Avoid Disappointing Purchases

Images are so important for an online store.  An image is the essential tool that online clothing stores use to captivate an audience and potential customers.  Unfortunately, pictures can be deceiving and in some cases are.

When shopping for clothes online you can get a better feel for the garment if there are several images to view the garments.  When websites only offer one image or blurred poor quality images this could be a red flag.  Not in all cases, but in some cases the garment could arrive looking much different than shown in the picture.  Unfortunately,  the item arrives looking much cheaper and not as flattering as it appeared on the model.

To help avoid disappointing purchases look for websites that offer at least two or more images.  The images should be able to be magnified to get an idea of how the garment material is textured.  Some websites list very inaccurate details in regards to fabric.  I suggest to avoid purchasing online if the fabric details aren’t listed or clearly listed incorrectly if you are concerned about quality.  I would also avoid companies that give general fabric details like “stretchy fabric”.

Do Not Get Stuck With Unwanted Garments

When ordering from an online store it is good practice to have a quick look at their return policy.  The first thing you want to look for is if the company accepts returns. The next thing is the time frame in which you have to return the garment.  It is also good to check where returns should be sent to.  All of this information should be clearly indicated.

Shipping Cost More Than The Garment Is Worth

All companies have an added expense with shipping cost. It is only fair that a company recoup the expense.  Some companies add this expense into the cost of each item that is sold. Typically these companies do not charge for shipping or have a very reasonable shipping cost. Some companies directly forward the charge of shipping to the consumer. In this case typically the customer pays based on the size of their order and where they are located. In other cases, companies make a profit on shipping cost.

Have you ever put a bunch of cute clothes in a cart and when you were ready to check out the shipping cost were outrages? Recently I went on a website and ordered a cute jean dress for only $40.00, by the time I was ready to pay the price had climbed to $52.00 total.  My shipping cost was $12.00 for standard shipping.  The garment was coming from the same country in which I live and it took almost two weeks to receive the order.  In my opinion the shipping cost was a bit over priced. In this case I did not particularly like the way that the dress fits. However, the dress is not worth returning because I would have to pay a total of $18.00 in shipping cost.

When ordering online take into consideration the cost of shipping both from the company (if applicable) and the cost to return the garment.

Avoid Poor Quality and Unwearable Garments

Shopping online has one major benefit and that is you can get goods from all over the world. The disadvantage of that is many regions do not offer high quality goods that you may be accustomed to. You may encounter cheaply made clothing, dangerous dyes used to color garments, poor quality textiles and more. When ordering clothing online look for the following clues to avoid receiving poor quality merchandise.

1.  Prices that are extremely cheap. When websites have extremely low prices for garments the chances are high that the garments are poorly made. Expect to receive clothing with poor workmanship and cheap materials.  Items can be lacking buttons, button holes, ill-fitting, dirty, snagged, unfinished garments, etc. In many cases unwearable.
2.  Clothing websites with low quality images or images that do not belong to the company or their supplier should be of a concern. You run the risk of receiving garments that look nothing as they appeared on the website.  If you go on a cheap clothing website and see a Victoria Secret image that should raise a red flag.
3.  Where are the garments coming from? In many cases designers use manufactures that are located in China, India, Mexico and many other countries.  However, when companies hire a manufacturer there is usually a quality control check prior to these items being sold to their customers. When you order directly from many of these manufacturing companies located in Asia there is no quality control. Therefore, you can receive garments that are far less of the quality you expected.

Customer Service and Good Business Practice

When you order from an online store it is always nice to know that if you encounter a problem you can get it resolved conveniently. I experienced ordering from a company on Amazon and quickly realized that some companies have poor quality control combined with bad customer service. I receive a skirt that was soiled with some green stuff that would not wash out and reeked of a chemical. When I contacted customer service some where in China, the person told me that the skirt was not soiled. I took pictures and threatened to report them to Amazon. They then credited my account and told me to keep the skirt, which I put into the trash.

Always know the return policy and look for reviews online. If a company has little to no reviews or predominantly good reviews, I would consider the company safe. If a company has majority poor reviews take caution. Mixed reviews can go either way. Some companies cherry pick customers to write good reviews to offset the bad ones.

At Posh Box Clothing we strive to take care of our customers giving you a secure and satisfied experience each and every time.