Forever 21 Haul- 3 tips for Buying Clothes Online & Do You Trust Customer Reviews?
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Forever 21 store in Center City Philadelphia and fell in love with a pretty pink lace dress that wasn't available in my size. Shopping at Forever 21 has always put me in a quandary because the fit are sometimes so different. I've been able to get sweaters in a medium for one style and had to get an XL in another. I went to two other F21 store and was told at both stores to just order it online. With Forever 21's return policy however, I want to make sure that it fits before I go ahead and make the purchase. I ended up finding it at a store whilst shopping with my mom and ended up picking up a couple of other things. I will list all products mentioned at the end of the post.
The dress is currently at the laundry so I can't take a full length picture but it is still available online. I was hesitant when I saw the customer reviews but after reading almost all of them it validated why I don't usually buy dresses online. I have purchased from F21 online but again only after I've tried or looked at them in the store. Here are some of my tips for buying clothes especially at F21 online:
1. Read the fine print a.k.a know the return & refund policies inside out. Forever 21 in particular only offers exchange or store credit within 21 days of purchase with original receipt and tags attached. Sale/Clearance merchandise + jewelry are all final sale. There are no cash refunds or credit back to credit/debit cards with store purchases. If you made an online purchase, you can return them via mail and get your refund through original payment.
2. Read Customer Ratings but not all reviews are equal Buying things online is easy. You don't have to leave your house but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't be proactive about when you make a purchase online (especially in places where you know you can't get a full refund). The dress I purchased has a 3.1/5 ratings from 16 reviews. All the negative reviews are from folks who've purchased it online and expecting a different color, fit, etc. I appreciate customer reviews, I wouldn't be blogging if I don't think there's a validity to public reviews but as a consumer, I know that not all reviews are equal. I like when reviewers give negative reviews but has explanations other than "this is not what I expected" and "I didn't know I can't return it!" If you are returning it because the dress is too short because you are 6'0 tall, then that's great for me to know so I can gauge if it's a dress I want to purchase for my height.
3. Measure, measure, measure! Always use the measurements available to estimate if this will be a good fit for you. Especially with dresses, I like mine to fall just a little bit above the knee and having tried the pink dress I can say with confidence that if you are about 5'4", this dress will fall the same length as the model on the website. So check the length, waist and bust measurement. I would say that the one thing that's really hard to measure for in advance is the width of sleeves.
Now that's out of the way let's get to the other items...
I picked up a pair of black sandals that I didn't even realized was on the model until I got home and looked up to the link to the dress for this post. It's super comfortable and was on sale for $11.
The final thing I picked up is a faux stone cocktail ring in white/antique gold. Stone jewelry and faux marble decor is in right now so this was definitely a fun find. I'm getting into stacking and pairing different types of rings and this is a great addition to my collection. F21 does carry a line of faux stone accessories if you are interested in looking it up.
Let me know how you feel about online customer reviews and how that impacts your decision to purchase products online (or offline). As always, thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Products mentioned:
Dress: Plus Size Floral Lace Layered Dress $19.99 online & $13.99 in store
Shoes: Not available online. Similar Styles both $11.99:
Faux Leather Bow Sandals & Crisscross Strap
Ring: Faux Stone Cocktail Ring in White/Antique Gold $4.90
1. Read the fine print a.k.a know the return & refund policies inside out. Forever 21 in particular only offers exchange or store credit within 21 days of purchase with original receipt and tags attached. Sale/Clearance merchandise + jewelry are all final sale. There are no cash refunds or credit back to credit/debit cards with store purchases. If you made an online purchase, you can return them via mail and get your refund through original payment.
2. Read Customer Ratings but not all reviews are equal Buying things online is easy. You don't have to leave your house but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't be proactive about when you make a purchase online (especially in places where you know you can't get a full refund). The dress I purchased has a 3.1/5 ratings from 16 reviews. All the negative reviews are from folks who've purchased it online and expecting a different color, fit, etc. I appreciate customer reviews, I wouldn't be blogging if I don't think there's a validity to public reviews but as a consumer, I know that not all reviews are equal. I like when reviewers give negative reviews but has explanations other than "this is not what I expected" and "I didn't know I can't return it!" If you are returning it because the dress is too short because you are 6'0 tall, then that's great for me to know so I can gauge if it's a dress I want to purchase for my height.
3. Measure, measure, measure! Always use the measurements available to estimate if this will be a good fit for you. Especially with dresses, I like mine to fall just a little bit above the knee and having tried the pink dress I can say with confidence that if you are about 5'4", this dress will fall the same length as the model on the website. So check the length, waist and bust measurement. I would say that the one thing that's really hard to measure for in advance is the width of sleeves.
Now that's out of the way let's get to the other items...
I picked up a pair of black sandals that I didn't even realized was on the model until I got home and looked up to the link to the dress for this post. It's super comfortable and was on sale for $11.
Let me know how you feel about online customer reviews and how that impacts your decision to purchase products online (or offline). As always, thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Products mentioned:
Dress: Plus Size Floral Lace Layered Dress $19.99 online & $13.99 in store
Shoes: Not available online. Similar Styles both $11.99:
Faux Leather Bow Sandals & Crisscross Strap
Ring: Faux Stone Cocktail Ring in White/Antique Gold $4.90
