Over the last decades, the popularity of e-commerce has been increasing steadily. Today, it has become a trend. In fact, nearly one in four online shoppers is believed to buy online at least once a week. Online shopping has created a marketplace where users can buy different items such as cars, toys, Video Games, electronics, suits, neckwear among others. According to a recent study by Invesp Conversion Optimization, the online retail sales worldwide were estimated to be $2,489 trillion in 2017. The figure is expected to rise in the coming years. Unlike the conventional method of going into stores, most people consider online shopping a rewarding experience with numerous benefits including convenience, infinite choice, low price, regular discounts and perhaps time-saving. With such merits, many people have come to love online shopping giving various e-commerce companies breakthroughs. One such company is ties-nectie.com, a reputable online company that has been designing, producing, and retailing men’s ties for more than a decade now.
How Online Clothing Scams Work
While there are many other legitimate e-commerce businesses, online shopping is still a bit of a gamble. Scammers take advantage of the anonymous nature of the internet to rip off innocent and unsuspecting shoppers. According to a 2017 report by the ACCC, approximately 6,803 online scam cases were recorded, amounting to more than $1.3 million in lost revenue. With jewelry and clothing being the most prevalent, many scammers have directed their attention to online shoppers looking to buy apparel. They often use social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to operate pseudo-stores for a short period. They (scammers) post pictures of models or celebrities in stylish outfits that they claim to sell. In other instances, they use a fake website or a fake ad on a legitimate retailer site to advance their malicious agenda. The merchandise they offer come with amazing benefits. The deals are trendy, seasonal, and the price tags they are touting are just irresistible to those seeing them on the sites, friends’ photos, and status update. Unfortunately, the features and the absurdly low prices are too good to be true. In most cases, the orders you place will rarely arrive. In case the clothes are shipped, you are left disappointed with the quality of the product – from inaccurate sizing, shoddy decorative designs to low-quality synthetic fabrics. For this reason, consumers are expected to be increasingly wary of the online scams, even as the e-commerce industry booms. When shopping online, here are few questions to help you avoid online scams:
- Do they have a convenient return policy in case you’re not satisfied with your purchase?
- Does the online retailer have a way to contact them?
- Are they reputed in business with great reviews?
- How long have they been in the business?
- Does the online store value your privacy and confidentiality?
Clothing “Scams” Exposed
In the recent past, online reviews have played a significant role in exposing scammers. Consumers are taking a stand against scams by sharing reviews and photos of their nightmare experiences. Rosegal.com, for instance, is one e-commerce store that has left many wondering whether it’s legit and safe, or just a scam. This is after personal and anecdotal reviews abound online for this site – many of them negative. According to Better Business Bureau (BBB) files, Rosegal.com practices have generated a good of complaints concerning customer service, delivery fulfillment, and product quality for orders placed online. On several occasions, customers complained over gaudy and defective merchandise delivered to them. Another online clothing company, Tbdress.com, has been exposed after repeatedly shipping merchandise that does not match what consumers order. Although the clothing company claims to offer a wide variety of dresses, men’s neckwear, accessories, and more, at deeply discounted prices, they do not deliver the bargains they advertise. To sum it up here are some of the common complaints associated with online clothing “scams” like Rosegal.com and Tbdress.com:
- They’ve been widely suspected of review manipulation
- They’re deceitful with nearly non-existent customer service
- It’s not worth attempting to return, but if you do, it takes long to get refunds
- Most items are final sale
- The clothes are cheaply made and are of overall awful quality.
- The sizes are completely off
- The clothes take months to come (if they ever do)
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, some e-commerce sites will sell merchandise that is not produced by legitimate manufacturers. Therefore, to be on the safe side, don’t get fooled. Form a habit of purchasing products only from official sites; this will guarantee items’ authenticity and ensure that they correlate to advertising claims regarding specifications. Most of these sites should have a rating from a transparent review collection and management company.
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