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Before You Buy That Wedding Dress Directly From China

by: bridalgownz( 1100Feedback score is 1000 to 4,999) Top 1000 Reviewer
6 out of 8 people found this guide helpful.


 You need to read this!!


You CANNOT buy a designer wedding dress for 91 cents.

  If you believe that you can get "THE DRESS" on Ebay for 91 cents plus a couple hundred dollars or more in shipping,  you  are going to have problems and stress.  Its a guarantee.

You absolutely can't make a dress of any kind for 91 cents, let alone a wedding dress.  Some wedding dresses have in excess of ten yards of fabric, plus interlining and lining.  That's 30 years of fabric, which puts the fabric alone at 3 cents a yard assuming you are paying 91 cents.   Bridal fabric normally starts at $20 a yard for inexpensive fabric.  Add laces, beading, zipper, boning, sewing notions, crinoline, pattern making, labor and gee, it sounds like such a bargain,  but is it?

NOOOOOOOOOO.  You will pay excessive shipping charges.  You will get a cheaply made dress. I've seen several.  Recently I had a bride bring one into the bridal salon and it looked nothing like the photo. She was hysterical.  Her dress was shoddily made of cheap fabric and not satin as stated in the listing.  It  had no boning so it wouldn't stay up.  The hand beading was a mess.  It was glued on big yellowed sequins on a white dress.  It was a piece of junk.  The bride was stressed out of her mind.  We couldn't fix it, she got what she paid for.   Did she deserve it?  Of course not, that's why you need to educate yourself.

These sellers use legitimate manufacturers photos of a dress.  Do you ever see a photo of THEIR dress in the listing?   You can't expect to get a Brand A dress unless you buy a Brand A dress.

You will be dealing with a language barrier. You will be dealing with a culture difference.  You will be dealing with someone who does not do business like we do in the USA.   How do I know?  I've had some very unsuccessful business dealings due to language and business practices.  I've been selling wedding dresses for 30 years and I've watch the industry move from the US to the far east. I've seen manufacturers come and go.  There is no way as an experienced bridal buyer that I would ever put those cheap dresses in my salon.  I get emails every day from China asking to make a private line of dresses for me.  NO WAY.  If I can't see the quality, feel the fabric, see the fit and construction, I'm not buying. 

Yes, it is a fact that most wedding gowns are made in China.  But they are NOT made in the factories that are advertising the cheap prices.   Most of the major bridal manufacturers own their own factories.  They have complete control over the product they deliver.   They don't contract to these factories you see on E bay.   If these independent factories were busy, do you think that they'd sell their products for nothing? 

Here is some feedback pulled from random dress sites that illustrates my point:
The dress was not the same as that on the model
No good. Had no boning in. Wouldn't stay up! Too big. Measurements given.
Dress made incorrect. Language barrier. Offered to fix at my shipping expense.

DON'T BE STUPID!  As Dr Phil says, you can't take back stupid.  If you think you are only wasting 91 cents, think again.  You are paying a lot in shipping.  If you need to ship the dress back, you pay again.   Figure out $150 times 3 shipments..dress shipped to you, you ship back to China and back to you is $450.00.    For $450, you can buy a decent wedding dress in a salon or on Ebay and KNOW what you are getting.   Add stress and the price is not worth it!!   You get what you pay for!

Please read my  guide: Buyer-Beware-Ebay-Wedding-Dresses-Buy-Smart .  It will explain how these sellers steal the pictures of the manufacturers gowns to let you think you are getting the same dress.  You are not.




Guide ID: 10000000004633882Guide created: 11/05/07 (updated 08/23/08)

 
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bridalgownz
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