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AIBU

TO WONDER WHERE ALL THE CLOTHES ARE?

(29 Posts)
downnotout Sun 06-Feb-22 12:43:22

I see so many pop-up adverts that catch my eye with really lovely looking clothes but when I click on the link they inevitably take me to a site that is located in the far east. When I google the reviews for these sites they say 'do not buy from this company' 'scam' etc. But surely the pictures of the clothes in the orgininal adverts must exist somewhere? AIBR to think there must be a site selling the clothes as seen in the ad or AIBU and there is only ever a one-off of the clothes made specifically for the advert to lure you in?

lemsip Mon 07-Feb-22 15:37:03

a person who bought some of these advertised clothes was on Rip Off Britain.... showning what you actually get... a big warning.

M0nica Mon 07-Feb-22 15:28:13

You can stop all these ads by installing an ad blocker.

It is what I did when these ads started moving and flashing. When they were static it was alright, I could ignore them, but I have dyspraxia, which is more than being clumsy and cack-handed and once the ads started moving, I simply could not read what I wanted to see, because of the visual disturbance caused by them.

It was really easy to do and while some sites ask me to turn it off before I use their site, I can usally just find another site with the information I want.

glammanana Mon 07-Feb-22 11:06:25

A lot of the sizes on these websites are way off also,a friend sent for a really pretty dress a couple of years ago in a size 14UK and when it arrived she had trouble getting it to fit her 12yr old grand daughter also the seams where so badly sewn that it fell apart as she was unfolding it out of the packing it arrived in.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 07-Feb-22 11:01:03

I expect they do Caleo. The Chinese copy them from somewhere. The models look European from what little you can see of them, not Chinese.

Caleo Mon 07-Feb-22 10:08:25

I agree these Chinese designs appear very desirable, and I wonder why Europeans don't do designs like those.

Pyewacket1 Mon 07-Feb-22 07:13:40

Marydoll

Blossoming

No, not the same incident, I didn’t mean to sound like it was. smile

Blossoming, I think it happens more often than we know.
I didn't say anything, for a number of reasons, one being that posters would be very upset that they had been duped.

Completely unrelated to the thread, however, I was shocked when, in the days of AOL messenger (2000-04 ish), a friend of mine told me that someone else was using my photograph when chatting to men on the internet.

He forwarded the photo to me and, sure enough, it was a picture I was using on social media. It surprised me as I thought this sort of thing only happened to famous and/or beautiful people and I didn’t know whether to be offended, concerned or flattered at the time!

Now we know to protect our images a little more and I’m certainly more discerning about what I post, tending to stick to business content and very little personal stuff. As far as I’m aware it’s not happened to me since then.

Marydoll Mon 07-Feb-22 06:47:23

Blossoming

No, not the same incident, I didn’t mean to sound like it was. smile

Blossoming, I think it happens more often than we know.
I didn't say anything, for a number of reasons, one being that posters would be very upset that they had been duped.

Blossoming Mon 07-Feb-22 00:33:10

No, not the same incident, I didn’t mean to sound like it was. smile

Marydoll Mon 07-Feb-22 00:24:18

Blossoming, I don't think we are talking about the same incident.
I know exactly who and what you are talking about.

Bignanny2 Sun 06-Feb-22 23:53:29

Is it not possible to stop these ads from coming up ?‍♀️

Bignanny2 Sun 06-Feb-22 23:48:43

Yeah and I think I know the ads that you mean. Lovely looking clothes, but the reviews either say the orders didn’t arrive or were shabby goods of poor quality and as they came from overseas it was an arm and a leg to return them and those that did never got a refund. I always search companies these days before I buy. But I hadn’t thought of the reverse searching idea, that’s a good idea.

Blossoming Sun 06-Feb-22 23:24:22

^I did it once for photos on GN, which I was sure were not genuine. I was correct, they were stock photos from the internet.
I found it quite sad that someone felt they had to do that to be liked. I kept my own counsel on that one.^

Yes, same here, but as it was a troll using a murdered woman’s photo and pretending it was their own photo I warned genuine posters who were responding kindly and told GNHQ. The troll and thread were removed.

AreWeThereYet Sun 06-Feb-22 21:28:21

Blossoming One of the youtube sites I follow is by an expert in historical clothes, based in NewYork. She makes clothes for herself that are as close to the original as possible. She made a costume that was ripped off by a Chinese company, and advertised by using her own photo. Someone recognised the photo and told her about it. Out of curiosity she sent for one and then took great pleasure in ripping it apart on youtube and explaining what you get for your $40 and why hers cost so much more to make ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J80J4oaGVnY&t=783s

Marydoll Sun 06-Feb-22 20:30:14

Have a browse through Otrium's site. However, you do need patience, there is so much. They have a directory of brands to browse and often add an additional 15% discount.
www.otrium.co.uk

I have bought lots of Sandwich, Phase Eight and White pieces from them. They seem to be end of lines.
Hobbs and Gerry Weber clothes are sometimes to be found also.

There is a brand of shoe called Flexx. Comfort personified.

downnotout Sun 06-Feb-22 19:17:55

Yes I expect you are right. What you see is not always what you get. And getting great looking clothes for a fraction of the cost should make me realise something is dodgy. Back to M&S then (I'll look out for East tho annodomini wink

Marydoll Sun 06-Feb-22 15:40:18

Google reverse image.

Search for google images and you will see a task box. It is so easy to do.

If you see an image on the internet, copy the URL and paste into the text box.

You can also upload an image from your computer. I did it once for photos on GN, which I was sure were not genuine. I was correct, they were stock photos from the internet.
I found it quite sad that someone felt they had to do that to be liked. I kept my own counsel on that one.
Sometimes it is not advantageous to be tech savvy.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 06-Feb-22 15:36:02

Ever noticed that these sites don’t often show the model’s face?

annodomini Sun 06-Feb-22 15:34:14

The best on-line clothing company for outfits with the oriental look that some of these scammers display, is East. Their designs are beautiful and authentic, though a lot more expensive than you'd find in M&S. Keep an eye out for East's sales.

NotTooOld Sun 06-Feb-22 15:24:25

I know what you mean. I also see beautiful clothes in pop-up ads, stylish, colourful and of unusual design. I never order anything as they are usually so cheap it is obvious they are a scam but I agree - why can't MnS and others come up with these great designs instead of the boring stuff they produce?

M0nica Sun 06-Feb-22 15:04:27

I think the clothes usually exist, but if you buy them, the clothes you get are very poor quality and not at all what they look on the website. Pictures can be photoshopped to look much better than they are.

I think if British stores sold these clothes they would have to be the same quality as the pictures suggest and would probably therefore have to be much more expensive.

All these adverts are scams and cheats. If you buy a shirt that looks £100 but is priced at 100pnce (£1) then what you get will be worth 50p

Blossoming Sun 06-Feb-22 14:59:30

An acquaintance of mine, a professional costumier, had one of her photos stolen and used in one of these adverts, she decided to order the cheap copy and do a comparison and deconstruction. The results were hilarious, it obviously bore very little resemblance to the well made elegant garment it was pretending to be.

AreWeThereYet Sun 06-Feb-22 14:37:31

I know what you mean about the clothes being advertised - I've seen some gorgeous coats and dresses advertised that always turn out to be some far east company. I've yet to find similar designs on other sites. If only our chain stores actually sold some clothes like that instead of the boring stuff they do sell they might get more money out of me.

downnotout Sun 06-Feb-22 13:23:03

Blossoming Thank you for that tip. I will do that next time.
62Granny I too have been taken in and ordered without thinking and been sorely disappointed. Trying to return any goods is useless - the cost to return is higher than the original purchase!
I do sometimes 'copy and paste' the description of an item and paste it into Amazon to see if I can order on there - if there are reasonable delivery times, free delivery and free returns.

62Granny Sun 06-Feb-22 12:59:19

I have only once ordered from a site advert on FB, without doing a Google search for the website it was for some jewellery ( nothing expensive) but it was supposed to have healing Crystal type stones and thought a friend would like the earrings and I ordered a bracelet for myself was very disappointed, " Crystals" that were so tiny in the earrings and the bracelet was a long piece of leather type with some very fake crystal type stones that was impossible to put on as you had to tie it around your wrist. Luckily my bank account was not scammed but a few people I know have had this happen.

Blossoming Sun 06-Feb-22 12:54:08

You can load a photo into an image search app, such as Google or Tin Eye, and it will find all the websites the image appears on. Very useful if you suspect someone is impersonating another person or using a fake profile in places such as Facebook.