Tobi is a US-based online fast-fashion retailer. It advertises that it “mix function with style, creating clothes that are cute, sexy, effortlessly cool and comfy”.
Sounds like the fashion destination to visit for all your fashion needs. However, the big question is whether this is not just some advert-speak. That is, does Tobi actually provide elegant fashion pieces that are highly functional and stylish?
Having elegant fashion pieces shouldn’t be at the cost of an arm, so another question is whether Tobi is competitively priced. Also, does it offer top services 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 Tobi real, or is it just another sweet-talking scam store that’ll rip off unsuspecting customers?
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Is Tobi Legit. It is not a scam because they have been in the industry for a long time and there has not been a problem of cheats or customers not getting their items after payment. But….
This Tobi review will examine Tobi in order to provide the information that’ll help you answer these questions and more.
Tobi is a fast-fashion store that was started in 2010. It says that it is inspired by LA – from the beachy coast to the heart of the downtown. Headquartered in LA and absorbing the energy that the city transmits, Tobi commits to ensuring that the right products are always available to fashion-conscious women at the right prices.
Tobi does not have physical retail outlets, which means that it sells products globally exclusively on www.tobi.com. Anyone who is of legal age to form a binding contract can visit the website and buy from Tobi.
Tobi says it designs for the woman – her body, her lifestyle, and where she is going. Thus, you’ll find that it holds a wide range of women wear – clothing, footwear, accessories, etc for every occasion and season.
It is not news that persons get ripped off on a regular basis on the internet. As such before using any eCommerce platform, it is wise to determine that the platform is legit. Thus, the big question here is whether Tobi is legit. The short answer to that is “YES”.
Our first check of a legit online store is usually legality. This is because online stores that are 100% legal are less likely to be scams. Thankfully, Tobi ticks this box. The website is owned and operated by Tobi.com LLC, which is a private company duly registered in the US. Suffice it to say that a scam store will not go through the trouble of obtaining company registration certificates.
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, Tobi ticks this box. Though Tobi does not have physical retail outlets, it has offices in South San Francisco and Downtown Los Angeles, where it does everything from design to production. Also, Tobi is trusted by millions of fashion shoppers and has over one and a half million followers on Facebook. Suffice it to say that a scam store will neither have physical facilities that give it the capacity to fulfil orders, nor have the trust of millions of shoppers.
Another check of a legit online store is the test of time. This is because the scam stores are usually short-lived. It’s only a matter of time before a scamming platform is called out, especially in this era of fast communication; and with such exposure, the store will see less traffic and die out. Thankfully, Tobi passes this test of time, as it has been operating since 2010. Suffice it to say that scam stores cannot go on ripping off people using the same guise for up to a decade.
However, the ultimate check of a legit online store is fitness for purpose. The purpose of an online store is to give you products you make payment for. That is, it is only in legit stores that buyers will pay for an order and expect to receive delivery of real and functional products. Thankfully, Tobi ticks this box. Customers who visit the store and place orders have always received their orders; and, most often than not, these are functional. You may find some delivery-related complaints/ reviews; with some persons even throwing the scam label on Tobi for that. However, in our opinion, a delivery issue where it occurs is just one of those blips rather than the norm. Thus, Tobi does fulfil orders.
That said, with Tobi operated by a 100% legal company, having industry-wide recognition, and having a decade long record of fulfilling orders with real and functional products, there is no doubt that it is a legit online fashion store.
Yes, Tobi is safe. All customers details and private data are well taken care of you have nothing to worry about. No third party can have access to any information you submitted on the website.
When using an online store, you’ll have to submit sensitive information which includes personal details and payment instrument data (such as credit card information). With bad elements (fraudsters and identity thieves) parading cyber space, you’ll want your sensitive data well protected. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should not only be legit but also safe in safeguarding users’ data.
In this regards, Tobi says that it has “implemented technology and security features, as well as strict internal guidelines” to safeguard users’ data. For example all information you provide is encrypted with industry-standard Secure Sockets Layers (SSL) technology. SSL create a private channel between buyers’ devices and seller’s servers shielding off unauthorized third parties; and the data is encrypted before being pushed through the channel, ensuring that even if it is intercepted, it’ll remain safe and secure.
With SSL technology amongst other measures taken by Tobi, it is safe to say that it is safe.
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Customers gravitate towards the one-stop stores featuring a wide range of products so that they can get their needs in one place. Getting your items in one place is convenient, as you’ll not have to look up multiple stores. One-stop shopping also comes with cost savings; not spreading your purchase in different stores means you’re likely to qualify for large order discounts, and shipping one order from a store will be less expensive than shipping multiple orders from multiple stores.
Tobi does relatively well in this regards. The store focuses on women’s wear, and it provides the full gamut. The product categories you’ll find in the store (as well as the subcategories and the various items in each) are as follows:
One of the arguments for online purchases is that it is super easy to buy what you need. Thus, the ideal online store should feature an easy-breezy buying process. Thankfully, Tobi does relatively well in this regards.
The website is mobile-optimized, so when you fire it up with mobile web browser, the web pages resizes to fit the smaller screen of your device. Also, Tobi is one of the online fashion stores that have developed mobile apps (for Android and iOS). So Tobi can give you optimal mobile shopping experience.
One good thing with buying from Tobi is that Guest Checkout is supported. That is, you do not have to register and create an account to make purchases in the platform. This is fine for all hyper-sensitive customers that’ll not want their information stored by online stores.
Also, you can easily find products that you like. You either browse through the product categories or type in a keyword in the search button in the dashboard. After discovering your product, clicking on it will take you to the product description page where you can find every detail of the product. If you want to buy it, you’ll have to select the quantity needed, a colour, and size. Tobi provides detailed size chart (complete with pictures of measurements) to assists you in choosing the right size. You can then add it to your bag.
If you’ve not decided on the item you can click “Add to Likes” to favourite the item. That way, you can easily call it up later without having to search for it all over again.
At any time you can go to your shopping bag by clicking the bag icon on the page. You can then apply any promotional code before clicking to Checkout. The first part of the checkout prompts you to enter your shipping information. This will furnish your available shipping options and applicable shipping fees. You can then choose one, and view the order detail. The next part of checkout is to select your payment method and submit the required information to complete payment.
Many times, after an order is submitted, customers will have a change of heart and will want to modify it or cancel it. Thus, stores that allow order modification or cancellation normally come out attractive. Unfortunately, the policy of Tobi in this regards does not make for good reading. First, orders once placed cannot be modified. Order cancellation is possible but you’ll have to contact the Customer Care Team immediately.
Tobi stresses that once an order reaches a certain stage of processing, cancelling it will no longer be possible. The problem is that Tobi does not mention what that “state of processing” is. For example; some stores will clearly state that orders can only be cancelled within 24 hours of order placement. But with Tobi, no such time is given. So the store can easily hide behind this and deny all cancellation requests, saying that the order is in a state of processing where the cancellation is no longer possible.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find the shopper that’ll be willing to pay over and above for a fashion piece. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should feature prices that are perceived as competitive. Tobi’s promise in this regards is to ensure that the right products delivered at the right prices.
Tobi does relatively well in this regards. It is not by any means the rock-bottom prices store. Tobi offers top quality items; and as you’ll know, top quality commands top dollars. However, Tobi has products at relatively lower prices than you’ll find comparable quality at other stores.
For example; at the time of writing this review, many of the dresses listed were going for $35 – $69; while many of the Tops were going for $20 – $43. The expensive stores will have these dresses in three figures and the Tops way above $50. Going through other product categories, you’ll also find them relatively priced.
Every customer wants a good deal. Promotions tease with deals allowing customers to get items for less than the going rate of the items. Thus, stores that run a lot of promotions are always attractive. Thankfully, Tobi does well in this regards,
On getting to the landing page of the website, we found that it has the makings of a promotion-generous online fashion store.
For example, at the time of writing this review, Tobi was offering a 60% discount site-wide (all items in the site). There was also a welcome bonus that promised 50% off your first order (if you register for the daily email). However, know that the welcome bonus has a lot of restrictions. At the time of writing this review, there were over 110 brands; if your order includes any of the restricted brands, you cannot get the 50% discount. The question many persons ask is: with so many brands restricted, what else can be purchased?
Promotions only run for a specified period of time so you’ll have to regularly check the site to know what promo is running at any time. Alternatively, you can sign up for the daily email, and you’ll get alerts of offers.
When it’s time to pay for your order, you’ll want an easy payment process featuring a range of convenient payment method. Thankfully, Tobi ticks this box. You can pay for your order using Credit Cards (Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover), PayPal, Venmo, and Sezzle.
However, this is the range of payment method supported, what will be available to you will depend on your country. For example, Sezzle is available to only US customers, while PayPal is not available to Canadian customers. However, with credit cards being a generic method, you shouldn’t have problems with paying for your order from anywhere.
Also, Tobi differs from many other online fashion stores in that unlike others that charge your account when the order is placed, Tobi charges your account when your order has shipped. The only exception to this is Sezzle.
In any online purchase, your order will be shipped from the store’s facility to your shipping address. Thus, shipping is an important consideration. Amongst the things to consider are: whether the store ships merchandise to your location, how long it’ll take the order to arrive, and how much it’ll cost.
One of the first things to check about an online you’re considering is whether it ships to your location. If it doesn’t, it may not be possible to place an order; and even if placing an order is possible, it may be unnecessarily difficult to receive delivery of it. In this regards, online stores that ships to worldwide locations come out strong, because that way your location is more likely to be covered.
Tobi does relatively well in this regards. It ships to some 150+ countries. Though its geographical coverage is not the best in the industry, it covers every region of the world – North and South America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
There is no customer that’ll want to place an order and be made to wait and wait and wait for the order to arrive. Thus, the ideal online store should feature fast delivery. Typically, delivery time is made up of order processing time and order shipment time. The former (processing time) is how long it takes from when the order is placed to when the package ships, while the latter is how long it takes from when the package ships to when it arrives at the customer’s shipping address. For fast delivery, both times should be as low as possible.
In terms of order processing, Tobi does very well. It says that it takes 2 business days (excluding weekends, holidays, and sales days) to process orders and dispatch them for shipping. If you’ve checked reviews of other online stores, you’ll find that the “2-days order processing time” of Tobi is miles ahead of many others. However, the 2 days excludes sales days means that when Tobi runs sales, orders take longer to get processed; and this is quite often.
After an order ships, how long it’ll take to arrive at the shipping address depends on the shipping method selected. Tobi offers two shipping method – Standard Shipping and Expedited Shipping. Depending on the country that the item is shipping to, the Standard Shipping takes 3 – 4 weeks, and the Expedited Shipping takes 1 – 2 weeks. At the time of writing this review, Tobi does not ship to military address or P.O. Boxes.
Item cost + shipping cost = Total costs. Thus, if shipping costs are too high, even items that are perceived as acceptably priced can easily have a total cost that is deemed too expensive. Thus, the ideal online store should have shipping costs that are as low as possible.
Tobi does excellently in this regards. The lowest possible shipping cost is $0.00; free shipping. Thankfully, Tobi does not only offer free shipping, but it has one of the best free shipping offers you’ll find in the industry.
First, Tobi’s free shipping is available worldwide – to all countries served. This is good because in many online fashion stores free shipping is limited to their domestic market, while everyone else is required to pay for shipping.
Secondly, Tobi’s free shipping offer comes with no minimum order requirement. This is good because in almost every other online fashion stores, it is required that your order is up to $X.XX to qualify for free shipping. Minimum order requirements (especially when they are not low) put subtle pressure on customers, and they’ll often be pushed to spending more than planned in chase of free shipping. However, in Tobi, there is no such pressure because you’ll get free shipping no matter the total value of your order.
However, the free shipping offer of Tobi applies to only Standard Shipping. Expedited shipping comes at a cost. Unfortunately, it is $30, which is quite on the high side.
One of the things that regular purchase in brick and mortar stores has over online purchase in the former you can physically assess the item. Since you cannot physically assess the item before buying (in online purchases), there is the risk that when the order arrives the item may not be totally satisfactory.
As a result, online stores that come out strong are those that’ll allow customers to return any item in their order that is not totally satisfactory (and get a replacement or a refund of payment). Thankfully, Tobi allows returns. What follows is an examination of the Tobi return policy.
When you receive an order, and you want to return an item, you definitely will not want to face a difficult return process. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should offer a simple return process. Tobi does relatively well in this regards.
If you are not totally satisfied with your order and will want to return it, you have to first contact the Customer Care Team of Tobi. Tobi does not operate a “no questions asked” return policy, so you’ll have to state your reasons for wanting a return. You’ll also have to upload photos showing any claimed defect.
Tobi will review the request, and you’ll get an email response. If approved, you only have to fill your packing slip. Package the item appropriately, including the packing slip in the package; and mail to the return shipping address.
Many times, Tobi orders are delivered in a black resealable poly mailer, and this can be re-used for the return shipping. Also, if the items you’re returning are from different orders, you can combine them in one package and include the packing slips for each order.
Domestic customers are offered Prepaid Return Shipping Labels for making easy returns. The Shipping Label is pre-addressed, so when it is used there’s no need to go hunting for the return shipping address; but if it is not used, you’ll have to write the return shipping address on the outside of the return package.
Usually, customers do not have forever to decide on returns. This is because online stores accept only items that are returned to them within a pre-determined period (usually from the original delivery date). That said; you’ll want an extended period so that items you are returning will not be rejected by the store for coming in late.
Thankfully, Tobi does so-so in this regards. First, you only have 5 days from receipt of your order to contact Tobi about and submit a return request. However, the overall return request is relatively found because Tobi offers a 30 days return window.
Tobi’s return window is more generous than the oft-seen 30 days window. The oft-seen 30 days return window requires that the return package is received by store within 30 days from the delivery day. However, the Tobi 30 days return window requires that the return package is postmarked (sent) within 30 days from when it was delivered. Thus, if you have to return an item from your Tobi order, you shouldn’t be pressed with time.
Usually, it is not every item that is bought from a store that is eligible for returns. That said; you won’t want too may return restrictions, so that you won’t have items you’ll rather return but cannot because they are restricted.
Tobi items that cannot be returned include Swimwear, Intimates, Underwear, Socks, Tights, Earrings, Hair Accessories, Bodysuits, and Beauty Products. These products cannot be returned for health/ hygiene reasons. You’ll find them also restricted in virtually all online fashion stores. Tobi also does not allow the return of items that are clearly marked “FINAL SALE”, as well as shoes if the original box is missing or damaged.
However, items that are eligible for returns must be in their original new condition if they are to be accepted by Tobi. This means they must not be worn, washed, damaged or altered; they must also be free of stains or smell (from makeup, deodorant, perfume, smoke, etc).
No one wants to be out of pocket. Thus, the cost of returns (if any) should be as low as possible. Return costs usually come in the form of restocking fees and return shipping fees.
Thankfully, Tobi does not charge restocking fees. However, return shipping fee apply. The return shipping fee will vary depending on what the carrier you use charges. However, domestic (US) customers can have free shipping. But this comes with a reduced return window. As a domestic customer, a return shipping label is made available in your Tobi account within 10 days of the delivery date. The return label is prepaid and can be used within 10 days of delivery. If used, nothing is deducted from your refund as cost of return shipping. Thus, US customers get free shipping if they postmark their return package within 10 days of the delivery date (using the prepaid return label).
First, it should be said that Tobi does not do product exchanges. So you cannot return an item to Tobi in the hope of getting another as a replacement. You’ll have to return the original item, get refunded, and place a fresh order. This is unfortunate, as product exchanges expedite the process of getting the new order (by eliminating the part of having to wait to be refunded).
That said; you won’t want to be waiting for too long to be refunded. In this regards, unlike other stores, Tobi does not commit itself by putting forth a time period for processing returns and issuing refunds. However, it does say that returns, once received, will be swiftly processed and the refunds issued immediately.
While it is hard to trust promises, this Tobi’s promise of “fast processing of returns and issuing of refunds” is one that can be trusted. This is because all returns are refunded via store credits. Store credits may make for fast refunds, but it is one part of the Tobi’s return policy that is not highly rated.
This is because store credits confine customers to Tobi; they must use the refunded amount for purchases in the store. Customers who’ll rather get back their money so that they can visit other stores for future purchases always frown at store credits; they’ll want their returns refunded as cash transfer to the original payment methods. Unfortunately, Tobi only offers store credits for returns.
Customers will come up stuck at some point. It could be just questions that they’ll need answers to, and it could be issued with orders that they’ll need to be resolved. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should have an effective customer support service for answering the questions or resolving the issues that its customers will have.
The online platforms provide customer assistance in varied ways that fall into self-help or contact support. Tobi also supports both.
For self-help, Tobi has a “Help” section which holds a lot of support articles. At the time of writing this review, these are arranged under the following topics: Holiday 2019 Shipping & Return policies, Returns & Exchanges, My Order, Shipping, Product & Stock, Payments & Promos, and More FAQ. In this “Help” section, you can find answers to many of the questions that have.
However, if you still need to, you can directly contact a Customer Support Rep of Tobi. For that, Tobi supports an email service. You can send Tobi an email using the email address: help@tobi.com. However, the support team does not work round the clock. Its response hours is 8:30 am – 5:30 pm (PT), Monday – Fridays.
Tobi promises fast response time for every email support submission. However, it’s still disappointing that Tobi does not support instant feedback Support channels such as live chat or telephone service.
This section is a part of all our reviews. It is not meant to be a “bashing” of the reviewed platform, but to provide valuable insight into how well the platform is. That is, if the place is overrun by complaints, then you may be better served somewhere else; but if complaints are few, then the store may be worthwhile.
That said; for customers’ complaint, we always look at the top independent customers’ reviews platforms such as Trustpilot and Sitejabber. Interestingly, Tobi has relatively good overall ratings in these platforms. For example, at the time of writing this review, in Trustpilot, it has been reviewed by 13,837 customers and it scored 3.2 out of 5; and in Sitejabber, it had been reviewed by 1,369 customers, and it scored 3.9 out of 5.
There was no shortage of positive reviews; many customers expressed satisfaction with delivery time, order quality, pricing, and more. However, that Tobi did not manage a perfect 5 out of 5 rating means that there were some complaints. These included:
One complaint that surprisingly came up is that some customers got another thing than was ordered. For example:
It should be said that this complaint is just a drop in a sea of positive reviews of customers getting exactly what was ordered. However, it was mentioned by 1, 2, 3 persons in a relatively short period gave it some significance.
Also, it must be said that in the instances, Tobi replied the affected customers admitting that it was a fault of theirs and offering a satisfactory resolution. Thus, if you do order and somehow are delivered a different thing, at least you’ll get a satisfactory resolution.
Another complaint that was found is that some customers were not satisfied with the quality of their orders. For example:
It should be noted that the poor quality complaints are few in the ocean of positive reviews of quality. That said, in our opinion, poor quality comes out as “one of those blips” and not as a problem plaguing Tobi.
The complaint about Tobi that’s most popular in the online spaces is that it does not run true to size. That is; many customers received their orders and found that the clothes do not fit – either too small or too big. For example:
It should be said that sizing dispute is the most mentioned reason for returns in the online fashion industry, so the size difference is not peculiar to Tobi. Also, though sizing issues are many, you’ll find many reviews of customers satisfied with the size of their orders.
One of the most often seen complaints about Tobi is its return policy, especially that you cannot get your money back when you return an item. For example:
As mentioned earlier, all returns to Tobi are refunded via store credits. It was also said that customers will rather get back their money via the original payment method so that they can choose to walk away and use the funds for future purchases in other stores. However, as a matter of policy, Tobi only gives store credits.
Tobi is one of the online fast fashion stores out there. It promises, to design for women, elegant fashion pieces that feature a mix function with style. True to that, you’ll find a wide range of trendy and stylish women’s wear, including Tops, bottoms, swimwear, intimates, shoes, and accessories.
Tobi also features relatively high quality, and you’ll find these right products at the right prices. Tobi is not the low and affordable rock-bottom prices fashion store, but its products are competitively priced for the quality on offer.
Also, it does well in terms of shipping: you can order Tobi from 150+ countries of the world; shipping is relatively fast, and free shipping is offered with no minimum order requirement.
However, it is not all sailing with Tobi. This is especially if you are not totally satisfied with an item in your order. Tobi accepts returns of items postmarked with 30 days of delivery which is relatively good. However, you cannot get your money back, as returns are refunded via store credits. Also, product exchange is not possible.
Bottom line is; if you do not mind getting store credits as a refund (if you have to return an item to an online fashion store); then with high-quality products at the excellent price point, relatively fast delivery, and more, there’re many reasons to look up Tobi.
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Do you have experience with Tobi? Was the item you purchased from the website of good quality? Kindly, you the review link below to tell prospective buyers your true Tobi review.
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