Upfront Summary: Is LightInTheBox worth it?

LightInTheBox is a legit online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products at discount prices based out of China. They have been around for many years, have sold and shipped to many customers, and are a publicly-traded company in America. LightInTheBox is not a marketplace, so you are buying directly from them, and they offer a minimum 30-day warranty on defective products, which should give you confidence when purchasing from LightInTheBox.

You may have never heard of LightInTheBox before, but you may be intrigued by the vast range of products at excellent prices. If you’re apprehensive about the quality of the products, or if you’ll even receive the products, then keep reading for the full scoop on LightInTheBox. I’ve scoured the internet for what customers are saying about LightInTheBox.

LightInTheBox Company Information

Official Website:https://www.lightinthebox.com
Founded:June 2007 by Quji (Alan) Guo, Xin (Kevin) Wen, Liang Zhang, Jun Liu, and Chit Jeremy Chau.
Owner:Public Company
Location:Headquarters in Beijing, China
Customer Service Contact:Pre-Sales Support
Open Support Ticket
Social Media:Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr

What is LightInTheBox?

LightInTheBox is a China-based online discount retailer of lifestyle products, including fashion, home decor, outdoor products, gadgets, and much more. All of the LightInTheBox products are manufactured in China. LightInTheBox is utilizing the strong manufacturing market in China, which means they are finding products much cheaper and of good quality to then resell to you. You are also getting the benefits and cost savings of LightInTheBox finding and purchasing products in bulk from Chinese companies.

LightInTheBox has been referred to as the Chinese Amazon due to the number of different products they offer and their low prices.

Unlike a marketplace or drop shipper, LightInTheBox purchases and stores its products in its warehouse, and is directly selling and shipping the products to you. They have already checked the quality of the products and ensured nobody will be ripped off or scammed.

While you may not get the same brands you’re used to, you will get a vast selection of products at meager prices. They have hundreds of thousands of products listed at any time, with thousands more added weekly.

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Is LightInTheBox safe and legal, or is it a scam?

LightInTheBox is perfectly legal in all countries they ship to. LightInTheBox is safe and scam-free because they are an established retailer that sells direct to you, and you are not dealing with anybody else except LightInTheBox. Their website is virus and malware-free, with an up-to-date privacy policy that details what they collect, how they use it, and your rights regarding what they collect.

There are many fake online retailers out there, but none explicitly pretending to be LightInTheBox.

LightInTheBox did have a large data breach in 2019. The breach exposed minimal customer data to the world. However, when reported, LightInTheBox quickly removed the data and fixed the issue. If you have previously purchased from them, your email and purchases may have been exposed to scammers, who could then email you pretending to be LightInTheBox, so be wary of any emails asking for information or sending links.

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Is LightInTheBox reliable and trustworthy?

LightInTheBox has a generally positive reputation and is considered trustworthy. The most significant issues experienced by customers are delays in receiving their products and issues in returning products they changed their minds on. There are reports of some custom items being incorrectly sized or not as expected.

I would not recommend relying on LightInTheBox for time-critical items, such as wedding dresses. I would also be wary of purchasing custom items that may not have the same quality control as their bulk items.

While some online reviews indicate the site is a scam, this seems to be around orders being lost or delayed in the mail or products not being exactly as expected. LightInTheBox needs to improve its delivery times and estimates. Reviews stating a product had an estimate of 5-8 days and not receiving it for 28 days is a big difference and causes concerns for customers.

Many customers in North America are also used to Amazon, which will ship extremely quickly and accept returns of items with no questions asked. This type of return policy is not feasible on extremely low-cost items, especially when you are returning products to a different country.

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LightInTheBox shipping information

Average Shipping Time

Shipping times vary and depend on where your package is going and what delivery option you selected. The fastest options have a 2-4 business day delivery estimate, and the slowest options have a 10-20 business day estimate.

Cost of Shipping

LightInTheBox does not offer free shipping. Shipping costs vary and depend on what you order, what country it is going to, and how fast you want it shipped.

How to track an order on LightInTheBox?

  1. Sign in to your account and click “My Orders”.
  2. Click on the Order Number you want to track.
  3. Click on the Track button or the Track this order link located next to the tracking number.

To which countries does LightInTheBox ship?

LightInTheBox will ship globally and to almost every country.

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Does LightInTheBox have good customer service?

LightInTheBox only offers online ticket-based customer service via Zendesk. There are no options to call, but their website does provide online chat at certain times of the day.

While online reviews indicate that LightInTheBox customer service is poor, when checking the reviews it’s because customer service can’t always offer refunds, exchanges, or returns due to the policies set by LightInTheBox.

Most reviews indicate that support responds quickly and resolves issues within their policies. So the actual customer support is fast and good, but the policies are not to the reviewer’s liking.

LightInTheBox customer service responds to customer complaints in online forums and review sites. So they are taking an active approach to external customer complaints. They appear to have a large team and want to do their best to resolve issues for you.

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How do you cancel an order on LightInTheBox?

  1. Sign into “My Account” and click on “My Orders”.
  2. Click on the order number that you want to cancel.
  3. Click “Delete this order” or “Cancel this order” and confirm that you wish to proceed.

Does LightInTheBox have promo or discount codes?

LightInTheBox offers a variety of promos and discount codes. An everchanging discount code is displayed at the top of their site; at the moment, LightInTheBox is offering the more you spend, the bigger your discount. You can receive 10% off if you download their mobile app and purchase through it. New customers can receive an instant $3 off their first order.

Different parts of the site offer other promos. You could get free shipping, or you could get 10-20% off if you buy 2-3 of the same item. So keep an eye out when browsing the site.

Searching online, I have found many promo codes that worked, offering 5-10% off purchases.

You can’t stack your promo codes, so pick the best one for your purchase.

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Does LightInTheBox have a return policy?

  • Any item you wish to return must be authorized by customer support first.
  • You can return some unused items, but not all, for any reason within 7 days of delivery, 14 days for women’s swimwear. You are responsible for shipping charges.
  • Faulty items have varying warranty periods; most lights/faucets are 1 year, and most other items are 30 days.

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LightInTheBox payment methods

  • Paypal
  • Credit/Debit Card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover, CarteBancaier(France only), Bancontact(Belgium only), Delta, Visa Dankort(Denmark only), Elo(Brazil only), Hippercard（Brazil only）.
  • Western Union
  • Wire Transfer
  • Online Banking
  • Klarna (SOFORT)

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The pros and cons of LightInTheBox

Pros:

  • LightInTheBox is not a marketplace, so you’re dealing with a single seller.
  • Extremely low prices, great deals, and fantastic selection.
  • There is a reasonable warranty period on products if they break after receiving them.

Cons:

  • Returns are not guaranteed if you change your mind and you pay for return shipping.
  • Customer complaints of slow shipping, as all items are coming from China.
  • You can’t try before you buy products
  • Only Chinese products, you can’t find your favorite brands.

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LightInTheBox Careers

Employee reviews of LightInTheBox indicate the pay can be low, and your benefits can be modified to your disadvantage. If you’re a junior employee and want to develop, and then move on, this may be a good workplace to start your career with. There is flexibility for hours and working location, with good teamwork.

The majority of jobs at LightInTheBox are based in China. You would need to be located in China and be able to work legally.

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Best LightInTheBox alternatives

Online shopping is constantly becoming more straightforward and faster, it’s a convenient and often cheaper option than going to your local mall. Every store has different products, and if you find that LightInTheBox doesn’t have everything you need or you want to compare prices, you can try the following alternatives.

  • Amazon.com
  • Asos.com
  • Boohoo.com
  • Banggood.com
  • Wish.com
  • Dhgate.com

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Additional FAQs

How long does it take to get my refund?

Once your item has been received by LightInTheBox, your refund will be processed within 48 hours. Depending on your payment method, it could take from 7-45 days for it to be returned to your original payment method.

Are LightInTheBox products good quality?

LightInTheBox checks the quality of all products before offering them to consumers. The majority of reviews online indicate the products are of good quality.

Where does LightInTheBox operate from?

LightInTheBox operates and ships out of China.

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