Shein is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to buy new clothing. You can get items from the newest trends in just a few days and it’s all done for only a couple of quid.
Obviously, this comes with a downside. Fast fashion pollutes the environment and also makes people think of clothing as something that only lasts a few weeks or months, because then they can just get a new batch.
In the long run this isn’t sustainable, no matter how convenient it is and we now need to take steps so that fast fashion doesn’t become even more widespread.
Pretty Little Thing
Pretty Little Thing is perhaps one of the best options out there if you are the kind of person who is addicted to the scheme of Shein. Meaning the discounts, the countdowns, the rewards. These will all give you a bit of a dopamine hit that will make you think Shein is better than it actually is, keeping you in the cycle.
However, if you love a good bargain then you should really consider Pretty Little Thing. There aren’t as many discounts, sure, it is not a fast fashion company after all, they can’t afford to have everything at a 50% discount or on clearance. But by paying just a tiny bit over what you would at Shein you can have a better conscience and some higher quality clothing.
That “tiny bit” isn’t what you think either, I don’t mean 5-10 pounds more than what you are used to, just 1 or 2. A small price for a company that doesn’t rely on child labor to pump out the newest trends.
And you can also keep your newest trends, it’s a win-win. Whether you want seasonal clothing, something to fit your aesthetic or just pieces that go with the holiday coming up (Halloween fanatics, I’m looking at you) there is always something and in a wide variety too.
The only thing lacking is the plus size section. A lot of plus size people love Shein because they don’t limit their offers to floral designs and styles that cover as much as possible, which is the complete opposite of Pretty Little Thing. Hopefully this will improve over time, but for now they mostly cater to people under a size 18.
You can still find items up to a size 30, but these don’t have as much variety and they aren’t exactly as flattering either. Also, the goal for most of these pieces is to cover up, going very much against the trends these days where body positivity is at an all-time high.
Pros:
- Wide range for all seasons, styles, aesthetics
- Good quality items made to last
- Easy to browse website
- Only a bit addictive interface
Cons:
- Very little variety for plus sizes
- Tends to cover plus sizes up
Asos
Once again, Asos is perfect if you want a good bargain, however their site isn’t as flashy and it also looks like a proper clothing store, not almost like a game (unlike Shein). They have discounts for new items, for clearance items, seasonal and out of season items, so in reality you have everything, it just doesn’t have the bling and the amount of rewards that will get you addicted.
The variety is incredibly wide, you only need to take a peek at the website to know that. You have all the items you might want in clothing and all the styles included. Compared to Shein you can browse these much easier too, since you can seperate the styles without seeing the same item with tiny bits of alteration a hundred times. Most items on Asos are unique, since they have plenty of brands.
Their plus size collection is also quite nice. It has a good variety and doesn’t only stick to florals and solid black, however they are a bit guilty of the cover-up trend too. Not all of their items are made in that way though, you can find plus size biker shorts and tank tops too. There are just way less of these types of clothing items.
There is a huge problem with their shipping though, as these days they are losing more and more of their parcels. Their customer service handles this quite well, but there is a very good chance that you will wait some time for items that will never arrive and the refund might not be enough of a compensation for the excitement then the disappointment you go through this way.
Pros:
- Professional layout
- Wide variety for all sizes
- Items are easy to find and browse
Cons:
- Shipping problems
Femme Luxe
This fashion store specializes in women’s clothing, so if you like to add a couple pieces of clothing for your boyfriend or husband to your Shein shopping cart you might be a bit disappointed here, as it won’t really be an option.
There are some really nice discounts at Femme Luxe, however, you really need to pick them and the most you can get is around 30% off, unless you are really lucky. It’s unfortunate, but they don’t have flashy sales like other sites, so if you are looking for that addictive factor you won’t really get it here. Plus, it doesn’t really try to go for sales either, so even though you will find fairly priced items here, there is a good chance that you will not be able to just sit around until it goes on sale.
They don’t really have a plus size section either, so in this light they are definitely losing when put up against Shein. Their variety is nonexistent, however they do have a category for oversized items. Although, it can feel a bit offensive looking at this label if you just want to find something that fits you properly.
Looking at reviews you will find that they have a lot of problems with customer service too. A lot of people either received their refunds late, didn’t get a reply or the customer service simply didn’t do anything about dirty or damaged items. Or they did get an answer, but only after writing a negative review for the whole world to see. For me, this would be a huge no-no, since even Shein, who’s only trying to pump out as many clothes and sell them as fast as possible, puts a big emphasis on proper and good customer service. You should most definitely read reviews from people who are in your area, as it can reflect whether you will have a problem with your package or not, because you really don’t want to get involved with Femme Luxe’s customer service as it seems.
Pros:
- Priced fairly
- Good quality
Cons:
- No plus size category
- 3 star ratings from people
- Awful customer service
JoyBuy
Shein often attracts influencers and TikTokers who like to do hauls. If you are in one of these two categories you might just want to switch to JoyBuy, since they have plenty of gadgets both for filming and to show off.
These come at a pretty great price too, so you don’t have to pay too much to record a video with a very clickbait-y thumbnail. The best part? They are organized right into the “Influencer Choices” category, so you don’t even have to go looking for these all around the site.
JoyBuy is basically like an AliExpress competitor, so lots of options for very low priced products direct from China and around the world. Just like Shein,
You can also browse by wholesalers in your area, which is pretty great if you want to do a bit of a haul.
Now for the downsides… JoyBuy is a bit too similar to Wish and if you have ever shopped there you will know how frustrating it can be and what the items are like. You can just take a look at how the items are titled and you will know that you are in for a ride.
However, they do seem to deal with refunds and returns nicely, so even if you have a problem with something that you ordered from here you will be able to get your money back quite easily.
Pros:
- Insane variety
- Influencer items
- Cool and cheap gadgets
- Regional wholesalers
Cons:
- Questionable quality
- Very Wish-like build and feel
Take a look at JoyBuy and see what you think.
I Saw It First
We are right back to the Shein feel and look. When it comes to I Saw It First you will see that the layout is very similar and the discounts and rewards are, once again, very much like a game that you can browse through. If addictiveness is a factor for you then this shop will definitely do it.
Variety is there for all sizes. Mid-size, petite, plus size, whatever you might need, you will find it here. They don’t do the floral, cover-up type of thing either for plus and mid sizes, so you won’t see the same item of clothing a hundred times over with a different pattern.
Their reviews are great too, they are averaging more than 4 stars on Trustpilot as of now, which is great when you consider that we are technically still talking about a fast-fashion site. However, if you look a tiny bit into the individual reviews you will see that there are quite a few people who are struggling with their customer service or their refund. There also seems to be a lot of cases when items or entire parcels go missing. Not exactly a great combo, since if they DO lose your package it will be incredibly hard to get your money back. A recent customer says that it took the company an entire month after the problem has occurred to even issue the refund.
Pros:
- Addictive layout
- Amazing variety for all sizes
- Fair quality
- Fast service
Cons:
- Slow or unresponsive customer service
- Issues with shipping
Bad Handwriting
Honestly, just based on the name alone this is a big favorite. But when it comes to the clothes and accessories Bad Handwriting delivers just fine too, especially if you are into K-Pop and cyberpunk, although you can also find a few items for techwear too. This site is mostly for those who want the new interesting styles, and want them fast and for cheap.
My biggest issue is that they don’t offer anything for larger sizes and mostly cater to petite people. I can kind of see why they would do this, their clothes really are form-fitting and they show a lot off but it would still be nice to find items like these in plus sizes. But I digress.
Cyberpunk and techwear styles are famous for their durability, they are supposed to be tied to an era where humanity is way more advanced and superior, so obviously, even their stylish clothes would be of good quality. Thankfully Bad Handwriting does that for you too, even if their items are cheap. Their clothes and accessories are made to last, even if they look cutesy, frilly or even fragile. This goes double for their chains.
They don’t have too many reviews though, so it’s hard to say exactly what you would be dealing with. As far as anyone can tell there are only a handful of people who have reviewed the site, but they are overwhelmingly positive. From this, I would say that the website didn’t buy reviews, since then there would be way more and because of this I trust these reviews. Their order process, handling, customer service and price all seem to be fair, so if you are looking to spice up your wardrobe with some cyberpunk or techwear style Bad Handwriting might just be the way to go.
Pros:
- Professional layout
- Great variety within techwear, cyberpunk and K-Pop styles
- Overwhelmingly positive reviews
- Good quality
- Fair price
Cons:
- No plus or even mid size clothing
- Very few reviews
We hope you’ve found these alternatives to Shein useful for your next online shopping spree. Any others we should mention? Let us know in the comments.
