I am a creature of habit and tend to shop at the same places and my favorite stores – it’s either trusted neighborhood boutiques like Intermix and Bird, or online at Shopbop and Nordstrom. Boring, but my favorites never let me down… and it’s important to me that everywhere I shop online be reputable (because in theory I will probably end up linking it here on the blog, so I only shop at reputable companies that have great customer service, free shipping + returns, etc.)
I have been seeing a lot more fashion on Amazon (and other bloggers seem to be buying clothes on Amazon Fashion a lot more often)! I order from Amazon multiple times a week for everything from books to beauty products and cat food, but I haven’t bought very many clothes there. I decided to do a deeper dive into Amazon Fashion. Is it a good place to buy clothes, or should we just stick to Amazon for books and office supplies? I mean, in theory it’s a great idea… Amazon shipping is so fast (especially if you are a prime member duh) and sell pretty much everything so it feels convenient, but buying clothes on Amazon feels a little intimidating as there is just so much stuff on there.
clockwise from top left: vince warren platform sneakers (my FAV) // kimono jacket // grey sweater // malachite ear jackets // palm print slides // pink scarf // polka dot dress // green acrylic earrings // green velvet slides // grey cardigan // tropical print swimsuit // round circle bag (have in red and love!) // red top (similar)
Buying Clothes on Amazon
Okay first of all, fun fact: did you know that Amazon owns Shopbop? If you are a Prime member, you can actually log into Shopbop with your Amazon Prime info to get faster shipping. What I like about Amazon is that you can search and find exactly what you are looking for, though I will say I think it’s important to be careful – I typically only buy things that are available via Amazon Prime, simply because once I bought a phone case on Amazon and it took six months to get to me from Asia. By the time I got it, I think I’d bought a new phone. Fail.
Brands on Amazon
There are a lot of great brands on Amazon. They carry all the same brands Shopbop has but they also have a ton of exclusive brands (mostly just for Prime Members). I was surprised to see a lot of brands I shop have Amazon shops, such as Sonix. My friend Jackie had the cutest sunglasses that were sold out on the Sonix site but available (for less money!) on Amazon.
- Pretty much all my favorite fashion brands are available on Amazon. Vince (my fav sneakers!), Rebecca Taylor, 7 for all Mankind, Joie, Loeffler Randall, Theory… I could go on. Basically, if it’s sold at Shopbop (or anywhere?) you can probably find it on Amazon.
- I discovered Coastal Blue this summer when I bought this swimsuit. They have cute suits that are conservative(ish)ly cut, which I really like as I am getting older and am just not into skimpy suits!
- The Fix is a really cute (and affordable!) brand for accessories. I have this bag and got these summery slides earlier this summer and they’re so fun.
- Amazon The Drop has such good basics and staples. They are trendy and fashion forward but also classic!
Quality and Price
Buying clothes on Amazon really depends upon the brand. Like I said above, you can find pretty much anything you could ever want on Amazon BUT I tend to just look for the brands I know and love – the quality is on point. I bought this swimsuit from Coastal Blue this summer and wasn’t sure if I could trust the brand but because it was available on Prime I figured it wasn’t a big deal – I knew that I could quickly return if it didn’t work out. It ended up working out great.
Search Functionality
You can basically find ANYTHING you want on Amazon. The search is great and it’s basically just this empire; they sell everything! I love typing in certain patterns (i.e. “palm print”) and seeing what comes up. You can find so much great stuff. (Like this palm print kimono – hello!)
Trustworthiness – are the stores legit?
Most of the time, yes, very legit. Again, I just think you have to be careful and investigate the seller a bit. If it’s from Amazon directly, YES. But they have this marketplace setup so it’s not all shipping right from Amazon. I outline more tips and tricks below… I only shop using sellers that are on Prime, and I always read the reviews!
Shipping
This is a key benefit to shopping on Amazon – with Prime, you can get everything so quickly (and easily return if you’re not happy). Free returns, same day shipping, what’s not to love. I bow down to Amazon’s customer service… it’s fantastic.
So… is Amazon a good place to buy clothes?
Yes. Absolutely, yes. Buying clothes on Amazon is a GREAT idea. Just be sure to be careful and follow my handy tips, below!
Tips for Buying Clothes on Amazon
Filter out by “Amazon Prime.”
This will save you a lot of headaches. There are so many cute things on Amazon but a lot of stores have weird shipping windows (especially if they are overseas). So I always make sure an item or seller is on Amazon Prime.
Read Customer Reviews
The reviews are SO helpful. Always read the reviews. I especially like to look at the one star reviews and the four or five star reviews. If all of the reviews are overly effusive (or use poor grammar/bad English, I’m weary.) But yeah… always, always read reviews.
Check who the seller is and where it’s shipping from!
Once again, shipping can be a real pain. So make sure it’s shipping from the US or has a really fast shipping policy. And as Carly pointed out in her comment below, it’s a good idea to look at what else they have in their “shop,” that will pretty much immediately give you an idea of how reputable they are, etc.
Read product descriptions
This is a given, but you can’t be too careful! While I have you, check the sizing chart. There are a few brand that run super large and a few brands that run super small. Reading the reviews will also help, but give the sizing chart a good review as well.
Keep track of stores you like and don’t like
Amazon, particularly Amazon Fashion has so many brands and it’s easy to get confused/forget what’s what. I have a google doc with my favorite stores.
Do you buy clothes on Amazon? What are your favorite tips, trips, and shops?
*this post is not sponsored but it does contain affiliate links. If you click one of my Amazon links and end up making a purchase, I will earn a small commission. Also, check out my Amazon Shop – I put all of my favorite picks there!
I’ve never shopped for clothes on Amazon before! Dunno why it’s never occurred to me. I should browse around, haha! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Yeah! Give it a try!
Definitely look at the seller and what else they have in their “shop”… and I’m more wary of customer reviews if they seem super generic because then it seems like they did fake sales with fake reviews. Some sellers are clearly scammers even though the product looks legit. BUT one time I found a seller who was liquidating their inventory and I got the besttttt deal on a gown I had previously rented from RTR. It was a total steal.
That is such good advice to see what else they have in their shop!!! But agree – I love when you can find a really good deal!
I always *want* to buy things from amazon, but if you don’t know exact brand you are looking for in something, I feel you mostly get shown $12, not-good-quality things, sadly. Too many choices haha.
I agree. I feel like you have better luck if you filter by Prime, and know what you are looking for. For example, I found my favorite Loeffler Randall slides!
I 100% agree that you have to do a bit of research into the seller and weed out the fake reviews and look to see the pictures customers post. I bought a dress from Amazon a few years ago and didn’t listen to the reviews that the colors were different than the picture and when I got the dress it looked nothing like what it was in the picture. It’s not the fast and easy way to buy but you can find some deals if you’re willing to do research. As far as hair products, I have heard from hairdressers that a lot of the products sold on Amazon are watered down or fake products. It’s not something a normal consumer could tell but something to be aware of!
Oh my gosh that’s terrifying re: hair products, thanks for letting me know! Yikes.
Great post! I’ve had great success on Amazon and I especially love their partnership with Shopbop – that’s a huge benefit. My kids are small and I buy all of their shoes from Amazon and some of their clothes, too. I generally stick to known brands but in the last year I have branched out to some unknowns at low price points and have been pleasantly surprised. I’ll echo that sticking to Amazon Prime and checking the customer reviews thoroughly is key – I’ll always check the 5-star and the 1-star ratings – but size charts and product details have saved me more than once.
Happy Shopping!
Totally agree and thank you so much for chiming in!!! xx
Hey Grace! Do you have a link for the ear jackets? It pulls up the Ella Moon shirt when I click on it. Thanks!
Ack – so sorry about that! Serves me right for pulling links for this at midnight last night. I’ve updated the post, and here you are! https://amzn.to/2MnF8D3
xx
Love this! Can you update the link to the malachite ear jackets? They’re linking to the red top 🙂
I am so sorry about that! I updated the post, and here you go!!! https://amzn.to/2MosG6a
Amazon is seriously my favorite for everything, clothing included! You do have to be cautious, but some of my best steals were from Amazon Fashion! Thanks for sharing, might need to snag those shoes now!!
-Nidhi | An Unblurred Lady
They have such a great selection! xx
Grace, have you tried Amazon’s Prime Wardrobe? I think it’s a recently added service to the regular Prime membership and it allows you to try clothes before you buy them. You can keep the items for 7 days while you decide… you choose the brands, styles, etc. It’s also available for shoes and accessories! Let us know if you’ve tried it and what you think 🙂
https://www.amazon.com/l/16122413011/141-3754322-8289517
I haven’t tried it yet but I’ve been wanting to – such a smart idea!
Do you have a link for the polka dot dress? It is pulling up the red shirt when I click on it.
I am definitely wary of some of the clothes that I get from Amazon. My biggest issue is the unknown brands because the sizing can be so off.
So sorry about that! Here you go! https://amzn.to/2B9Umaw
Thank you!!
Look up PattyBoutik! I found them on Amazon and their clothes are SO GOOD. It’s not really a “known” brand outside of Amazon, but honestly, their pieces get some of the heaviest rotation in my closet.
Thank you so much for the tip!!!!
Omg yes! I’ve gotten a lot of sold out pieces from brands I love on Amazon. Also great tip about reading customer reviews — game changer!
The Champagne Edit
Love that! Thanks Dana!! xx
Amazon is my go to! I’ve always been successful with buying clothes on Amazon. Especially shoes!
Yay! Glad to hear it!
I rarely buy blogger recommendations, but I loved that bathing suit when you posted it initially so I ordered it. It arrived last night, and I LOVE it. So excited to wear it!
So glad to hear you love it as much as I do! It’s such a great suit!!!
AND when you shop Amazon you can suppport a cause by going to smile.amazon.com and pick a charity (mine is smiletrain). From then on if you go via that URL (and it usually does it automatically) a small % of your purchase goes to your charity.
It isn’t a lot but it adds up with so many shoppers.
yes! i love that too!
I have searched for clothes on Amazon before but have never made a purchase because it was a bit overwhelming. You have offered some good advice here though, some things I hadn’t thought of to make it less stressful. With this new information I think I will give it another try.
so happy to hear that! happy shopping!!!
Thank you for sharing, I am always so hesitant to buy clothes on Amazon but this makes me feel better about finally pulling the trigger! xx
http://www.lilyparkeast.com
Thank you Jaimie! x
I recently bought a dress on Amazon that was recommended by Blogger. Well, I hated the dress and the fabric was very cheap. Sadly, it shipped from China and I would have had to pay return postage. So be careful what you buy unless you want throwaways from China that go straight to the landfill.
I’m sorry you had that experience! I think that the point of this post is that there are some really great shopping finds on Amazon; you just have to be careful!
Something I have discovered when buying clothes from Amazon is that they mostly come from China which means in my experience their sizing is way different to that what we have in the U.S. I bought a long maxi skirt last year, looked just what I wanted, I ordered the Large which is comfortable at the waist, when it arrived after 3/4 weeks…. it was so small I burst out laughing, I laid the skirt down and measured the waist which was 15 inches across, it was about the size of a 0 or 2 here…… to get the size that would fit you have to order at least 2 sizes bigger… I ordered a 2X next time and it just fit at the waist……. so be careful, those models in the pictures are Chinese girls and they are tiny!
Which pin code is avallible
So far for me, it’s a big FAIL for clothes shopping on Amazon.
Brand names are nothing familiar (odd sounding names, Chinese? Or? and quality on 100% so far has been poor and sizes run small. My daughter chose several outfits and each one was small and made with rough / thin fabrics cheaply made
I got some cute fuzzy slippers in diff colors that my feet slip off the sides in-spite of straps.