Shein clothing - what's it like?

Gym&Tonic · Feb 20, 2023

I don’t think its fair to attack people who buy from Shein, as for many it’s all they can afford if they want to look stylish on a budget. Same goes for Primark. In an ideal world we’d all buy from ethical brands and charity shops but ethical brands tend to be very expensIve and unless you live in an affluent area charity shops are crap.
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I don’t think its fair to attack people who buy from Shein, as for many it’s all they can afford if they want to look stylish on a budget. Same goes for Primark. In an ideal world we’d all buy from ethical brands and charity shops but ethical brands tend to be very expensIve and unless you live in an affluent area charity shops are crap.

Folkevermore · Feb 20, 2023

Gym&Tonic said:
I don’t think its fair to attack people who buy from Shein, as for many it’s all they can afford if they want to look stylish on a budget. Same goes for Primark. In an ideal world we’d all buy from ethical brands and charity shops but ethical brands tend to be very expensIve and unless you live in an affluent area charity shops are crap.
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I don’t think its fair to attack people who buy from Shein, as for many it’s all they can afford if they want to look stylish on a budget. Same goes for Primark. In an ideal world we’d all buy from ethical brands and charity shops but ethical brands tend to be very expensIve and unless you live in an affluent area charity shops are crap.

Is looking stylish really worth it to support companies like this though?

My budget is pretty tight; all of my clothes are second hand (from vinted/eBay/depop) and they’re still better quality than shein.

Obviously there are some things you have to buy new (socks and underwear) but you wouldn’t get them from shein anyway.

I also know so many people who say they can’t afford nicer things, but they buy new clothes all the time. Mindful consumption is so important, even if you can’t afford more sustainable things. The sheer quantities that shein produces and sells doesn’t suggest their customer base are mindfully consuming at all.

Tinkerbell cat · Feb 20, 2023

I quite like shein and have bought loads from it. I always check reviews before buying something and I do tend to size up.

willbiteback · Feb 20, 2023

It’s fast fashion, not investment clothing. The groomsmen at a wedding I attended recently wore tropical shirts from there and it was cute and affordable. My one caveat is that because it is very affordable, their sizing tends to run small. I’d order one size up and have fun with something trendy.

Bigkittyx · Feb 20, 2023

Honestly, I’ve always had a great experience with SHEIN. First time ever I ordered my 6 yo last week and the stuff was amazing, I love it

Black.bird · Feb 20, 2023

I bought a couple of little black dresses and they're fantastic! They're made of polyester which isn't my first choice, but they're lined and the cut and style are both gorgeous. All up, including shipping, I paid NZ$23, and they arrived within five days. I checked the reviews before I bought (all excellent), and didn't size up as a lot of the reviews stated that the fit was bang-on.

I'd love to buy 'ethically made' fashion but I'm very careful with how I spend money.

ShadesMint · Feb 20, 2023

Hit and miss. I've had beautiful dresses from there but also tried on a pair of jeans and the button fell off before I could touch it because it hadn't been stitched in properly.

laughing · Feb 20, 2023

I buy Shein, I don't buy lots of clothes because they are cheap, I buy because I need clothes.

Always read the reviews.
Never had a problem with any of the clothes

MinnieMaus · Feb 20, 2023

For me, it’s been the only place I can buy plus size clothes that aren’t knee length, cold shoulder, floral print smocks

Usually only a couple of plus size items in any given charity shop. Would love to shop more ethically but I haven’t found a decent alternative yet.

theweekend · Feb 21, 2023

If you're buying only second hand/charity shop/sustainable clothing then very well done and fair enough, point taken. Thing is, most people that criticise SHEIN are the ones that buy from ASOS and H&M thinking that's somehow better? Like..?? It's the same. As in the exact same items, from either the same factory or the same sort of factory except 5x the price.

Also, SHEIN is just a Chinese wholesaler that now sells direct. Yes they list thousands of products per week but (correct me if I'm wrong) the brand isn't commissioning these items themselves, it's just the same Chinese tat that's been in circulation for yonks and people happily buy from eBay, Amazon, and everywhere else (again for 5x the price). People simply don't want to criticise the Chinese manufacturing industry as a whole because they know the high street retailers they buy from fall into that bracket. SHEIN could disappear tomorrow and the problem would still be the same, so unless you're buying sustainable or designer then you should really shop from there instead and save yourself a bit of dollar tbh.

Folkevermore · Feb 21, 2023

theweekend said:
If you're buying only second hand/charity shop/sustainable clothing then very well done and fair enough, point taken. Thing is, most people that criticise SHEIN are the ones that buy from ASOS and H&M thinking that's somehow better? Like..?? It's the same. As in the exact same items, from either the same factory or the same sort of factory except 5x the price.

Also, SHEIN is just a Chinese wholesaler that now sells direct. Yes they list thousands of products per week but (correct me if I'm wrong) the brand isn't commissioning these items themselves, it's just the same Chinese tat that's been in circulation for yonks and people happily buy from eBay, Amazon, and everywhere else (again for 5x the price). People simply don't want to criticise the Chinese manufacturing industry as a whole because they know the high street retailers they buy from fall into that bracket. SHEIN could disappear tomorrow and the problem would still be the same, so unless you're buying sustainable or designer then you should really shop from there instead and save yourself a bit of dollar tbh.

Shein actually do commission their own clothing, and have things very quickly produced in small quantities (batches of a few hundred) to see if they sell well. They also produce 20x as many new items and styles as all other clothing brands, leading to a lot more waste.

SHEIN Is Infamously Exploitative—and It Might Be Worse Than You Think - Good On You

There are many dark sides to SHEIN’s rapid growth. We investigate the known evidence and tell you why it might be even worse than you think.

goodonyou.eco

HoGi · Feb 21, 2023

Folkevermore said:
Shein actually do commission their own clothing, and have things very quickly produced in small quantities (batches of a few hundred) to see if they sell well. They also produce 20x as many new items and styles as all other clothing brands, leading to a lot more waste.

SHEIN Is Infamously Exploitative—and It Might Be Worse Than You Think - Good On You

There are many dark sides to SHEIN’s rapid growth. We investigate the known evidence and tell you why it might be even worse than you think.

goodonyou.eco

Isn't the point of the small runs that if it doesn't sell they don't order any more so they don't have as much waste as say boohoo ordering 10,000 of a dress that never sells?

Folkevermore · Feb 21, 2023

HoGi said:
Isn't the point of the small runs that if it doesn't sell they don't order any more so they don't have as much waste as say boohoo ordering 10,000 of a dress that never sells?

In theory, however the problem is a lot of this excess stock goes to waste, and results in them producing significantly more excess textiles than other fast fashion companies. A lot more of their stuff goes straight to landfill.

veevee04 · Feb 21, 2023

I have gone through many sizes because of weight loss , I have bought shein and vinted. When I'm done clothes don't fit I resell on vinted. The jeans the quality matches newlook etc I haven't really noticed a difference. I'm guessing shein already produces a lot of their garments for ASOS , newlook topshop etc. It cuts out the middle man. Unless you buy handmade British clothes there's always going to be some underpaid person making them. I try to source from vinted if I can't find an item I like I will look to buy new.

slmapg · Feb 21, 2023

Honestly, you get what you pay for, poor quality, doesn’t last, lose shape, doesn’t wash well, not always nice material, threading comes away, just some of the things I’ve experienced. Why don’t you have a look on vinted for some better quality bits.

HoGi · Feb 21, 2023

slmapg said:
Honestly, you get what you pay for, poor quality, doesn’t last, lose shape, doesn’t wash well, not always nice material, threading comes away, just some of the things I’ve experienced. Why don’t you have a look on vinted for some better quality bits.

I disagree. The quality is no worse than a lot of high street retailers.

I have had dresses from shein for 4+ years, worn regularly and they still look good as new. I have had items that cost a lot more and they pucker or bobble after one or two wears.

And vinted isn't a viable option for everyone. You can't try things on and return if they dont fit and the customer service when something goes wrong is shocking. Yes you can resell if it doesn't fit but who has the time or money for that?

Glaschelle · Feb 21, 2023

When I was growing up, my mum was a single parent and we had no money. I mean I had my school uniform, bought with the DSS grant, some trousers and jumpers that was it. My clothes were either christmas gifts or hand me downs from family and friends.

It's mortifying to know you're so poor you can't buy new clothes. I'm NEVER buying second hand clothes. No matter how much you wash them, they'll always have that smell.

My contribution towards saving the planet is not having kids. So I'll continue to buy clothes from Shein and Primark.

As people have said, I usually buy a size up.

Marks and Spencer are the shop were you pay more but the quality is no longer there.

HoGi · Feb 21, 2023

Glaschelle said:
When I was growing up, my mum was a single parent and we had no money. I mean I had my school uniform, bought with the DSS grant, some trousers and jumpers that was it. My clothes were either christmas gifts or hand me downs from family and friends.

It's mortifying to know you're so poor you can't buy new clothes. I'm NEVER buying second hand clothes. No matter how much you wash them, they'll always have that smell.

My contribution towards saving the planet is not having kids. So I'll continue to buy clothes from Shein and Primark.

As people have said, I usually buy a size up.

Marks and Spencer are the shop were you pay more but the quality is no longer there.

I have dresses from shein that cost £15 and dresses from M&S that cost £40 and there is hardly any difference!

Tinkerbell cat · Feb 21, 2023

I’ve got lots of different stuff from shein - dresses, tops, skirts, jackets, pj’s and they’ve all washed really well. I wear most of it regularly too. I’ve bought more expensive stuff in the past and the quality’s been shite which has been disappointing.

Pesky Tarian · Feb 22, 2023

Possibly not the right thread but my daughter has the shein app on her tablet anyway yesterday I gave in and bought her a few necklaces/ decor bits but when I went to amend something the app has remembered my PayPal password.

I cannot see where to change this . Do any seasoned users know where this is in the settings? ... before I end up with 1000 mini sushi ornaments