Buying a custom dress from China (from eBay)

And it is.

Don't do it.

These always come up in bunches. Check out this thread, and scroll to the bottom for more links posted by Hayley:

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/psa-chinese-knockoffs-my-dress/687f8c5f8226478d.html

More links, for you and any other brides considering this route:

http://gma.yahoo.com/yes-dress-tips-tricks-save-money-dream-wedding-015018953.html

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/does-anyone-have-experience-ordering-wedding-gowns-from-china/46e88c085a8fc452.html

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/big-day-dress-or-light-in-the-boxdesigner-replica-dresses/a6f034ccfb29942f.html

Comparing her real dress to a knock off bought for a trash the dress shoot:

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/chinese-knockoff-my-actual-dh-gate-trash-the-dress-dress-vs-whats-advertised/aab5d78d01140467.html

I ordered one on eBay from China and I never received it. Luckily, the seller reimbursed me. The seller said that it got lost in China Post? My wedding isn't until June 2013, so I thought I'd take a chance since I had time. I wouldn't recommend it.

I almost bought one from China and I am soooo glad I didn't.

Almost all bridal shops have a clearance section. You would be surprised at what you may find. Even David's Bridal has a clearance section. :-) Even check out the bridal shops that are 30-45 minutes away from you. Make a day of it! I found my gorgeous gown on the clearance rack. Retail was $2k. I paid $450. Love it!

DON'T CLICK THE BUTTON!!!

NEVER order a dress from China, you will be very disappointed, have to buy a new dress and not be able to return the knock off they send you.

You may want to check out JJ's House.com..That's where I ordered my wedding dress from and it is beautiful!!! It's everything they said it would be and more.

You would do better going to a Davids Bridal and looking through their $99 sale rack!

@Marshe, do you have pictures of the inspiration dress and the actual dress you received? Would you share those with us?

Also, could you please update your avatar so we can remember you and not confuse you for a spam troll?

I ordered mine on sale from David's Bridal. Originally $850.00. I got it for $450. You can find some incredible sales there.

Ive ordered from china before via ebay. mostly for all my bridal jewelery. it has always came through with no problems at all. you can even track your shipment via ebay. as for a wedding dress i wouldnt trust it. i would only make small purchases nothing over 20 bucks!

No, I see you're new, so you may be unaware... this is NOT and will NOT ever be a good idea. WAY too many mishaps and your WEDDING DRESS should not be the thing you take a chance on. I understand that smaller budget, but again, DB has great sales. Please dontbuy from overseas.

I bought the dress in my profile pic online from a china wholesaler ebay store.

It looked awesome and there was nothing wrong with it and i got sooo many compliments on it.

I had a good experience with them- but I saw this dress in a bridal store and it was $500 and there was no way I was going to spend that on an evening dress. This is what the ad was for it: (pic under it)

I had a great experience with that ebay store so I bought my reception evening dress with them too- I get it on tuesday. I'll let you know if it actually looks like what its supposed to. I bought my actual wedding gown from a bridal salon though- So for me it doesn't matter if this second dress works out or not- I just will have only 1 dress otherwise.

But I have heard some good and some bad on here though. So be careful!

You could also try a bridal consignment shop that carries new and once worn dresses at a fraction of the original price.

^^ Those are the Chinese knock off sites that we are warning all brides to stay away from (the ones posted by xayuk).

I ordered my wedding dress from an eBay seller from China, and it was perfect! The fabric and beading were beyond my expectation, and it was shipped within the time I was told. I paid a grand total of $147 and change for a dress that looked like it cost more than a thousand dollars and fit like a glove. I would allow enough time for a "plan B", but would not hesitate to save money on a garment that only gets worn once.

Susan do you mind sharing a picture of the dress and maybe the seller's name?

thanks much

If you order a dress online, I would recommend ordering from a company based in the US, not China. We are located in California and have a good review rating on weddingwire.com.

For anyone wondering whether a website is from China, we have put together a list of over 3000 sites (and counting) that you should stay away from.

Watch the videos as well to help educate yourself.

http://www.discountdressshop.com/knock-off-dress-websites-to-avoid.html

You can also share your experience if you ever ordered from one of these sites on our list and help others not to get scammed.

http://www.discountdressshop.com/review-your-experience-with-scam-dress-websites.html

I ordered a made to order gown for my daughter. It was beautifully constructed, fit her perfectly, and only cost $175. The maker was Chen Lu, if I remember right. It also was shipped early, just in case it wasn't right. Hope I can find him again!