beware of carabridal on etsy

hyechica81

was on weddingbee  beacuse i had found a google picture of a real bride in my dress anyways. i was surfing the boards and all these posters are raving about cara bridal on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/CaraBridal?ref=search_shop_redirect i looked up the shop and its a china knockoff website and everyone is raving about how good they are and you get a good dress.

just wanted to give any brides who still nee a dress a heads up stay away from this seller.

if you need a gown and on a budget stick to online retailers like pearls place
rkbridal
preownedweddingdresses.com
davids bridal
alfred angelo
and local shops

lindseyanne1

I know this is probably going to cause a backlash...but here goes....

I purchased all my bridesmaid dresses and my reception dress on Etsy from a seller who was located in China.  I did my research though and I asked the seller a TON of questions before proceeding with my order.  The dresses all came in perfect!  I couldn't have asked for anything better, none of the girls had to get any alterations on their dresses and mine fit perfectly as well with no alterations needed and they came exactly as pictured online.  I know you have to be careful with these sellers but I dislike that everyone's always hating on them, not everything is perfect when you go to a bridal store either!

CrazyCatLady3

There are loads of threads on WB about various china knock off sites they use--dressilyme, jasmine's.  Some of the dresses come out okay but some are really off and they are convincing each other they look good.  Or some are not terrible, but there is some sort of construction flaw like an unsupported/caved in bodice so you can tell there's something not quite right with the dress.

Obviously some people are less picky and have lower standards than others, so they are going to be the ones raving about their knockoffs.

lindseyanne1

I would not say I have low standards.  My wedding dress is a Carolina Herrera!!  However, my bridesmaids cannot afford to spend $200+ on a dress that they will be wearing for ONE day!  They are all paying to travel to my wedding, I don't expect them to foot a huge bill for a dress.  Also, the construction of these dresses were not lacking, they had lining, boning, and built in cups just like every other dress at the bridal store did.  And as far as my reception dress goes, I wanted something fun to wear for dancing but I didn't want to spend another $500+ on a dress, this was a perfect alternative.

majesty318

I think the key is just to do your research. Etsy sellers are all over the world. China has a bad reputation (deservedly so!) because of the crappy knock-off sites. It doesn't mean every person in China who does sewing or designing or handicrafts is terrible. But as with anything bought on Etsy you should always read the seller's feedback.

WildMagelet

China does get a bad rap because of knockoff sellers but not every place overseas is terrible.  Just because it costs less doesn't mean that the workers are underpaid or in terrible working conditions.  You just need to do a LOT of research and ask a LOT of questions and if there are any red flags don't be afraid to pull the plug even though you like the pricetag.  

I have a friend who ended up marrying a Thai man. His family has a "factory" that involves all of them sitting around his parents table and doing leatherwork that she designs.  When I went to visit with her our hotel was less than $20 per night including breakfast for the two of us.  I could pick up a fresh OJ at a street vendor for less than $.15 USD.  They have pets that are spoiled and do a lot of traveling and are able to afford the luxuries that they want to have.  Their cost of living is much less so they can charge less.

HaileyDancingbear

lindseyanne1 said:

I know this is probably going to cause a backlash...but here goes....

I purchased all my bridesmaid dresses and my reception dress on Etsy from a seller who was located in China.  I did my research though and I asked the seller a TON of questions before proceeding with my order.  The dresses all came in perfect!  I couldn't have asked for anything better, none of the girls had to get any alterations on their dresses and mine fit perfectly as well with no alterations needed and they came exactly as pictured online.  I know you have to be careful with these sellers but I dislike that everyone's always hating on them, not everything is perfect when you go to a bridal store either!

And this is why you got a good batch of dresses.  Lurkers, that bold part is SUPER important!!!  ALWAYS research an Etsy shop before buying, look through all of the reviews, etc.  Not every store in China is crap, but unfortunately a lot are- I've seen the same exact image of the same exact Vera Wang gown, in like 5 different Etsy shops all claiming they can sell it to you for under $300!!!!  It's all about weeding through the crap to find the good shops.  

That said, when you find a good shop, you score big time.  My favorite Etsy purchase was a TARDIS purse, looks identical to the TARDIS in Doctor who down to the little signs on it, perfectly made, and it came from Russia.   

doeydo

I agree with OP, be very careful of ordering dresses online.  There is a Facebook page dedicated to spreading the word about awful sellers so that , hopefully, less brides buy their dresses:
https://www.facebook.com/BridesBeware/photos_stream?ref=br_tf

CrazyCatLady3

Sounds good about the injunction, but I don't know how customs is going to enforce that on dresses coming in.  Normally counterfeit products have the brand name they are copying on the product--but chinese dress shops don't sew a "Vera Wang" label into a Vera Wang knock off they made...unless customs is going to seize every single dress coming from one of these shops?

hyechica81

Good those knockoff websites need to shut down. if they really want to sell wedding dresses make your own patterns and price accordingly to what fabrics you used and materials, dont try to recreate a designers stolen image

brides who are unaware go online looking for that super bargain they email back and forth to customer service they may get luck and speak to someone who knows the english language really well and hits this person at the weakest moment they send money and in 2 weeks the dream dress comes in and its not what the bride paid for.

brides in a panic what do i do customer service is no longer available to hear her issues , seamstress says fabric is liner fabric its not good its flammable i could fix it but its going to cost you 400.00

my budget was up to 1000 i wanted to stay in the low range but then i fell in love with a dress that was 875 and purchased it. but i did find fabulous gowns at a bridal consigment but they  had no wow factor

Knottie1261999

Hi! I am wanting to do the exact same thing ! Do you remember who you purchased from?
Thanks!

Fairyjen1

      I ordered my dress off Ebay from a seller in China. I did my research though. She wasn't selling knock-offs , these were her own designs. 

     What I received for $160 was a beautiful custom made gown that fits me perfectly, has a ton of incredible detail, and is is very well made. Fully lined and boned with a built in bra (my dress has a low back). My mom is a professional seamstress and was impressed with the quality of the work. We ordered it because she couldn't even get the materials for that price and it was exactly what I wanted. 

    Now, I don't recommend it for everyone. I have experience with Chinese Ebay sellers because we order stuff from them for theater costumes and I know what to look for. I was also willing to eat the $160 if it turned out the dress was unwearable. My plans in that case were to use it as a pattern to make my own and salvage the applique's. Also that price was way under my dress budget so I had extra money to play with if it was bad. 

    I have never had any problems with customs between here and China. I know they happen, I just haven't experienced them. Probably because I research my sellers and only use ones that are on the up and up.

   I realize people only want to hear the bad stories about purchasing from China, but I feel both sides should be told. 

QueerFemme

Fairyjen1 said:

      I ordered my dress off Ebay from a seller in China. I did my research though. She wasn't selling knock-offs , these were her own designs. 

     What I received for $160 was a beautiful custom made gown that fits me perfectly, has a ton of incredible detail, and is is very well made. Fully lined and boned with a built in bra (my dress has a low back). My mom is a professional seamstress and was impressed with the quality of the work. We ordered it because she couldn't even get the materials for that price and it was exactly what I wanted. 

    Now, I don't recommend it for everyone. I have experience with Chinese Ebay sellers because we order stuff from them for theater costumes and I know what to look for. I was also willing to eat the $160 if it turned out the dress was unwearable. My plans in that case were to use it as a pattern to make my own and salvage the applique's. Also that price was way under my dress budget so I had extra money to play with if it was bad. 

    I have never had any problems with customs between here and China. I know they happen, I just haven't experienced them. Probably because I research my sellers and only use ones that are on the up and up.

   I realize people only want to hear the bad stories about purchasing from China, but I feel both sides should be told. 

You should consider posting a photo of the dress that was on the website, and a photo of what you received.

Fairyjen1

    I will do that. a warning though, my taste is not most peoples here so I haven't posted my dress thus far, because, well, it won't do any good for you all to try and talk me out of it so why waste the time! Most of you will side-eye my dress, and I'm cool with that since most of you won't be at my wedding, LOL. It's more costume-y than most people would like, I blame my theatrical background.

   The dress pictured on ebay was in yellow, I had them do it in white as it is a custom job. 

   The yellow dress is what was posted on Ebay and the white dress is what I received. I'll take a full picture of the back later with me in it so you can see fit and the inside and close up detail. these are just what I had on my phone and I'm not with the dress right now.

   And yes, I will be wearing a tiara! I'm not a AW in real life, my stage life gets that out of my system. apparently I am when it comes to wedding attire, however!

[Deleted User]

@Fairyjen1 that dress is SO pretty!! It is definitely unique and I'm guessing there's a certain style you're going for but that dress is beautiful!!