← Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
232 | 8 Online Shopping Red Flags to Watch Out For
00:18:27
This past week, I was doing some online window shopping for one of my clients. Her daughter is getting married later this year and so we’re on the hunt for the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress! Imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon the unicorn...
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- [00:01]
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This past week I was doing some online window shopping for one of my clients. Her daughter is getting married later this year and so we are on the hunt for the perfect Mother of the Bride dress. Imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon the unicorn dress we've been looking for. It was not only in the wedding colors, but my client's exact eye color. A match made in heaven. It was a stunning silhouette for her figure, modest to suit her personal taste and well within her ideal price point. I mean, this dress checked all the boxes. I was about to excitedly save it to her Pinterest window shopping board as a possibility. And then my heart sank. As I began browsing through all of the amazing five star reviews, I noticed something strange. Each and every happy customer photo modeling this dress was fake. They were all very clearly photoshopped or AI generated over what I can only imagine each wedding party member was actually wearing on those special days. I ran a quick Google search on the store and saw that they had received just as many one star reviews as five star reviews and very little in between. It was a scam Website has this ever happened to you? You're halfway through the checkout process and you get this internal inkling that something's not right. Maybe you've been burned by a bad online shopping experience in the past. You've received the wrong item, a fake item, or or no item at all. Maybe you're terrified to shop online because you don't know which brands and products you can trust. Friend, this episode is for you. Today, I'm breaking down eight online shopping red flags you need to watch out for so you can avoid the scammers, those hidden shipping fees, and the subpar pieces your closet simply doesn't have room for anymore. If you're in the process of up leveling your wardrobe, it's time to raise the bar on what you're willing to buy online. So let's walk through the art of being a cautious buyer one red flag at a time.
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Welcome to her Style podcast where we're all about empowering you to show up and get dressed every day with confidence. I'm your host, Heather Riggs, a 15 year and counting certified image consultant and color specialist ready to build a wardrobe and a personal style you love. Let's get started.
- [02:31]
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In case you were wondering, we still haven't stumbled upon the perfect Mother of the Bride dress for my client. But I firmly believe that even though good things can take some time to find, they are always worth the wait. I know it's tough when you've Got your shopping list ready and you know what you want, and you have the vision of your dream wardrobe in your head, and then you can't find that thing in real life. My niece used to drive my sister crazy during the daily getting dressed routine because my niece would know exactly what wanted to wear that day. But the only problem was those items didn't actually exist. She didn't have them in her wardrobe. They weren't out there in the real world. She would just come up with these ideas in her head. Sometimes she would actually sketch them out as well, whether it was a cute dress or a specific colored or printed top. And she would demand that that was the thing she needed to wear that day. But she didn't own them, they hadn't made them, and they weren't even things that she saw in a store. And although my niece was, I don't know, maybe six or seven at the time, I would have to check with my sister. She'll probably correct me on this. I know I'm fully capable of doing the same thing, and so are some of my clients. And I don't know, maybe you can relate to this, too. You know what you want, and there's nothing worse than finding that thing and realizing it might actually be too good to be true. I don't want to frustrate you, but I do want you to start becoming a savvier shopper. And this might mean sacrificing the right time. And what I mean by that is the instant gratification that we all crave of wanting something and getting it immediately and instead holding out for the right thing from the right retailer at the right price, even if it takes a little longer to find. And to help you stay focused on elevating your wardrobe and the patience that is often required in the process. Because good things can take time. We need to talk about some red flags to watch out for. If you are excitedly trying to shop and scoop up all the pieces that you're missing in your wardrobe. We've got to watch out for some big signs that you're going down a wrong path and you're going to end up burned by a scammer or a poor quality piece. And I also know a lot of you are afraid to shop online at all because there are a lot of shady websites out there. You can't always tell the quality of an item when you're not looking at it in person, and returns can quite, quite frankly, be kind of a pain. So let's help you feel more empowered and cautious when you shop. I want to walk you through eight big giant red flags that you need to watch out for when you're shopping online. We're going to kick things off with one that might be hiding in plain sight and it's inconsistent Product Images if you are browsing an online retailer and you find a product that you're interested in and maybe it's a beautiful dress, but you notice that it looks kind of a soft lavender in one color and a deeper plum in another color and maybe even a dusty rose in the close up image, I want you to pause. It's not your computer screen or your device. It's a sign that the store might be using stolen or AI generated images. Does it look like the same product shot in different studios or on different models? Big brands often reuse content, but scammy ones are going to cobble together whatever they can find. So if the product images images don't look cohesive, don't click add to cart even if it's a legit retailer or well known brand that you shop before. I always take pause when a product doesn't clearly and accurately communicate a color or if the fit looks very different from one image or model to another. People will also be pretty quick to leave product reviews about this as well. You might see comments that say things like this is way brighter in person or the photos don't do this justice. The color is so beautiful in person. Sometimes you might see reviews going the other way to and speaking more positively about what it actually looks like. You might see people say okay, this looks like a pretty coral color online, but in person it's really muted and more of a burnt orange. This is the kind of thing that you want to watch out for. Not just to avoid scammy fake products, but to make sure that you're choosing colors that are actually going to look good on you in real life. So pay attention to lighting in the photos, skin tones and backgrounds. Look at any photos that are posted in the reviews as well. What color or what silhouette does it appear to be a majority of the time? Some brands will also pin clothing in the back to make it look more flattering in the product images. So make sure that you're kind of reading reviews to see do people say that it fits similarly on them as it appeared online? And take some time to look through all of the available information before you make your final buying decision. All right, the second red flag to watch out for is final sale items. I know this has happened to all of us before. You are loving an item, the price is right, you're about to add it to cart and then you notice in teeny tiny red print it says final sale or you may not see it at all. Final sale markings are often very small and teeny tiny print. They have to be there, but they may not make it obvious. So you've got to pay attention and make sure that you always check for this when you're shopping pieces that are marked down. Often the larger the savings, the more likely that it is to be a final sale item. But not always. And remember, this isn't always a scam, but it is a strategy. And final sale means no returns, no exchanges and no second chances. So unless you've tried on the exact brand and fit before, this is risky even from well known companies, especially if you're shopping for something with an unpredictable fit like denim, swimwear, formal wear, as well as pieces that are at a higher price point. If you found an $80 bathing suit from a great brand that you love, a site that you've shopped with before and that you have experience with, and it happens to be a final sale in your size, right? Maybe it's on final sale for just $20, you might decide that that's worth the risk. This isn't always a bad decision to buy final sale, but it is always a gamble because you're stuck with it if it doesn't end up working out for you. And if you see a store pushing a final sale on every item you do want to consider that to be a red flag, it means that they are not expecting happy returns or willing to accept any returns at all. The third red flag is no reviews. Maybe you have stumbled upon some hidden gem brand but it has zero reviews and it gets you thinking. Could this be the one? Could this be legit? Could this be just a new discovery and I'm maybe one of the first to find this beautiful store online? If a website has no product reviews, no customer photos, and zero buzz anywhere else on the Internet, then you do want to proceed with caution. Either that means that the store is brand new, in which case you could be the guinea pig testing it out for everyone else. Or they may be intentionally keeping feedback hidden. So I want you to go off of their site and do a little more digging. Can you find this brand on Reddit, in Google reviews, on trustpilot, anywhere on social media, or wherever customers might be talking? If not, ask yourself, do I want to be the test case for this company's customer service and do I trust that it's actually a legitimate business. So definitely make sure that if you cannot find reviews on a brand you are thinking twice. Red flag number four is all negative reviews. On the flip side, if you do find reviews and they are largely negative, we're talking items not being delivered, poor quality items being received, unhelpful customer service. That is your sign to walk away if you see a brand is rated either with all five stars or all one stars and not much in between. As I mentioned in my intro story, I would also suggest thinking twice and maybe looking elsewhere. It's very likely that the 5 star reviews are fake and the 1 star reviews are more legitimate, but you can definitely read through them all and use your own judgment. Trust your instincts on that. I know it's tempting to think maybe I'll get lucky. I'll be the one that has the great experience, which you very well might, but I think your closet deserves better than that at this stage of the game. I know you're here because you're ready to buy less but better. And that does often mean thinking twice and holding out for the right thing. So unless the product is something that you wouldn't be sad to lose out on, or if it's an amount of money that you wouldn't mind blowing, don't risk it. And by the way, sometimes people will leave detailed reviews with photos even on third party sites like trustpilot or Site Jabber. So a little sleuthing really can go a long way here. Okay, red flag number five. This is where things really get sneaky and it's fake reviews. If every review for a product or a company says something like this dress is perfect. I wore it to a wedding and I got a million compliments. Shipping was fast and customer service was so helpful. If they all look like that almost word for word, you're probably not reading a real customer's thoughts. This is exactly what I noticed when I was looking at that Mother of the Bride dress for one of my clients. Every single review looked just like that and then all of the photos on top of it looked fake. It didn't look like the dress was actually on the person's body and they were all watermarked with the brand's name on it. So you want to look for balance in the reviews, looking for grammar that feels natural, like a real person wrote it. Real reviews are often a little bit messy. They might include some more personal anecdotes and they might mention things like the fit, the fabric, the function, not just something super generic or general praise that all kind of echoes each other. And I will say also bonus points if someone uploads a photo that is not taken in a professional studio, not watermarked or obviously altered by the retailer, as I mentioned, and not looking photoshopped or unnatural in any way. Here's a quick trick for Red flag number six scroll to the bottom of the site. Can you find an address, a customer service number, or a real email address? No. Contact info is a no go. If you cannot find a way to get in touch with this company that is a big giant flaming red flag. So you need to run. Some shady sites will only give you a contact form, but if your item never arrives, or if it arrives looking nothing like the picture, then how do you follow up with them? You can't. You're just going to be stuck sending an email into the void. A legit online store should want to hear from you, so you're going to want to look for a physical address, a support email, and it's a good sign if they have a phone number or a live chat. I would even recommend that you try to reach out to them before you order anything just to see what the experience is like. I know this might sound like time that you don't have to waste. Maybe you just want to skip them altogether. But if you are really considering ordering from this company, it's better to reach out now as a preemptive measure instead of waiting until you're angry or frustrated with your purchase down the road and you realize you cannot reach a real human at all. All right, we're almost done. Red flag number seven is generic about pages. You know the ones they say something like we are a global brand committed to quality and customer satisfaction. Yada yada yada. It's like okay, but who are you? When did this company start? Why should I trust you? I was looking around for some products for another client. She had pinned a few items to her window shopping board and all of the sites that she was considering shopping would she she had found through Pinterest by the way. So you've got to be careful that will take you sometimes to these scammy sites. So you want to be extra cautious when you're shopping unknown brands through Pinterest and the like. But all of these sites had nearly identical about page write ups. They were just one paragraph with zero real information about the company or its origination and they just looked super shady. If the about page reads like it was written by a robot or just copied and pasted from somewhere else, it is definitely a clue that this store might be generic or even part of a scam network. So you want to look for stores that tell you an actual story. Who founded the brand? What are their names? Where are they located? What materials do they use? If you can't answer those questions from their website, then they're not being transparent. And it's also a really great sign if they have images to go along with the story, images of the founders, of the employees, or some of the locations that they have. So definitely do your detective work and see what you can find out about how this company got started. You also want to make sure that there's consistency between what they say on their website and then whatever's showing on their social media pages as well. All right, red flag number eight. The final one is hidden return or restocking fees. Let's talk about the fine print. And this isn't necessarily to say that a store is a scam. There are plenty of global brands that have hidden return and restocking fees. So it's just something that you also want to be cautious about when you're shopping online. Some stores will claim to accept returns, but if you read the actual return policy, you might find that there is a hidden restocking fee for every order. Or there could be ridiculously short return windows, like three days after delivery. I mean, there's just no way that you can commit to complying with things like that. So you do want to be cautious. Actually read through the fine print and make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into. Some sites might require you to pay international return shipping, which could cost more than the item you bought itself. So before you buy, always click into the return policy. And if it is vague, confusing, buried three clicks deep, that's not a good sign. And if you do notice that there are hidden return, restocking fees, or any weird stipulations to what they'll accept, you just want to be really cautious about that. So to sum up, friend, here's the thing. Not every online store with a quirky layout or minimal reviews is a scam. But these eight red flags are like your online shopping spidey senses. The more of them you spot, the more cautious you should be. So the next time you are adding that dream dress to your cart, or even just some everyday wardrobe basics, do a little digging first. Take the extra two minutes to do your homework to look at the brand off their own website. Your wallet, your closet, and your peace of mind will definitely thank you. If this episode helped you feel more confident and equipped when you're shopping online, would you do me a favor? Please share it with a friend who's been burned before or who is thinking about buying something really special or important online. Make sure that you support them in not making any of these same mistakes.
- [17:25]
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Or leave a quick review to let.
- [17:27]
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Me know that this kind of episode was especially helpful for you. I always want to create content that delivers exactly what you need. Until next time. Happy and savvy shopping my friend. No scammers allowed.
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Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to stop copying everyone else's style and start dialing in your own swoon worthy signature look, head over to take my free 5 minute personal style quiz which you can find at the link in the show notes. If you've enjoyed our time together, please be sure to rate review and subscribe to her style podcast so you never miss an episode. Finally, I invite you to make this.
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A two way conversation and send me.
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A DM over on Instagram eatherrigstyle to let me know how I can best support you on your style journey. I'm always here for you in style and service. Until next time.