Tips for Buying Clothes on Amazon AND 15 Gifts under $10
While I may not be the best person to give tips on buying clothes on Amazon, I figured that I would share what the three of us learned in our experiment.
Besides, I was hoping that by writing this post, any of you with more experience would share your tips. I will talk about that subject below in this post, but I wanted to start off with an idea given to me in my last survey.
One of the suggestions for a gift guide had been about less expensive gifts. And being a thrifty girl anyways, I wanted to test out my Amazon skills for affordable items. This is what I found, and many would work for all kinds of friends.
15 Affordable Gifts
1– Pashmina: https://amzn.to/2QJx2X6. These are such a wonderful gift for any woman in your life. They come in 15 different colors, always fit, and can be styled a multitude of ways. If you wonder how to wear them, Lesley is the queen of throwing them over her shoulder.
2– Plant: https://amzn.to/338IPAL. While a plant is a wonderful house warming gift, I also think they work for any occasion. Especially when they are the kind that people can’t kill. These are also good for pet owners since the pets won’t eat them.
3– Mug: https://amzn.to/34e1HzL. Since most people drink stuff, a mug always seems like a great idea. These come in different colors and shapes along with a gift set option.
4– Jewelry box: https://amzn.to/35rJjUh. It’s always nice to gift unique gifts, and while a box could seem boring, this one is far from that.
5–Hot sauce: https://amzn.to/35s2kGk. Even though I am a spice wimp, I know many people just love stuff like this!!
6– Dog hat: https://amzn.to/33bW0Bh. This cute baseball cap comes in 16 different colors for the dog lovers out there. Of course any cat lovers would get a kick out of this beanie.
7– Pillows: https://amzn.to/35pBXAI. Another gift that always fits and would work for almost everyone would be fun pillows. Granted, if this isn’t a print you love, make sure to check out the related items after you click over.
8– Burt’s bees: https://amzn.to/2XELZeC. Gift sets are always an easy item that seem to go over well. This one is good since we all have skin…LOL!
9–Funny Wine Socks: https://amzn.to/2qqr2YN. I’ve seen these before and they always make me chuckle. Not only do you get the socks, but also a wine coaster with this set.
10– Tote: https://amzn.to/2DajWdq. This tote may be meant for lunches and such, but as my mom has shown in the past, you can always get creative. I think this would be a perfect purse for your normal stuff too.
11–Dipping spice: https://amzn.to/2QIHKxi. To me, consumable gifts always seem helpful. This dipping spice container is wonderful for those who like to cook or have easy dips for bread.
12– Ferrero Rocher: https://amzn.to/2QHS2h6. We all know that candy is never a bad idea. This happens to be one of my husband’s favorites, so if you are looking to get him something….ha ha!!
13– Gift card: https://amzn.to/35o3xOK. I know many people HATE giving gift cards, but they are always useful. At least it won’t go to waste, or the regifting pile.
14– Tray: https://amzn.to/37qGkNT. This tray comes in 11 different colors and are something that can be useful for grouping like items on a counter.
15–Coffee Clock: https://amzn.to/2rdOF6W. And last but not least, how cute is this clock?
Tips for Buying Clothes on Amazon
Our Experiment
In our project to experiment with buying clothes on Amazon, we all ordered different kinds of items and had different experiences.
If you missed the posts previously this week, the experiment consisted of us shopping. Yet to make this more than just a “here’s what we ordered” kinds of posts, I added in some other qualifications
I had us compare the same kind of piece by ordering 2 like items through Amazon. I wanted one of the pieces to be higher priced and one to be lower priced. AND THEN, I wanted us to each order the same kind of piece from another online site.
What would this tell us? Well it might give you some insight into the true quality of Amazon and their deals especially compared with other sites. And this is coming from older women who may have more experience with clothing items.
Lesley started off with wanting to get a jumpsuit. She even went above and beyond my initial request and ordered 3 jumpsuits from Amazon and 2 from Macy’s.
My mom decided that her closet was missing a solid colored blue dress. She compared Amazon vs. Nordstrom Rack in her shopping.
Then I ended up looking for a silver pleated skirt and pink camo top. I certainly had some surprises when my merchandise was delivered.
Why Lesley Loves Amazon
Lesley has used Amazon for many items besides clothing in the past. When I asked her why, she reported that she could find items that were discontinued at her local stores. For example a certain color of lipstick or brand of makeup.
Because Amazon is a go between middle man for people selling things, there is a ton of options for almost anything you want. It only makes sense that the brick and mortar stores can only carry certain products at certain times due to limited space. This is one of the reasons Amazon is the best for so many people.
Insider tip: When you search for an item on Amazon, then you are also presented with similar items if you scroll down, in case you want something a little different, or at a better price.
Can you Get Quality Clothing on Amazon?
Of course you can. But let’s just say the adage of you get what you pay for is going to hold true on Amazon just like at other stores.
Those fabulous deals that many younger women rave about from Amazon, are usually from China, and the material can be (as Lesley says) cheezy. Along with the fact, that some of those “deals” can take weeks to be delivered. There was one silver pleated skirt that I was going to order that only cost $10, but it said it could take 3 weeks to get to me.
You also can’t always believe description for the material of the clothing you order. Both of my pink camo sweatshirts (one from Amazon and one from Shoptiques) were incorrect when I compared the description online to the real label in the item.
Insider tip: Make sure to check out the return policy before you even add it to your cart. You can’t tell quality from a photo and even if you usually love the brand, it could not be what you thought.
Another Insider tip: Thanks to Judy who sent me this link, some reviews are fake. Here’s how to spot a fake review.
Is Amazon the Best Deal?
I would have to say that NO, Amazon isn’t always the best deal. Does that mean you should spend the time looking elsewhere? That’s the million dollar question. Sometimes it’s definitely more convenient to order through Amazon when you are getting multiple items. Especially if you have Amazon Prime.
Then again, a penny saved is a penny earned. Maybe for the higher priced items, it would behoove you to do a quick Google search for that same item. If you are googling an item, don’t always look for the same brand name. I have learned that different brands will put their own label on items. So google the description of the item instead.
Insider tip: For other online stores, you can google “promo code for (blank) store.” Many times you can find some extra discounts that will save you money.
Are Returns Easy?
We didn’t keep all of the products we bought. I wanted to see how easy the returns were as part of the shopping process. Returning items is not a bad thing, and makes online shopping less risky. That’s why you should check out the return policy at ANY store before you click “add to cart.”
Most of our Amazon returns were super simple. We had the option to take them to our local Kohls to send them back. What is even better is that Kohl’s gives you a 25% off coupon to spend at their store with this return. I call that brilliant marketing, because of course we shopped around afterwards to use the coupon.
There was one Amazon purchase of Lesley’s that did not give her the option to return it to Kohls. She had to send it back by printing the return label and taking it to the post office.
Insider tip: ALWAYS keep the original packing envelope while you are decided whether to keep the item or not. It’s so much easier to send it back in what it came in.
Feel free to share the tips you’ve learned in your Amazon shopping both for clothing and other products!! I would love to learn more.
Photo credit: Rob Filogomo
Thank you
I appreciate all of your wonderful support and help, so thank you. If you have ever wondered what more you can do besides reading the blog, here are some ideas.
As my goal to show my appreciation for your support, I have started a FUN 411 feature to add some value to your day in most emails. Sometimes it’s a funny piece, sometimes is a great sale or trick! On top of that, there is a monthly giveaway for email subscribers only. Many times I also include some sneak peeks about what’s going on in our personal lives that I don’t share here on the blog. Just add your email address to the box that says email below.
Disclosure: some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Jodie’s Touch of Style gets a small commission at no extra cost to you. I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Please share, share and share wherever you can!! You can do this by saving an image to your Pinterest board or sharing this post on Facebook. Or send this post to your friend, and make sure they sign up for the emails.
