I do need to preface this by saying that my best friend’s friend was the one that told me everything to do with DHgate. I had only tried it once before I met her and I personally didn’t like it at all; and that was because I didn’t know how to work the platform. Now that I’ve got a hold of my shopping tips and tricks to find the right pieces, I feel as if I am ready to share them with y’all! Here’s a full DHgate shopping guide.
WARNING: Shop at DHgate at your own free will. It isn’t necessarily good to buy designer dupes and they may not come how you would like, or at all for that matter. Buy items at your own risk. Everything I talk about in this post is about my personal experiences and thoughts on the items I received for the price.
6 Steps to planning your shopping “trip”
When I go to make an order on DHgate, I like to go in with a plan. I have a list of items I would like to get off DHgate and a few that I would be semi interested in.
Since shopping on DHgate is sometimes tricky, in most cases, you’ll want to know the items you’re trying to search until you find a vendor you love. Once you find a vendor, most will have other similar items on their online storefront to shop within the same quality range. And, other vendors will allow you to inquire about pieces not on their storefront, yet they’re still about to make it.
Step 1: What items are you looking for?
Write down a list of items you’re searching for. Are you wanting a new Louis Vuitton bucket bag and a brown monogrammed wallet to match? Or even Gucci slides to complete your favorite everyday fit? Whatever it may be, keep a running list to start your search + branch out as you go.
Step 2: What is a simple way of putting it?
You can’t just get on DHgate and type in “Gucci flip flops” or “Louis Vuitton dupes.” You have to be a little sketchy about it. For instance, you would type in “bucket bag” vs “ Louis Vuitton Neonoe.” Since buying and selling dupe name brand items is bad, they can’t market it as a dupe or similar of that nature.
Once you’ve started to crack the code and find quality items you love, search their store for other items you want. For example, you found a bucket bag you love. Now search their site and see if you can find a quality monogram wallet that matches in style and quality.
Step 3: Once you find an item, do they have customer pictures?
Always, always look at the customer pictures. This will give you a great idea of what you’ll be getting in the mail. Look at the sticking, the color/logos, chains, and everything else that may be of importance for your item.
You can take this a step further and look up Youtube videos on “how to spot a fake [ITEM YOU’RE BUYING]” to see how close a dupe gets.
Step 4: What are their reviews?
Now, look at the reviews, and I mean really look at them. From the outside, a vendor could look like they have all 5 star reviews. But when you start reading them, you may find that the review comments are similar and could have been bought by botts.
If you can, find lengthy reviews that customers posted. Most longer reviews will share how happy or how unhappy a customer is with their purchase. If the items don’t have any reviews or pictures, I would stray away from purchasing from that listing. You have no idea what item you could receive, or even receive one at all.
Step 5: What is the overall shop rating?
Once you’ve analyzed their product page, take it to their vendor page. In most cases, DHgate will award vendors that have high ratings and high sales by giving them a badge at the top of their page. Go to their page and see what their overall rating is, if they have any awards, and anything else you may want to check out.
Step 6: If the coasts clear, how does your gut feel about it?
So, your vendor has checked all the boxes. You’re thinking of putting your card in and patiently awaiting your shipment. Before you do so, gut-check yourself. How are you feeling about the purchase? Do you think that you’ll receive it? And if so, are you okay with it being bad quality? This is something to consider as you spend your hard earned money on items that could disappoint or positively surprise you.
I also recommend keeping an eye on your card after you make a purchase. Personally, I will use a credit card vs a debit card to avoid overdraft fees if my card information is leaked. I have yet to have a negative purchasing experience happen via DHgate, but it’s always something to keep in mind.
Step 7: Then, test the waters one item at a time.
Now, don’t go all in and buy a million items on your first go-around. I would test the waters by waiting for your shipment to arrive and see if you genuinely love the items. If you do, great, start making more purchases if you choose. If you don’t, you may reconsider buying from the vendors you already bought from.
5 Things to keep in mind when ordering from DHgate
Before spending your money on DHgate, there are a few things I want you to know/keep in mind.
1. Research heavily before you buy (TikTok’s great for this)
Instead of doing the research yourself, you can find research posts laying it all out there for you; TikTok being my fav. You can open the TikTok app, search “DHgate finds,” and BOOM. You can find videos, reviews, and sellers that have high quality items without having to search too far for yourself.
2. Your items will take a while to arrive or not at all.
Most of the items I’ve bought off DHgate took months to get here. And there are a few items I never got. If you’re buying an item for an event you have in a month, I would reconsider. Items I’ve purchased took 2-3 months to get here. There was only one item I got that came in two weeks, mainly because it was a higher ticket item.
3. They could show up in worse, or better, quality than you thought.
Expect less. You can either be disappointed or pleasantly surprised by the quality of your items. I always research as heavily as I can before purchasing an item, but I still expect less. If it shows up how the pictures show it, amazing. If not, I am not disappointed with my purchase.
4. You may want to save for the real deal if you want it to last years.
If you’re looking for an item that you’re going to wear everyday, you might want to invest in the real deal. A good example is a Louis Vuitton tote bag. You wear totes to the airport, work, school, and even to places like the beach. If you’re putting heavy items in your bag day in and day out, you’re going to need high quality items to survive the exposure.
Pick and choose which items you think you will wear the most and go from there. A seasonal fashion bag may make more sense to get off DHgate, while your work tote may not.
5. Collaborate on DHgate finds (if you can)
Find a group to collaborate on items you’ve purchased. You could start with your friend group; start a group chat to see which items turned out and which didn’t. My friend group has done this and we love it! Plus, we are such bag lovers that it’s interesting to us to see all our finds collaboratively.
Outside of a friend group, you could find influencers that share their findings. Blogs, TikTok, and Instagram is a great place to start.
Happy DHgate shopping! You’ll have to let me know via the comments, Instagram, or even TikTok, on how your purchases went. Excited for y’all on your new findings!
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