Subject: What is the shein? Is Shein Legit, reliable, safe or scam?
Is SHEIN Legit? SHEIN is actually a legit online clothes store. They have a huge selection of women’s fast fashion clothing. This means you can find clothing at a great price, but what about the quality? The quality ranges from Target to Old Navy or Gap.
Read my honest review of SHEIN, learn how to make the most of your purchase and decide if it could be a budget-friendly part of your wardrobe.
SHEIN Review
I ordered my first haul from SHEIN in 2017. After that, I made two more orders in 2018 and one in 2019. I still wear a top from the 2017 order to work almost weekly, it’s amazing. There were only two items I’ve gotten from them I wasn’t totally pleased with.
Orders from SHEIN fill an important part of my wardrobe: affordable, fun fast-fashion pieces. So with a few important warnings I think these online retailers can be helpful for most Western shoppers.
That’s the mindset that this review uses: an honest review of where SHEIN could work for your wardrobe. I’m not paid by them in any way.
Warnings. I’ve been pretty satisfied with the value of their clothes given the low prices. But there are some warnings you should consider before buying:
- Sizing is inconsistent, read more on sizing below.
- Some details like embroidery, hems and zippers are poor quality.
It can be risky to order clothes online from Asian sellers. You’re usually waiting a long time and you might spend a lot on shipping only to receive really awful clothes you can’t even wear.
Free Returns (in the US and select countries)
You can send your items back for a full refund and not pay anything for the return shipping. This makes it way easier to take the plunge and buy an order. I can’t speak for other countries but the return process was very easy for the United States. Just make sure you don’t take the tags off and you can ship it back to them.
You need to be careful with swim suits and sleepwear because these items can’t be returned for a refund.
Explore SHEIN’s online store, you just have to spend $50 to get free shipping. Between free shipping and returns it makes it a little easier to try for the first time.
👉👉👉Click: ALL Shein coupon code updated daily
Is Shein Legit?
I know, a darling blouse for $12 when an almost identical one sells at J.Crew for $70 seems too good to be true. It is and it isn’t.
When it comes to Shein, you are paying for low quality, fast fashion. This isn’t always a bad thing.
Shein takes popular, trendy higher-end items and makes a lower quality version of them for a much lower price point.
I love Shein for pieces that don’t have to be workhorses in my closet (cute summer blouses I may or may not want to wear again next summer, midi skirts I only wear every once in awhile to church, etc). For a dress you want to wear twice a week, all summer, for the next four years, ordering from Shein isn’t going to be your best bet. But for a top to wear to brunch with your girlfriends? It could be perfect.
Shein Review on trustpilot & sitejabber
Shein review on trustpilot
Beau: Good experience so far!
“Considering the current pandemic we’re in my package came very quickly, I can’t speak of the clothing as I didn’t order any but the home stuff I received is good quality and not thin. Their prices are very good too. Just be aware though that their main facility is in china”.
Re Ro: Great
“It was really easy to use and the prices were really good I definitely would recommend this”.
Angry Person
Rubbish, absolutely rubbish
I am VERY VERY angry now! This website is horrible. I have tried to email the customer services about an address to return an item twice within a week and NO ONE has got back to me. First, they send me the wrong size of jumper and then they don’t get back to me on how to send it back. All this company want is money. They steal your money and then don’t tell you how to return items. I wish I could give this review no stars. NEVER AGAIN!
D: Better than expected!
I absolutely loved it. When I ordered I was unsure of what I actually would get and if it would be of a good quality but I must say I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered a lounge set which was soft and fit great and a demon jumpsuit that I brought in a larger size (based on reviews).
As long as you check others reviews and get the sizing right, it’s great. I’ll be ordering again very soon!
See more review here: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/shein.co.uk
Shein review on sitejabber
Nonks T.
Almost a month with no update as to where my order is.
I ordered on Shein and asked my colleagues to join in as it was a site that looked like it had decent clothing ,the four of us selected items so we could split delivery cost if needs be .SInce I ordered and tried tracking the order it keeps saying processing order and this is 20 something days back its been almost whole month now waiting on this order with no update.till this day order is still being processed.
sonyaa30
great clothes at great prices i always shop here.
i often buy from shein the prices are great for what you get ive only ever had to return an item once only because it was too big.they refunded me the day after they recieved it back which is good concidering it says up to 9 days for refund.some clothes arent as good as the picture shows but if you check reviews first some show customers pictures then decide if you want to buy the item.
See more review here: https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/shein.com
Why Is SHEIN So Cheap?
Chinese retailers can keep their prices low by: not paying for customer service staff, using lower quality materials, faster manufacturing processes. SHEIN does all those three to a certain extent. Thankfully they don’t use tactics that other Chinese online stores use: hiding their costs in inflated shipping fees and misrepresenting products.
The clothing prices on SHEIN have actually increased in the last 3 years since I started shopping there. This could be because they now offer free returns, which has a cost to any business. You’ll find that the prices aren’t crazy cheap like Wish. They’re more aligned with Target or Walmart clothes that have been discounted.
Given that the quality is usually a little better than Walmart and competitive to most mall brands, I think the prices are still worth it for the right items.
SHEIN Online Shopping Tips
Between thrift stores and SHEIN I spend very little of my clothing budget on basics and extra items. Some core elements like bras and trousers I go into department stores to find because the fit is so important.
But for items like sweaters, tees, tops and skirts I’m able to get online for super cheap. Then I don’t feel guilty about getting different colors or styles because it doesn’t dent the budget.
Here are shopping tips for you to get the most out of your SHEIN order:
Always order enough for free shipping, otherwise the cost isn’t worth it.
Read reviews and look at customer pictures.
Pay attention to measurements instead of Small, Medium and Large.
Best Things to Buy:
- Graphic or text tees
- Sweaters
- Wrap dresses
- Skirts with elastic waistbands
I’ve had good luck with dresses that use a wrap style and skirts that have an elastic waistband. These are a safer bet because the sizing is really forgiving. If it’s a bit too small or too large, it can still look great without paying to get it tailored.
Avoid Clothing with:
- Zippers
- Exposed stitching
- Bodycon dresses
Some of the items with exposed stitching or embroidery that I’ve ordered from SHEIN have started to look ratty in just a few washes. Usually the stitching around zippers is weak, and the zippers end up separating or not working well so I don’t recommend zippered items.
Sizing (Not Asian Sizing!)
Don’t expect SHEIN sizing to run very small like a typical Asian retailer. Their sizes run much closer to American sizing. But for items across the website sizing can vary widely.
If you’re a Medium in one blouse, you could still be a Small or Large in another style. Rely on the measurements they have posted. Also look at reviews from other customers that bought your target size. Usually their measurements are posted also and if they included a picture you can see if you like the fit.
One thing I like about Shein’s descriptions is they give you the body measurements of the model and tell you what size she is wearing. That can give you a good idea of how it will fit on you.
Shein Coupon Codes
The best way to get a current shein coupon code is to go their main site. SHEIN is almost always running a site-wide “sale” of some sort. Expect at least $5 for every $50 you spend while those are going on.
In addition, you can get 10% off your first order when you register your email.
Student Discount
A commonly overlooked discount is the 15% SHEIN gives any student, middle school and above. This is a great deal when stacked with other offers. Go directly to their student membership registration and put in your school email to get the discount.
Compare to Wish and Romwe
If you don’t like the selection at Shein, there are alternatives like Wish and Romwe. These are both online retailers for Chinese merchandise.
Wish sells clothing, electronics and other items from China. They take longer to ship and are usually lower quality. Read more about whether Wish is legit and some tips on shopping with them.
Romwe is more similar to Shein. Read my review on buying Romwe clothes. They carry similar items, sometimes even the exact same pieces. They have a lower cutoff to get free shipping so I’d recommend them for smaller orders.
