Well, hello again. So, my first shipment (technically my second, but we'll get to that in a moment) of bras came in this weekend, and I thought I'd share the joy. I'll start off with a couple of online company reviews (with linkies), and then I'll be doing a separate post for each bra, for ease of googling. I've found bloggers to provide some of the best information in bra reviews, but it's hard to find reviews for specific bras without doing a lot of digging.
So far, I have technically tried two online retailers, but I'm sort of not counting the first one, since I only ordered one bra. For an extensive list of shop that carry bras online, I love Busty Girl's FAQ. Not all them carry all sizes, though, so consider yourself warned. A lot of them are also in Britain, which kinda sucks if you live stateside.
My first experience was with Bare Necessities. I ordered a Chantelle Rive Gauche (review will be in the next post), since that's what I'd been wearing, and I wanted to try it in a different size. Their website was laid out well, and it was easy to find what I was looking for. They're not real great on the communication end of things, though, and their shipping is on the slow side (Jersey to Kentucky took a full week). I never got an email for my receipt or to notify me that my package shipped. Their exchange policy is also a bit weird. Still, they came pretty highly recommended by a lot of other bloggers, so I gave them a try. The bra didn't fit (of course), and they had a promotion offering free return shipping on Chantelle bras, so it's currently en route back to them. I'm a bit nervous, as I still haven't heard from them, and it's been a week since I sent it back. I'll probably be calling them next week to verify they got it. I actually did call to check on whether they shipped it and spent a bit longer on hold than I'd've liked. I'd also like to point out that I sent them an email asked for advice re:bra styles and fit last weekend, and have yet to hear back. I'm not impressed, and am really just hoping I get my money back at this point.
The next lot, the one that came in this weekend, I ordered from Her Room. I promptly received my receipt, and it even shipped the same day. I ordered Monday or Tuesday, and it arrived on Friday, which is a reasonable speed for Texas to Kentucky. I was able to have a live chat on their website and they did their best to answer my questions and give me some suggestions (which were mostly based on their sales numbers, but at least they made an effort). Bonus: they provide free shipping on exchanges. Their exchange policy could be better worded ("We gladly pay for the re-shipping cost of exchanged merchandise (one exchange per order, please)" that last bit is a little sticky), but I was able to verify that what they mean by that is basically, if you want to exchange stuff, do it all at once, not one bra now, then another a week later. I also inquired (via phone) about what happens if the exchange doesn't fit, and pretty much they run it as a return and new sale at that point--I believe the girl said shipping will still be free at that point. Not sure how they are with returns yet, but I'll be shipping the bras that didn't fit back tomorrow. While their size guide is a bit wonky (they add inches to the band), I really like how their website compares how each brand's cup size compares to various standards (UK, US, etc). They also have a section on each bra's page with specs on the bra, fitting tips, and a section for customer reviews.
Assuming my exchange with Her Room goes well, I'll probably stick with them (I'm a creature of habit). One thing I have noticed is pretty consistent with most of the various retailers is that pretty much all of them have loads of complaints around the internet regarding the return process, which I would expect to be a problem to some degree, anyway. Bras are extremely hard to fit, and women are crazy--those two facts combine for a powder keg. I will point out that of the two stores I've tried, Bare Necessities is BBB accredited and Her Room is not--I find this very interesting, considering I've had better service so far from the latter. If you've tried some of the other shops online (especially if you live in the US), feel free to post a review about your experience there in the comments--I'm hoping we can build up a bit of a following here, and the more information there is in one place, the better.
On a completely unrelated note, I'd also like to point out that girls with smaller chests are more than welcome here. While you guys generally don't have the should and back pain issues, I know it can be very hard to find cute bras in very small sizes--just because you're little doesn't mean you don't deserve something pretty, and I don't know anyone who enjoys it when their nipples poke out of their shirt. While I am looking for a good bra in a larger size, I am also trying to figure out a better design (which, having started, I can tell you is much harder than you'd think), and I'd like to eventually cover all the girls who don't fit in a so-called normal size range. Boobs are boobs, and every woman deserves to be comfortable and look and feel pretty, regardless of their size. (You're probably going to hear that a lot, consider yourself warned.)
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