You’ve probably heard of Wish before—there was a time when YouTubers and influencers showcased their Wish hauls all over the internet. If you haven’t tried ordering from Wish before, you may be baffled by its low prices. You may be thinking to yourself, “This can’t be real!”
In our Wish review, you’ll come to have a better understanding of what Wish is and why the items are priced so low.
What Is Wish?
Wish is an online platform wherein you can buy all kinds of items directly from manufacturers. It’s a shopping site that works similarly to Amazon or eBay, where you browse through different sellers looking for deals. Not only does Wish have an extensive collection of merchandise, with ads peppered throughout social media, but the shopping platform is also more known for its incredibly affordable prices.
You’ll find smartwatches worth $10 on Wish, while other sellers give away items for free, only leaving shipping costs to you.
Is It a Legit Website?
While it may seem sketchy, Wish is, in fact, a legit website. It is very much a real company, and it’s even based in none other than San Francisco. The products are cheap, and real companies are selling them—so, what exactly is the catch? Well, there are a few risks involved when you order from Wish. The company itself may be based in San Francisco, but most merchants are based in China.
In other words, it’s more than likely that the items you’ll find on Wish are counterfeit or knock-offs. Because of this, you must remain vigilant and take extra care to think your orders through before paying for them. Buying an iPhone that only costs $30 will most likely leave you disappointed, and it certainly won’t be made by Apple.
Why Are the Items so Cheap?
If you check where Wish items are based, it will dawn on you why the merchandise is cheap. This is because you’re most likely ordering directly from a Chinese manufacturer. Many online merchants can directly ship products from China to other countries like Canada, UK, or the US. Since you’re directly purchasing from the item’s factory itself, this means there’s no intermediary. Consequently, the items don’t receive a price increase.
Besides, China has all kinds of strategies and policies that give them the ability to mass-produce merchandise for a low cost. Naturally, these products are then sold at affordable prices.
Is Wish Safe?
One thing that many customers are worried about in their Wish reviews is that the website showcases the usernames associated with wish lists. In other words, other people will be able to see your wish lists along with your real name, making you lose your sense of privacy.
According to Wish’s privacy policy, there are two ways in which the company collects your information.
- As soon as you create a Wish account and start ordering items from the website, Wish will require you to provide your name, email address, payment information, phone number, social media, and shipping address.
- Wish will gather other information, including your IP address, the web browser you’re using, your location, usage data, and others.
Given this information, Wish essentially gathers the same information from you like other online retailers.
What We Like
Cheap and Affordable
This fact is basically why Wish became popular in the first place. If you’re looking for apparel or electronics and you don’t really care if the quality is good or bad, then you should definitely try searching for the item on Wish. Chances are you’ll order the product without breaking the bank.
Easy User Interface
Aside from being able to shop from the Wish website, the retailer also has a mobile app that makes shopping online even easier. The user interface of this app is easy to navigate, and you won’t get lost trying to browse through the different categories.
Wide Range of Products
Just like other similar websites like eBay, Wish has an extensive collection of items for sale. From gadgets, household items, to clothing and more, you’ll find most things on Wish!
What We Don’t Like
Long Shipping Times
If you’re the kind of online shopper who wants to receive their orders right away, then you may have a hard time dealing with Wish’s long shipping times. Ordering from Wish means you’ll have to wait for several weeks before you’ll receive the items; some may even take months.
Poor Quality
Wish is simply a marketplace where manufacturers and other online vendors sell their products, which means Wish itself doesn’t make or sell any of these items. Most of the time, these merchants use the cheapest material possible, so they don’t have to undergo quality assessments.
Inconsistent Sizes
The clothing sizes on Wish leave many customers confused. Most of the apparel on Wish don’t offer a size label, not to mention the fact that Asians and Americans are physically built differently, too. Thus, there have been many instances wherein a customer ordered a medium but what they received seemed small instead.
How to Avoid Getting Scammed
To ensure that you won’t be disappointed with your Wish shopping experience, here are a couple of tips you should keep in mind.
Carefully Check the Reviews
Carefully read through the item’s reviews first before adding it to your cart, and check the photos uploaded by the customers. If the product is disappointing or not like what was described, you’ll definitely find that out in the reviews. If the seller or the product has a low rating, it’s probably not the most reliable place you can order from on Wish.
Common Sense Is Your Friend
You have to manage your expectations when shopping on Wish. If something seems too good to be true, then you’re probably right. If you find a 12-inch iPad Pro on Wish being sold for only $30, then you’re probably being sold a counterfeit product. Follow your gut and use your common sense.
Check the Shipping Information
You can usually tell when the product will be arrive based on its shipping information.
Product Descriptions Aren’t Always Truthful
Please don’t trust the product description a hundred percent because not all merchants are honest about what they’re selling. Again, browse through the reviews and ratings as thoroughly as possible.
Conclusion
Wish itself, as a company, is as trustworthy as other online shopping platforms out there. It’s up to you to make the best choices possible before checking out your cart. If you want to try shopping from Wish, keep our tips in mind so you won’t waste your hard-earned money.
