Online dress shopping is one giant heap of fun. With a chocolate bar in one hand, cup of tea in the other, you can look through reams and reams of dress candy until you find the one you love – no sweaty changing rooms needed. You also get to buy clothes at incredibly cheap prices, enjoy online deals and there’s no finger whitening clothes carrying back home from town – you get the clothes you have chosen right to your door. It’s a wonder more people aren’t doing it, isn’t it?
When buying dresses online there are lots of things you do need to consider, apart from which stunning garment you’re going to spend your hard earned cash on. Doing a little research and following these tips will enable you to not only get the right dress, but get it for the best possible price.
Here are some essential tips for buying dresses online:
Understand What Suits You And What Fits You
First things first, get some measurements of yourself to use against size charts or measurement listings below the garment information on the site. If this site has no measurement listings – ask for them. Don’t just trust that because a size 12 from one retailer fits you, all the rest will as well. We all know a size 12 can vary massively between retailers, so it’s important to try to be as accurate as possible when it comes to checking measurements. Check your leg length, arm length, upper leg circumference, chest width, upper arm circumference, bust, waist and hips. You could also create a handy guide for yourself when you’re out shopping in real life shops. When you try a dress on and the style suits you, take a picture, and do the same with styles that don’t suit you. Sometimes the style can be more important than the size itself.
Check The Small Print
It is important you gain a good understanding of the terms and conditions of your purchase. Some online women’s fashion retailers have excellent refund or returns policies, others have strict rules relating to the policies, others don’t do refunds at all. Obviously the colour or print of the dress might look different in person, you might just change your mind about the purchase, or the item might not fit – so you need to know if you can return the item and how long you have after delivery to return it. A reputable retailer will allow about 1-2 full weeks for you to return an item and get a refund, they might also include a prepaid envelope for you to send the item back in if you want to return it which is always handy. Changed your mind just after you’ve paid? Contact their customer service department straight away by phone if you can, or by email if not. The sooner you let them know you don’t want the item sending, the more likely you are to get your money back.
Check The Details Of The Dress
It is important to read the details of the dress when you are looking to make a purchase, to check you’re getting what you think you’re paying for. In some instances you may need to know the dress has some stretch in it as if it doesn’t it may mean you need a bigger size. You should also check what the dress is made of and where it was made. You may want a 100% organic hemp garment, but when you check the details see although the garment was listed as hemp, it’s actually mixed with wool or other materials. It may also be that where and how the garment was made is important to you. Usually if a company manufactures in the UK, or operates under fair trade standards, they will proudly list that information. However, it is always worth asking if you’re curious – the company should be more than happy to openly provide any information to you.
Compare Prices
Try not to buy a dress the moment you see it. Instead, look around for the same dress on other sites to see if it is listed cheaper elsewhere. It might cost £60.00 on one site, but someone is selling theirs brand new on a shopping site for £20.00. Or it may be on two sites and one site has a free delivery offer on, or a 20% off sale items offer on – there’s always money to be saved!
