Shein scams (5 scams to watch out for)
Shein is a popular fast fashion site with an estimated $10 billion in revenue in 2020. But is Shein a scam? How was the site used to perpetuate other scams?
Well, here are five Shein scams to watch out for, what you can do if you end up being scammed by the company, and how to avoid becoming a victim.
Shein scams in 2022
1. Shein scam about refunds
Many customers claim their refunds are victims of Shein’s scam.
Most of the stories involved customers returning goods within a reasonable time frame, but never receiving a refund.
One person on Trust Pilot wrote: “I have returned a box of clothes to Shein, that was almost a month ago and still no refund.”
“That’s over $200 worth of clothes and I have nothing.”
Another commenter wrote: “I agreed to a refund after returning a bunch of clothes but they just ignored me and didn’t respond to my messages…”
A third commenter wrote: “Requested to return it, and after half a month, no recovery, naturally my refund was not activated.”
Another complaint was that Shein didn’t have an email address to contact anyone directly, leaving customers in limbo.
2. Shein scam about clothing quality
Some customers found Shein to be a scam because the company sold clothes of poor quality.
If you look at the pictures on the website, everything looks beautiful – the fabric is vibrant and luxurious and the fit is perfect.
The reality is that Shein is a fast fashion company. Clothes are inexpensive to make, and the fabrics are never 100% cotton or other high-end materials.
In general, some works are better than others. So my best advice to you is to read the reviews and don’t buy anything that doesn’t have a strong reviews section.
Reviewers take their reviews without reservation, so let them guide you; not only in quality, but also in fit.
3. Shein scam about sweatshops
Some customers called Shein a scam because the clothes were so poor quality that they had to be made in sweatshops. Unfortunately, this is true.
Evie magazine reported that Swiss investigative group Public Eye found truly disturbing practices when they visited Chinese factories that make clothing.
From workers taking just one day off a month, to some employees being paid on a project-by-project basis, the exploitative practices at the Shein factory are not groundless—they are real.
4. Shein clothes used to deceive unsuspecting customers
Fashion boutiques are ubiquitous on Instagram, targeting women of all shapes and sizes.
However, when a woman paid $80 for an outfit at a high-end Instagram boutique, she was surprised by the labels on the clothes.
They come from Shein and are likely to be sold on the site for a fraction of the price women pay to Instagram boutiques.
When the woman contacted the company to ask about the Shein label, the boutique responded, “I have a wholesale license and we can buy from anywhere and resell…”
“Shein is a wholesale site,” the message read.
While Shein is indeed a wholesaler, it is totally unethical for other companies to sell these cheap garments made of inferior fabrics for two to three times their original price.
5. Shein $750 Gift Card Scam
A $750 gift card to Shein would go a long way because the price is so cheap.
However, if you see an ad on social media asking you to claim a free $750 Shein gift card, you may be wondering if this is a scam.
Well, it’s not quite, but you have to jump through quite a few hoops to get your gift card.
The company offering the free gift card is FlashRewards.co, a “UK-based rewards site” that pays you to complete a sponsorship deal.
You can earn rewards by signing up for free trials or new subscriptions and services, downloading games and apps, and completing games.
Also, some transactions are not free. Instead, you have to pay to complete them, which can cost you up to $100.
From the comments on Reddit, the site does appear to pay once you’ve made the necessary 20 transactions, but some people have problems with the site accounting for their transaction completion.
However, you could be wasting weeks or even months on these games and you’re signing up for a trial they want you to forget to cancel.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether Shein has a store, whether Shein delivers on weekends, and where Shein clothes are made.
in conclusion
Shein is one of the most popular fast fashion sites on the internet, although their lack of customer service and slow refunds have led some to label it a scam.
Also, by taking advantage of Shein’s popularity, other sites monetize by hanging carrots (in this case, a $750 gift card) that may or may not end up paying.
