If you’ve recently stumbled across Wish, you’re probably shocked by the crazy low prices. How can they even make a profit? Since pictures can be deceiving and you’re probably curious about what it’s actually like, I decided to share some Wish reviews (I have ordered 10+ various types of products from them).
Although it’s a fun website to shop, there are definitely some precautions to take and things to know before buying. Let’s dive in!
Is Wish Legit?
Yes, Wish is as legit as Walmart and Amazon. It was founded in 2010 by Piotr Szulczewski, a former Google engineer. Wish headquarters currently resides in San Francisco. It was the most downloaded app in 2018 with over 161 million installs, so you can feel confident that the company isn’t out to scam its customers. That being said, this doesn’t mean you can’t get “scammed” from sellers on Wish.
How legit is Wish, might you ask? The real question should be how legit are the sellers. Many Wish sellers are only making money on knockoff products from the US. Again, they probably won’t outright scam you, but the quality you receive might not be up to your standards.
Over the last 2 years, I’ve made around 10 purchases and am going to be giving my honest Wish review/reviews to help you decide if you want to purchase from them.
Why Is Wish So Cheap?
Have you been scared away because their prices seem too good to be true? Well don’t worry, the prices are so affordable because it’s usually coming directly from the manufacturer as opposed to being white-labeled by an American company.
What happens with many of the products we purchase here in the US is that companies find overseas manufacturers on wholesale websites (such as Alibaba) or even go visit factories in China to see if they can manufacture a unique product for extremely low costs. Wish eliminates this middleman, which lets them charge lower prices.
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Is it Safe to Buy From Wish?
The Wish app and Wish.com are both online e-commerce platforms that connect buyers and sellers across the world. They are as safe as Amazon or any other large online store you’re currently purchasing from.
What about my data?
Your data is safe as well. Many people have the misconception that Wish is a Chinese company, but it’s actually a company founded and based in the US that follows all mandatory data protocols.
The Downsides of Shopping on Wish
All that being said, there is still potential risk from shopping on Wish when it comes to product quality and shipping speed.
Shipping Times
The shipping speed will typically be long and the estimated shipping times they give cover a large window (see below). Often, you will be quoted a delivery date 1 month (or more) in the future. However, there are some products that come within a couple of weeks, so keep your eye out for those.
This sometimes happens on Amazon and eBay too – it’s because the product is most likely being shipped from China or another overseas country.
All of my purchases took anywhere from 3 weeks – 6 weeks to arrive. This is definitely a long time to wait, but it’s one of the prices you pay when purchasing such cheap products.
When I made my first purchase, I wasn’t aware of how long It would take – when I didn’t have my purchase after 3 weeks I immediately thought I was getting scammed. However, I didn’t spend much money so I didn’t make a big deal of it. Then, it arrived after a week or so longer.
What About the Quality?
Understandably, this is a topic of discussion more than not. Many of these cheap products coming from China are of lower quality. You will find that most Wish reviews online are either complaining about the shipping speed, or the quality of the product they’ve received.
But, what do you expect? A product that’s 75% (or more) cheaper than what we can purchase here in the US is never going to live up to the same quality. That said, there are some categories of products that tend to have less risk of being poor quality. For example, clothing is hard to buy and usually ends with disappointment.
Wish Customer Service
Customer service tends to be an issue since you’re going to be dealing with the manufacturers directly, so sometimes you will be waiting days for a response.
One way to avoid having to deal with poor customer service is to make sure the seller is verified. In most of these cases, I’ve found these larger sellers hire someone dedicated to customer service.
Wish Reviews
Overall: ★★★
Wish as a whole has its pros and cons. The prices are so cheap that many people are willing to take risks and buy. The quality, however, is not guaranteed.
Shipping: ★★
Unfortunately, shipping time from Wish is pretty slow. The estimated delivery for most products is 3 to 6 weeks.
Pricing: ★★★★
Wish is about as cheap as they come. You honestly can’t beat their prices!
Product Quality: ★★
Because their products are so cheap, however, they don’t have a good reputation for being good quality.
Customer Service: ★★
Wish doesn’t have the best reputation for customer service. Because you’ll be dealing with manufacturers directly, response times can be extremely slow.
On Wish, you will find knockoffs for almost anything you can imagine! Here are a few Wish reviews for various products I’ve tried out.
Knockoff Clothing Review
Clothing is one that’s very popular. I recently ordered a few hoodies (currently waiting for them to arrive, shocker). I think it is pretty cool that Wish has so many clothes – sure the quality is going to be inferior to that of the real deal, but for the price you really can’t complain.
This Thrasher Hoodie is $16 with four-star reviews and only costs $5 to ship. That’s not bad compared to $67 (which is the price you’re going to pay at your local Zumiez). I will update soon once the actual hoodie arrives, but I mean, how bad could a hoodie actually be? That said, if you’re looking for inexpensive clothes, I love SheIn or Zaful.
Wish Electronics Review
Here’s where I had a problem. I feel like any knockoff on Wish that involves technology is crap and here’s why. Electronics like these Beats headphones (which I got to try and gave away because the sound quality was so bad) use higher quality internal parts than cheaper headphones. This means that the shell of the product might look great, but what you’re getting inside isn’t close to the real deal.
It might be great for you if you’re just looking to flex on a budget, but if you’re looking to have at least semi-good quality, get ready for a rude awakening. I’d avoid any knockoff electronics on Wish and just save up to get the real thing.
They also have smaller electronics that aren’t replicating a higher-end brand – these aren’t as bad. For example, I purchased a cheap shower speaker that works pretty well.
How to Avoid Getting Scammed on Wish
I’m not sure it’s possible to get outright scammed on Wish, but you can definitely be influenced by over-exaggerated images that might not be an actual representation of what you’re getting!
One way to avoid this is by looking at the Wish product reviews left by other customers. This will help show you if it’s a quality product or not – I skipped this step when ordering my knockoff Beats and I paid for it.
Another thing you want to look for is if the seller is verified this can give you the confidence you need when purchasing.
What does a verified Wish seller mean? It basically means that the products receive high ratings and the seller has exceptional customer service.
Finally, I typically try to stick to certain categories of products that have less likelihood of being disappointing. I’ve had good luck with the following:
- Incense holders
- Planters + pots
- Simple clothing items (i.e. basic crop tops)
- Other small household items
Things I avoid:
- Most items that use any type of technology
- Wigs
- Products that make claims (i.e. hair growth)
Return Policy and Process
Almost everything on the site can be returned for free within 30 days of Delivery (not purchase), but there are some exceptions to this rule.
Things you can’t return on Wish:
- Final Sale Items
- Household Supplies
- Perishable Items
- Personal Care Items
- Items or Services Covered by Merchant Policies (this is where things can get a little confusing – if a merchant has its own return policy, you must process the return through them)
Bottom Line – Is Wish Legit?
Overall, Wish is definitely legit and it can be a fun place to shop as long as you don’t take it too seriously. You can end up with a cool new product, or maybe end up a little disappointed with your knockoff. As you might imagine, I wouldn’t recommend buying expensive products from Wish – the most I’ve spent on one item has been $20.
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