Is Light In The Box Legit? 7 Must Knows Before Buying

Are you considering buying products from LightInTheBox but have concerns about its legitimacy, reliability, and safety? If so, don’t worry! You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will talk specifically about whether it is safe or not and also teach you how to protect yourself when shopping at LightInTheBox. Let’s start!

Is Light In The Box Legit?

Light In The Box is without a doubt a legitimate company as they’ve been around since 2007, trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and have millions of customers all over the world. They are not entirely safe or trustworthy to order products from though.

7 Must-Knows Before Buying From LITB

If you want to buy something from LightInTheBox, then make sure you do these six things before ordering anything:

1. High Shipping Costs

It is important to note that their shipping prices are usually expensive. The most cost-effective way of shipping would be using the postal service, costing anywhere from $5-$15 depending on where you live, yet this has its own shortcomings:

• No tracking details
• Longer delivery time
• Possibilities of package lost or receiving broken/damaged items

If one selects a shipping method other than Postal Services, such as Expedited Express, the shipping costs are often more than what the items cost themselves. For example, this product costs $14.94 while the shipping charges with Expedited Express is $76.36 and it would only cost $7.07 with USPS.

2. Longer Delivery Time

Despite the high shipping costs, another major downside of ordering products from Light In The Box is the long delivery time. Generally, it delivers products to most countries within 3 to 5 weeks. However, for some countries, this delivery may take up to 1-2 months due to international customs constraints or other external factors such as weather conditions during transit. As such, you should only consider buying from LightInTheBox if you are willing to wait for a significantly longer than the average time frame (3-5 weeks).

3. Returns Are Headache and Costly

Before ordering products from LightInTheBox, another thing you need to be aware of is that returning products for a refund or size exchange is unlikely.

Why?

Because of a complicated and lengthy return process. You must go through the long, tedious process in order to exchange or refund items but if you don’t follow all the rules set out by Amazon then they may reject your refund request.

Even though your return request was approved, it will still cost you a significant amount of money to ship the merchandise back due to our Return Policy stating that return shipping charges are left up to the buyer.

The high cost of returning items can be attributed to the fact that LightInTheBox is based in China and items are shipped back to their warehouse there.

Therefore, I would say:

If the products you purchase from LITB do not arrive in perfect condition or match what was described, for example, if there was any damage to an inexpensive product when it arrived at your doorstep, unfortunately, you will have to accept this new reality.

If it is cheaper for you to send the items back rather than keep them, then we recommend that you proceed accordingly so as not to spend more money on shipping than what the item was worth.

4. Customs/Import Duties May Be Charged

Since the products are shipped from China, the customs department in your country may charge you various charges including customs and import duty which could range anywhere from a few dollars up to thousands depending on what you order.

Usually, a few pairs of low-cost items get past the eyes of the customs department, but there is a high probability that you will incur customs and import duty fees for expensive products or items ordered in bulk. If these additional charges apply, LightInTheBox states they will cover them; however, they have not been added yet so it would be best to contact them before placing an order.

However, LightInTheBox provides duty and tax insurance for certain items which incur the extra charges while ordering but they claim to fully refund you the tax fee if applied to your orders.

Keep in mind that before ordering from LITB, there are possible fees for customs or import taxes.

5. No Customer Service via Email, Phone, or Live Chat

In addition to all the aforementioned points, you must be aware that LightInTheBox is not reachable by phone, email, or live chat if you ever have any questions or concerns about your order. To contact LightInTheBox directly, please submit a ticket and do not expect an immediate response.

Lastly, make sure to remember that:

6. You Get What You Pay

Customers can often find high-quality, yet reasonably priced products. Though LightInTheBox offers a variety of inexpensive options for shoppers as well, keep in mind that these items may not always be of the best quality or most reliable. Customers who opt for low-priced, lower-quality items typically order from LightInTheBox – and sometimes they’re left feeling let down when the product isn’t what they expected it to be. For example, if you purchase replica watches from this website at an ultra-discounted price – don’t expect them to be made with the same materials as genuine models. In conclusion, You get what you pay for.

And that’s it!

Here are 6 things you need to know before buying from LightInTheBox:

• High shipping costs
• Longer delivery time
• Returns are mostly unsuccessful because of the complicated and costly return process
• Customs/Import duties may be charged on your orders
• No customer service via phone, email, and live chat
• You get what you pay

There are many factors to consider when trying to decide if LightInTheBox is reliable and trustworthy. One of the main benefits of ordering products from this website is that it has a vast selection of items at reasonable rates; however, there are drawbacks as well.

Want to give LightInTheBox a try?

If you’re looking for ways to reduce the risk of order problems then follow these tips.

8 Tips For Buying Safely on LightInTheBox

Before purchasing anything, it is imperative that you do:

1. Check The Product Reviews

Researching an item before purchasing it is one of the most important aspects of shopping. Reading reviews left by others informs you if an item is well-liked or not; however, only those who’ve bought the product can leave a review. Good reviews show that the item has been liked, and bad reviews show that it hasn’t been liked. Personally, I find items with over 70 reviews and ratings averaging 4.7 stars or higher are worth trying out.

However, DO NOT PLACE ORDERS just by looking at product images posted by LightInTheBox because those pictures usually portray the items as being better than they really are. Instead, you should look for customer photos in the review section to get an idea of how it actually looks. After getting a good sense of what products look like in person, go ahead and place your order based on what you think would suit your needs best!

2. Check The Number of Sold Items

A product that has received many positive reviews and high ratings is often bought by customers however it’s best to make sure the item has been bought enough times. I recommend buying products that have been bought at least once thousand times.

After that you should:

3. Carefully Read Product Description

Buyers often ignore the product description and place orders without looking at the details of the photo or review. What many don’t know, though, is that this lack of information may lead to disappointment or making a wrong purchase. For example Product Features (such as if it has a warranty), Product Quality (if it was authentic), Sizing (if this will fit), Specification (if they’re even compatible with other things), What’s in the Box (whether there are instructions).

Without these details, you may make the mistake of ordering an item without knowing all the necessary information. In order to avoid such mistakes, please do two things: 1) Read over every detail thoroughly before placing your order; 2) Review all other customer reviews before making any final decisions.

4. Check The Product Size Properly

One of the biggest complaints from customers that bought from LightInTheBox was due to product sizes. A majority of people failed to take notice of the sizing chart, which caused them great disappointment after receiving items not fitting them. To make matters worse, they found out that if they wanted to send it back for an exchange because it was too small or too big, then their return process would be long and expensive – even though we had already mentioned this beforehand.

It’s important to check the size charts before ordering anything online. For items such as clothes and shoes, it can be very difficult to find what you want without looking at sizing charts first. Especially when there are so many different brands out there and each brand offers something unique.

Here are some things to look for when looking through sizing charts:

5. Read The Q&A Section

If you want to know more about an item before purchasing it, look at the question and answer section for questions similar to yours. If you still don’t find what you are looking for, feel free to send your question using the Ask a New Question tab.

You cannot proceed with placing an order without finding the answer to your questions or clearing up any doubts you may have about a product before you buy it.

6. Look for Duty and Tax Insurance

LightInTheBox provides duty and tax insurance for certain items that you should look out for and add to your order if available. These costs might take a chunk of change away from your wallet, but it also protects against incurring higher fees or penalties at customs as well as providing reimbursement in case they charge you anything, so it may be worth it.

7. Add Shipping Insurance To Your Order

Although we offer Tax and Duty Insurance for some products, Shipping Insurance is provided for all orders automatically. So please do not remove it from your order since if you’re out of luck and there are any potential damages done to your package during shipping, LightInTheBox will reship it without charging you anything extra.

And lastly, I recommend you to:

8. Avoid Postal Service As a Shipping Method for Expensive Items

First of all, I recommend not to purchase items too expensive from LightInTheBox because of the risks discussed above. However, if you still want to order then I highly suggest you avoid using the Postal Service as a shipping method for your order since it is the cheapest option for shipment – but also has its disadvantages.

It is best to avoid using USPS for expensive items because there are potential risks associated with it. I recommend using USPS only if you’re looking to purchase an inexpensive product – otherwise, use another shipping method such as Expedited Express or something better suited for your needs.

There you have it!

By following these eight tips, you are sure to encounter fewer issues when ordering from LightInTheBox.

Do I Recommend Buying From LightInTheBox?

If you require certain products and they’re not available where you live or if the product is too expensive, I recommend buying it from LightInTheBox.

However, you must be OK with:

• Longer delivery time
• Products as received because of the complicated and costly return process
• Customs duties if applied by your country’s customs department

To make sure you don’t run into any problems, I recommend avoiding LightInTheBox when buying expensive items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

LightInTheBox is a legitimate shopping site traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). And while being listed on the NYSE may sound easy to achieve, companies have to first go through the rigorous application process and meet certain listing requirements. Companies have even been known to drop out of trading due to management concerns about one obstacle in particular.

I sometimes get messages from other shoppers asking me for help with orders or issues they might be having at LightInTheBox – but I’m only able to lighten this load by sharing experiences under this article; not directly involving myself.