Counterfeit Sites for prom and bridal gowns have become quite and issue in our industry over the past couple of years. These sites are typically Chinese based and they appear to carry the same gowns that are found in local stores. These sites steal the images from the US designers and try to manufacture the same dress for a lot less. The problem with this is, if/when the dresses arrives to the customer, they look nothing like what the customer thought they were ordering. We have seen these Chinese gowns first hand, and it almost looks like rags were sewn together to complete the gown. They’re awful! If you find a gown in a store and the site online is offering it for hundreds of dollars less, this should be a major red flag that this is a fake site! That saying, “if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is,” comes in to play here. Not only is the quality an issue, but a lot of customers don’t even receive the gown they ordered, and they also have a hard time getting their money back. The Prom and Bridal Association is doing a lot to try and regulate these sites. A lot of the designers and store owners have come together to shut down these sites. So, there is a chance in the time between purchasing online and them shipping the dress, the site will no longer exist.
Here are some links that list a lot of the counterfeit sites…
PROM:
http://www.toppromwebsites.com/knock-off-prom-dresses-list.html
BRIDAL:
http://www.bridalguide.com/blogs/bridal-buzz/counterfeit-wedding-gowns
Some tips when trying to decide whether to purchase in a store vs. online.
* If you order online and there is a problem, you don’t have a sales associate to speak with.
* If they advertise that the price is lower than the designers sites, there is reason.
* If you place an order online, you may not even receive the gown, therefore, you are scrambling close to the wear date for something else.
* The gown could be much less quality than the designers gown: cheaper fabrics, cheaper beading.
* If the site requires a lot of additional measurements, then you know they are making the gown. A store will only require your bust, waist and hips, to order the proper size.
