As prom season approaches, so does the intensity of finding the perfect dress to wear to prom. For some people, going prom dress shopping is the ‘reason for the season,’ but for others, having to go and physically try-on dresses is far too uncomfortable and time consuming. Buying online is a great option for prom dresses and there are so many online outlets to find the dress. There is a bad stigma surrounding online prom dress shopping, but that is only because people are unaware of what to look out for when doing so. The tips listed below are to help buyers be more prepared and cautious when stepping into the realms of online dress shopping.

1. When buying online, always find a site that you trust.
2. Measure your body and have your measurements written down beside you while shopping. Many size guides vary and a medium, for example, is definitely not the same size universally.
3. Going along with my previous tip, always, and I mean always, read the size guide and compare. Sizing is very different between brands and sites.
4. Another always: read the reviews of the site. These can easily be found with a quick Google search. Also, read the reviews for the dress you are looking at purchasing. Some sites allow reviewers to post pictures along with their written review, which can be very beneficial to prospective buyers.
5. Read the return policy. Being stuck with a dress that either does not fit or is not what you envisioned it to be, will not be a pleasant experience. Luckily, most sites have very accepting return policies, but it is the buyer’s job to make sure they abide by them.
6. I know shopping online can be stressful because you are unable to see what it will look like on your body. Trust your gut though, 9/10 times the dress that you picked out will look even better on you than imagined.

Sites to buy from and why:

There are multiple sites where there is no need to fear the quality or timeliness of the company. Sites like this include but are not limited to: Lulus, Red Dress Boutique, Zappos, Free People, Rent the Runway  and PromGirl. These are well accredited sites and are sites that myself and others have used in the past. All have different price ranges, some beginning at $50 a dress. A less expensive dress does not always mean a less quality dress. 

On Lulus.com, the average dress costs about $80 and there are over 400 dress options to choose from. The site offers a sizing quiz and is able to size you appropriately, making picking a size easier.

If you want a designer dress without paying a designer price, renting a dress is always a good option. On Rent the Runway, shoppers are able to look through thousands of designer dresses and find their perfect dress for prom. Once a dress and the date the dress is needed are picked out, the site will send two sizes of your choosing to make sure of fit. Rentals on this site range between $60-150 and most dresses retail between $400-1,000.

Red Dress Boutique is not a site specifically made for formal wear and only tends to offer it around prom season and the holidays. These dresses are nice quality from what I have ordered and range between $55-70.

Free People is also not mutually exclusive to prom wear. In fact, the site offers very little of it. The dresses on their site are not labeled as prom dresses, but can easily be worn as such. Free People, as a whole, is a more expensive brand, dresses on this site range between $180-450.

Sites not to buy from and why:

While there are many trusted sites for online shopping, there are plenty of sites that are sketchy to say the least. Sites like this include but are not limited to: Amazon, Wish, Ebay, and many Facebook vendors. Most of the dresses on these sites are under $50 and for someone on a budget this could seem amazing, but if the buyer is not careful, he or she will fall victim to the scam.

On Wish, every item comes from different vendors and from different countries around the world. These items take up to eight weeks to be delivered, if they even come in at all, and often look very different than originally advertised. Under every listing on Wish, a buyer is able to see how many people have bought that particular item. While that may be helpful, it is still not certain that the same item will arrive.

As for Amazon, it is a great site for pretty much anything and there are many notable brands that put their merchandise on the site.  When it comes to formal wear, Amazon is not always the best option because many overseas vendors put their products on the site. Ebay is the same way. Many people upload listings of their old prom dresses and are credible sellers, but there are vendors who list dresses similar to vendors on Wish.

If you are still insistent on buying from one of these sites, do not buy a dress with too much detailing because from my experience, dresses with little to no embroidery or beading seem to be better quality and better mimic the listing picture.

There is no need to fear online dress shopping if you are fully equipped with the information to do so.