Buying a dress online???

jessguido10 · February 2014

Has anyone bought a dress online before? I think I found my dress at a boutique in Richmond, VA and I just happened to find it online for a fraction of the price (1/5 the boutique's price). I think it would be great to get a deal like that, but it scares me too. My dress is an older model though, Spring 2012, and maybe I could get a good deal from a wholesaler. I also get the impression that some of these sites are just trying to recreate the gown and that I wouldn't actually be ordering the gown I've tried on in the store. Any thoughts, comments & suggestions would be much appreciated. My wedding is August 23, 2014, so I don't have a ton of time to get my dress (considering some stores need 4 months for ordering and I'll need some alterations--hem and bustle). For the moment, I'm leaning towards just buying the gown at the boutique for peace of mind, but I want to hear what people have to say first. Thanks so much.

JennyColada · February 2014

There are many reputable sites (like www.preownedweddingdresses.com). Have you read the sticky in this forum about online sites? I found that to be very helpful!

manateehugger · February 2014

What's the name of the website? 99.9% of the time when you see a dress heavily discounted for no apparent reason (i.e. it's used and on preownedweddingdress.com), you're buying a stolen design that some poor underpaid woman in China is attempting to replicate with crummy materials.

Look at the "About Us" section. Is the company based in China? What does the grammar and spelling look like? Is the website listed as an authorized retailer on the designers website (if not, run far far away - it's a knock off)?

Maggie0829 · February 2014

I would never buy a dress that I hadn't personally tried on. Have you tried it on? Pictures of a wedding dress on a size 0 5'10" airbrushed model do not represent what it will look like on you. For such an important garment you really should be trying it on before you buy it.

Also, there is probably a reason why that dress which is 1/5 the price of the salon price is that low. Remember you get what you pay for.

CMGragain · February 2014

Never buy a gown from China. You have no idea what you will receive. You have no control over quality. It is impossible to recreate a gown for one fifth of retail. The fabric costs more than that. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
For a reliable discount price, try Pearl's Place in Louisiana. They sell authentic dresses at a discount (except for Maggie Sottero).

CMGragain · February 2014

Has anyone bought a dress online before? I think I found my dress at a boutique in Richmond, VA and I just happened to find it online for a fraction of the price (1/5 the boutique's price). I think it would be great to get a deal like that, but it scares me too. My dress is an older model though, Spring 2012, and maybe I could get a good deal from a wholesaler. I also get the impression that some of these sites are just trying to recreate the gown and that I wouldn't actually be ordering the gown I've tried on in the store. Any thoughts, comments & suggestions would be much appreciated. My wedding is August 23, 2014, so I don't have a ton of time to get my dress (considering some stores need 4 months for ordering and I'll need some alterations--hem and bustle). For the moment, I'm leaning towards just buying the gown at the boutique for peace of mind, but I want to hear what people have to say first. Thanks so much.

No, you can't buy a gown from a wholesaler. They do not sell single gowns. They do not deal with the public. The websites you are looking at are not wholesalers. They are Chinese "factory" sites that sell directly over the internet, and not to any retail stores. By factory I mean they can be a small room filled with workers (many are children) that attempt to copy a photo of a dress with cheap fabrics. Forget about getting your money back.

QueerFemme · February 2014

jessguido10 said:

Has anyone bought a dress online before? I think I found my dress at a boutique in Richmond, VA and I just happened to find it online for a fraction of the price (1/5 the boutique's price). I think it would be great to get a deal like that, but it scares me too. My dress is an older model though, Spring 2012, and maybe I could get a good deal from a wholesaler. I also get the impression that some of these sites are just trying to recreate the gown and that I wouldn't actually be ordering the gown I've tried on in the store. Any thoughts, comments & suggestions would be much appreciated. My wedding is August 23, 2014, so I don't have a ton of time to get my dress (considering some stores need 4 months for ordering and I'll need some alterations--hem and bustle). For the moment, I'm leaning towards just buying the gown at the boutique for peace of mind, but I want to hear what people have to say first. Thanks so much.

To the bolded, that's exactly what they are doing. They are trying to recreate a dress based on a photo. They aren't using the same fabric or embellishments and they don't have a pattern to go by.

Don't risk it.

Check out the facebook page below. It has photos of dresses from sad brides who risked buying from a chinese knockoff website.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/BridesBeware

CrazyCatLady3 · February 2014

@QueerFemme that brides beware site needs to be plastered all over Wedding Bee. Their "Dress" board is filled with threads of brides ordering knock-offs and convincing each other that they look good.

QueerFemme · February 2014

CrazyCatLady3 said:

@QueerFemme that brides beware site needs to be plastered all over Wedding Bee. Their "Dress" board is filled with threads of brides ordering knock-offs and convincing each other that they look good.

Well, weddingbee brides also say that "B" listing is a good idea and that cash bars are A-Ok !

hyechica81 · February 2014

stay far away from the china websites. i was on you tube the other day bored and i searched china knockoff gowns. this women posted a video of her opening up her davids bridal replica from some china website the gown was stuffed in a large text book size mailer she pulls it out the thing looks so bad its got the worst beading and crystals ever. missing train pins still in the dress, the dress had pick ups and the pick ups were so bad

the worst part is this women was so in love with the dress all she kept saying was this is amazing i got it for a good deal things that were on the original are not on here and that's good because i didn't want it

this is the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMf08oURLnU

WildMagelet · February 2014

hyechica81 said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMf08oURLnU

The seamstress in me cringed during the whole video =(

Cookie Pusher · February 2014

I admittedly got my dress on eBay (from an American seller, who I spoke to extensively via email regarding returns/exchanges). However, it wasn't a wedding dress - I saw in the local paper a few months ago that a girl wore the exact same dress to her prom. And it wasn't by an expensive designer (Jessica McClintock) so I wasn't worried. However, knowing what I know about Chinese sweatshops, I would never get a knockoff dress from a non-reputable seller.

Buying a dress online???

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