I do a lot of shopping online. Books, music, movies and last but not least: fashion!
How about you? Do you love it as much as I do? Or are you scared of online shopping and feel not knowledgeable enough? Fear and hesitate no more; here is the ultimate guide for online shopping for fashion.
What I wear usually is a mixture. Partly bought online, sometimes purchased in small boutiques, and other times found at big fashion shops.
Let’s first see WHY shopping online can be great, then let’s look at HOW to do online shopping in a safe and successful way. Once we have done that, I am going to give you tips for WHERE to shop for clothes online.
Why online shopping is great
- Sure, shopping in small boutiques in charming streets can be delightful and fun. But you may not always feel for leaving your home. Maybe it’s pouring outside, or freezing, maybe you are down with a flu, or homebound because of an sick kid. Whatever reason, luckily you can go on an online shopping spree right from your couch, day or night;-). That’s one reason why I think online shopping is great.
- Don’t you hate it when you travel into town and visit 5 different shops, only to find out that none of them have what you are looking for? Or not in your size. Online you you have almost unlimited choices and the chance of you finding everything you need is high. Brands that are not available anywhere near where you live, you may be able to purchase online!
- When you shop online, you can try on the clothes in your own home. No unflattering light in small fitting rooms. Also handy is, that you can right away see if the items match with what’s in your wardrobe. You can try that new skirt with your pink blouse (no, not a match, return to sender), or with that animal print Tshirt (yep, it’s a match! It’s a keeper.)
- And when you don’t like the item after all, or when it doesn’t fit, just return the stuff and get your money back. Super easy!
How to shop online for clothes
- Take your body measurements. There are several sites online where you can find instructions on how to take your measurements the correct way, like this one. Write them down.
- Once you have your measurements, find out -also online- how these measurements translate into sizes, look at various international size charts. Write your sizes down, like this: size 40 EU = 14 AU = 46 IT = 10 USA =14 UK.
- Make sure to open a Paypal account and to have a creditcard. Both are very handy and important for online purchases.
- When considering a purchase at a specific website, investigate the following things: 1. Do they ship to your country? 2. What are the shipping costs? 3. Do you have to pay taxes, customs or duty if your order comes from outside the country? 4. How is the return- and exchange policy? 5. Do they give money back? 6. Do they give a guarantee? 7. How can you pay (Paypal, creditcard, etc.) 8. Are the company and website safe, certified and known? How is their reputation? 9. Read customer reviews. Find out as much as you can about the company, especially if we are not talking about one of the main players, like e.g. Amazon or Zalora 10. Look up a currency conversion chart, website or app and bookmark it, so that you are able to quickly convert foreign valuta to your own.
Where can you shop online
The choices are endless. You can go for big brands, for multi-label websites, for high end fashion, for vintage, budget…it’s all online.
The following articles have great lists with online fashion shops:
- 50 best online fashion boutiques -by Telegraph.co.uk
- 55 best online shopping sites -by Marie Claire
- the 11 best shopping sites you’ve never heard of -by Her Campus
Personally I love to shop online with multilabel shops, like Zalora, Zalando, Wehkamp (Netherlands) and the likes. It’s so handy to have multiple brands and a huge assortment under one ‘roof’!
Zalora Singapore.
I also love H&M, River Island, Anthropology, Urban Outfitters and Bonprix, to mention some. But not all of them ship worldwide or only with high shipping costs.
So how cool is it, that an online multilabel store like Zalora carries e.g. River Island?! River Island used to have stores in Singapore, but not anymore. Via Zalora I can still get hold of (some of) their stuff;-). Another brand they carry that appeals to me is Something Borrowed.
How fun, funky and cool is this Hawaian fringed vest? I love it.
Zalora’s collection is very versatile. They carry a number of brands, hence the different styles. From middle of the road to young and funky. There is also a bit of a price range because of that. Yep, I definitely like those kind of choices and variety! To see what I mean, check out e.g. their collection of women’s cardigans and jumpers.
What a sweet cardigan! That lovely blue color and the cute seahorse…want!
My experiences with online shopping so far have always been excellent. No problems with deliveries, returns, payments or refunds. Do you shop online regularly? If yes, how are your experiences? Any good tips? If you don’t shop online, why is that?
Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post, yet all opinions are sincere and my own.
Great post and I love your outfit!!
Thank you, Nena.
I would love to shop online at Nordstrom or Anthropology. But after my experience with Coach bags I am very reluctant. They handled everything perfectly, but shipping costs were high (logical as it has to go from the USA to The Netherlands) and…. I had to pay customs, which was steep as well. I agree with you that you can find brands and sizes you sometimes cannot find (anymore) in the shops and then it is very handy.
Greetje
Very true, Greetje. Unfortunately customs in Holland are high. Recently I ordered a handmade brooch from Australia. The shipping cost plus customs doubled the total cost :-(. That sure was an unpleasant surprise.