10 Legit Sites for Online Fashion Shopping

What is online fashion?

Online fashion is a form of e-commerce over the internet where you can directly buy clothes and apparel from the seller. Shopping online has become more of a necessity than an option for people due to the effects of the recent pandemic. This also led to a rise in scams and frauds, with more sophisticated ways of cheating people off their money.

Compared to retail shopping, online fashion allows consumers to buy goods in the comfort of their home. Consumer data company Statista estimates that the online fashion market size would grow to $1 trillion by 2025, from the current $664.5 billion in 2020. So even if 1% of online shoppers get scammed, the losses would run in hundreds of millions!

Risks of buying clothes online

Online fashion stores offer a wider range of products, allow shopping from a computer or mobile, and most importantly increase the consumer reach for brands. But they are not without any loopholes and issues. Here are some of the bad experiences shared by shoppers:

• You may receive counterfeit goods and low-quality products than what was promised
• Online shoppers often face issues with apparel size
• Fashion stores often face issues with payments and late deliveries
• At times the product may never arrive, or the seller may deny a refund or returns
• And last but not the least, users often fall victim to identity and credit card theft on shopping websites

How to avoid online fashion scams and fraud

Fraud and scams can put a stopper on the joy of shopping, and more so around the holiday season when you want to buy gifts for your family and friends. You don’t have to be extremely diligent when shopping online, but if you keep in mind the following points, we can vouch that you will be safe.

• Check the product description and cross-check it with the display image
• Always opt for cash on delivery or payment after delivery if you are apprehensive about the seller
• Do not be wooed by flashy and colorful images of products
• Look for money back guarantee, return and exchange policies of the seller
• Site security (lock in the address bar) is a good measure of online safety, but can also provide a false sense of security as scammers too can encrypt their websites
• Always verify the credentials, address, and contact details of the online store. Avoid shopping on unknown online shops without checking user reviews online. You can use ScamAdviser to check for reviews.
• Use a credit card or PayPal for payment, as they have more fraud-protection measures than a debit card
• Be careful when doing online shopping as scammers may trick you by impersonating popular brands. Double-check the URL before making the payment.
• Never pay using gift cards, cryptocurrency, money orders, or wire transfers as there is no way to recover your money if you get scammed

10 Legit Online Fashion Shopping Sites

Here we list some of the popular names in men’s fashion and women’s fashion, and the average number of visitors they get every month. Please note that these companies may not provide their services in every country.

Website Name	Average Monthly Traffic
Trendyol	200 million
Zara	100 million
Shein	80 million
H&M	118 million
Nike	149 million
ASOS	65 million
Uniqlo	53 million
Macy's	63 million
Gap	45 million
Myntra	37 million

Trendyol

Trendyol.com, briefly Trendyol, is the leading e-commerce platform in Turkey, with headquarters located in Istanbul. Trendyol was founded in 2010 to make fashion accessible for everyone. More than 1 million packages per day are delivered to customers in numerous categories such as fashion, electronics, home and furniture, mother-kids, and cosmetics. Trendyol app downloaded more than 45 million times and has over 30 million customers.

Zara

Zara SA, stylized as ZARA, is a Spanish apparel retailer based in Spain. The company specializes in fast fashion, and its products include clothing, accessories, shoes, swimwear, beauty, and perfumes. It is the largest company in the Inditex group, the world's largest apparel retailer. 

Shein

Shein (styled as SHEIN) is a Chinese online fast fashion retailer founded in 2008. The company is known for its affordably priced apparel. TikTok plays a large role in driving customers to the company website due to a TikTok trend of bulk buying clothes from Shein and presenting Shein clothes to their audience like a standard haul video. On May 17, 2021, the number of Shein’s app downloads surpassed those of Amazon.

H&M

H&M is a Swedish multinational clothing company headquartered in Stockholm. It is known for its fast-fashion clothing for men, women, teenagers, and children. As of November 2019, H&M operates in 74 countries with over 5,000 stores under various company brands, with 126,000 full-time equivalent positions. It is the second-largest global clothing retailer, behind Spain-based Inditex (parent company of Zara). The company makes its online shopping available in 33 countries.

Nike

Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world.

ASOS

ASOS plc is a British online fashion and cosmetic retailer. The company was founded in 2000 in London, primarily aimed at young adults. The website sells over 850 brands as well as its own range of clothing and accessories, and ships to all 196 countries from fulfillment centers in the UK, USA, and Europe. 

Uniqlo

Uniqlo Co., Ltd. is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer, and retailer. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. As of 31 August 2021, the company reported that 2,312 Uniqlo stores were operational worldwide.

Macy's

Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain founded in 1858. As of 2015, Macy's was the largest U.S. department store company by retail sales. JANA Partners, an activist investment firm, disclosed a large stake in Macy's in 2021, with the goal of spinning off the company's online business.

Gap

The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap (stylized as GAP), is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. The company operates six primary divisions: Gap (the namesake banner), Banana Republic, Old Navy, Intermix, Hill City, and Athleta. Gap Inc. is the largest specialty retailer in the United States, and is 3rd in total international locations, behind Inditex Group and H&M.

Myntra

Myntra is a major Indian fashion e-commerce company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. By 2012, Myntra offered products from 350 Indian and International brands. In May 2014, Myntra.com was acquired by Flipkart.

Be careful when doing online shopping as scammers may trick you by impersonating popular brands. Double-check the URL before making the payment.

Source: Wikipedia