Though challenging, it is possible for you to buy authentic clothes on Amazon. However, for you to overcome or bypass the challenges, you need some tips and tricks that will allow you to navigate Amazon seamlessly.
What this means is that it is not enough for you to have seen an image of the perfect dress or winter jacket; you actually have to put in a little more effort to make sure that what you see is what will be shipped to you.
How exactly do you do that? Especially with the high number of fake clothes sold on Amazon? Keep reading to learn more.
8 Tips for buying authentic clothes on Amazon
1. Always Read the Reviews, but Let Your Spidey Senses Take Control
When it comes to making purchases online, especially for clothes, you always need to go through the reviews. The product review section will tell you more about that dress or pair of tights. But don’t just look at the positive star rating and the 1000+ reviews for that product; you need to know what you are looking for. You will come across numerous generic reviews which don’t look like they are sharing information about the buyer’s personal experience. And unfortunately, there are too many such reviews today, with the number of sellers paying for positive reviews. So, it could mean that the item you are about to buy is something that the ‘buyer’ didn’t even buy, and they really have no idea how it fits. With this in mind, you have to be extra careful.
Note that the items with tons of 5* reviews shouldn’t always be trusted. There are fake reviews, and also, there is no way a product, especially an item of clothing, fits everyone perfectly. We all have different body types, and it’s impossible to get great reviews for that cloth – at least one person will be disappointed, and that should be included in the reviews if they are honest.
At the same time, if the item has absolutely no reviews, or if it has very few reviews and they are positive with not much to tell you about the item, then you should skip the item and expand your search.
And also, when reviewing, you may want to make use of the search function when looking out for specific features like the sizing, the fabric type, stretch, etc. You could also filter the reviews by the star ratings – this means looking at the 1-star rating to see what exactly those shoppers hated about the clothes. And don’t forget to go to the photos shared by other shoppers, especially because the real photos by actual buyers will give you a more accurate idea of how the clothes will look on you. A reviewer who shares actual photos of them wearing the clothes, and showing different angles of the outfit, even in lower quality light, is essential, and these kinds of reviews are usually real and not fake reviews.
I guess what we are saying is that you should take your time to go through all the reviews shared to make sure that you can ascertain the legitimacy of the brand and even have a more accurate idea of the quality of the clothes you are interested in buying. Keep in mind that if at the end of the day, you come across something that doesn’t sit well with you about a certain outfit and if you cannot find an explanation for something or if it looks too good to be true, it probably is and you should not buy the outfit.
2. Get Amazon Prime
To reduce the chances of getting duped, you really need to sign up for Amazon Prime. Although Prime is a paid-for-service, it is the very first step in ensuring that you have access to legitimate items and that the clothes you buy are good quality pieces worth your money.
So, in addition to the fact that Amazon Prime allows you to enjoy free shipping with orders fulfilled and shipped in two days and even free returns offered, you will be happy to know that you can trust the brands to honor their policies.
If your outfit doesn’t fit right because it turns out that the seller’s sizes run a size up or down, Prime will give you the option for fast and free returns.
This is not a service that most scammers on Amazon would be willing to subscribe to because it makes them liable, and reputation or one’s credibility is important for anyone selling on Amazon.
3. Know your actual measurements to avoid sizing issue
As long as you are shopping for clothes online, not just on Amazon, you really need to know what your size is. But not just the size; you need actual measurements because sizing can be off sometimes.
If you don’t have your actual measurements, now might be the perfect time for you to get them, and make sure you save those numbers somewhere on your phone or a piece of paper if you still carry those.
The sizing information would make it easy for you to seek sizing guidance from the manufacturer, especially if they haven’t given any sizing guide or if you find the guide to be confusing.
4. Shop by brand name and designer
Amazon has many new fashion and apparel brands that you’ve probably never heard of, and if you are willing to spend a little more time on the site, you will come across the gold mine that is the wide range of great brands with a great variety of good quality outfits.
And if you are into brands and prefer shopping from certain brands, you should look up those brands on Amazon before you settle for clothes from unnamed and generic brands. In addition to guarantees about the quality of clothes from these brands, you will find that outfits and all other fashion items from the known brands will come with extra perks like free shipping.
Also, the clothes could be cheaper, not to mention authentic.
Just keep an open mind and know that you can always find just about any brand name listed on Amazon, and if you have a Prime account, you get to enjoy free shipping.
Some trusted brands include Vince, Rebecca Taylor, Joie, 7 for all Mankind, Theory, Loeffler Randall, Coastal Blue, The Fix, and Amazon The Drop. You could also try the brands that have their own Amazon shops.
5. Bookmark items and look at related items.
If you are always shopping for clothes on Amazon, you will agree with us that this site can be a tunnel, but if you know what you are looking for or how to make the algorithm work for you, then you will be to find the best possible gold mines with excellent hidden gems. You may never shop from anywhere else.
To make this possible, keep browsing Amazon, and if you come across a sweater you love, you may want to click on it and view the related products. You could also make use of the ‘Customers Also Bought’ option because it always leads you down a beautiful rabbit hole with some of the most amazing clothes and accessories you would never have found otherwise.
This rabbit hole will also introduce you to new, trustworthy sellers on Amazon, and you can always bookmark them for future reference.
6. Make sure you’re actually buying the clothes from Amazon
I know that this can be confusing, but Amazon has millions of sellers that offer a large variety of what may seem like the best outfits, but you are not always guaranteed when buying clothes from some of these brands because of the quality of clothes sold by some brands is questionable.
So, you need to make sure that you are actually buying clothes sold by Amazon. You will be happy to know that you can verify if the clothes are actually authentic or sold by Amazon by looking at the information under the yellow Add to Cart and the Orange Buy Now buttons – if sold by Amazon, you will have the ‘Ships from and sold by Amazon.com’ information specified. If it says that the order is shipped by Amazon and sold by any other brand, you might want to abandon the cart and keep on searching. This information is either under the Red Price and the Green, In Stock button.
This is an important consideration and tip that ensures the credibility of sellers while also making sure that you will get the right kind of help in case you have a problem with your order. However, the Amazon marketplace has been infiltrated by many third-party sellers that may or may not sell authentic goods. You avoid most problems when shopping for brands and products that are sold and shipped by Amazon because Amazon goes the extra mile in managing everything, including returns, and the best part is that you will have issues around incorrect or defective items resolved easily and effortlessly by Amazon.
Note that you can identify these items sold and shipped by Amazon by filtering your search by basing the search on items that are sold only by Amazon.com.
7. Don’t fall for fake discounts.
One of the reasons why most people end up being duped on Amazon and other online sites is the discounts that are often offered on these sites.
It’s exciting to see a huge discount for something you have wanted to buy, but have you ever stopped to question the discount, and if that product was even discounted in the first place?
While it may look like you’re saving up a good chunk of money and winning, the prices may have been adjusted so that the ‘new or discounted’ price is actually higher than the real cost of the item. And with the urgency that comes with the time-limited offers, you could end up buying something at a high price or, worse, something you don’t want or need in the first place.
Keep in mind that the world is not fair, and some sellers on Amazon abuse their pricing power, and you may not really know if you are getting an actual bargain or not.
Next time you are tempted to jump on an offer, look up prices of similar items or the ones sold by competitors and see if it’s really on offer or not.
8. Fulfilled by Amazon
If the clothes you are buying are tagged Fulfilled by Amazon, and you cannot recognize the brand or find the seller’s website anywhere, the first thing you should know is that the item is from a third-party seller, and there might be problems with the order.
The good news is that even with the FBA orders, information about the seller is often incorporated in the product page, meaning you can research about that seller and determine if you can trust their outfits or not before you make the purchase.
Conclusion
When it comes to shopping for clothes on Amazon and making sure that you end up with authentic clothes, you should follow the recommended tips above.
But also, you shouldn’t be gullible, don’t be in a rush, and take time to discover more brands or more about that brand you are buying from. And don’t trust all the reviews you see.
Read more useful tips here or here!
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.