eBay Buying?

mrsdweaver · May 2014

I found this dress that I absolutely adore on eBay and it's from China. I know I know, it's risky. My wedding isn't for another 10 months so I figure if I buy it now, and it's not what I want I can send it back and find a different dress in time enough. I checked the seller reviews and he/she has a 100% feedback rate. Many of the reviews are from other dresses they've sold (not the one I like though) and people loved the fabric quality, stitching, and overall quality of the dresses. The dress is only $110. Should I??

[Deleted User] · May 2014

It's a risk. I bought my headband and some jewelry off ebay but from a US buyer. They both had foreign names & great reviews but shipped from within the US. The stuff was ok, but not exactley as pictured. You are taking a risk buying anything from another country on ebay but if you can afford to possibly loose the $110.00 then go for it. Make sure you read the details of shipping costs very closely, shipping can be very costly.

mrsdweaver · May 2014

Erikan73 said:

It's a risk. I bought my headband and some jewelry off ebay but from a US buyer. They both had foreign names & great reviews but shipped from within the US. The stuff was ok, but not exactley as pictured. You are taking a risk buying anything from another country on ebay but if you can afford to possibly loose the $110.00 then go for it. Make sure you read the details of shipping costs very closely, shipping can be very costly.

Yeah I was looking at it like if I lose the money then it's not too much to bounce back from. But on the other hand I'm thinking, if it turns out well then that means I saved a bunch of money on a dress! Does that make sense?

theexactlee · May 2014

I know the people on this site (and a few others) go crazy over how awful buying from China can be, but honestly I know a few people who have done it that had great luck. The fabric isn't always the same which is the main complaint (quality) but the dresses turn out nearly identical to what you wanted and for hundreds if not thousands less than what the original gown could have cost it isn't the worst thing you could do. Now the people I know didn't spend $110, they spent more like $280 but it was still a rockin deal.

QueerFemme · May 2014

check out this facebook page for some examples of China knockoffs. It's not always just the quality of the fabric that is different... most of the time, the sizing is WAYYYY off, and the dresses don't look anything alike.

Most of the china knockoffs won't actually accept returns, even though they say they do. And if they do accept the return, you have to pay for shipping and customs fees. So, you'll end up paying another $100.00 for that, so they know you won't bother returning it. Also, a lot of knockoff sites have been caught for posting fake reviews.

If you want to risk it, fine. But, you should consider that money gone and be 100% prepared for it not to work out. The majority of the time, it doesn't.

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

CMGragain · May 2014

You cannot possibly choose a dress from an internet picture! Those dresses look completely different on you. Go to a bridal shop and try on different styles. David's Bridal has budget friendly prices because they manufacture their own dresses and eliminate the middle man. You can order dresses from a legitimate discounter, like Pearl's Place, but they don't like to sell you a dress unless you have actually tried it on in person in a shop somewhere.
Go shopping and try on some pretty dresses!

mrsdweaver · May 2014

CMGragain said:

You cannot possibly choose a dress from an internet picture! Those dresses look completely different on you. Go to a bridal shop and try on different styles. David's Bridal has budget friendly prices because they manufacture their own dresses and eliminate the middle man. You can order dresses from a legitimate discounter, like Pearl's Place, but they don't like to sell you a dress unless you have actually tried it on in person in a shop somewhere.
Go shopping and try on some pretty dresses!

My only issue with that is I love the 1516 design by AA and it costs nearly $1000. I want THAT dress (or a very close alternative) within my $250 and under price range. Is there any hope for me without having to settle for another dress?

CMGragain · May 2014

All I can suggest is to telephone Pearl's Place tomorrow and ask their price. They will want you to try the dress on somewhere before you order. They will order the dress and ship it to you, but there are no returns (like any bridal store) and no services. Unless you live in Louisiana, there is no state tax.
Here is their website. This will be the lowest price that you can buy a new, authentic dress. We saved about 47% when you include tax savings. Don't expect to get anything like the real thing for $250, though. The materials probably cost that much.

http://www.pearlsplace.com.

This is an older style, and you might be able to get a previously worn dress for your budget.

QueerFemme · May 2014

Check the used listings. I would never trust a knockoff site for a multi colored dress with that much detail. You ate asking to throw your money away.

I found some on tradesy in the 300-400 range.

https://www.tradesy.com/weddings/wedding-dresses/alfred-angelo-wedding-dress-375313?utm_campaign=pla_n&utm_source=GAD&utm_content=GAD00074&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=COjz6en9vr4CFRWRfgodG1UAKw

Dignity100 · May 2014

I have to agree with the others, with your budget of $250, if you bought the eBay dress for $110 (and I'm assuming that includes shipping) and the $110 dress did not work out for you, that would leave you $140 in your dress budget.

Just to make sure - don't forget to account for alterations too. I have seen some eBay/China knock off dresses that haven't looked all that bad; however most of these girls have had to spend double on alterations because of various reasons (sizing way off, stitching unfinished/uneven, etc).

EDIT for additional info -- When buying off Tradesy/PreOwnedWeddingDress, keep in mind that if it is a Used gown, a bustle might already be included which could help save you $$ on alterations.

EDIT to my EDIT: Have you tried the dress on to make sure it compliments your figure? If not, I'd go to a AA store and try it on along with other dresses in their 'Dream In Color' line

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