Being that I have 2 young kids at home I do a lot of my shopping online including shopping for clothes.
Years ago, I used to be hesitant about buying clothes online because I just didn’t want to deal with items not looking right or not fitting well.
But nowadays as a busy mom I don’t have the time to shop at 5 or 6 different stores or boutiques for my clothes. Plus I can find just about any type of dress, skirt, top or shoes online because I have so many stores and small online boutiques to choose from.
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Having been shopping for clothes online for a few years now, I have a basic “checklist” that I go through before I buy anything. I not only use these tips for shopping for clothes for me but also for my kids and husband.
My Tips for Buying Clothes Online
Here are my basic tips and things I do before I every buy a piece of clothing or any type of accessory from an online store.
1. Make sure that the website is a trusted and reputable site
For example, I most likely wouldn’t buy clothing from a site called “World’s Cheapest Clothes for Women” because it just doesn’t sound professional and may be a scam or a site that may just take your money.
I stick to websites that I know are reputable and have good reviews and user experiences.
2. Check out the size chart and measurements for each item that I may be ordering
This may not guarantee a perfect fit but it will definitely help you especially if you are in between sizes or vary in sizes between brands.
Be sure that you are taking accurate measurements of your own body when comparing them to the size chart.
If you are in between sizes and one of your measurements puts you in a bigger size, always go with the bigger size.
Most of the time you can get clothing taken in by a tailor but it much harder to have clothing let out because it is too small.
3. Almost every online retailer allows customers to write reviews of the clothing items
Make sure you read these reviews if there are any listed. This can be a great way to find out the clothing item runs large or small or if it is cheaply made and not worth the money.
Although you have to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt most of the time you can get a pretty good idea of the clothing item from the reviews.
4. Always check the return policy of the website before you hand over your credit card information
Some sites may have a limited return policy while others may not have any restrictions on returns.
Some places will only allow 30 day returns or may only give you merchandise credit no matter how you pay for the items. There have been some stores in the past that I have refused to shop from because of their return policy.
5. Do some comparison shopping if you know the item is pretty popular and you may be able to find it at another place online for cheaper
For example if you are shopping for a plus size pair of jeans for women, you can probably find one at several different places online.
You don’t have to go with the cheapest item but you should definitely consider the price of the item and don’t forget to figure in shipping and handling charges as well.
6. Look for coupon codes to save some money on your clothing purchases
Before I ever checkout, I always search for a coupon code for the store to see if I can save any more money.
I would say that 70% of the time I am able to find valid coupon codes to major retailers such as Old Navy, Gap, and Kohl’s.
7. When checking out make sure the site is secure
This isn’t really a big problem anymore as almost every website has secure checkouts nowadays but it is still a good idea to check on the security during the checkout process.
8. As soon as you receive your clothing, try it on to see how it fits
This is especially true if you have ordered clothing from a site that has a time restriction on the returns.
If I find that I don’t like a certain piece of clothing, I usually wait a few more days and try it on again just to make sure that my first opinion of the article of clothing stands before I waste time trying to return it.
When following these tips for buying clothing online I have had a lot more success with items than just winging it.
I can’t guarantee that you will hit a home run with your purchases every time, but these tips can definitely help improve your online buying experience.