Dev knows best: sketchy site shopping 101

We've all seen those tempting ads and some have even fallen victim to the lure of ultra cheap sites based in Asia. 90% of the time those sites are SCAMS. People have frequently asked me if I've ever ordered from these sites/had luck with any... and to be honest I didn't really feel like getting my credit card info stolen or just getting something completely not what I ordered. But, I found a couple of legit looking sites and decided to give it a whirl.

These comments are 100% my opinion & I have NOT been paid or given merchandise in exchange for these remarks. 

First up, one day I was browsing eBay aka my favorite site ever & stumbled upon a cute dainty layered necklace. The auction was ending in 2 minutes and I got that aggressive 'I have to win this bid war against people I will never know' all too familiar feeling and bid (and won) before realizing the item was located in China.... yikes. I said sayonara to my $1.88 and kicked myself for not noticing something so blatant. Weeks passed & I randomly got a post office notification.. so I stopped by and low and behold there was my necklace. And it was.. in tact.. super cute.. and just as pictured. Nothing was wrong with it at all. Sure it was cheaply made, but you get what you pay for and I had pretty much expected to never even receive it.

Sites I've shopped from & the results!
eBay site #1
This is the first necklace I was talking about. I love love love it especially the little feather pendant on the bottom. It's lightweight, but doesn't feel plastic-y which is a high plus. Free shipping. Definitely would order from them again.
Overall: 5/5. Wait time 4-6 weeks. Price paid $1.88

eBay site #2
This site has a TON of kendra scott look alikes. I'm not usually about designer replicas, but I figured I'd at least give these a shot because SO cute. The white one is a little less quality than the brown. The chain is really yellow gold in person an the pendant is kinda plastic-y. But, the brown necklace is really nice.. the tassel is really thick and well made and the chain is a lot nicer. The pendant is also plastic-y again, but it doesn't bother me as much as the white. *They came with plastic coating on the pendants so make sure to peel it off!* I also ordered earrings and another long necklace, but haven't received either.. kinda bummed about that because it's been almost a month now and I ordered the brown after the other 2. It says on eBay the were delivered last week, but clearly they were not. I'm waiting a few days then contacting the seller about it. I received a confirmation and shipping email, but no tracking. Free shipping.
Overall: 3/5. Wait time 3-4 weeks. Price paid $3.05 for both necklaces pictured. 

Lookbook Store (you can also find them on eBay)
I ordered a cardigan and 2 piece sets from here before. The cardigan I waited for for about 6 weeks and never got it .. I emailed customer service and they said for some reason it had never sent. I got it in 2 weeks after that. It was surprisingly good quality and true to size, but I paid about $25 for it. The 2 piece sets were absolutely huge on me. They offered to exchange or refund them, but it was $10 to ship them back and I didn't want to deal with the hassle so I donated them. Aside from sizing, I've never had issues with the site or their items. I received a confirmation and shipping email, but no tracking. They also have an eBay page if the site sketches you out for some reason. Try to catch them when they have sales because they are AWESOME.
Overall: 4/5. Wait time 2-4 weeks. Price paid: $70 (for cardigan and 3 two piece sets)
So, here's my star studded advice-

1. If you're taking the plunge into the scam ridden world of Asian based sites start with a SMALL order and take note of their practices.
• Confirmation email?
• Shipment email? (and do they filter to junk..)
• Tracking number (THIS IS HUGE. This is how company's get away with you never 'receiving' your item because they can simply say it got lost.
• Any notices/calls from your credit card company?
• Customer service? In most cases do they even exist...
• How long before you get your order
• How the product matches the product picture/description
2. Safer sites are located on eBay and accept Paypal. This way if you do get screwed at least you can file a claim and most likely get your money back.
3. Realize most images are stolen from other brands and bloggers. So, don't expect it to look 100% like the picture. 
4. Realize that reviews are almost always fake. It's super easy to make fake accounts and review yourself.. and if you're thinking that seems like too much effort, it is, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. 
5. Realize you're getting what you pay for. It's going to be cheaply made.
6. Common sense is key. If it's $1.88 it's not gold plated and you know it. 
7. Try contacting the company beforehand to see if/how they respond to you. 
8. If you get sucked into bid wars know when to stop. Filter the results on the seller's page to see auctions ending soonest- that way you're more likely to get the item at its cheapest. And you're buying cheap stuff so get it at it's bottom dollar. 
9. Realize return policies really aren't a thing. 
10. Sizing is beyond WEIRD. Some things are small enough for a child and some things are large enough to fit an elephant. Seriously.. it's a longshot at best. I've had a lot of luck with tops and dresses but no so much with bottoms and rompers (cheeky bottoms will never be in contrary to what Tumblr might think).
11. Seriously stop thinking about buying the shoes. If sizing is weird and you know it.. why just why.
12. If you're willing to bite the bullet, a lot of those super cute trendy pieces can be found on hellomolly.com which is an Australian clothing site that's reasonably priced + offers free shipping for US orders!

Overall, it's your personal information and money you're risking. If you're a die hard bargain shopper like me it is DEFINITELY tempting and I get that completely. Just remember the hassle of dealing with getting a new credit card and filing a claim to get your money back if things go wrong. If you have a certain site you're wanting to order from feel free to email me at devinstatedbydev@gmail.com or text me for my personal opinion of the site!! By looking at the site, it's information, & decoding some online reviews I can usually give a decent opinion about it.

XO,

Dev