We've all heard that saying, yet someone will still fall victim to the 'Too good to be true' deal. It's human nature to not want to spend more than we should or more than the next guy. Hey, I've been there!What makes the above scenario an event to turn your stomach is when someone gets totally taken by the likes of Bernie Madoff. Really, who took us for a ride isn’t important now. What is important is that we try to prevent it from happening again or ever.
If you've been following my blog or have read my newsletter, you know we have two new and gorgeous wedding gowns for sale. Both are authentic designer gowns, with the tags still in place. The message here isn't so much about these particular wedding gowns, although we would like to get them sold; it's about helping you to not get ripped off if you plan to buy your gown online.
If you’ve already been shopping around on the internet, you may know there are some amazing deals for wedding gowns online and especially on eBay. I've come across a few of these deals and I can tell you they are definitely too good to be true.
Case in point: On eBay I found an auction selling wedding gowns/prom dresses with an opening bid of $130. (I actually found dozens of new wedding gown auctions with opening bids as low as $9.99. I chose not use those even though they offered many of the same dresses as the one I am using.) The gown can be purchased either from their stock, or you can have it custom made. If you don’t care for the gown on the current auction, they provide a photo array of wedding gown designs you can choose from instead. Ironically, the gowns in the photos all appear to be designer gowns including a couple that look to be from the same designer as one of the gowns we have for sale. ( See photo and typical ad below as taken from eBay)
"
My company make wedding dress year to year, so we have rich experience for make wedding dress. We can make the wedding dress and the gown like each customer's request."
My company make wedding dress year to year, so we have rich experience for make wedding dress. We can make the wedding dress and the gown like each customer's request."Besides that last bit of information does it sound good so far? Well I’ll tell you, there are some things that are very wrong with buying from this seller: First, the gowns this person is selling are definitely knockoffs of the original designer.
Two; they do not really want to sell the gown for only $130.00. What they’re hoping for is to achieve multiple bids to bring the price up to where it should be; whatever that is. Still, if only one person places a bid they could walk away with paying only $130.00.
Three; some of these sellers offer free shipping, but what they don’t tell you is you’ll have to pay for custom fees because most, if not all are located in China.
Three; some of these sellers offer free shipping, but what they don’t tell you is you’ll have to pay for custom fees because most, if not all are located in China.
Four: I found the beaded silk fabric shown in the photo for $98.00 a yard. You could never buy a dress for $130.00 and expect it to be made from fabric of this caliber. So sure the $130.00 sounds like it is quite a deal for a wedding gown and with even paying custom charges it could still be a deal; if you were actually buying the quality of the original designer’s gown. I’ll discuss later how quality plays a role in buying a knockoff.
But for now, it’s a safe bet that no matter how many photos from the designers the sellers of these deeply discounted wedding gowns show you, they’re still "knock offs" posing as designer gowns.
Of course there are plenty of auctions on eBay and also web sites on the Internet that sell authentic designer dresses and some even offer great bargains. We happen to be one of those places that are selling two authentic designer wedding gowns.
How can you be certain the gowns we have for sale are authentic? For one thing our reputation is at stake on every sale we make. If we sold knockoff items, whether it’s a wedding gown or a purse and we’ve described it as authentic we would not still be in business after 7 1/2 years. In addition, we’re really not in business to sell wedding gowns. We just happen to have two gowns on our site that belong to soon-to-be brides who ended up buying different wedding gowns before the wedding and for two very different reasons. You can read both back stories in our Bridal Category at http://www.gone-tomorrow.com/. We actually have three wedding gowns for sale: Besides the two new gowns, we also have a previously worn wedding gown from David’s Bridal at a very reduced priced.
If you need more convincing as to why you should be careful when purchasing your wedding gown online, please continue reading.
Let’s say you're intent on purchasing a gown from an eBay seller, you should then make sure they're from the United States and not the Orient. I don't mean to profile anyone, but the fact is that most all knockoffs come from China.
And then you should read the seller feedback and not just their feedback score. I mean read the feedback. It could be that they've only sold cd's up to this point.
On eBay, look for bridal store closures. The store bought the gowns at the wholesale price and they should be offering the gowns at deep discounts on their auctions.
Also, look for auctions where the wedding was cancelled. (It's sad, but it does happen.) Brides will reduce the dress enough so you are getting a good deal, but they don't end up feeling, and excuse my language, screwed-over twice!
And now let’s discuss the quality of the gown you’ll get from China. This is our final step in trying to convince to not take advantage of the deals you’re going to find. The following information was found in one of the forums on eBay and was written in part, by a bridal salon owner. I extracted only the pertinent information:
But for now, it’s a safe bet that no matter how many photos from the designers the sellers of these deeply discounted wedding gowns show you, they’re still "knock offs" posing as designer gowns.
Of course there are plenty of auctions on eBay and also web sites on the Internet that sell authentic designer dresses and some even offer great bargains. We happen to be one of those places that are selling two authentic designer wedding gowns.
How can you be certain the gowns we have for sale are authentic? For one thing our reputation is at stake on every sale we make. If we sold knockoff items, whether it’s a wedding gown or a purse and we’ve described it as authentic we would not still be in business after 7 1/2 years. In addition, we’re really not in business to sell wedding gowns. We just happen to have two gowns on our site that belong to soon-to-be brides who ended up buying different wedding gowns before the wedding and for two very different reasons. You can read both back stories in our Bridal Category at http://www.gone-tomorrow.com/. We actually have three wedding gowns for sale: Besides the two new gowns, we also have a previously worn wedding gown from David’s Bridal at a very reduced priced.
If you need more convincing as to why you should be careful when purchasing your wedding gown online, please continue reading.
Let’s say you're intent on purchasing a gown from an eBay seller, you should then make sure they're from the United States and not the Orient. I don't mean to profile anyone, but the fact is that most all knockoffs come from China.
And then you should read the seller feedback and not just their feedback score. I mean read the feedback. It could be that they've only sold cd's up to this point.
On eBay, look for bridal store closures. The store bought the gowns at the wholesale price and they should be offering the gowns at deep discounts on their auctions.
Also, look for auctions where the wedding was cancelled. (It's sad, but it does happen.) Brides will reduce the dress enough so you are getting a good deal, but they don't end up feeling, and excuse my language, screwed-over twice!
And now let’s discuss the quality of the gown you’ll get from China. This is our final step in trying to convince to not take advantage of the deals you’re going to find. The following information was found in one of the forums on eBay and was written in part, by a bridal salon owner. I extracted only the pertinent information:
- The fabric may be thin low grade satin that wrinkles or thin organza that is used in the cheapest prom dresses. It WILL wrinkle and be very difficult to press or steam.
- The beading may be heat applied or the sequins may be caviar beading; heat applied silver dots instead of hand sewing of the beadwork. You won't get Swarovski crystals, you will get plastic beads cut to look like crystal, but they won't have the shine and sparkle of fine Swarovski crystals. If the beading is sewn, it may be sewn by machine; it’s put on by a chain stitch. If you shed one bead, the entire bead area will come loose. They may also use large faux pearls which take up more area instead of mini pearls and mini sequins which give off a more delicate look to the gown.
- The bodices may not be properly boned to stay up in a strapless gown. You need boning in the bodice of the gown to keep it up and in place. Strapless gowns SHOULD have a good inner foundation BUILT INTO THE GOWN to keep the gown up and to enhance the bust line and slim the waistline. If the foundation isn't built into the gown, the best bra and tailoring in the world won't keep the gown up.
- A quality gown should be properly lined in bridal satin and include some sort of built in fullness if it’s needed for the dress to flow properly. Some cheap dresses have the thin acetate lining and in white or ivory, its completely see through. If you purchase a chiffon gown, make sure it’s lined in bridal satin or you'll be transparent in the light.
- A revered bridal manufacturer told us that not all sewing factories are created equal. Some do a great job of sewing, some are horrible. The good ones are contracted to the major bridal manufacturers, if the designers do not own their own factories.
You can find ways to save money on your wedding and in several different areas; especially given the state of today’s economy. Just don’t try to save money on your wedding gown. It just isn't worth it. Your wedding day is one of the most important and special days of your life and your wedding gown should reflect that same importance and specialness.
