"You shop SHEIN, right? Do you think their stuff is actually... good? And where do I even start? It's endless, like Amazon."
If I had a dollar for every message like this in my DMs. Then I could shop SHEIN, like, daily {'cause I don't already do that... I don't, babe...}
For those who don't know, well, buckle up, because you're about to inherit a new shopping addict site. SHEIN.com is a site that features extremely inexpensive trends for women, men, and kids, including clothing, accessories, shoes, swim, and more. It's one of those sites you go to and end up spending four hours flipping through pages; have 47 tabs open at one time to "check out"; and end up with 18 items in your cart. Like, Target for moms, but online. And that's okay! Because you'll probably still barely break the $100 mark.
I've been shopping SHEIN for a couple years, and they've come a long way from previous hiccups, but there is still an art to shopping the site. Here's what to know:
Chinatown: A majority, if not all of their pieces are made in and ship from China. Which means there's no "prime" shipping. It used to take weeks — up to a month — but now you can usually expect a 7-10 day turn-around.
Chipper-chicken: There's a reason their pieces are so inexpensive — they are cheaply made, and cheaply sold. You get what you pay for, but there are gems hidden in there, so don't shy away. But do expect a lot of polyester, and absolutely no cashmere {do people still wear that?}.
Reviews and description are key. I have never, not once, bought something on SHEIN that didn't have a review {unless it's cheapo jewelry}. Reviews will not only tell you what size to order, but most of the time they include IRL pictures {because you get points for uploading pictures with reviews and points equal store credit!}. The description tells you legit measurements of the piece, plus — and this is important — whether it has stretch or not. I typically don't buy anything on SHEIN that doesn't have stretch because it's too hard to know how it will feel/fit.
Better than review pics? The style gallery. This is where they feature pictures that bloggers submitted wearing the pieces. Not only will it show you how it fits different body types, it'll also give you different ideas on how to style something! Not every piece has a style gallery - only if pictures were submitted by a blogger. Tip: You can shop only pieces with style galleries.
Sales: There is always one. Always. Check the header for the deal, go to their Instagram for codes {or Google}, and do not shop without a code. Unless you thoroughly enjoy throwing away money.
80% ain't bad: For every ten pieces I buy, I probably have two duds. I have never attempted a return {to China...}, but I know it's possible. I'm just too lazy and would rather toss is in the giveaway pile because it was probably $4 anyway...
Also guys: SHEIN was also one of my favvv preggers shops because they're not actual maternity clothes, but they stretch like them, and you can easily transition them to postpartum.
Here's a walk down how I shop SHEIN lane:
If I'm just browsing and not looking for something specific {they have a search feature for that} then I almost always search by "style" or collection. I love shopping their Boho Vibes or Let's Go Retro collections {Hover over Women-What's New-New Trends/Collections-Choose a collection}. These collections and trends change often though, which is kind of the point. You can find more random collections and style galleries {uploaded by buyers/bloggers} under "Explore".
Also, guys, can we just take a second to acknowledge all of the sale options and codes screaming at you on the first page. Take note! {There's also an actual "Sale" page, because, duh. #salesonsales}
If you want to easily jump to shopping a Style Gallery, just scroll to the very bottom of the homepage and choose a style to shop:
Anyway, back to me, and my love affair of boho vibes. Once you're on a specific page you can sift through the whole collection {endlessly}, or choose a specific type. Typically, for a larger collection {like, say, dresses in general} I'll filter by style {long, short, striped, floral, casual, whatevs} and sometimes by price, too. That helps me see all the sales {sale prices are in red}.
Here's the downfall — you can't see just by scrolling through pieces which ones have reviews and style galleries. Hence why you end up with a million-and-a-half tabs open just to check it out. If I open and there's no review — peace out. If I open and there are reviews, that's where the real work begins {I swear shopping is fun}. This piece has a good bit of reviews {and they're good}, and it has two color options {note that sometimes different colors have different pricing — which can sometimes work for you, or against you}. Oh! And another fun feature to point out is that once you create a login you can "heart" things, aka, save them in a favorites list to come back to later if you're not quite ready to purchase this time.
This piece doesn't have a style gallery {boo}, but when you get to the reviews you'll see that they put all of the reviews with pictures up front. The reviews give an overview of how reviewers thought the piece fit, and then each individual review can sometimes give you tons of info, like what size they ordered, their size measurements for reference, and then their description of the piece. Good lookin' out, girl.
And, just because I wanted to show you guys what a piece with a Style Gallery looks like...
Don't be selfish: Buy something for the kids & hubs while you're there, too
If you're like me and shop for your kids more than you do yourself... Don't forget they have kiddo clothes {and clothes for your fella}, and the same rules apply. Reviews are sweet, pay attention to sizing measurements and stretch vs. no stretch, and OH. MY. GOD. my daughter needs this {because they also have a mama-sized one!}:
If you're an — ahem — experienced bargain shopper like myself, you'll notice a lot of the same "trendy" stuff from other online boutiques and shops {even Amazon}, so sometimes you just have to price it out. But for the most part, I find SHEIN to be cheapest because I almost always hit free shipping {who am I kidding — I make sure I do}, and their sale codes speak to me {Nikkiii, come shop meeee. Where's my blind-fold when I need it? #Birdbox #scarredforlife}.
If you have any other questions, drop me a comment! Otherwise, ya'll know dang well I'm itching to get back to some of those pieces I came across. Byeeee!
