I do want to talk about something very important when making any kind of online purchase but particularly one with the replica industry. It's a lengthy topic and is open to a lot of discussion and you can find that discussion on hundreds of blogs. My topic of the day is ALWAYS KNOW what potentially you have to lose when you order from a replica site.
And more specifically, my advice is that when you are shopping from
any site online, replica or not, always read the policies on returns, exchanges, stocking fees, return shipping fees, etc. Even the big stores like Sears, Target, etc. have return policies and procedures that you must follows.
I'll use my site as an example, only because I know that return policy best and because I can only speak for myself and my own experiences that I have encountered while running a replica handbag business.
After I explain, what I believe to be a fairly reasonable return/exchange policy, I'll use other sites as reference and point out some loop holes that you want to stay away from.
So here goes. This is taken word for word from my soon to be live website. It is a collection of my own experiences as a seller
and as a buyer mixed with frustrations as both buyer and seller :
Returns and Exchanges:
I'm very glad you have clicked on this link. It means you are an informed shopper! Just Like The Real Thing! (herein the "Company") has a guarantee that has been written by lawyers and simplified by me. The guarantee is straightforward. You have 10 days from the date of receipt to decide if you want to keep the handbag(s), or return it for either a FULL refund or an exchange for another item on the website.
Refunds:
- If you decide to return the handbag(s), it must be returned in the ORIGINAL condition that it was sent to you, along with all the components that were also sent including, but not limited to the dust bag, certificate of authencity, any padlocks and keys, any trinkets, charms or gadgets that came with the handbag, any straps, and any other item that was in the original package that was shipped to you. The handbag must not be used or damaged in any way. Used or damaged products cannot be returned to the factory in Asia and therefore cannot be refunded nor exchanged by the Company. Any items returned to the Company f a used or damaged in any state will be documented and returned to the buyer with a detailed written explanation as to why a return and/or exchange is not possible.
- Every product that leaves the Company is checked for quality and any possible defects to ensure your satisfaction. To keep the integrity of the products sold on this site and to protect any prospective buyers, the Company photographs every package that is shipped out, including the EXACT condition and make of the item(s), the method in which the item(s) is wrapped and/or packaged, and as well, the shipping papers pertaining to the item(s). This ensures that what the Company sends out is EXACTLY what is then returned to the Company for a refund and/or exchange. [Note to readers of this blog: There is a reason for this extra step. While there are a lot of scam sites out there, there are also scam customers. These customers will intentionally buy a high end replica, valuing at least $200.00USD and then surreptitiously try to return a lower end $50.00USD replica handbag bought from another site.]
- If you decide to return a product, please contact me at info@justliketherealthing.net or give me a call to obtain the return address. All returns must have a postal tracking number and that tracking number must be sent to me once the product is shipped. Packages returned to the Company without a tracking number that are then subsequently "lost in the mail" will not receive a refund. Please protect yourself and your money by obtaining a tracking number at the time of shipping.
- The cost to return an item is solely the buyer's. If you are located in Canada or the US the average cost is about $15-$20.00USD to return the handbag to the Company's Toronto address.
Exchanges:
- Just like the policy for the refunds, Points 1, 2 3 and 4 apply;
- Like the initial shipment from the Company, there is no shipping fee to send out an exchanged item from the Company;
- A tracking number will be sent to the email address you provided once an exchange is shipped from the Company;
Okay that's a lot to take in but there are some very important points here:
- When I shopped replicas, my greatest fear was that I was gonna get ripped off. Never mind the other fear which was I was going to get a piece of junk, I was more worried that I was going to pay into a scam and never see my money again. Never see a handbag and never be able to do anything about it. Part of my fear was that I was dealing with a company that clearly was not in Canada or the US and so reporting to any kind of authorities was going to have no recourse or resolve for me.
- My other fear was that if the item shipped to me was junk, then the return process was going to be such a hassle. The company was going to give me a hard time, play dumb and pretend they never got the item and therefore not refund my money once I sent the item back, etc.
Point 1 is an easy one to investigate. Do some research. Google the company. If you see A LOT of bad reviews or comments written, RUN, SISTER, RUN. Now, be objective. No company can please every customer EVERY time. So expect to see some customers with bad reviews, just not EVERY customer. If you read the reviews, you'll be able to differentiate authentic problems inherent to the company from the genuine whiners. I'm sorry to sound so harsh but it's a reality of owning a business, working with people and human nature. No matter what, some people are never satisfied. I have an aunt like this. She is unhappy if I cook dinner for family get togethers because it's not "authentic" enough, AND she is unhappy if she has to cook dinner for everyone, because she is once again put out. There is no middle ground with her. And no matter how good of a cook I become, she is never going to admit that I have made a meal as good as her. And no matter how much we ask her to take it easy and not cook, she will do the cooking, grumbling about never getting any rest! I think we all have this person in our families! Well, all businesses are familiar with this same kind of person as a customer.
Point 2 is a bit more difficult. Quality, replication and "general awesomeness" are
subjective attributes on a product. What might be the greatest Chanel replica in the world to one person may just be "pretty good" to someone else. There is no winning on this. Clearly, a piece of junk is a piece of junk. I'm not talking about those replicas. I'm talking about the good ones. It's hard no matter how good the replica is to get everyone's consensus on it.
For that reason, you have to do your research and see who is offering a) a high end replica and b) if it is not high end enough for YOU,
whatever those standards may be, then what do YOU have to do to return the product back to the company and get your money back. You have to go back and ask yourself, what exactly do I have to lose in both TIME and MONEY if this transaction is a dud?
And in the case of my site, it's about $20.00USD in return shipping fees to send the package back to me.
I know I sound biased about *my site* but I'm really not trying to be, and it's really not my objective here. What I am trying to convey to you is what any good site would require of you. And that is an understanding of *your* potential costs/losses when you're buying a product them them. This is one of the MAIN tools you need to evaluate when you're buying replica ANYTHING online. So think about it. Potentially losing $20.00USD is not bad, especially since you took this HUGE leap of faith, trusted someone, made an informed decision, and bought a replica handbag online. If you turn out to be disappointed with your purchase, you know full well you can return the item, and at the end of the day you lose $20.00 in return shpping fees.
Man, I wish some of my pre-marriage relationships with men came with that kind of assurance! I'd be out like $100.00 for all my duds! No drama. No yelling. No screaming "I hate you"! Awesome!
Now at some other sites, which appear shady to me, I have read, in their broken English sentences, that they only do returns with the following conditions::
a) if you decide you don't want a replica handbag which basically translates to you don't like their replicas (Good luck trying to tell them it's not authentic enough);
b) they charge you restocking fee sometimes as high as 25% of the cost of the handbag!;
c) they give you 5-7 days to make a return or exchange, sometimes from the date
shipped (read carefully);
d) you
definitely have to pay for shipping back to the company, which is often located in Asia, which translates to very high shipping fees; and lastly as some people have noticed,
e) once your package is returned to the company, tracking number or not, some scam sites will state they never got your returned package.
So let's do the math. You buy a Chanel 2.55 Classic Flap for, let's say, $250USD from a site you don't know. You didn't read the return policy as well as you should have and now you decide you want a refund. I'm using Canada Post rates here but right off the hop, you have to pay at least $50-$70USD to ship it back to the company in Asia. You have to use a premium postal service because if you use the Slow Boat service, you won't get it back in their 5-7 day return policy.
So right now you're out roughly $320USD. You get your $100.00 insurance maximum because more insurance costs more $$! Several weeks go by and you hear nothing. You see no money returned on your card. You contact the company through a series of emails. Some sites even have phone numbers. Don't be fooled by thinking those sites are more "sophisticated". The phone number is often a recorded message. When you do finally get in touch with the company, they now say that they never received the item back. Your tracking number says they the package was delivered. You go to Canada Post to dispute this. Canada Post will tell you point blank that there is nothing they can do. They will tell you the package was delivered and that they did their part of the job. End of discussion with Canada Post. By now you have spent about 2-3 weeks chasing people all over the world for this package. Fun!
You also have a few more grey hairs and you're still out about $320.00USD.
I know what you're thinking. That you'd call your credit card company and they'd take care of it for you. Remember this whole economic slump? Remember why it happened? Credit card companies have really tightened the belt on those kinds of write offs. Credit card companies cannot help you if you shipped a product out and the company says they never got it. There is very little the credit card company can do. Maybe if you get an agent who is really willing to help you and is totally compassionate, you might get a refund in about 4-6 weeks. But the company on the other side will show papers that they sent you product, and technically they did, and that you never returned it. Can you see how messy this is getting? It quickly becomes one of those he said she said scenarios.
The credit card company
may in the end take your side. It really depends on the company these days. The wrong attitude here is that placing one call to the credit card companies will resolve everything.
Folks, in the end, you're all smart cookies. The best advice I can give you is to
always read the return/exchange policy and to
always do the math. Always ask yourself, what your TRUE cost/loss of ordering from a site will be and use that tool to weigh against other sites.
Happy Safe Shopping Everyone!
It's the Louis Vuitton Beverly GM. This might very well be my everyday GO TO bag. The detailing on this bag is impeccable. This is a close up of the buckle. 
