The convenience comes from not having to look up multiple stores, and the cost savings come from not spreading purchases between different stores and qualifying for large order discounts, or from shipping only one order instead of paying to ship multiple orders from different stores.

Thankfully, Lulus does relatively well in this regard. Lulus provides fashion products for women, and its impressive collection includes clothing, footwear, and accessories. When shopping in Lulus, the product categories and items you’ll find in each category are:

• Dresses – You can shop by Style (Little Black Dresses, Bodycon Dresses, Long Sleeve Dresses, Backless Dresses, Maxi Dresses, Midi Dresses, Short Dresses, Casual Dresses, Skater Dresses, Strapless Dresses, Two Piece Dresses, Shift Dresses, Office Dresses, Print & Floral, Halter Dresses); By Wedding (Bridesmaid Dresses, Wedding Guest Dresses, Bridal Dresses); By Occasion (Vacation Dresses, Cocktail Dresses, Sundresses, Formal Dresses, Party Dresses, Party Dresses, Prom Dresses, New Year’s Dresses, Club Dresses); By Color; and By Trend (Sweater Dresses, Wrap Dresses, LBDs, Winter Dresses)
• Clothing – Tops (Sweaters, Casual Tops, Sexy Tops, Bodysuits, Sleeveless, Short Sleeve, Long Sleeve, Blouses and Shirts, Tees, Tank Tops, Tubes & Camis, Crop Tops, Dressy Tops, Kimonos), Knitwear (Sweaters, Sweater Dresses), Bottoms (Skirts, Pants, Shorts, High Waisted, Overalls), Denim (Jeans, Shorts, Skirts, Jackets, Overalls, Dresses), Rompers & Jumpsuits, Outerwear (Jackets, Blazers), Loungewear, Office wear, Swimwear (Bikinis, One-Piece Swimsuits, Cover-Ups), Lingerie
• Shoes – Heels (Pumps, Ankle Strap Heels, Mid-Low Heels), Flats, Wedges, Mules & Slides, Boots (Ankle boots, Mid Calf Boots, High Heel Boots), Sandals (Flat Sandals, Gladiator Sandals, thing Sandals, Heeled Sandals, Wedge Sandals), Lace-ups, Vegan Shoes (Flats, Sandals, Heels & Wedges, Boots), Sneakers, Holiday Shoes, Wedding Shoes,
• Accessories – Handbags & Purses (Clutches, Totes & Backpacks, Vegan Handbags & Purses), Jewelry (Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets, Rings, Sterling Silver), Sunglasses, Hats, Belts, Scarves, Hair

Inventory Size

Another important product consideration is inventory size. For example, it’s not enough that a store provides dresses, it’s important that the store holds a large number of dresses (different styles) so that you’re more likely to find something that appeals to your taste and budget.

Thankfully, Lulus ticks this box. For example, at the time of writing this review, we found that the dresses category held 3,160 different styles; and that in the Clothing category, there were 2,305 styles of Tops and 742 styles of bottoms. Suffice it to say that Lulus has the numbers to satisfy many a selection needs.

Buying from Lulus

The ideal online store should be easy to use. Thankfully, Lulus ticks this box. The website is not only easy to navigate, but it is mobile optimized to give an optimal mobile shopping experience. Lulus has also developed apps.

Discovering items in Lulus is also straightforward. You can browse through the product categories in the menu; alternatively, you can enter product keywords into the search bar in the page, and it will bring up products related to your search enquiry.

Clicking on a product will take you to its description page. The page holds a detailed description of the item. It also holds different product images of the item. To help you with ordering the right size, you’ll find a size chart as well as the measurement of the model in the product images.

If you like the item, you can then select your size, and colour, and proceed to add it to your cart. You can click on the bag icon to go to your cart. There, you can view your order detail and proceed to checkout. There, you’ll submit shipping information, and select a payment method to pay for your order.

One of the good things about Lulus is that it supports “Guest checkout”. That is, you can checkout without creating a user account. This is good if you’ll not want your information stored by an online store. Also, if you do not want to place an order online, you can call customer care to place an order via telephone.

Many times, after placing an order, customers will change their minds and will want to modify or cancel their order. Thus, stores that allow order modification or cancellation come out as attractive. Unfortunately, Lulus does not shine in this regard.

That is, after placing an order in Lulus, you cannot modify it or cancel it. This is very unfortunate as there are many online stores that allow placed orders to be cancelled any time prior to shipment.

Pricing and Related Policies

Pricing

No one will want to overpay for any item. Thus, the ideal online store should feature items that are reasonably priced. In this regard, the main promise of Lulus is to provide affordable luxury in fashion products.

Thankfully, it lives up to this promise. For example, in the dresses category, there were dozens of styles for $10; many of the styles went for $30 – $65. In fact, of the over 3,000 dress styles listed, only 46 were over $150. To put this in perspective, you’ll be hard-pressed to find items under $50 in luxury fashion stores.

Thus, though Lulus have some floored prices, it is not by any means a low-cost shopping destination. But at the same time, it is not at all an expensive store.

Promotions

Almost everyone likes free stuff or being able to get much for less. Thus, stores that offer promotions are very attractive. This is because promos allow customers to get items for free, or for less than the items’ going rates.

Thankfully, Lulus come out as a promotions-generous store. At the time of writing this review, there were many promotional offers. Some that caught the eye included:

• Semi-Annual Outlet Sale: This is basically a “buy 4, get 1 free item” promo. Lulus had 4 Outlet Sales categories – $10 and under, $20 and under, $25 and under, and $40 and under. If you buy any 4 items from any of the outlet’s sales, you’ll receive one item as a free gift.
• Give $20, Get $20: This is basically a referral program. Simply invite your friends using a referral link. If any does come to Lulu and make a first purchase worth $50, the friend will get $20 off that first purchase, and you’ll also be gifted $20. However, you’ll also need to make a purchase worth $50.
• Loyalty Perks: This simply rewards customers for shopping in Lulus. You can get as much as 20% off after every order to use on your next order

You’ll also find a host of coupons that will give you different percentages of prices. As it is in virtually all online stores, promos are time-specific; they only run for a period of time. Thus, you’ll have to check regularly to know what promo is running at any time. Alternatively, you can register for email or text alerts. Such registrations are incentivized. Lulus will give you 15% off your first purchase when you sign up for its alerts.

However, Lulus does not accept coupons for international orders except the “WORLDWIDE” code which is used for international shipping.

Payment Methods

When using eCommerce platforms, you’ll want to find convenient payment methods so that no matter where you are resident, paying for your order will not be a problem. Thankfully, Lulus ticks this box.

The payment methods available will depend on whether you are using the website or the app. When using the Lulus website, you can pay with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club International, PayPal, Lulus Gift Cards, as well as Lulus Online Credit. However, when using the app, you can pay with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apply Pay, Google Pay, and Lulus Online Credit.

Financing

Many times, shoppers want to get something but cannot cover the full cost at the moment. Thus, stores that offer some form of financing come out strong. Lulus does well in this regard, as it offers financing through Klarna.

With Klarna, your payment is divided into four equal instalments. The first is paid at checkout, and your credit card is charged every 2 weeks for the remaining 3 instalments. Thus, you’ll pay up in full in 6 weeks. It’s an interest-free financing plan. Thus all you’ll pay will equal the total cost of your order.

Also, using Klarna financing is relatively easy. When checking out, simply click Klarna as your payment method and enter your credit card information.

Your order will be held; while Klarna verifies your information and process your approval. This usually takes about 12 hours. If it’s approved, you’ll receive a confirmation email outlining your order, due dates, etc. However, if it is not approved, your order is cancelled, and you’ll be notified.

Shipping

When making purchases in online stores, the item will have to be shipped from the store’s facility to your shipping address. Thus, shipping is always an important consideration. Among the things to consider are: whether the store ships merchandise to your location, how long it takes to receive the items, and how much it’ll cost.

Shipping Destination:

Before investing any more time checking a store, you should have checked that it ships merchandise to your destination. In most stores, orders will not be processed if you are resident in a location that is not served. In this regard, online stores that ships merchandise to worldwide locations come out strong; this is because customers are more likely to have their location served.

That said, Lulus does relatively well in this regard. It ships to the US, Canada, and over 75 other countries across the globe. The reach covers every region of the world – Europe, North and South America, Oceania, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. All orders are shipped via USPS.

Delivery Times

After placing an order, you’ll definitely want to receive delivery of the package as soon as possible. Thus, the ideal online store should feature fast delivery.

Delivery time typically consist of order processing time and shipping time. The former is how much time it takes after placing an order before the order ships, while the latter is how much time it takes after your order ships before it arrives at the shipping address.

For fast delivery, you’ll want both order processing and shipping to be relatively fast. Delivery Times (order processing and shipping times) differ for each country.

When shipping to the US, you’ll find a couple of shipping options. These include:

• Ground Shipping: It’ll take 24 – 48 business days to process the order and dispatch it for shipping, and it’ll take 7 – 10 business days after it ships to arrive at the shipping address.
• 3 Day shipping option: All orders placed before 10.00am (PST) will be processed and shipped the following business day. As its name suggests, you’ll receive your order 3 business days after placing it
• 2nd Day Air shipping option: Also, all orders placed before 10.00 am (PST) will be processed and shipped the following business day. Also, the name says it all, you’ll get your package in 2 business days after placing the order
• Overnight Shipping: Orders are also processed and shipped the same day if placed before 10.00am (PST); and you’ll get your order the day following order placement

The above shipping times apply to the contiguous United States. When shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and the US Territories, it takes 8 – 21 business days.

When shipping internationally, there are three shipping options – Economy, Standard and Express. For Orders going to Canada:

• Economy shipping has 2 – 3 days order processing time and orders typically arrive at shipping addresses within 15 – 26 days after shipping
• Standard shipping also has 2 – 3 days order processing time, but orders arrive at addresses within 11 – 21 days after shipping
• Express Shipping is processed and shipped the same day if placed before 10.00 am (PST), and they arrive at shipping address within 6 – 8 days after placement

For all other international orders:

• Economy orders are processed and shipped in 3 business days, and it takes 15 – 34 business days to arrive at the shipping address
• Standard orders are processed and shipped in 3 business days, and it takes 11 – 26 business days to arrive at the shipping address
• Express orders are processed and shipped the same day if placed before 10.00 am (PST), and it takes 11 – 14 days to arrive at the shipping address

Interestingly, unlike many other online fashion stores, if you have entered an incorrect shipping address, Lulus allow you to change this. However, you’ll have to contact its customer care unit (via telephone) as soon as possible. A toll-free line is even provided for US and Canadian customers.

Shipping Cost

The total cost of an online purchase is the item’s price and its shipping cost. Thus, if the cost of shipping is too high, even an item that is acceptably priced can easily become too expensive to acquire. That said; the ideal online fashion store should have shipping costs that are as low as possible.

Lulus does relatively well in this regard. When shipping to locations in the US: Ground Shipping cost $5 but is free for orders over $50 (including shipping to P.O. Boxes), 3 Day shipping cost $9, 2nd Day Air shipping cost $18, while Overnight Shipping cost $25. Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii cost $7, while shipping to US Territories cost $13.

When shipping to Canada. Economy shipping cost $12 but is free for orders over $150, Standard shipping cost 418, while Express shipping cost $35. However, when shipping to other international countries, Economy shipping cost $15 but is free for orders over $150, Standard shipping cost $21, while Priority/ Express shipping cost $39.

It’s good that shipping to the US is relatively low. Also, free shipping is offered (albeit on only the relatively slow Ground Shipping option). It’s also good the free shipping offer comes with a relatively low $50 minimum order requirement. Thus, you’ll not have that subtle pressure to overspend in chase of free shipping.

However, when shipping internationally, you may find the shipping costs relatively steep. Thankfully, free shipping is also offered; but this comes at a relatively high minimum order requirement. Having to spend upward of $150 in order to get free shipping may pressure some to spend more than they’d hoped to.

Returns

One thing that plagues online purchases is that orders when received are not always totally satisfactory. As a result, customers will want a store that’ll allow them to return an item in their order that is not satisfactory (and get a replacement or a refund).

Thankfully, Lulus allow returns for refunds or exchange. That is, if you receive a Lulus item and are not 100% satisfied with it, you can return it and request a refund of payment. For product exchanges, you’ll have to return the first order, get refunded and place a fresh order. So technically, Lulus does not offer product exchange.

Eligible Returns and Return Conditions

Usually, it is not every item that is listed by a retailer can be returned. That said, you’ll want return restrictions to be limited so that you’ll not have items in your hands that cannot be returned.

Lulus does very well in this regard because virtually everything bought from it are eligible for returns. The only things that cannot be returned are: items specifically marked as “Final Sales Items”, Gift Cards, as well as Jewelry and sunglasses under $25.

A group of items conspicuously missing from the return restrictions of Lulus is Swimwear and Lingerie. You’ll find these items among the “Return restrictions” of many online fashions stores, and this is usually for health/ hygiene reasons. Interestingly, Lulus does not put a generic no-no on returning swimwear and lingerie. You can return these items to Lulus as long as the hygienic strip is not broken.

That said, items that are eligible for returns must be in their original new condition if they are to be accepted when returned. That is, they must be unworn, unwashed, and all tags intact. Items must also be free of every sign of use, such as stains from makeup, deodorant, perfume, dander, or similar stains. When returning shoes, the shoes must be returned with their original shoe box and placed inside an additional box.

Return Process

It is not enough that an online store allows returns; it is also important that the return process be easy. Lulus does relatively well in this regard.

To return a Lulus item, access your account by signing in. Hover over “Account” and choose “Initiate a Return” in the drop-down menu; then proceed to fill the form.

You can then proceed to package the item appropriately. You’ll have to include the original packing slip in the package (or a piece of paper with the order number written on it). If you are a US customer, Lulus provides Return Shipping Label. You can proceed to print the Shipping Label, and attach it to your package.

US customers will have to drop the return package off with the shipping carrier referenced on the return label, which is either USPS or Ups. International customers will have to ship the package to the return address: Lulus.com Returns, 2336 Park Ave, Chico, CA 95928, USA. International customers are advised to use an insured shipping service, as Lulus is not responsible for missing, damaged, or packages lost in transit.

Return Window

However, you won’t have forever to decide on returning an order. Online stores only accept returned items received within a specified time period. That said, you’ll want an extended period so that your Returns will not be rejected for being late.

Lulus does excellently in this regards. It offers a 30 days and 45 days return window depending on whether you’re a domestic (US) customer or an international customer.

That is, for US customers, Lulus accepts returns postmarked within 30 days of the delivery date. While international customers (including Canadians), returns are accepted if postmarked within 45 days of the delivery date.

This is a relatively long delivery date, so you should not be pressed with time if you’ll want to return any item in your Lulus order.

Cost of Return

Another important consideration is the cost of returning an item. Where such costs are too high, you may be forced to keep an unwanted item. Thus, the ideal online store should feature return costs that are as low as possible.

Cost of returns usually consists of restocking fees and return shipping fees. Thankfully, Lulus does not charge restocking fees. However, return shipping fees apply, as customers are responsible for the cost of shipping the return package to Lulus.

US customers can choose to use the Lulus Return Shipping Label. Those who do will have $7 deducted from their refund as a return fee. So the cost of return for US customers (using the Return Label) is $7. For others not using the Label (including all international returns), the cost of the return is whatever the carrier used charges.

However, US customers are able to get free returns. This is because free return shipping applies for domestic returns that are postmarked within 10 days of the delivery date. Thus, to get free returns, you’ll have to be a US customer, and you’ll have to work with a return window reduced by three times.

Return Processing and Refunds

Another important “Returns” consideration is when and how you’ll be refunded if you return an item in your order.

In terms of “when you’ll be refunded”, you won’t want to be kept waiting for too long to get refunded. In this regards, Lulus promises that it won’t leave you hanging. It issues refunds immediately after the returned item is processed, and this typically takes 7 – 10 business days after the return package is received.

In terms of “how you’ll be refunded”, many customers simply want their money back. Lulus also does well in this regards, as it issues refunds to the original payment method. Thus, if you originally paid for your order through credit card, your card will be credited.

However, Lulus also supports “refunds via store credits” for all those that’ll want that option. However, it’s not news that shoppers will always take “refunds to original payment method” over “refunds via store credit”. This is because store credits restrict your use of the fund to the particular store.

That is, if you get a refund as Lulus’s store credits, you can only use the credits in Lulus; you’ll be unable to walk away and use the credits somewhere else. But where you get your money back (to your original payment method), you may decide to go to another store and use the funds there for future purchases.

However, Lulus incentivize its store credits, so there is reason to choose to be refunded via Lulus’ store credits. It gives a $5 bonus credit per order if you choose refunds via store credits. That is, if your order is worth $50, and you choose store credits refunds, Lulus will refund you $55 (which is your order amount + bonus credit).

Customer Support Service

When deciding on any online store it’s important to consider its customer support service, because in your journey in the store you may have questions or even issues. You’ll want the ideal online store to be able to answer the questions that you’ll have and resolve any issue that you may have.

That said, online platforms usually provide support using a combination of self-help resources and direct contact channels. Lulus does likewise.

For self-help, it has a lot of support articles that you’ll find in the “Help” section of the website. These treat subjects like shipping, return policy, tracking orders, and more. You’ll find that these articles answer many of the questions that you may have.

However, if you’ll want to contact the customer support team, Lulus provide a range of contact options, which includes postal mail, online contact form, email, telephone, and live chat.

To use postal mail, you can address your letters to Lulus.com, 195 Humboldt Ave, Chico, CA 95928, USA. However, we know the problems with getting feedback with postal mail. So you may want to use the electronic mail services; for this, you can either use the contact form (found in the “Contact Us” section of the site) or send an email directly from your inbox using the email address: love@lulus.com.

However, if you’ll want instant feedback, you may use the Live Chat feature or telephone service. You can access the live chat from the “Contact Us” section of the site, or by tapping the message button displayed on pages of the website. When using the chat feature, you’ll get replies within 1 minute. To call in, the telephone number to call is 1-866-918-5858. However, the instant feedback channels are not available round the clock. They are available between 5:00 am – 9:00 pm (PST).

Lulus Complaints

The complaints section is an important part of our reviews. This is where we bring to you what real customers of the store being reviewed have to say about it. These real customers’ reviews usually give an invaluable insight into how well the store is. That is, too many complaints could be a red flag that the store is not worthwhile, while very few complaints could mean that the store is worthwhile.

That said, for this section, we checked the top independent online customers reviews platforms such as Trustpilot and Sitejabber. Interestingly, Lulus is highly rated on these platforms. For example, at the time of writing this review, in Trustpilot, Lulus had been reviewed by 3,148 customers and it scored 4.5 out of 5; and in Sitejabber, Lulus had been reviewed by 425 customers, and it scored 4.2 out of 5

The relative good ratings mean that you’ll find a lot of positive reviews of Lulus. For example, many reviews hailed the quality of items received, as well as the price point. However, that Lulus did not score a perfect 5/ 5 means that there are a few complaints. These included:

Sizing Issues

One of the complaints that some customers had about Lulus is that sometimes their clothes are ill-fitting. For example:

• Avery in Trustpilot says “Clothes are never true to size. I have it get it altered”
• Nickel in Trustpilot says “Ordered a dress, didn’t love it when it came. The dress quality was fine, but it didn’t fit well on me. The return was easy and effortless. Money was refunded relatively quickly”
• Nora in Trustpilot says “Wrong Size Dress”. The review continued “I purchased a dress for an event on December 4th but I was sent the wrong size. I ordered XS which is what the receipt says as well as the package, but the dress is actually an S and I am drowning in it. Now I don’t have anything to wear eeeek”

It should be said that sizing is always an issue in online fashion stores. Also, it must be added that while some Lulus customers did report sizing issues, the problem is not as prevalent as it is in many other online stores. This is because, for every sizing issue, there are many other reviews of customers expressing satisfaction with the sizing of their orders.

Also, Lulus shows exemplary conduct when its customers’ support service is contacted about sizing issues. There are many reviews of customers who reach out and were satisfied with the assistance given.

Poor Quality

One complaint that reared its head now and then is that items got from Lulus sometimes are found not to meet certain quality expectations. For example:

• Racheal Grace Evans in Trustpilot says “Terrible Quality” The review continued “I expected quality based on other reviews, but I received a defective product. I wore a $50 jumpsuit just once, never washed it, and the threads are coming apart all over it. Because I ordered it months ago specifically for a Fall wedding it is now my loss”
• Sabiha Mulla in Trustpilot says “Bad quality dresses. Horrible return policy” The review continued “I ordered three dresses in hopes of finding something for my holiday party. All ran way too big (compared to what the site had suggested for my size) and all had very bad quality – they looked like they were from Charlotte Russe. I think their quality has decreased over the past couple of years because of all their sales and discounts…”
• Allison in Trustpilot says “One of my shirts came unravelled the first time I washed it. Just very poor quality at the seam. Otherwise, I’ve truly enjoyed my purchase from this company”
• Alexis in Trustpilot says “Dress was a cheap material, ran too big”
• Kasia M in Sitejabber says “Necklace lost its gold colour” The review continued “I purchased a royal Rank Gold and Pearl Choker Necklace and within a few weeks of normal wear, the gold colour on the chain had completely faded”

It should be said here that for every complaint of receipt of the poor quality item, there are many reviews of receipt of items featuring excellent quality. Thus, “receipt of poor quality items” comes out as one of those blips; poor quality is definitely not a problem facing Lulus. In fact, Lulus takes pride in the quality of its items.

Also, it must be said that because of the commitment to always deliver top quality, Lulus does admirably to help if “receipt of poor quality items” is reported.

As Abby in Trustpilot puts it “Lulus is a great website. Their clothes are super cute. I think sometimes the clothes aren’t always the best fitting or quality, but they have really great customer service to help you out when situations like that arise”.

That said; you can be sure that you’ll get good quality items in Lulus. However, if that blip does occur, and your item does not meet certain quality expectations, Lulus is very likely to help with a satisfactory resolution.

Being Unable to Make Returns

Another complaint that we found had to do with returns. Specifically, some customers who wanted to found that they could not return their unwanted items. For example:

• Melissa in Trustpilot says “My girls ordered several dresses. The dresses came super fast and we were able to choose a homecoming dress pretty easily. My oldest was debating between two dresses up until the day before. I got on to return the other one and returning it wasn’t an option. I only had the dress for two weeks…”
• Mani in Trustpilot says “Disappointing Return Policy” The review continued “I just ordered a ton of stuff for Black Friday with the hope that if it doesn’t fir I can always return. I’ve got a curvy but short body so sizing can be hard. Turns out they said my entire order is non-returnable! Now I’m stuck with dresses that are too long for me or fit odd”

The reviews suggest that the customers who made this complaint of “not being able to make returns” had ordered items marked as Final Sales. As mentioned earlier under the “Returns” section, items marked as Final Sales are non-returnable.

It should be said that this is not peculiar to Lulus. Almost all online fashion stores in the industry mark some items as final sales, which cannot be returned for any reason. Thus, said if you’re buying any item from online stores (Lulus inclusive), if you want to be able to return it (if it’s found wanting), you should stay clear of “Final Sales Items”.

However, the Lulus’ spirit of “making it right” for their customers was also seen in this case. Lulus approved remedies (some returns for full refunds; and others store credits towards a future purchase) for many customers who had evidently bought Final Sales Items and complained of being denied return in Trustpilot.

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Pros

• Provides a range of fashion products including Dresses, Tops, Bottoms, Shoes, Accessories, and more
• Items are generally of high quality
• Prices are generally relatively low for the quality offered
• Provides a lot of promotions
• Supports a range of convenient payment methods
• Provides interest-free financing via Klarna
• Ships to over 75 countries across the world
• Guest checkout and telephone order placement are supported
• Free shipping is offered to all countries served
• $50 minimum order requirement for free shipping to the US is relatively low
• Offers a relatively long return window (US orders – 30 days from delivery date; International orders – 45 days from delivery date)
• Free return shipping is offered (albeit to only US customers and with a reduced return window)
• Returns are refunded to the original payment method
• $5 bonus credit is offered to customers that choose to be refunded via store credits
• Supports a range of channels for contacting the Customer Care Team, which include Postal Mail, Online Contact Form, email (love@lulus.com), telephone (1-866-918-5858), and Live Chat

Cons

• Does not allow placed orders to be modified or cancelled
• Does not accept coupons for international orders
• Minimum order requirement for free international shipping is $150, which is relatively high
• Product exchange is not allowed (you’ll have to return first order, get refunded, and place a fresh order)

Conclusions

Lulus is a legitimate California based women’s wear eCommerce store. It started as a Vintage Boutique, but soon became an online-only store focused on providing affordable luxury. Thus, its goal is to provide high-quality fashions products at affordable price points.

Fortunately, Lulus comes out strong on many counts. It provides a wide range of products which includes clothing (dresses, tops, bottoms, outerwear, swimwear, etc), shoes, and accessories. It also holds a wide inventory of each product type, meaning no matter your style and budget preference, you’ll find gorgeous pieces.

Most importantly, it delivers on its “affordable luxury” promise. So you’ll find its items to be of high quality and to be reasonably priced. Plus Lulus offers different promos which you can use to further bring down prices.

Lulus also offer top services. The site is easy to navigate, so discovering items and placing orders is easy breezy. Also, you’ll be able to receive your order in 75+ countries; and free shipping is offered. For US customers, you’ll get free shipping on orders worth only $50.

If for some reason your order is unsatisfactory, you can return it to Lulus, and you’ll get refunded to your original payment method. The return process is relatively easy, and the return window is long (as you’ll have 30 or 45 days depending on your country) to make up your mind. If you’re resident in the US, you can even get free returns.

That said; Lulus comes out as a great online store providing affordable luxury as well as top services like free shipping and easy returns. Yes, there are very few (if any reasons) not to use Lulus.

Have you made ant purchase on Lulus? If yes, what was your experience, good or bad? Kindly use the create your own review section below to give us your Lulus review.

Decluttr advertises with the tagline “the smart way to buy and sell Tech”. The big questions are whether the talk of Decluttr being a smart way to buy and sell Tech is just some advert blurb or whether using Decluttr is actually worthwhile.

That is, as a buyer: will you find a range of Tech high-quality products, and at affordable price points? Will you find that it offers top services that you’ll expect of the ideal online shopping destination (such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer service, etc)?

As a seller: will you find that Decluttr supports a wide product range (that allow you to sell what you’ll want to sell)? Also, are there charges that’ll eat into what you can get for the stuff you’re selling? Also, does it offer top services that you’ll expect of a selling platform (such as making easy sales, Seller’s support, etc)?

In the first place, is Decluttr legit, or is it another scam platform that is out to rip off unsuspecting users?

Yes, Decluttr is legit. They will never take your money without shipping your products. This review will further show you why Decluttr is not a scam.

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

Decluttr review at a glance

• Website: decluttr.com
• Is a direct buyer and seller of used items; started in 2013
• Service is available only in the US
• Items supported (bought and sold) include Tech (tablets, Macbooks, wearables etc) as well as Phones; CDs, DVDs, Games & Books; and Lego toys
• Provides instant valuation for items you’ll want to sell
• Provides shipping Labels for making easy and free shipping of the item you want to sell to its facility
• Free shipping is offered buyers without minimum order requirement
• Returns are allowed with a 14 days money-back guarantee
• Customer Support is available via the online ticketing system and email (support@decluttr.com)

What Decluttr?

We all know what “declutter” is – to remove things that you do not need from an untidy or overcrowded place in order to make it more pleasant. Well, “Decluttr” is a platform that was created to help you declutter.

Many people have things that they no longer need taking up spaces in their houses and gathering dust. Many times, though you no longer need those stuff, and may never use them again, getting rid of them is not an option because of the “money worry” (that is, you remember that they had cost money). So the stuff clutters the whole place and gathers dust.

Decluttr was launched in 2013. It is a platform where you can get rid of things you no longer need without the “money worry” because you’ll be essentially selling the stuff, so you get back your money (or some of it). That is, Decluttr allows you to sell stuff you no longer need.

However, Decluttr is not at all a marketplace where users can register as Sellers and list their items for sale. Rather, if you have the stuff to sell, you’ll be selling to Decluttr. Declutter puts it this way: “Our service is simple: just tell us what you’re selling and we’ll give you an instant valuation. Then pack your items in a box, ship it to us for free and we’ll pay you the day after it arrives- it’s that easy”.

This brings us to the other part of Decluttr’s business. Remember the saying that “someone’s junk is another’s a treasure”? Decluttr buys used stuff to sell to others. So it is also a shopping platform for buying pre-owned items. However, the inventory depends on stuff Decluttr buys from sellers. These are usually refurbished using a “70 Point diagnostic Check” ensuring that the product is in excellent working condition.

Is Decluttr legit?

When it comes to using an online platform, being careful is an understatement, given that there are constant reports of persons being ripped off. That said; you need to first determine that whatever platform you plan to use is legit. The big question here is whether Decluttr is legit. The simple answer to that is “YES”.

Our first check of the ideal online platform is usually legality. This is because online platforms that are powered by 100% legal companies are less likely to be scams. Thankfully, Decluttr ticks this box. Decluttr is a trading name of Entertainment Magpie Inc which is a 100% incorporated company with a place of business as 4175 royal Drive, Suite 300, Kennesaw, GA 30144. Suffice it to say that scam online platforms do not get powered by legal corporations.

Another check of the ideal online platform is visibility and industry-wide recognition. This is because the scam online platforms mostly operated in the shadows. Thankfully, Decluttr ticks this box. Decluttr has been featured on Good Morning America, Fox News, Tech Radar, The Penny Hoarder, and more. Suffice it to say that scam online platforms do not get the recognition of industry watchers like top media houses.

Another check of a legit online platform is the test of time. This is because scam online platforms are generally short-lived. It usually takes at most a few months before scamming platforms are called out; and with the discovery, the affected platform usually close their virtual doors and disappear. Thankfully, Decluttr ticks this box. It has been operating since 2013, which gives it about 7 years in the business. Suffice it to say that it’ll be hard for a scam platform to go on ripping off people for 7 months, not to talk of 7 long years.

However, the ultimate check of a legit online platform is “fitness for purpose”. This is because scam platforms are designed to take payments and disappear, while it is a legit platform that’ll deliver on its promise. In this regards, being a platform to buy and sell, “selling persons” who ship their items to Decluttr should receive the promised payment, while “buying persons” who place orders in the platform and make payment should receive delivery of the item. Thankfully, Decluttr ticks this box. In just over 7 years $250 million has been paid out to “selling persons” for a range of items sold to Decluttr, while millions who place orders in the platform get their items.

That said, with Decluttr being powered by a 100% legal company, with it having industry-wide recognition, and with it having a relatively long record of paying sellers and fulfilling the orders of buyers, there is no doubt that it is a legit destination to buy and sell your unwanted stuff.

Decluttr – Is it safe?

Yes, Decluttr is safe. A legit store will not rip you off, but you should also consider whether it is safe. To use a selling or buying platform, you’ll have to submit sensitive information that includes your personal data (e.g. contact details) and payment instrument data (e.g. credit card detail). You’ll not want such information leaking into the wrong hands. So the ideal online platform should not only be legit but also safe.

In this regards, Decluttr promises a commitment to protecting users’ data. Though it does not give the details of its data protection measures, it’s clear that it uses SSL technology, which is the industry standard for ensuring the protection of data in cyberspace.

That said, it is safe to say that Decluttr is safe.

Also read: Mercari Review – Is Legit or Scam?

Decluttr – for Selling

Ease of Use

If you have the stuff to sell, you’ll want the process to be relatively easy. Decluttr does very well in this regards, and this is because it is a Direct Buyer.

This means that you’ll not face the issues with the other marketplace-styled selling platforms. For example, you’ll not have to create a storefront, stall, etc or list items for sale. Also, you’ll not have to promote any listings or wait around for someone somewhere to place an order.

As mentioned earlier, Decluttr is not a marketplace, so you won’t be listing items for sale. Decluttr is a Direct Buyer, which means that it’ll directly buy stuff that you want to get rid of.

Supported Product Range

You’ll bring in a lot of stuff over the years roll; and if you’re to sell these, you’ll want the selling platform to support a wide range product category.

In this regards, Decluttr says it is the smart way to sell Tech. Thus, when selling your stuff to Decluttr, you’ll find three major categories – Phones & Tech; CDs, DVDs, Games & Books; and Lego.

In the Phones & Tech category, simply enter the item’s type and model in the search bar and you’ll get a valuation. You’ll find that you can sell virtually every phone type (iPhone, Blackberry, Samsung, HTC, LG, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and more). Decluttr also Tech products like smartwatches.

In the CDs, DVDs, Games, and Books category, simply enter the item’s barcode in the search to get its valuation. If you have classic music CDs that you’re no longer listening to, if you have interesting DVDs and Blu-rays that used to make your days, if you have interesting storybooks or textbooks, if you are a fan of video games and have some Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo game consoles, then Decluttr is a destination to get some money for all of those stuffs.

In the Lego section, simply enter the weight of the LEGO toys in the search bar, and you’ll get a valuation.

Conditions

It is important that to sell your stuff to Decluttr, it need not be in pristine condition. Based on a series of requirements, Decluttr categorize the conditions of items as “good”, “poor” or “faulty”. You’ll need to pick what condition your item is when getting its valuation.

For example, devices with heavy scratches can still be bought by Decluttr, but the applicable condition will be “poor”. Also, devices with a cracked screen can still be bought, but the applicable condition will be “faulty”. It is good to know that Decluttr doesn’t buy only like-new items. However, the newer your item is, the more dollar it will command. Thus, you’ll get a lower price for “poor” rated items and an even lower price for “faulty” rated items.

Condition requirements differ per items; so you’ll need to check Decluttr and get its condition requirements for whatever item you have to sell so that you can better select the appropriate condition. This is necessary because upon receipt of your items, a quality assessment check will be carried out, and if the item is found not to match the condition you selected (in getting its valuation), you’ll get a revised (usually lower) price.

If you get this regrade (revised price), you’ll have 14 days to accept or decline the offer. If you accept the offer, or if the 14 days elapses without you accepting or declining the offer, the offer is automatically accepted for you, and you’ll get paid the revised amount.

However, if you’re not happy with the revised plan and choose to decline the new offer, there’ll be no sending back of your items (except for Tech).

That is, if you decline the revised price, for Tech items, Decluttr will have the item sent back to you free of charge; but for other items, you’ll be left with either accepting the revised price or losing your item for nothing. In this regards, Decluttr says that all of that stuff that gets rejected (but not sent back to the owners) are recycled responsibly at its own costs. Needless to say, many persons don’t want their items recycled. Some are even willing to pay to get their items back.

Shipping

When you have anything to sell to an online platform, you’ll have to ship the item from wherever you are to the store’s facility. Thus, shipping is an important consideration.

First, you’ll need shipping to be as easy as possible. Thankfully, Decluttr does very well in this regards. There are no special requirements for the box when packaging your items. Decluttr says that “you can use any box you like, but make sure it’ll keep your items safe during transit”. Also, Decluttr will send you a welcome pack containing a shipping label. The labels make for easy returns, as you won’t go hunting for the shipping address. All you have to do is print the shipping label and attach it to the outside of your box.

Another important shipping consideration is cost. Shipping costs have the effect of reducing what you got for the items you’re selling. Thus, you’ll always want shipping cost to be as low as possible. The lowest possible shipping cost is $0.00, which is free shipping. Thankfully, that is exactly what Decluttr offers. The shipping label it provides for shipping your items to its facility is free.

After attaching the shipping label to the box, simply drop it off at the nearest shipping location, and they’ll handle the rest. Like Decluttr says: “shipping your items is super easy”, and free.

However, it should be said that minimum order requirements apply. The free shipping is available only when you are selling 10 or more items to a maximum of 500 items.

Pricing/ Valuation

The whole essence of using a selling app is to get some money for items that are somewhere eating up space and gathering dust. Thus, you’ll need to consider how much you can expect to get for your items.

In terms of “how much you’ll get paid”, Decluttr does not particularly come out shining. You definitely want a platform that’ll give you the best dollar for your stuff. However, Decluttr does not have a reputation for giving the “best dollar”. Persons almost always report being low balled. That is, what Decluttr offers users for their items is usually relatively lower than they can receive in many other selling platforms.

It should be said that Decluttr advertises that you can get up to 33% more than selling with your carrier. This upper hand is seen if you’re selling Tech items like phones; but with other product categories like CDs, DVDs, and books, it is not uncommon to find that the Decluttr offer is relatively lower.

Getting Paid

After shipping your item to a selling platform, you definitely will not want to wait around forever waiting to get paid. Thus, another important consideration is when you’ll get paid, and how you’ll get paid.

In this regards, Decluttr advertises that it offers fast next-day payments. Its words are “we pay the day after we receive your items”. However, in reality, payments are issued only after the items pass their quality assessments. This means that you’re getting paid the day following the receipt of your item is dependent on whether your items pass the quality assessments on the same day they are received by Decluttr. This is because payments are issued the day after the items pass the quality assessment.

However, you may not receive your payment the same day it is issued, depending on your selected payment method. Decluttr supports three payment methods – Direct deposits, PayPal, and Checks. If you choose to be paid via PayPal, the payment will clear in your account within 24 hours of being made; but if you choose Direct deposits, the payment will arrive in your account within 3 business days of being made. Payments via Checks take even longer, as Checks may take up to 10 business days to arrive depending on your location in the US.

Interestingly, you can also choose to donate your money to charity. You’ll find a list of charities that Decluttr supports; if you chose one, Decluttr will make the donation for you.

Other Features

Tech Price Promise

As mentioned above, there are times when you’ll ship your items to Decluttr only to be offered a revised price.

The revised price is always lower than the originally quoted price. Thus, customers will want to be able to hold down the originally quoted price. With the Tech Price Promise, Decluttr guarantees that you’ll receive the first price it quoted you. If this changes, you can request your item back, and Decluttr will ship it back to you absolutely for free. The item is dispatched the next business day following your declining the revised price; and you should receive delivery of it within 7 – 10 business days

Thus, even when Decluttr says that your Tech item does not match the condition you selected, you’ll not have to lose your item to being “recycled responsibly”.

Referral Program

At the time of writing this review, Decluttr was running a Refer-A-Friend, where you and your friend (referral) will each get a $5 bonus.

All you need do is get a referral link that you can share with your friends. Your friends also need to do some things. First, they’ll have to sign up to Decluttr and use it to sell their stuff; but crucially when getting a valuation for their items, they’ll need to your referral link in the voucher code box. $5.00 will be automatically added to their order total. When they ship their items and their order is completed, you’ll also get your $5.00 bonus. Interestingly, you can refer as many friends as you can.

Student Bonus

Is it true that student always has a need for some extra money? Well, as a student, I was always running short. Thus, it’s good that Decluttr offers a student bonus, meaning that you’ll get more for your stuff that you sell to the platform.

Decluttr offers students a 10% boost. You only need to register with Student Beans to verify your student status. Then when selling your stuff at Decluttr, enter your student discount code at the checkout, and you’ll get an extra 10% for your order.

Sellers’ Complaints

The “complaints” section is an important section of all our reviews, because what real users have to say provide valuable insight into how well a company operates. That is, too many complaints could mean that the platform has too many issues and may not be worthwhile, while very few complaints could mean that the platform is worthwhile.

For this section, we checked the top online customers’ reviews platforms such as Trustpilot, ResellerRatings, and Sitejabber. Interestingly, Decluttr is highly rated on these platforms. For example, in Trustpilot, it had been reviewed by 10,995 customers, and it had a rating of 4.6 out of 5; and in ResellerRatings, it had been reviewed by 810 customers, and it had a rating of 8.4 out of 10. However, Decluttr had a low rating of 1.2 out of 5 in Sitejabber, but this came from a relatively small sample size of 47 reviewers.

That said, you’ll find a lot of positive reviews about the ease of selling items, great prices, and fast delivery. However, a few complaints were also found. These included:

Getting Paid later than expected

We also saw that a few customers complained that they did not receive their payment as fast as expected. For example:

• Brad Sklare in Trustpilot says “They do a great job but takes a little longer to get paid than expected – once it gets there [it] takes a few days for them to process”
• Antonio Almonte in Trustpilot says “Was not happy with the time it took to receive my money for the iPhone I sent”
• Desiree Wolken in Trustpilot says “Payment wait time” The review continued “I sent in m 3DS, some games, and legos to sell to them for $64. I thought I’d get the money right away when the received my order. It’s been 3 weeks and still no payment…”

It should be said that Decluttr plasters it everywhere on their website that it offers next-day payment. However, as mentioned earlier in this review, your payment is issued only when the item you’re selling to it is received, checked and found to pass certain quality assessments. Thus, where such assessments are not completed quickly, customers find that getting paid does not happen “the next day” as advertised.

Regrades

Another complaint among the “selling users” of Decluttr is that the company only quotes a relatively high price for items only to gain users’ commitment, but that after receiving the item, Decluttr will very likely offer regrades. For example:

• Mark c in Sitejabber says “Can I give a -7 rating?”. The review added “…Here’s how it works: they offer you more than any other site for your phone so you will pick them (should have been red flag 1), you send it and then they respond that it is not in the stated condition so you get offered a fraction of the offer…”
• Chelsea B in Sitejabber says “company is a scam” The review continued “The company is very scammy. They gave me a price for my phone then offered me nothing when they received it. They told me the Bluetooth does not work when the Bluetooth was used daily for music. They basically just want to steal the device from consumers and have zero integrity. Choose a different company to work with”

It must be said that many others got paid their originally quoted price. However, the number of people complaining of getting lower revised prices was significant. However, in these cases, Decluttr says that the item is not in the stated condition, while the users maintain that the item was definitely as described.

Selling to Decluttr – Pros and Cons

Pros

• It’s a Direct buyer, so it’s super easy to sell items (no listings, no promotion of listings, no waiting for items to be purchased etc)
• An easy way to declutter and get rid of unwanted stuff while getting some money for them
• Supports a range of products which includes Phones & Tech; CDs, DVDs, Games & Books; and Lego
• Provides instant valuation of your items
• Also accepts items in “poor” or “faulty” conditions
• Shipping items is super easy
• Free shipping labels are provided with which you can ship your items
• Offers relatively fast (next day) payment
• You can get paid via PayPal, Direct Deposits, and Checks, or donate your money to charity
• Offers a referral program that gives you and your referral $5.00 bonus each

Cons

• Does not sell new items
• Often, after receiving the item, Decluttr go back on their first valuation and offers a revised (usually lower) price
• For many items, there’s no getting back the item if a revised price is offered and is declined
• The free shipping offer is available if you’re selling 10 or more items (up to 500 items)
• Significant complaints of getting lower revised prices after Decluttr receives the item

Decluttr – for Buying

Products

Decluttr is a retailer that sells what it buys. Thus, what you’ll find listed for sales are the same items listed in the selling section, which are either Tech or Media items. The product categories include:

• Phones – Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, Android Phones, etc
• Techs – Here, you’ll find Tablets, Macs & Macbooks, Wearables (Smartwatches, etc), Game Consoles, iPods, E-Readers, Apple TV, and more
• Music – Here, you’ll find Rock, Alternative & Indie, Metal & Hard Rock, Pop, R&B Soul, Hip Hop & Rap, Country, Classical, Jazz, and more
• Film & TV – Here, you’ll find Action & Adventure, Comedy, Sci-fi & Fantasy, Drama, Kid & Family, Musicals, and more
• Games – Here, you’ll find different platforms such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 2DS, PS Vita, Retro Gaming, and more

Some of the Tech products come with some accessories; you’ll find any related accessories in the “what’s in the box?” feature of the product listing page. For example, our interest in one wearable reduced when we found in the “what’s in the box?” section stated that “please note this device does not come with a charger”.

Also, Decluttr sells “used” items, but when it receives these, they are refurbished by its expert team of technicians, ensuring that they are fully functional. However, based on cosmetics, items available for sale in Decluttr are categorized as “good”, “very good” and “pristine”. Products in “good” condition will display moderate signs of wear and tear, products in “very good” condition will display only light signs of usage, while products in “pristine” condition will be in immaculate condition and excellent working order.

Pricing and Related Policies

Pricing

Everyone wants the best deals possible. In fact, that you’re shopping pre-owned items means you want the lowest offer possible. Thus, the ideal destination should feature prices that are as low as possible.

In this regards, Decluttr says its assortment of items is available at “amazingly low prices”. True to this, going through the listings of Decluttr, you’ll find that it really offers low prices.

You’ll also find different coupons which further bring prices to even lower levels. For example, at the time of writing this review, there was winter Sale coupon that promised $10 off prices.

Payment Methods

When shopping online, you’ll want to find a range of convenient payment method so that you can conveniently pay for your order.

In this regards, Decluttr does not break the roof with a long list of payment methods, but it supports generic options that can be conveniently used. These include Amazon Pay, PayPal, and Credit Cards (Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express). With these options, paying for your Decluttr orders should not be a problem.

Financing

Sometimes, customers need to buy some product but cannot completely cover the costs. This should not be an issue with Decluttr because it offers financing via Klarna.

With Klarna financing, the order total is divided into four equal instalments. You’ll have to pay the first instalment at checkout, and the remaining three over 6 weeks (with an instalment charged every two weeks). Interestingly, Klarna financing is interest-free, so the total you’ll pay will not exceed your order total.

Shipping

Another important consideration when shopping online is shipping, as the items you order have to be moved from the store’s fulfilment centre to your shipping address. Thus, you’ll want to consider whether the store ships merchandise to your location, how long it’ll take your order to arrive, and how much it’ll costs.

Shipping Destination:

If a store does not ship to your location, your orders will not process. So one of the first things to check is whether the online store you plan to buy from ships merchandise to your location. World-facing platforms are the strongest here, as they can serve customers no matter where they may be on the globe.

However, Decluttr is not such a world-facing platform. Its services are available to only persons in the US. It ships items to the 50 United States. That said, if you’re outside the US, you’ll have to make your purchases of pre-owned from some other platforms.

Delivery Times

After placing an order, you’ll not want to be kept waiting for long, so the ideal shopping destination should feature fast delivery. Decluttr also comes out strong in this regards.

Decluttr supports a couple of delivery options, whose choice depends on the order.

• For light Tech orders, the supported options are: Standard shipping which takes 2 – 4 business days; Priority Mail which takes 1 – 3 business days; and 2nd Day Air shipping, which takes 1 – 2 business days
• For heavy Tech orders, the supported options are: Ground Shipping which takes 4 – 7 business days; and 2nd Day Air shipping, which takes 1 – 2 business days
• For Media orders, only Standard Shipping is available, and it takes 3 – 5 business days

Light Tech orders are those less than 1lb, while the heavy Tech orders are those that weigh over 1lb. The default shipping option for light Tech orders is the Standard shipping, while the other two are available as upgrades. Also, the default option for heavy Tech orders is Ground shipping, while the 2nd Day shipping is there as an upgrade. But there is no option to upgrade shipping for Media orders.

Know that there are no long order processing times to be added. Thus, when buying light Tech, you’ll receive your item in 2 – 4 business days after order submission.

Shipping Costs

Another important consideration in online purchase is the shipping cost. This is because the shipping fees add to items’ purchase price in calculating the cost of online purchases; so when shipping charges are high, items that are acceptably priced can easily become too expensive to acquire. Thus, the ideal online shopping destination should have shipping costs that are as low as possible.

The lowest possible shipping cost is $0.00 (which is free shipping). Thankfully, all the default shipping options of Decluttr are free. The costs are as follows:

• When shipping light Tech, Standard Shipping is absolutely free. However, if you choose to upgrade your shipping option; the Priority Mail shipping costs $5 + sales tax, while the 2nd Day Air shipping cost $15 + sales tax.
• When shipping heavy Tech, Ground Shipping is absolutely free; but an upgrade to the 2nd Day Air shipping comes at a cost of $15 + sales tax
• When shipping Media orders, it is absolutely free

One of the good things about the Decluttr free shipping offer is that it is absolutely free. That is, the usual minimum order requirements do not apply. So there’ll be no subtle pressure to spend more than you planned in chase of free shipping.

Returns

Another important consideration of online purchases is “returns”. Many times customers receive their orders and are not totally satisfied with it. Instead of having to keep unwanted items, customers will rather be able to return the item to its retailer and get a replacement item or a refund of payment. Thus, online shopping destinations that allow returns are perceived as ideal. Thankfully, Decluttr offers returns.

Return Process

It is not enough that returns are allowed, you’ll want to find an easy return process. Decluttr advertises that its return process is easy.

The return process depends on whether you are returning a Tech item or a Media item. Tech-related returns can be done from “My Account”. Simply log in, and from “My Account” find the order in your order history. Then choose the reason for the return, and click to generate a return label. However, for Media returns, you’ll have to contact the Customer Service for instructions.

Know that if you submit a request to return a Media item that is less than $5.00; Decluttr may allow you to keep the original item, and still issue you a refund or a replacement.

Return Window

You don’t have forever to return an item for a refund or replacement. This is because stores only accept back items that are returned to them within pre-specified return windows. In this regards, Decluttr advertises that it has a 14 Day money-back guarantee. This means you’ll have 14 days from the day of receipt of your order for any Tech item you’re returning to get back to its facility.

What is becoming the standard in the eCommerce industry is a “30 days from the delivery date” return policy. Thus, the 14 days return window of Decluttr comes out relatively short. That said, if you’ll want to return an item in your Decluttr order, you’ll have to ask fast after receipt of the items.

Cost of Returns

You won’t want to have an unwanted item and be prevented from returning it to its retailer because of prohibitive return costs. Thus, the ideal online shopping destination should have return costs that are as low as possible.

If an item (whether Tech or Media item) bought from Decluttr is faulty or incorrect. Decluttr says it is responsible for its return shipping. In that case, Decluttr will provide you a free return label with which you can send back the item. However, if you’re returning the item for buyer remorse (because it’s simply unwanted or no longer needed), then you’ll be responsible for return shipping.

Return Processing and Refunds

It’s also important to know when and how you’ll be refunded. After shipping back an unwanted item, you don’t want to wait for too long to get refunded. Thus, the ideal online shopping destination should offer swift processing or refunds and issuance of replacement or refunds.

In this regards, Decluttr advertises that for Tech items, it takes 2 – 3 business days after receiving them to finish their processing and issue the refund or replacement. However, for Media items, it’ll take 5 – 7 business days after receipt of items. Where refunds are issued, it’ll take some waiting time for the funds to reflect in your account. Such waiting time will depend on your financial institution.

In terms of “how you’ll be refunded”, all returns are refunded to the original payment method. This is very good because if the experience is something you’ll rather not go through again, you can choose to walk away and use the funds in some other store. However, there are some stores where returns are refunded as store credits which tie the customer to using the fund in the particular store.

Other Features

12 Months Warranty

The ideal retailer should stand by its products. We find that retailers (both online retailers and their brick and mortar counterparts) usually do this via product warranties. Thankfully, Decluttr does likewise.

It offers a 12 months warranty for all Tech items bought in the Decluttr Shop. This gives you peace of mind as you use your Tech, because if within 12 months of your buying the item it becomes faulty, you can return it to Decluttr, and you’ll get free repair or replacement.

Buyers’ Complaints

Just as in the selling section, the complaints from “buying users” will give insight as to whether it’s worthwhile to buy from Decluttr. As noted earlier, Decluttr is generally highly rated. But a few complaints were found that include:

Condition of Items poorer than Expected

A few customers reported receiving their order and found the item in conditions other than it should. For example:

• Kevin in Trustpilot says “Refurbished certified” The review continued “I am unhappy with my purchase. I bought an iPhone 6S Plus for my wife as her Christmas gift & I am so embarrassed with what she received. The phone’s physical appearance was decent (could have been cleaner), however, the camera was completely shot. She was unable to use her new phone the rest of Christmas for any photos, as they were unrecognizable they were so blurry. I brought it to one of my friends that fixes iPhones & he ended up buying a new camera to replace it. Not only that, but the battery is completely shot as well. Won’t hold a charge at all, so that is being replaced along with the camera. How do these things get missed in a ’70 Point diagnostic Check’ designed to ensure the phone works perfectly & why would I return this for repairs to a company that guaranteed for it to be in perfect condition in the first place? I am lucky I have the means to fix these issues. Be cautious ordering from this site”
• Billy Marsh in Trustpilot says “Incompetent and Unreliable” The review continued “I purchased a phone in good condition expecting wear and tear on the sides and maybe some light scratching on the screen. Instead, the entire phone looks like it’s been kicked and thrown around. Back front sides are chipped. The screen looks like the previous owner tried to sand the screen down and left swirling scratches all over. There is also a small chip or crack in the glass on the screen. There is no USB type c or wall jack to test the phone’s software. There is a sticker on the back of the phone that says it was still awaiting testing/ grading. Looks like they just threw whatever came in right in a shipping box and sent it to me without checking it…”

However, it should be said that this complaint was very few, compared to the many positive reviews of the order being as described. So this is more of the occasional blip, rather than a problem plaguing Decluttr. Moreso, Decluttr always provide help to affected customers, allowing them to return the item for a full refund.

Buying from Decluttr – Pros and Cons

Pros

• Items are refurbished to acceptable quality levels
• Offers a 12 months warranty on Tech items
• Prices are relatively low
• Convenient payment methods are supported (which includes PayPal, Credit Cards, and Amazon Pay)
• Interest-free financing is offered via Klarna
• Free shipping is offered
• 14 days money-back guarantee is offered
• Returns are refunded via the original payment method

Cons

• Can be used by only shoppers in the US

Customer support Service

When using any online platform, questions will come up that you’ll need answers to, or you may have issues with your account or with your orders that you’ll need a swift resolution to. Thus, the ideal online platform should have an effective customer support service for answering the questions and resolving the issues that its customers will have.

The online platforms usually provide needed assistance using self-help and direct contact means. Decluttr is no different. For self-help, it has a lot of support articles on its website, which include an FAQ. These hold articles that’ll answer many of the questions that you may have about the platform. For example, the different subjects that the FAQ treat include: Tech, Sending, Order Status, Payment, Account, and General.

If the self-help resources do not give you what you’re looking for, then you can directly contact a Customer Support Rep of Decluttr by submitting a support request. Doing that is also relatively easy. Simply find the “submit a request” button from the “contact us” section of the “Help” page of the website; choose a request topic and fill the form that opens up (including any attachment); then click “submit”. Alternatively, you may send Decluttr an email directly from your inbox using the email address: support@decluttr.com.

You may also read: Aliexpress Review

Conclusion

Decluttr says it is the smart way to buy and sell Tech. It’s designed for decluttering, selling off stuff that you no longer need, which may be occupying space in your house.

Decluttr is a Direct Buyer, and not a marketplace, so selling your used item using the platform is relatively easy. You only need to get a valuation, after which you’ll get a free shipping label to send in your item; and when you ship the item, you’ll get paid. The service is also relatively good. First, there are no registration fees or charges to sell your item; then the free shipping label provided makes shipping your item to them easy and free. Also, Decluttr offers relatively fast payment after it receives the item and is passes its quality assessments.

However, a few bumps exist on the selling road. First is the low-balling. That is, you may not get the highest buck for your item. Second is the regrades. Very often, after getting your item, Decluttr will say it does not meet certain conditions and will offer a revised price that is significantly lower than the originally quoted priced. Thus, you may not have to sell your item at the relatively high price that made you choose Decluttr in the first place.

As a buyer, you may also find Decluttr worthwhile. First, is its pricing. Decluttr offers really amazing prizes, as well as discounts that further slash down prices. The Tech items listed are refurbished so you’ll find them functional; free shipping is offered with no minimum order requirements, and returns are allowed with a 14 days money-back guarantee.

However, a few bumps exist on the buying road. Sometimes customers complain that the condition of the items was a little worse than expected.

The bottom line is that: for those with stuff to sell, Decluttr is a no-frills way to get rid of your Tech products; and for those wanting to buy pre-owned Tech products, Decluttr is an affordable legit destination.

LASCANA is the ultimate destination for shopping sensual lingerie, cutting-edge swimwear and beautiful summer fashion specially developed by women for women. LASCANA are committed to creating stunning, high quality and affordable collections ranging from sizes 0 to 24 and cups AA to G to suit every woman’s needs.

 LASCANA – It’s a woman’s world is a brand brought to you from Europe. With over 15 years of retail experience in Europe, LASCANA launched its US online shop early in 2017 with a mission to inspire the American woman to look and feel fabulous in her own body.

Thanks to LASCANA’s extensive experience in product quality and development, every woman can find her new great-fitting, favorite piece at LASCANA.

Apart from the key brand LASCANA, you can also shop for a variety of additional leading European brands at www.lascana.com such as s.Oliver, JETTE, bruno banani, Venice Beach and much more.

LASCANA – It’s a woman’s world stands for the perfect fusion of sensuality and competence

Lascana review tells whether Lascana is legit or not. Complaints and feedback from its members are also reviewed. So, if you are searching for  the best Lascana reviews, you are welcome!

Is Lascana legit, safe or a scam?

Lascana is legit, not scam. While writing this Lascana review, we did a thorough research to know the true status of Lascana and found that Lascana actually deliver the items purchased from the website. Unfortunately, there not much quality from this site and they have a very bad, unfriendly and disrespectful customer care especially the one by the name Sarah.  If you have an issue with the item you purchased, then you will find it difficult to get it resolved. Check out Dresslily.com instead.

Lascana Swimwear:

Lascana Clothing

Lascana Bras

Lascana Panties

Lascana Lingerie

Sleep and Loungewear

More information from Lascana

Lascana Size Guide

STEP 1: Identifying the correct band size

Tip: Ask a friend to help you for a better result

• Place the tape measure just below where your bra sits.
• Hold the tape flat around you making sure the tape is straight across the back and level under the bust.
• Note your measurements in inches and use the chart below to figure out your band size.
• Example: if you measure between 31“ and 32“, your band size is 36.

Tip: You get a better result when Measuring yourself with a non padded bra

How to place an order online

How to return or exchange items by mail

How to get your refund

Noracora is an international B2C online fashion shopping destination that says its goal is to always provide customers “stunning, high-quality fashion products at down-to-earth prices”. The big question is whether this is just advert-speak, or whether Noracora actually holds top-quality fashion pieces at friendly prices. Also, as an online platform, does Noracora offer top services that we’ll expect of the ideal online fashion store (such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer support service, etc)? In the first place, is Noracora legit, or is it just another sweet-talking scam store out to rip off unsuspecting customers?

Yes, Noracora is legit. It is not a scam online store because customers receive the items purchased from the website without a problem. But…

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

Noracora review at a glance

• Website: noracora.com
• China-based online fashion store launched in 2016
• Offers a range of women’s wear including dresses, tops, bottoms, shoes, and more
• Supported payment methods include PayPal and Credit/ Debit Cards
• Ships to over 230 countries of the world
• Offers free shipping for orders over $89
• Accepts returns of orders not totally satisfactory (if made within 15 days of delivery date)
• Returns are refunded to the original payment method
• Customer support is available via online tickets and email (service@noracora.com)

What is Noracora?

Noracora is an international B2C online fashion destination that was established in 2016. The company focuses on women’s wear (especially casual wears), providing dresses, tops, bottoms, shoes, bags, and accessories. Noracora is one of the brands of CHICV International Holding Limited, which is responsible for many other Chinese cross-border fashion online stores including JustFashionNow, and StyleWe.

Thus, Noracora is a Chinese cross border fashion online store; and like its sister sites, it produces trendy fashions products in China and ships these to worldwide customers. Noracora actually has a facility in the US, and some orders are fulfilled from there, but the bulk of its orders ships from China.  Noracora says its goal is not just to provide a range of products, but to provide high-quality products at unbeatable prices.

Noracora operates exclusively as an online store. It does not operate physical retail outlets; so to buy from Noracora, you’ll have to visit www.noracora.com or use its apps. Its services can be used by all persons of over 18 years of age.

is Noracora legit?

Every other day, unsuspecting customers get ripped off on the internet. Thus, before using any online platform it’s wise to ensure that it is legit. The big question here is whether Noracora is legit.

Our first check of a legit online platform is legality. This is because stores that are 100% legal are less likely to be scams. Interestingly, Noracora ticks the legality box; it is operated by CHICV International Holding Limited, which is a duly registered company in Hong Kong. Suffice it to say that scam stores do not bother with company registration certificates.

Another check of a legit online platform is the test of time. This is because scam stores are usually short-lived. Noracora does not come out flying in this regards, as it was started only in 2016. However, though Noracora is relatively young in the industry, its 3 years of operation is enough for it to pass this test of time. This is because in this era of fast communication, it’s only a matter of time before a scam store is discovered; and with such discovery, the scam store usually disappears.

However, the ultimate check of a legit online platform is fitness for purpose. This is because it is only a legit online fashion store that will deliver real and functional products to customers who place orders; on the other hand, the scam stores are designed to rip off people, so they do not fulfil orders. Interestingly, Noracora does fulfil orders. Granted you’ll find some delivery related complaints; with the affected customers throwing the scam label at Noracora. However, lots of others receive delivery of their orders, and these are largely functional. Thus, even with the complaints, Noracora comes out as a legit online fashion store, albeit one with significant issues that needs attention.

That said, with Noracora operated by a 100% legal company, and having a record of fulfilling orders, it is safe to say that it is a legit online fashion store.

Is Noracora safe

Yes, Noracora is also safe. They will never expose your personal data or financial information to any third party or theft.

However, an online fashion store is legit is not enough. Being legit, it will not rip you off and leave you out of pocket. However, if it is not safe, sensitive information (such as personal data and credit card information) that you share with it can leak out leaving you exposed to all the fraudsters out there. That said; the ideal online store should both be legit and safe.

In this regards, Noracora says it “implements a variety of security measures when a user places an order, enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information”. Among the technical measures employed is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Noracora adds that “all transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed in [its] servers”.

SSL is the industry standard for ensuring safe data exchange between buyer devices and seller’s servers. Suffice it to say that the encryption protocol is bank-grade. With payment information not stored in Noracora’s servers; even if there is a data breach, your payment instrument data will not be compromised. That said; it’s safe to say that Noracora is safe.

You may also read: Bonanza Review – Is Legit or Scam?

Products

The one-stop stores always come out strong because they allow customers to get their needs in one place. One-stop shipping is convenient and comes with cost savings. The savings may come from not spreading your purchase to different stores and qualifying for large order discount; it may also come from paying to ship one order instead of paying to ship multiple orders from multiple stores.

In this regards, Noracora comes out relatively well. It is a store that specializes in women’s wear, with a focus on casual wear. When shopping in Noracora, the product categories (and items in each category) that you’ll find are:

• Sweaters & Cardigans
• Tops – Casual Tops, Blouse & Shirts, Linen Tops
• Dresses – Casual Dresses, Maxi Dresses, Linen & Cotton Dresses
• Plus Size –
• Outerwear – Coats & Jackets, Hoodies & Sweatshirts
• Shoes – Boots, Sandals, Loafers
• Bottoms – Linen & Cotton Bottoms, Denim & Jeans, Leggings
• Accessories – Scarf, Gloves/ Mittens, Jewelry, Socks, Hats, Lingerie

Buying from Noracora

The ideal online fashion store should feature easy ordering. Noracora does relatively well in this regards. The website is easy to navigate and works well on both desktop and mobile devices. The company is also one of the online fashion stores that have developed mobile apps. You’ll find the Android and iOS apps in the respective app store, and these have good ratings. Thus, Noracora will give you optimal mobile shopping experience.

Because the Noracora platform is easy to use, finding your favourite items is relatively easy. Simply search through the product categories, or type a keyword into the search button. When you find an item, click on it to get to its description page. You’ll find other product images for a better view; you’ll find a detailed description of the product, as well as shipping and return info.

If you want to buy the product, select a colour, a size, and the quantity wanted, then add it to your cart. At any time, you can click the bag icon on the page to go to your cart for checkout. At checkout, you’ll have to submit your shipping information for the applicable shipping charges to be produced. You can then view your order total; then proceed to select a payment method, and pay for your order.

Many times, after submitting an order, customers will have a change of heart and will want to modify or cancel the order. That said; online fashion stores that allow already submitted orders to be modified or cancelled usually come out strong. Thankfully, Noracora does relatively well in this regards.

You have a change of heart you can simply cancel your order, and place a fresh one. However, you cannot cancel an order from your end; you’ll have to contact the customer support team and submit a request.

Also, cancellation is free (you’ll get a full refund) only if you contact Noracora within 24 hours of placing the order. If the request is made after 24 hours of order placement (but before the order ships), a 15% cancellation fee applies; meaning you’ll only get a partial refund (75% of the order amount).

Pricing and Related Policies

Pricing

Every shopper wants the best prices possible. So the ideal online fashion store should feature prices that are perceived as reasonable. In this regards, the promise of Noracora is to provide stunning, high-quality fashion products at down-to-earth prices. Thankfully, looking at the listing prices of Noracora, it is safe to say that it lives up to this promise.

For example, at the time of writing this review, of the 1500+ dresses listed in the store, only 5 were over $50; prices began at $11.50, many of them were under $30. Also, in the Tops category, tens of items were under $10; the bulk of items were under $20; and of the over 10,000 Tops listed, only 45 were over $50. You can go through other product categories, and you’ll really find down-to-earth prices

Promotions

For reasons very related to what is described above (getting the best price), customers gravitate towards stores that offer a lot of promotions. This is because promotions allow customers to get items for significantly less than the going rate of the items.

Thankfully, Noracora comes out as a promotions-generous store. For example, on getting to the landing page of the website, you’ll be greeted by different promotional offers. At the time of writing this review, some of the offers that the homepage announced included:

• Buy 3, get 4th 40% off
• Buy 2, Get 3rd 20% off
• $40 off orders over $269
• $20 off orders over $159
• $10 off orders over $79
• 10% off orders over $69

As it is in every online fashion store, the promotions are time-specific. They run for only a limited period of time; so you’ll have to check the website regularly to know what promo is being offered. Alternatively, you can submit your email address in registration for the Noracora email alerts, and you’ll receive alerts of offers and deals. We usually find that online fashion stores incentivize registrations for newsletters (via discounts on the next purchase after registration). However, we didn’t find such an offer in Noracora; and for a promotion-generous store, this was surprising.

Payment Methods

You won’t want a headache when spending your money. Thus, you’ll want to find a range of convenient payment methods for paying for your order.

In this regards, Noracora does not break the roof with a long list of supported payment methods. Rather it supports simple and generic methods that you can conveniently use to pay for your order no matter where you may be. These include: PayPal and Credit/ Debit Cards (Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro)

Shipping

Shipping is an important part of any review of an online store. This is because whatever you order in store will have to be shipped to your nominated shipping address. Among the important shipping considerations are shipping destination, delivery times, and shipping costs.

Shipping Destinations

You’ll have to consider whether the online store ships merchandise to your destination. If it doesn’t; your order may not process, and if it processes, it may be difficult to receive delivery of the items. In this regards, online stores that ships merchandise worldwide to come out strong so that wherever the customer is located is more likely to be served.

Noracora does very well in this regards. It ships to over 230 countries across the globe. That said, no matter where you are located, you’ll be able to make a purchase from Noracora.

Delivery Times

Delivery time is another thing that online shoppers pay close attention to, as no shopper will want to wait for too long after placing an order to receive delivery of the items. Thus, the ideal online fashions tore should feature fast delivery.

Delivery times consist of order processing time and shipment time. The former is how much time it takes from when the order is placed to when the package ships, while the latter is how much time it takes from when the package ships to when it arrives at the customer’s shipping address.

In this regards, Noracora says that its processing time typically takes 3 – 10 business days upon payment. This definitely is not one of the fastest order processing times out there.

After the item ships, how long it takes to arrive will depend on the location the item is shipping to, and the shipping option selected. Noracora advertises that it offers a couple of shipping options; but it names only Super Savings, saying that it takes 7 – 30 business days.

However, when we selected items into our shopping cart; after putting our Oviedo (Florida) shipping address, the only shipping option available was “Postal Shipping”, and the shipping time given was 10 – 15 business days.

Especially for the relatively long order processing time, Noracora is not known for fast delivery. Yes, some customers reported getting their orders on time, but many more reported late deliveries.

Shipping Cost

The total cost of an online purchase is usually made up of the item’s price and its shipping costs. Thus, if the shipping cost is high, even items that are acceptably priced can easily become too expensive to get. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should feature shipping costs that are as low as possible.

The shipping costs in Noracora vary, depending on your shipping address, and the available shipping option available to you. Usually, faster shipping options command higher fees. Since flat shipping rates are not possible, applicable shipping costs will be calculated for you at checkout.

When testing Noracora for this review, we selected a White Solid Half sleeve Dress priced $25.13 into our shopping cart; after putting our Oviedo (Florida) shipping address, the only shipping option available was a “Postal Shipping”, which will take 10 – 15 business days and cost $6.00. Adding another item (a flat Heel Boot) priced $21.83, the shipping cost increased by $2 to $8.00.

The lowest possible shipping cost is $0.00, which is free shipping. Thankfully, Noracora offers free shipping. However, the minimum order requirements apply. Your order will have to be worth $89 to qualify for free shipping. It’s a good thing that free shipping is offered.

Returns

One of the things that persons look at before committing to an online store is its return policy. This is because, there is a real chance of receiving your order, and finding it to be not totally satisfactory; and instead of being stuck with an unwanted item, you’ll definitely want to be able to return it (and get a replacement or a refund). Thus, online stores that allow returns always come out strong.

Thankfully, Noracora allows returns saying that “if you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, it is easy to exchange or refund”.

Eligible Returns and Return Conditions

In every online fashion store, it is not everything that can be bought from the store that can be returned. That said, you’ll not want any return restrictions so that you’ll not end up with items that you’ll want to return but cannot because they are ineligible for return.

In this regards, Noracora does not allow the return of Swimwear, bags and accessories. You’ll find swimwear restricted in almost all fashion stores for health reasons. Accessories are also usually restricted, but bags… Bags are items that are not usually restricted. That said if you don’t mind being unable to return bags; then the Noracora “return restrictions” is probably alright.

While other items are eligible for returns, for the items to be accepted back by Noracora, they must be in their original new conditions. That is, they must be in the same state they were when delivered to you. They must be unused, undamaged, and unaltered; and they must be returned in their original packaging, with all articles in the package intact.

Return Process

It is not enough that an online store allows returns; you’ll not want a cumbersome return process that’ll add to the frustrations of receiving an unsatisfactory item. Thus, the ideal online store should have an easy return process.

In this regards, Noracora does not offer a “no questions asked” return process. If you have to return an item in your Noracora order, you’ll have to contact the customer support team of the company and submit a return request. In the request, you’ll have to state the reasons for wanting to make the return and attach photos of any claim.

Noracora will review such request, and if approved, you’ll get an authorization email, which will carry return instructions and return address. You can then proceed to package the item appropriately, and ship to the return address. However, as the customer reviews show, actually getting return authorization from Noracora is not as easy as the company will make it sound (More on this in the complaints section).

Return Window

However, you do not have forever to make up your mind. This is because online stores will only accept returns getting back to them within a specified time period. That said, you’ll want an extended period so that the item you are returning will not reach the store’s facility late and be rejected.

In this regards, Noracora gives a 15 days return window. That is, eligible items can be returned only within 15 days from the delivery date. If you’ve checked reviews of other online fashion stores, you’ll find that the 15 days return window of Noracora is relative. In fact, it is only half of the often seen 30 days return window.

That said; if you receive a Noracora order and will want to return any item from it, you’ll have to act fast, so that the unwanted item will not get to Noracora late and be rejected.

Cost of Return

You definitely will not want to return an unwanted item to its retailer and be faced with prohibitive costs. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should feature return costs that are as low as possible. Return costs seen in the industry include: restocking fees and return shipping costs.

Thankfully, Noracora does not charge restocking fees. However, return shipping fees apply, as it does not offer free returns. Also, it does not offer Shipping Labels for making returns, so the cost of return shipping varies, depending on what the carrier you chose to use charges.

However, the return shipping address is in China. Noracora does not state this in its return policy. You’ll only find out when you get a return authorization. The implication is that return shipping cost (all the way to China) can be very high.

Return Processing and Refunds

Another important consideration is: when and how you’ll get refunded. After, shipping back an unsatisfactory order, you’ll not want to keep waiting for long before you get your refunds. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should feature the swift processing of returns and issuing of refunds.

In this regards, Noracora advertises that after receipt of return package it issues refunds to the original payment method within a week. This is a relatively fast “return/ refund processing time”, as there are many stories in the industry that take longer. However, it should be noted that the funds will not reflect in your account immediately; it’ll usually take some time (sometimes up to two additional weeks) depending on your financial institution.

It is also seen that Noracora issues refunds via the original payment method. This means that you will get your money back. This is a big deal because there are some online fashion stores in the industry that only issue store credits for returns. Needless to say, many customers are no fans of store credits. This is because store credits tie the receiver to the particular store, such that the received funds must be used for future purchases in the particular store. However, many customers who return items to a store and get refunded will want to walk away and use the funds in other stores.

Customer Support Service

Many times, persons have questions about an online store and its products, services, etc; and they’ll need answers to these before they commit to using the store. Even after committing to a store, some will have issues with their orders, account, etc; and they’ll need these resolved if they are to be return customers.

That said; the ideal online store should have an effective customer support service for answering the questions and resolving the issues that its customers may have. The online platform usually provides assistance using a combination of self-help resources and contact-support. Thankfully, Noracora is not different.

For self-help, you’ll find an FAQ page in the Noracora website. The FAQ holds short answers to many of the questions that customers have asked in the past. Unfortunately, you’ll find that the FAQ is not detailed as it only deals with how to register, and placing orders. However, you’ll find other helpful articles in the “Customer Guidance” and “Policy” sections of the website. For example the former holds pages treating “Tracking Order” and “Payment”, while the latter holds pages treating “Shipping & Delivery”, “Return & Exchange”, and “Order Cancellation”.

However, if the self-help resources do not do it for you, you can directly contact a Customer Care Rep of Noracora via email. You can do this by submitting a ticket using the online contact form in the “Contact Us” page of the website, or by sending an email directly from your inbox using the email address: service@noracora.com.

Like almost every other online fashion store, Noracora promises fast response time to email submissions. However, it is still disappointing that it does not support any instant-feedback support channel (such as telephone service or Live Chat).

Noracora Complaints

Customers will always have complaints, right? No matter how well a company operates, there’ll be customers who’ll have complaints. Thus, complaints can give a good insight into how well a company operates. Too many complaints could mean that all is not well, and very few complaints could mean that things are probably well.

That said, for this complaint section, we checked the top independent customers’ reviews platforms such as Trustpilot (www.trustpilot.com) and Sitejabber (www.sitejabber.com). Unfortunately, Noracora is not highly rated on these platforms. For example, at the time of writing this review, in Trustpilot, Noracora had been reviewed by 1,397 customers, and it scored 1.5 out of 5; and in Sitejabber, it had been reviewed by 1,180 customers, and it scored 1.9 out of 5.

Many complaints accounted for the poor ratings. In fact, many persons were of the opinion that any positive reviews found of Noracora were probably written by the staff of the company; and in Trustpilot, it was stated that the customized software of the platform discovered a large number of fake reviews on the domain. The many complaints of customers included the following: refusal to cancel orders, poor quality, difficulty with returns, and more.

Refuse to Cancel Orders

Some customers reported that they did all they could to cancel their order immediately but Noracora refused. For example:

• Deborah in Sitejabber says “Noracora is a SCAM” The review continued “…refused to cancel my order immediately it was placed… Many, many requests from me to cancel the order BEFORE IT SHIPPED, they refused. If you see a good review of Noracora, it is FAKE”
• Tammy B in Sitejabber says “Overseas scam from China” The review continued “…I ordered, read a review online and immediately cancelled my order. I also emailed to confirm that I wanted to cancel the order; two weeks later I had heard nothing and could not reach the company. Finally, 6 weeks later some items shipped…”

It should be remembered that Noracora promises that orders can be cancelled anytime before the package ships (albeit orders being cancelled after 24 hours from the placement will attract a 15% cancellation fee). This looks like a good order cancellation policy. However, policies mean nothing if they are not honoured; and with some customers reporting that they were refused cancellation (even immediately after placement), then there is reason to worry.

Poor Quality

The complaint about Noracora that is most popular is that many times customers receive their order and find it overwhelmingly unsatisfactory. For example:

• Lella L in Sitejabber says “Pathetic Company” The review continued “How dare you Noracora make me wait 2 entire months to get this crap? How dare you disrespect your customers so much? One rating star is too much for you!! I ordered a beautiful shirt and got crap. No embroidery, no strings on the V neck, the fabric of the sleeves and front is not fabric, is plastic. It is so stiff it is unwearable. The size is way too small. You are a pathetic cheat. How dare you? If you do business like is a joke then I do the review like is funny. Enjoy it”
• Shelley J in Sitejabber says “Complete scam rip off – poor-quality children sizes” The review continued “Where is the NEGATIVE star option for this review? The good reviews for Noracora are in all likelihood written by the staff themselves. The photography on the site is great and a fabrication. The item descriptions and sizes have no bearing on reality. ‘Linen’ is really extremely thin cotton. Size 3xl is actually a size medium in US sizes…”
• Karla L in Sitejabber says “Poor Quality Products with pictures of high quality on website” The review continued “Scarves & Shawls are made from tee-shirt material with sewn edges when the pictures show knitted construction. Colours are printed on, not woven, and are not colourfast so they would ruin anything they come in contact with. All of the products I ordered have a very strong chemical smell. Lesson learned. Even though they are inexpensive, you don’t get what you pay for. Pictures from the website on the left and what was received (4 – 6 weeks later) on the right”
• Molly Porcher in Trustpilot says “Worst company ever” The review continued “I ordered multiple items from the website and every single thing in that order is wrong. Not only wrong but not at all what was pictured. Instead of a sweater, a cheap shirt with a sweater print on it. Instead of patterned socks, I received a bunch of random socks, cheaply made, with no patterns on them. Instead of knitted mittens, cheap printed fabric that looks more like oven mitts…”
• Otilia Tiutin in Trustpilot says “Awful quality” The review continued “I have had the worst experience, this company uses fake advertising. The items I received looked nothing like the picture. The material, look, feel is nothing close to the picture… I ended up donating the clothes because they were awful. Companies like these should not be allowed to stay in business…”
• Eileen M in Sitejabber says “Fraud Misrepresentation – products are not what is pictured” The reviewed continued “Purchased a knitted green cardigan with a fair type of knit casual long sleeve cotton-blend sweater. What I received was a nonwoven material (think handi-wipe) bonded to a tricot type lining. This is not a knitted sweater. The nonwoven material was printed. See photos attached”

As can be seen from the customers’ reviews, the “poor quality” complaints take a different form. First, many customers say that the items delivered were nothing like the product images that informed their buy decision. Looking at these; it was shockingly alarming. Some who ordered “knitted” clothing, got clothing with knit printed on them. There is definitely no way of explaining this away.

Another form of “poor quality” complaints is that items are very often found to be made of poor quality materials or poorly made. It was also shocking investigating this; many products that customers bought as linen turned out to be anything but.

Another form of “poor quality” complaints is that the store does not run true to size. Like is popular with China-based stores, many customers say their items were significantly small.

It should be said that there are just many of these complaints; as such poor quality comes out as a problem plaguing Noracora. This means that if you choose to order from Noracora, there is a really big chance that your item will have quality failings.

Difficulty with Returns and Refunds

With so many poor quality complaints, it’s not surprising that Noracora does get a ton of return requests. However, the customers’ reviews show that customers hardly get the easy returns and refunds that Noracora promises. For example:

• Molly Porcher in Trustpilot continued “…since the website makes it so hard to return anything, I have come to the conclusion that the company is fraudulent…”
• Nancy Scheider in Trustpilot says “I returned my order 9/28/2019 and still have not received my credit [12/24/2019]. The clothes were poor quality and the sizes run extra small. NEVER order from this company”
• Otilia Tiutin in Trustpilot continued “…Then if you want to return you have to pay huge shipping fees to China which are more than what you paid for the product…”
• Lisa M in Sitejabber says “I ordered some clothing for almost $100. One item was $29.99 and did not fit. The return department offered me $4.50 to keep the item. I said no. Then they offered me $6.00. I refused. I later found out it costs between $24 – $50 to return an item to China. Just be EXTREMELY sure when you order online it’s NOT a Chinese [company] if you may need to return. That’s my view anyway”
• Michelle D in Sitejabber says “After a battle with Noracora trying to do returns/ refunds (damage and ill-fitting merchandise) I have been unsuccessful – they ripped me off…”
• Suzanne K in Sitejabber says “Buy only if you are willing to take anything they send you – false return policy” The review added “…if you return it you pay the cost of returning it to China plus import customers – cost more than the final cost of the coat. This was their error and the most they will do is a 25% of the price you paid – BEWARE”
• Christina in Sitejabber says “… when I want to return [my order] they say I have to pay all these charges or they’ll give me 15% back. WTF!! These people are getting away with stealing people’s money; they should be stopped…”

As the customer reviews show, this issue of “difficulty with return/ refunds” takes different forms. First, is that getting “return authorization” from Noracora is not as easy as the company makes it sound. Many times the Company does not reply return request; and when it finally does, it will try to talk the customer into keeping the unwanted item (first, offering a 15% credits towards the next purchase, the upping the offer if rejected).

Another form of this problem of “difficulty with returns/ refunds” is that the return shipping address is in China. In most “return” cases, the item is clearly poorly made, but the customers still have to bear return shipping cost; with the return address in China, return shipping costs are usually very high, sometimes even more than the cost of the item itself.

Also, many times, the item being returned was delivered from the company’s facility in the US, but it still requires it to ship it back to its China facility. In such instances especially, it comes out as though Noracora is using the “high cost of shipping return packages to China” as a weapon to force customers against returns. That said; if you decide to order from Noracora, know that if you have to return any item in your order, you’ll be paying return shipping to China.

Lastly, another form of the “difficulty with return/ refunds” complaint is that even after shipping the return package to China, getting refunded does not come easy.

It should be said that it is these problems with return/ refunds that make many persons label Noracora a scam in the different online platforms. For example, even though the quality of the items a store delivers to you is overwhelmingly unsatisfactory, if you can easily process returns and get a full refund of your payment, you won’t be moved to label the store a scam. On the other hand, if you receive “worthless” items that you cannot wear (and will even feel ashamed to give away), yet you cannot return the items to the store and get refunded, because you’re out of pocket, you’ll have no qualms with labelling the store a scam.

However, in our opinion, Noracora is not a scam store; but while it is a legit fashion store, it is fraught with huge problems that need fixing.

Conclusion

Noracora is an online fashion destination founded in 2016. Though it operates a facility in the US, it is a China-based company, so the bulk of its items ships from China. Noracora says its goal is to provide a range of high-quality products at down to earth prices.

It focuses on women’s wear and does provide a range of products for the womenfolk. You’ll find dresses, tops, bottoms, shoes, bags, and accessories. Also, Noracora does offer down-to-earth prices (think of the $12 dress, the $5 Tops, and more).

In terms of service, Noracora ships worldwide, so you can buy from the store from virtually every part of the world. Also, free shipping is offered (for orders over $89); and where free shipping does not apply, shipping costs are relatively fine.

However, that is as far as the positives get. Noracora is not known for fast delivery, so you may have to wait longer than expected for your order to arrive. Also, many times, the quality of Noracora’s products is largely subpar (even shocking). So you order may arrive, and what’s in the package may cause all the joy of expectations to evaporate. Worst still, returning a Noracora order and getting refunded is, putting it mildly, “not easy”.

To the question of whether you should buy from Noracora; with what we saw in this review, you may (buy from Noracora) if your main concern is rock bottom prices, and you’re ready to accept whatever is delivered to you. That said; you can visit Noracora here: www.noracora.com.

Also read: eCRATER Review – Is Legit or Scam?

Pros

• Provide optimal mobile shopping experience (with mobile apps)
• Offers a range of women fashion products including dresses, Tops, bottoms, shoes, accessories, etc
• Order cancellation is allowed anytime before the item ships
• Offers rock bottom prices in every product category
• Offers a lot of price slashing promotions
• Supports convenient payment methods (PayPal and Credit/ debit cards)
• Ships merchandise worldwide (to over 230 countries)
• Offers free shipping for orders over $89
• Customer support is available via the online contact form and email (service@noracora.com)

Cons

• 15% cancellation fee applies when cancelling an order 24 hours after placement (but before shipment)
• Quality of items is largely subpar
• Return restrictions include bags
• Return window (15 days from delivery date) is relatively short
• Return shipping address is in China, leading to relatively high return shipping costs
• Getting return authorization, and actually getting refunded does not come easy
• Instant feedback support channels (like telephone service and Live Chat) are not available

Have experience with this store? Use the WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEW link below to tell the prospective buyers your experience.

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