Shopping for fashion wear and everyday garments has become the new norm. But when it comes to sarees, online stores open a treasure trove of choices at varying price ranges. Online stores work like a chest of treasures that you can dig into for hours on end without leaving the couch. From Kanjivarams from Tamil Nadu with their gorgeous peacock hues to stunning Chanderis from Madhya Pradesh to Muga silk from Assam, you can scroll on and on.
But it’s not all glitter and gold, there are several loopholes to this otherwise convenient shopping experience. First of all, you cannot touch the fabrics with your hand. The product delivered to your doorstep may differ to a great extent from what you see on the screen. Last but not least, sometimes you can be duped by lucrative discounts and end up paying extra because of hidden charges. The question is how to get over these shortcomings and how to dodge these traps and buy sarees online safely. Let’s explain.
Pick Reputed & Reliable Stores
To begin with, don’t get lured by every website that grabs your eyes by showing some sparkling fashion pictures. Always opt for a site that is reputed enough and has a decent following among fashion lovers.
For example, stores like G3+ Fashion, already have a worldwide reputation for their huge collection of ethnic wear. You can also opt for general stores like Amazon, Flipkart, or Myntra, but these stores may lack the depth of specialist stores we have mentioned earlier.
Even if you find the collection on a lesser-known website really interesting, instead of sending any product to the shopping cart, check for genuine reviews of their products. To go deeper into reviews, check Trustpilot or Google.
Last but not least, check their address and manufacturer details. Always insist on checking contact details. Transparency shows through these things.
Keep These Warning Signs in Mind
Now it’s important to understand how to dodge sites with a not-so-good reputation. There are some tried and tested signs that you should remember whenever searching online saree stores abruptly.
Prices of sarees that scream about being too cheap rate, should be avoided. If a store offers you a silk saree for the price of a movie ticket, you can safely consider it to be fake.
If an online store is built as though it is built by amateurs and is full of typos, fuzzy images, or broken links, you can simply shut it down from your browser.
Fishy reviews that from the word go sound fake or bot-written cannot be trusted at all. These sites with fake reviews are even less trustworthy than others without any reviews.
Research Sarees Fabric and Quality
Fabric remains at the heart of all quality considerations when it comes to garments, especially sarees. Fabric not just determines its aesthetic appeal but also its durability and upkeeping. Since shopping online, we cannot physically touch the saree fabric, judging the quality has some challenges.
Here we mention some popular, affordable, and quality saree fabrics.
- Polyester: Polyester is an equally durable, and low-maintenance fabric and this is why it is ideal for everyday wear sarees.
- Blended Fabrics: There are combination fabrics like cotton-silk or polyester-cotton that bring you the elegance of premium fabrics and offer a lower price point.
- Chiffon and Georgette: If you want something lightweight and breathable, these fabrics make the perfect choice and are popular for festive occasions.
- Art Silk: Referring to artificial silk, this silk option brings you the sheen of pure silk while making you pay just a fraction of the cost.
- Cotton Linen: This combination fabric offers a blend of cotton and linen and comes with a soft, breathable texture for comfort and elegance.
Let’s now provide here some useful tips about judging the saree fabrics online.
- Read Product Descriptions Meticulously: Reputed online fashion stores offer precise details about the saree fabric, how they are woven, and specific care instructions.
- Zoom the Images: To have a closer look at the fabrics use the zoom feature extensively and look deeper to understand the fabric texture, print, design work, or embroidery.
- Read Customer Reviews: Reviews of sarees or what other buyers say about the products they purchased can provide good insights about the fabric, its feel, comfort, weight, and durability.
- Say No to Vague Fabric Description: Always stay clear of low-quality fabrics that some stores describe with vague terms like “synthetic” or “fancy fabric” or similar terms. Always check the details of the fabric before opting for such vague options.
- Know About Fabric Care: Last but not least, you need to give attention to upkeeping and care instructions as well. Always check whether the purchased saree requires special care or not.
Check Sarees Design and Craftsmanship
While the fabric remains to be the key consideration for quality, the design work and craftsmanship of a saree, its weaving patterns, embroidery work, and embellishments, make it gorgeous and charming. So, for quality purchases, you need to consider these aspects as well.
Here are some ways to judge quality design and craftsmanship.
- Check Weaving Techniques: Traditional weaving techniques that are applied to expensive and high-quality sarees like Banarasi, Kanjivaram, or Chanderi can be easily recognized by saree-loving women for their intricate patterns and elegant design work. For such sarees always opt for handwoven options even though they are expensive. The same consideration goes for judging embroidery work.
- Saree Prints & Machine Embroidery: For less expensive embroidered sarees, you can opt for machine embroidery. Machine embroidery can still be of high quality besides being durable. When it comes to printed sarees, check on their printing technique such as block printing, digital printing, etc.
- Border and Pallu Design: The border and pallu are intricate parts of saree fashion as they often add to saree features with elaborate designs. Zoom the saree images to have a closer view of the neatness and consistency of patterns or zari work in border and pallu.
- Finishing: Finally, always check for details in the finishing of the saree. Look for clean edges, and durable stitching, and make sure it doesn’t have loose threads hanging here and there. Check also customer reviews whether the saree comes with uneven hems or inconsistent stitching.
- Compare Similar Products: Comparing is always a strength of online shopping and hence don’t hesitate to compare similar products to judge the quality of design and craftsmanship.
- Look for Certifications: Last but not least, always give priority to stores that provide authenticity certificates for their handwoven or traditional sarees. This will ensure that you are buying an authentic product.
Check Sarees Return and Refund Policies
Whenever buying sarees online, insist on a transparent, clearly communicated, and flexible return and refund policy of the store. This is the single most important sign of a reputed and trustworthy online store.
Look for the following aspects in their return policy.
- Return Window: Check for a longer return period which varies between 7–30 days for leading stores.
- Condition for Returns: Check the return conditions and make sure the stores gladly take back the product in unused condition just for the fact that the buyer didn’t like it.
- Refund Process: Now as for getting your purchase money back, check whether they provide a full refund, store credit, or an exchange. Make sure you don’t need to bear the return shipping cost.
- Ease of Process: Above all, you also need to consider the ease of returning and getting a refund. Always opt for stores that offer free pickup or quick refunds to customer accounts.
Wrapping Up
The delightful experience of online saree shopping can go wrong if you do not apply the checks and balances we have mentioned above. When you know what needs to be checked and what information needs to be looked at before arriving at the checkout point, you can always make the best online deals.