Clothing Retailers Online: Use Your Experiences to Help Others

Best Product Reviews, Best Merchants & Who Disappoints You

Clothing retailers online have an enormous responsibility to us shoppers: We give them sensitive credit information, and we take a lot on faith in their integrity.

Here are some questions most shoppers have.

• Does the photo accurately show the product?

There are lot of tricks for making a baggy garment look great on a model, such as using clothespins up the back to create a figure-flattering fit.

• Is the clothing is accurately and completely described?

Sometimes, I cannot even find the fabric description. I will not buy anything if I do not know this.

• Is the quality worth the price?

This is a tough one, because we have different standards. Tell us yours by posting a review using the form at the bottom of this page.

How Did the Garment Fit? Did It Arrive on Time?

• Do the fitting instructions, if any, work with your particular figure?

If the fitting instructions were accurate, the merchant does not have control over how the item works with our unique body shapes. Inaccurate sizes can be a legitimate problem.

• Did the product arrive on time?

The clothing retailers online have no control over the delivery provider, be it United States Postal Service, UPS, or FedEX. They can make sure the order leaves the warehouse in a timely fashion.

• Did the product will arrive in good condition?

There is no excuse for poor packing; that is totally the retailers’ responsibility.

I received garments from one store that were so wrinkled, my dry cleaning bill would have been enormous had I kept the products.

How Would You Rate Customer Service?

• Did the merchant promptly and courteously take responsibility for and correct anything that went wrong?

Occasionally I've had a product never arrive. Thank goodness, merchants have always made this right for me.

I’m sure it's happened to you, too. Online clothing retailers who act quickly to track and correct the error deserve kudos.

Usually this is the fault of the delivery agent. The merchant has an ethical responsibility to track the shipment, find out what went wrong, and refund promptly.

What About Safety and Security?

• Is your credit card information safe?

If the checkout is an https, the s stands for security. The security is often better than that at your local restaurant or department store.

According to a 2012 security program I attended, electronic scanners allow identity thieves to scan cards that are being used at our local stores -- and even those in our handbags.

According to this expert, PayPal is the safest checkout and should always be first choice when available.

Check the Merchant's Policies

• Will your personal information be sold or given to spammers?

Read the privacy policy -- which should be posted at the site -- if this matters to you.

As you check out, look for checked boxes at the bottom of the page. You may have to scroll down.

You may unknowingly be agreeing to have the merchant send you updates, sale offers, and newsletters that you'd rather not receive.

• What are the refund and return shipping policies?

One merchant no longer featured at Fashion After 50 promised to refund in 30 days, and then had not done so after more time than that.

I also have learned to check shipping charges carefully.

Even if I spend a few dollars more at clothing retailers online who offer free shipping both ways, it is probably less than I will spend if I have to return that package at my own expense. A merchant may qualify for bulk shipping discounts; I do not.

These questions show just how much trust you to put into clothing retailers online and their products when you order.

Who Do You Love?

I put my best preferences on the site pages. Extremely comfortable dress shoes are an issue for me, so I have descriptions of products I like where they appear.

My mother loved Sears and Speigel catalogs. My history with mail- and telephone-order purchases antedates the web by decades.

After all these years of remote-control shopping, I’ve had to remove an affiliate merchant from Fashion After 50’s pages.

That is the start of this feature – your experiences with clothing retailers online. If you find a best product review or a store you love doing business with, please spread the word. To contribute, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

The White List of Clothing Retailers Online -- Please Help It Grow

It's always nicer to get good news than bad.

On the other hand, if you feel an ethical responsibility to tell us about a bad experience, perhaps it will save someone else from disappointment and irritation.

Please share the good, bad, and the ugly using the form below. Hopefully the whitelist and blacklist of Fashion After 50 merchants will grow and grow with your help.

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Tell Us About Great Products, Terrific Merchants, and Share Your Disappointments

Did you buy the best fitting slacks ever? The most figure flattering dress in the world? A jacket that exceeded your expectations in every way?

A merchant who went the extra distance to keep you happy and coming back?

Please let us know!

The internet can be a wild and woolly place. Your knowledge empowers all of us to be wise shoppers who have great online experiences. Please share what happened to you here.

Fashion After 50 reserves the prerogative not to publish blatantly promotional submissions and those that are not right for our readers. We are looking for the real experiences of real readers.

Name of Retailer and Product

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Close Help Please tell us what you bought, from whom, and why you love it. Or why you love the merchant. Or why not. If you'd like to share the price, that's up to you. Your story will appear on a Web page the way you enter it here, except for minor editing for spelling, punctuation, grammar, or potentially libelous statements. My goal is keep your meaning as you write it. If you don't like the way it is published, just ask us to remove it. We will. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

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