Is it worth buying lingerie online and how to reduce the risks

I was cheating by saying that there is no way to ensure that a bra purchased online is guaranteed to fit you. If you already own one comfortable-fitting bra and want to order the same model from the same brand, you definitely won't go wrong. I advise you to order duplicate bras if you come across a very comfortable model that has become your base.

Also, many brands often use several types of standard cuts for themselves. And if you buy a bra-balconette of the same brand for two years, then in the third year, ordering a balconette of the same brand, you are unlikely to be mistaken.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of online shopping are the absence of the need to travel to different shopping centers and boutiques, a great time saver for experienced online shopaholics. It is also the largest variety of styles, cuts, sizes and prices imaginable. For example, finding laundry with cups less than A or more than G offline is already a problem. And where else, if not in online stores, can you find branded lingerie with a 75% discount?

Cons - lack of fitting and the ability to touch the material. In the event of an unsuccessful purchase, the loss of time for the return of the bra and a certain amount of money for its return shipment, if the return is provided by the store.

Not a single bra

Underwear is, of course, not only bras. With less risk, you can indulge yourself in panties, contour underwear, stockings, a belt for stockings, pajamas and dressing gowns, loose fit combinations, eye masks, nipple covers, shoulder straps and other boudoir accessories. If you carefully read the information about the sizes in the place where you are going to buy these things, with a probability of 99.9% you will not have a problem.

Personal experience: I have not yet had a single unsuccessful purchase of stockings, suspenders, panties and bathrobes online. Everyone came up and stayed in my wardrobe.

Sexy young woman in lingerie posing near a window

Algorithm for buying a bra online

1. Choosing a store. We look at the conditions and cost of delivery.

2. We check the possibility of returning the bra in case it does not fit.

3. Choosing a bra. We always focus on the size chart of your chosen brand. Again, a brand, not a store.

For example, I liked the Wonderbra bra at Asos. I google it: Wonderbra size chart. Finding a brand size calculator. I enter my chest and underbust data there - 75 cm and 89 cm - and I get a size 34A.

and I get 75A.

This is the size I would choose when buying this bra. If I was guided by the Asos size chart, I would get 75E. At the same time, Asos is great, they write at the very beginning of the size chart: “Asos clothing size range is designed according to the following measurements. Other brands' clothing sizes may vary slightly from the measurements below. But does everyone read such inscriptions?

If you enter the same parameters, for example, on the website of the Made by Niki brand, you get the size 34B (this is the European 75B). The calculator will also show two more adjacent sizes that might fit.

As you can see, different brands can get different sizes with the same input data.

Takeaway: Always refer to a specific brand sizing chart and have a flexible measuring tape handy.

4. Look online for reviews on how a particular model sits. It is better to search both in Russian and in English. There are more reviews in English.

I found several reviews that the Wonderbra cup is too small for the size, which means that when buying, I would order 75B, which most often suits me.

Plus size bra reviews are best to look at. Yes, some oversized girls run the risk of ordering lingerie online. For example, the majority of foreign lingerie bloggers with large breasts buy online from the Polish manufacturer Ewa Michalak, which produces bras with cup sizes up to K and L.

My reviews about shopping lingerie online and offline are available.

5. If you are not sure of your size and want to be on the safe side, contact the support service of the place where you are going to make a purchase. You should be helped.

6. If you are in doubt about what is right for you, then choose online stores that allow you to try on the linen before redemption or offer a convenient return procedure.

Refunds

Under the laws of the Russian Federation, underwear and hosiery are not subject to return. Information about this is indicated on all Russian sites and sites that support the Russian language.

But there are nuances.

Many Russian stores meet customers halfway. For example, Wildberries allows you to try on a bra and refuse it before buying, if it is about courier delivery or trying on before buying at a pick-up point. Lamoda and Best-Elle have similar policies.

Asos, a major online clothing retailer, also has a refund policy.

If the bra does not fit, you can return it within 28 days from the date of receipt of the parcel. The item must be returned in good condition.

Asos support

In fact, in all the stores listed above (except Asos), you can return the bra only upon receipt of the goods before the payment is made. After payment, the goods cannot be returned.

However, the official return policy on the Lamoda, Wildberries and Best-elle websites states that you cannot return underwear. As for Asos, at the time the article was published, their website said: “We cannot accept returns with a + sign next to the product name, for hygienic reasons. However, if the product is in its original packaging, or if the product is defective, a refund is possible."

I received information on the procedure for returning bras from the support services of the listed stores. It has no legal weight. Therefore, always before buying, see the rules for returning the selected store and if something is not clear in the return conditions, write to the support service yourself before placing an order.

The conditions for returning the goods are constantly changing, always check them before making a purchase.

If you are returning an item because it is not the right size for you, the return shipping is usually your responsibility. It is in your best interest to make sure the item gets back. Therefore, you must have a tracking number for your parcel, no matter how you send it.

Foreign stores may have their own rules for the return of linen. Read them carefully. As a rule, you can return a thing if it is in its original condition, with tags, without any signs of wearing.

Panties are almost never returnable, but there are exceptions. Therefore, it is better to try them on for the first time on other panties. Otherwise, you will definitely not be able to return the item. If your panties or swimming trunks have hygienic protective stickers, do not peel them off during fitting. It makes sense to cut off the tags from the products only after a successful fitting, if you are definitely not going to return them.

Hints

1. What looks good on a particular model doesn't necessarily fit just as well. We are all different, the location, size and fullness of the breasts are different for everyone. If you have large breasts that require support, then you should not look at bras that cannot provide this support, for example, lace triangle bras.

2. If you see that the girl in the photo is standing with her arms raised, this is done in order to more advantageously emphasize her breasts and lift her. Keep in mind that the look of the neckline will not be exactly the same as in similar photos.

3. And if the bra fits mediocrely on the model, think about whether to take it.

4. Remember which bra cut is the most comfortable for you, the cups are far or near, the jumper is high or low. Use this information when choosing a bra online.

5. If the store is foreign, you will have to convert the currency into rubles. In this case, you will know the approximate cost of the product in rubles. You can find out the exact amount only at the bank whose card you are going to pay with (usually no one spends time on this). For example, in English stores you can find the currency symbol £. This is the British pound sterling, its code is GBP. The approximate cost of an item in pounds sterling or other currencies can be found using Google.

Convert British pounds GBP to rubles using Google

6. Also, in the tables of sizes of foreign online stores, inches (in, inches) are often indicated. Google will convert your measurements from centimeters to inches in two seconds.

Convert centimeters to inches using Google

7. Please check if the store or brand is available before buying. If you have it, you will save a lot.

8. Do not put off trying on the laundry so that you can return it if necessary.

Buying a bra for the first time online may seem like a daunting process. But once you figure it out, the savings in time and money become significant.

For me, this has become a decisive argument in favor of online shopping, and now their share is about 70% of all lingerie that I purchase. I began to afford underwear from brands of a high price category, because I know when they will have the maximum discounts. The price is often the same as that of mass-market brands, and the quality in most cases is much higher.

I can afford to choose and compare at my own pace and never get distracted by a consultant. I will no longer wait in line in the fitting room. And finally, I was no longer limited by the very modest choice of lingerie in my city.

Hope your experience will be as cloudless. And the tips given above will help you avoid mistakes. Happy shopping and fewer returns.

Share your online lingerie shopping experience in the comments.