BRIDES TO BE - What would you do??

Question

Tried on my dream dress within a bridal store on Saturday, and fell in love with it...

...Seen it on eBay, with a bridal online store called UltimateBridewire.com

They can do it in the exact size and colour I want...

UK Cost £899
Their Cost £344.95 plus p&p £18.50 (or I could even do a Best Offer)

They have a good feedback of 99%

What would you do? Honest answers please... Anyone done this before?

Yes it is a brand new dress, being made to my measurements, colour etc..

Thanks for the replies so far

Answer 1

Hi maz, try www.houseofbrides.com and www.bestbridalprices.com and see if your dress is there, My dress was £735 in the shops and I got it on houseofbrides for $420 (approx £210) postage and tax cost me an extra £100 so I still saved £420, trust your gut instinct thats all i can say, people tried to talk me out of buyin on the internet but im glad i took the chance, I have the perfect dress for half the price, good luck

Answer 2

I have had brides purchase from ebay before and the seamstresses that do their alterations often say how well done they are. The major issues are that you make sure to purchase by the largest measurement (which for you is not an issue), that you REALLY check the feedback (which you apparently did) and dont purchase if it is ANYWHERE below 99% (I DO generally recommend 99.5% or higher though), and that you read up on their shipping and return policies (I imagine that your dress will be "non-returnable, non-refundable" as it will be custom made, as such you should maybe reconsider... it may arrive and not be exactly like the one in the bridal store after all and then you are stuck with it happy or not).

Just make sure you have all the facts and keep doing your homework, youre on the right track :)

Answer 3

I totally understand why you're nervous to do this, but if the savings are so great and it's a reputable seller, I think you could do it. Did you get a chance to try the gown on in your size/color at the bridal salon to be sure you like it and that it fits you well? Because the only problem with online ordering is you don't have a chance to say you don't love it once it arrives.

Also, I'll be purchasing my bridesmaids' dresses online. I know it's not quite the same as purchasing a wedding gown online, but I can definitely relate to some of your apprehensions!

Congratulations!

Answer 4

I would get the eBay dress
I've bought loads of stuff for my wedding on eBay which are brand new, cheaper than the high street and are beautiful. I've even ordered made to measure bridesmaids dresses off an eBay shop!99% is quite good. How many transactions? If it's hundreds or thousands, 99% is good. If less than 100, be careful

Have a great wedding!

Answer 5

this is a blokes point of view so its probably not going to be girlie enough for you but

if they dont have it in your size can you get it resized in time ?

if its not in the colour that you want can it be dyed to the right colour? going lighter i`m told is a sod

how much is the resizing going to cast and is it possible without it looking rubbish and spoiling the dress?

will the trimon the dress dye at the same rate as the other fabrics?

i know this is a lot of what ifs but it is your dream day and if things aren`t quite right you wont feel like a million dollars and the day will be ruined or at least tarnished. my wife works in a bridal shop that does all these sort of things and they dont always going according to plan and pam is brilliant at that sort of thing.

this is not a plug but look on the web for elderberry brides they are in basingstoke and see what they can do

on a personal front i dont trust ebay with that sort of money on a sight unseen sort of purchase. the picture might not match the dress being sold.

hope this helps the price of wedding dresses are rude and the idea of saving money on a dress bought for one day is high on my list when we got hitched. but if the dress goes down the swanny when the conversions are done then you are out of pocket and with out the money for a new dress. its your choice at the end of the day but i wouldn`t be happy if i were your bloke i`d want you to look as good as possible it`s your day.

you wanted honest

Answer 6

I had the same idea but thought of something even better. I tried on a dress i could no way afford looked on ebay but couldnt find it. It then came to me to ring round all the uk stockists of the dress i liked asking if they had it as a sample dress that i could buy when they had finished with it. You can get up to half price off. In the end i got a dress worth 2300 for half price and it wasnt ever even used as a sample. The store in question had to meet their quota for this particular designer so we did each other a favour. I had to travel 200miles to get it but well worth it.
If you do go with ebay make sure its long enough and same material etc and is their a return policy and if not ask yourself why not??!!

Answer 7

I did have one bad experience on Ebay where the good feedback was 99.8%, but the guy was actually 'buying' from himself with multiple Ebay accounts, giving himself good feedback, and trying to rip off the other people who actually 'bought' stuff. I would really recommend you try to find your dress in person so that you know it will fit well, be in good shape, be there on time, and be THE RIGHT SIZE AND DRESS. You never know what can happen when you order stuff, so it's best to get the dress in person. Maybe you can have a local seamstress design a similar dress....?


With most other things, I would say, "Trust Ebay!" If it was something as important as my wedding dress, though, then I'd get it in person to make sure nothing went wrong with it.

Answer 8

I have bought and sold many items on ebay. Make sure to look at the number of feedbacks, not just percentage although that is important also. If there are a lot of people that have bought from them, and at 99% positive rating, than I would say go for it! If you pay for it through paypal, they will take your side, returning your money prior to solving the issue, if there is any. It is not a real fair process that they take, from a sellers point of view, but it is still the one in play. If they (the seller) have many people that have purchased items off of them, you have a pretty safe bet that they are good to deal with. Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 9

I would definately go for the ebay dress! I am getting married in June and have more or less got everything I need off there. If the rating is 99% then you are more than guaranteed a great service and product for your money. I have bought all my wedding lingerie etc off there and it feels even more special to have something so extravagant but at a bargain price!! GO FOR IT GIRL!! good luck chick xx

Answer 10

Go for it! It is half the price. I expect you are slightly worried that things may go wrong "over the net", everyone quite naturally has that worry; but sometimes you really do have to trust people. In the very unlikely event of this happening there are plenty of ways you can `sort it out`. But everything will be absolutely fine. Buy it in good time, so that any required alterations can be done. I am sure you will look beautiful. Have a good day!