‘Thank me later’: 5 tricks to save big when shopping for clothes online
In today’s digital age, online shopping has become the go-to method for finding the latest fashion.
However, with countless social media influencers pushing certain brands and endless deals that seem too good to be true, overspending is easy.
If you want to stay up to date with your fashion without breaking the bank, these five TikTokers have your back. Let’s explore five tips to save money when buying clothes online in 2024.
Looking for luxury? This site has deals
A Louis Vuitton employee recently shared a clever hack for scoring discounts on the brand's products in a viral TikTok video.
TikToker Jan (@notsosurejan) explained that while Louis Vuitton typically doesn't offer discounts, you can find their items at lower prices through a website called 24S, which is owned by Louis Vuitton.
Jan displayed a screenshot of several items on the site, with prices ranging from $952 to $2,709. He mentioned that although these items are still quite expensive and are usually discontinued or off-season bags, it's a great way to get a deal on authentic Louis Vuitton products.
According to its website, 24S was launched in 2017 by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group, and partners with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, and Moynat.
Try these common coupon codes
In a viral TikTok, tech worker Sam (@samiamdean) shared a hack for scoring major discounts on shopping sites.
Sam explained that developers often forget to turn off the discount codes they use for testing, which you can use during checkout for huge savings.
She suggested using specific coupon codes like “100off,” “test,” “promocodetest,” “test100,” “welcome100,” “free100,” and “save100” when shopping online. While these codes won't work most of the time, Sam assured viewers that when they do, the discounts can be substantial.
Sam stressed you should only use these codes on big corporations’ sites, not small businesses. Her video has garnered over 2.1 million views, with many viewers sharing their success stories and additional code suggestions like “freeship” and “SAVE50.”
Use image search to see if it’s available elsewhere
TikToker Erin Confortini (@itserinconfortini) shared a hack on how to reverse image search clothing to avoid overpaying for items from fast fashion brands like Princess Polly and Shein.
In her viral video, Erin explains, “Regardless of where we’re buying our clothes, it’s all coming from the same factory over in China, and they’re just slapping different labels on it and charging us a way higher price.”
She demonstrated the process using Safari on her phone. “Search [for] Safari, scroll down to Request Desktop Website, click on that, and make sure this All Websites [tab] is toggled on,” she says.
By uploading a dress image into Google Lens, she found the same dress listed for $64 on Princess Polly, $14.96 on Walmart, and $16.99 on Amazon.
Erin concludes, “We’re literally all wearing the same garbage.”
Make sure to look at the material
TikToker Mikinleyh (@mikinleyh) shared tips on how to avoid cheap-looking clothes from fast fashion brands like Princess Polly and Shein.
Mikinleyh criticized these brands for using poor-quality fabrics and overcharging.
“Our clothes look cheap and not worth our money,” she said, adding, “The clothes being advertised today look like [expletive], and customers are being taken advantage of.”
Mikinleyh advised against buying polyester, calling it the “cheapest, fastest, and easiest fabric to make.” Instead, she recommended looking for cotton, modal, viscose, and lyocell.
For cheap, quality T-shirts, she suggested brands like Gap and Brandy Melville.
“Look at the fabric; think about quality over quantity,” she urged.
Look for cheaper dupes
TikTok user Emily (@emilyrodriguee) posted a viral video revealing that fast fashion retailer Shein now has sections for popular brands at lower prices.
“They have shops now that are Zara, LoveShackFancy, House of CB, Missguided—actual, literal Missguided—and I’m going to show you how to get it,” she says.
In the video, Emily demonstrates how searching specific names on SHEIN brings up items similar to those sold by other fast fashion brands.
She compares ENCHNT’s catalog to LoveShackFancy, PARTHEA’s to House of CB, Maija’s to Zara, and even finds actual Missguided items. She also found “Free People” items, mostly shoes.
Emily isn’t the first to notice the close similarities between Shein and other popular fashion brands. In fact, recently, a user claimed that Shein doesn’t just sell dupes, but sometimes even the real thing.
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