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A Girl’s Manual for Shopping for Prom Dresses Online
You hear so many horror stories when it comes to shopping for prom dresses online. So many teen girls order dresses from the Internet and end up never receiving their dress or receiving the wrong one. That’s because so many Chinese websites are pretending to be authentic Prom retailer websites. In this guide, we’ll teach you how to find authentic sites, what to watch out for, and everything you need to know about shipping deadlines, return policies, as well as pretty spring colours.
The Best Tips for Buying Your Prom Dress Online
- Research to make sure the website is an authorized prom dress retailer. So many websites can trick you by registering a .co.nz address which typically is a Chinese site, pretending to be a legitimate dress retailer in the United States. Legitimate companies can be from anywhere in the world but take a few extra minutes to read reviews on the Internet and make sure it’s not a red flag, screaming, “Scam!”
- Try shopping at a reputable online boutique for prom dresses instead. These companies will have their SSL security certificate where you can see it. They also sell their prom dresses at the correct price that the designer specified. If you find a dress deeply discounted only on one site, it’s a red flag.
- Specify your “need” or “wear” date, meaning when you’ll be wearing the prom dress. Some websites are torn whether you should give an earlier deadline to allow time for last-minute alterations or if you should just use the absolute latest date possible in hopes you’ll receive your perfect prom dress.
- Look for fun spring colours in this year’s prom dress selection, including hot pink prom dresses. Every colour gives off a certain vibe and hot pink gives off a sweet, feminine look. You’ll find everything you’d ever want, such as a hot pink satin Madison James gown, featuring a fitted long skirt, a high neckline, and a beaded bodice with illusion side panels. For a sexy short hot pink dress, try the Mori Lee Sticks and Stones dress, featuring a scoop neckline with a keyhole, a detailed bodice with an open back and a flirty tulle skirt.
- Check the shipping guidelines. You won’t be guaranteed a shipping date until your order has been processed and the inventory has been double checked, but typically dresses ship out within 48 hours of being ordered. There are those that offer free UPS Ground shipping within the continental United States, and other international shipping methods as well.
- Use a credit card to pay for your dress online. It makes it easier to track for refunds or if there are problems later. Check the refund policy carefully. Reputable stores, like the Prom Dress Shop, offer a five-day return policy, where you can either return your dress for a full store credit and get another dress or a refund, minus a 15% restocking fee. However, it must be returned within five days of delivery and not be after your “need” date.
Others may say it’s too good to be true, but it’s not. You can find an authorized prom retailer that offers legitimate dresses and an extensive collection at that.
What To Watch Out For When Shopping For A Prom Dress Online
When shopping for a prom dress, buying one online can be a pretty good option, but only if you do it right. The internet is full of nightmare tales about purchases going horribly wrong. There are stories of bad cuts, cheap tailoring, dishonest prices, inadequate customer service, and harrowingly tight delivery dates.
But, I’m here to tell you that people generally only report on negative experiences. Shopping for a prom dress online doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get a raw deal, not if you do it properly.
Why buy online?
There are plenty advantages you can get when buying a prom dress online. Firstly, you can often get the dress you have been searching for at a better price considering the nature of e-commerce cutting out the middle man. Secondly, by buying prom dresses online, you can often get a choice from a greater variety of dresses and styles that may not always be available at a local outfitter. But perhaps the biggest advantage you can get is the sheer convenience of it all. But these benefits can quickly turn out to be pitfalls if you don’t go about doing it properly.
Find the right supplier.
The first thing you want to do is find a trusted supplier. There are plenty of sellers on the web but not all of them might be right for you. Doing your homework will help you whittle down the suspect websites and hold onto the ones that are good. Take a look through lots of websites and take note of things like catalogue codes (which are supplied by designers and should always be the same, no matter who the seller is).
If you see a catalogue of gowns from various brands, their codes should be consistent throughout the sites. If you find any that aren’t, steer clear of those sellers. Check to see if they have social media pages and spend some time reviewing their followers and comments. Getting an idea of the website’s public opinion will help you make the right choice especially when you’re looking for gowns for very special occasions (like those pretty Quinceanera ball gowns).
Keep in constant contact.
A sure-fire way to judge the credibility of a website is to get into contact with them. A seller that is easy to get a hold of will likely take customer service seriously, which means they’re not in the business to make a quick buck. If you’re having trouble finding someone to speak to when doing your research, imagine how stressful this will become when you need to find out more about when your dress will arrive, and if it will do so in good order, worse still if it arrives and something is wrong.
Analyse their website.
The seller’s website can tell you a lot about whether they can be trusted or not. Take a look at the photos on display to see if they have been taken in a professional manner. Often, designers will release pictures to whoever is distributing their dresses, complete with standard catalogue codes. If something doesn’t look right, or is not professional enough, stay away.
Try reviewing and confirming the sellers contact details on the website. If you can’t get hold of them using the supplied information, or you can’t see any residential address details, there is probably something fishy going on.
