Beware Buying Ball Dresses Online

Beware ordering ball dresses and ball gowns online from China!

Recently we have heard from many unhappy girls who have not had a good experience with ordering their school ball dresses online coming from China in particular.

Most of the reports have been with the following problems;

Their school ball gowns not arriving in time before their ball despite ordering 3 to 4 months earlier and being promised they would arrive. This may have been due to Chinese New Year with most businesses closing down for several weeks over this celebration period.

Poor craftsmanship – ball dresses arriving with pulls in the fabric, severely puckered seams, holes and stains etc.

Ball dresses arriving – not looking like the photo of what they thought they were purchasing.  It appears these companies are using photos of designer ball gowns leading you to believe this is theor design and the actual dress you are ordering.

Below is an example of a ball dress ordered from China and the photo of the dress that arrived.
      

Clearly the dresses are not the same colour or even made from the same fabric.  The dress in the photo ordered from is peach chiffon with a silk under skirt. The ball dress received is a burnt orange satin, lined with a red cotton fabric and do not look anything like each other.

If you are going to order online from overseas;

Ask for references from previous customers.

Ask for photos of their work – not photos of the gowns they are going to try and make.

Allow time for delivery and have a backup ball dress or in case you don’t like what arrives.

Allow time for alterations in case the dress does not fit properly.

Take the photo of the dress you are wanting to order online to a local reputable dressmaker, or one of the Perth ball dress shops who offer a custom design service and get quotes from them to compare the prices, convenience, guarantees and craftsmanship.

Ordering from a business you know someone has used and dress you have seen.

Ask what guarantees they offer.

Ask what the return policy is.

There is an abundance of Perth ball dress shops catering for all budgets where you can buy new or recycled ball dresses or hire a ball gown.  Check out all your options before ordering a ball dress online from China.