Tips for Buying from Cheap Clothing Sites

Cheap clothing sites – we’ve all stumbled across them when we click onto a cute shirt on Pinterest. You’re shocked at the prices and how cute the clothes look. But we’ve all also heard horror stories of clothing arriving and looking nothing like the images online, or far worse, toddler-sized.

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After years of navigating cheap clothing sites like Forever 21, Romwe, Rosegal, Shein, Zaful and more, I have developed some tips to make sure you get the most for your money AND get products that will last more than a season.

Read the reviews.

The reviews are your best friend. Let others tell you how items fit, if they’re true to size or too small, if it’s too tight on big chests or big butts, etc. You can quickly decide the right size to buy or if it’s never going to work on your body type when there are reviews available! I ended up buying an XL dress based off reviews I read once… I was hesitant because I am normally a size S. When it arrived, it fit PERFECTLY! I measured the waist of the XL dress, and it was 27 inches, soooo…. Just goes to show, reviews don’t lie.

See if any customers have submitted product photos.

This is an even better resource – you can physically SEE how the product fits! This is especially helpful for tighter items.

Look at the fabric information.

This will tell you if the items will shrink and also how much stretch the items have. For example: If a tee is mainly cotton, it is sure to shrink in the wash, so I’d size up. If a pair of shorts are made of polyester, you will know that there is no stretch at all to the fabric, so I’d likewise size up.

Assume you will have to size up.

99% of these items fit smaller than regular sizing. I would ALWAYS assume you have to size up — better to be slightly big than very small.

The flowier the item, the safer the buy.

Generally speaking, if the item is flowy, it’s more likely to fit you appropriately, and therefore it’s a safer buy. Flowy tops, dresses, skirts, and shorts all apply.

Read the return policy before buying.

The logic of “I can return it if I don’t like it!” that may be valid at stores like Nordstrom is just a tad bit harder when some of these shops are located in a foreign country. Forever 21 lets you return pretty easily, but as for the rest of them, it’s anyone’s guess! I’ve heard of fairly easy international returns, but I’ve also heard of horror stories.

If you are interested in seeing my recent Forever 21 finds, check out this video where I discuss sizing and more!

Happy shopping!!