My Experience Ordering from Questionable Online Retailer Shop In Well Store

Summer is coming...

With summer right around the corner, I was eagerly scouring the internet for cute and affordable dresses to wear during the warm weather months. One store that caught my eye while browsing social media was Shop In Well Store. Featuring flowing floral prints and feminine silhouettes reminiscent of my favorite boutique brands, their listings showed dresses priced well under $50. Having struggled to find similarly styled options at brick-and-mortar stores for under $100, Shop In Well Store seemed like it could be my summer wardrobe savior - if it was legit.

As an avid online shopper, I've come to learn that not every retailer is as reputable as they seem. Some exist solely to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. Others struggle with fulfilling orders properly due to various issues behind the scenes. Wanting to vet Shop In Well Store before making any purchases, I began digging deeper into the company. However, very little substantive information was readily available.

The storefront looked professionally designed, featuring bright photos of dresses, rompers, and other items against white or natural backgrounds. Product descriptions were brief yet accurate in conveying style and fabrication details. Most listings were priced between $30-50, falling well below comparable styles from high-end brands. This naturally raised a red flag, making the low costs seem almost too good to be true.

I reverse image searched some of the photos only to find they had been stolen straight from prominent boutique brands' websites. While dropshipping and private labeling are common e-commerce tactics, stealing creative assets builds distrust. It implies Shop In Well Store has no inventory of their own and simply resells items from elsewhere, potentially at inflated markups. But are customers even receiving the real products shown?

Lack of Online Presence Raises Suspicions

Next, I attempted to uncover reviews from past customers or learn more about the founders and history of the business. However, no meaningful information could be sourced beyond their barebones website. Searching their name across review sites, social platforms, and online directories turned up nothing. For a store actively advertising, this complete lack of online presence seemed suspect.

Legitimate retailers usually have at least a few reviews from real customers posted somewhere. An about or contact page helps establish trust by introducing leadership and sharing company values or community involvement. But Shop In Well Store provided no readily available details. The lack of transparency further intensified my doubts about whether orders were truly being fulfilled properly or if customer service even existed.

Still holding out hope this could be a new discovery, I decided a small test order may help discern their legitimacy. Going in with cautious optimism but low expectations, I added 10 dresses and other items to my cart. Total came to just under $500 which, while higher than expected due to volume, seemed reasonable given the individual listings were priced from $30-50 each.

The Waiting Game Begins

Checkout was simple, allowing payment via PayPal, major credit cards or bank transfer. No additional fees were applied at this stage which provided a small relief. Order confirmation arrived promptly alongside an estimated 1-2 week delivery window to the Midwest United States. So the waiting game officially began.

In the following days, I kept watch over various tracking tools and notifications but saw no updates. One week passed, then two. No shipped notification emerged. Emails to Shop In Well Store's generic support address went unanswered. Checking in on the website, I noticed order statuses weren't viewable or updateable either. This only heightened concerns that perhaps nothing had truly been shipped at all.

As the 3 week mark neared with still no movement, I began fearing a total scam was at play. Had Shop In Well Store merely taken my money and run without sending products? No fulfillment center address or phone number existed on their site to potentially bypass direct communication. I kept hoping packages may still arrive out of the blue but confidence quickly waned.

Items Finally Arrive - But Are They Legit?

Just as I prepared to file a dispute with my bank and cut losses, two large boxes arrived bearing the Shop In Well Store return address. Tearing into them eagerly, I was shocked to discover all 10 items neatly folded and wrapped inside protective tissue. As I removed each garment, however, flaws soon emerged beyond simple quality control issues.

Several dresses were noticeably smaller than stated sizes with odd stitching, loose hems and sheer fabrics that left little to the imagination. Others differed greatly in fabric, cut or print from the online photos. A striped romper came patterned instead of solid as shown. One dress advertised as knee-length hit above the thigh on my 5'8" frame. Even basic tags were missing from most pieces.

While appreciate of receiving anything after such a long wait, it was clear these were not the high quality products as depicted on Shop In Well Store's site. They felt more akin to cheaply made private label goods than the boutique styles hoped for. Disheartened, I began the return process which also proved tedious with no tracking provided.

Conclusion - Shop Carefully and Avoid This Retailer

In the end, my suspicions were confirmed. Shop In Well Store operates questionably at best, deceptively at worst. Between stolen images, dubious product quality, lack of customer service, and non-transparency, they've lost all credibility in my eyes. I do not recommend risking business with them.

Other online shoppers would be wise to steer clear or proceed with extreme caution. Only order small, insured amounts until a company proves trustworthy. Always research thoroughly and look for outside reviews. Legitimate retailers want happy long-term customers, so prioritize transparency, service and building brand reputation instead of quick cash grabs.

While bargain dresses enticed me to Shop In Well Store initially, protection of buyers should always come first. With care and diligence, similar styles can still be found from honest companies. This experience serves as a lesson to remain discerning, even of seemingly perfect summer dress collections. My updated wardrobe search continues elsewhere.