Sound Off: Have You Ever Been Scammed By an Instagram Boutique?

Social media platform Instagram has allowed entrepreneurial designers to bypass brick and mortar and even digital outposts, and sell reasonably priced, sometimes custom made pieces to a budget conscious consumer. But while the affordable wares seem to be trustworthy (typically due to the cosign of a celebrity), it seems more than a few of you have had serious issues with buying through this unregulated channel.

A  Reader recently left a comment, saying, “Angela Simmons once wore an outfit and shouted out an IG Boutique by the name of Highly Selective Clothing. I thought that since she was endorsing it, it was a legit business right? Boy was I wrong!I ordered something from them, but once I got confirmation that my payment was accepted, not only did I never hear back from them, no one ever responded to any of my inquiries! After expressing my displeasure on their IG page…my comments were deleted and so was I. Never again will I purchase anything from IG. The large majority are frauds, unless it’s an existing brand.”

 
About another IG Boutique, Sassy Enigma said, “Their customer service is ATROCIOUS. I ordered from them and a month later still didn’t have my item. I wrote several emails and asked for a refund, Still nothing. Mind you they were still posting on IG and erasing peoples complaints from under the pictures!!! NO more IG boutiques!!!!”
Sigh. This is unfortunate to say the very least. My suggestions for avoiding getting scammed would be: only deal with boutiques with an e-commerce site. If you have to call or e-mail, it might not be worth the trouble.
Also, pay with Paypal. The online system has extensive Fraud Protection, so if you run into an issue, there’s a higher chance of you getting your money back!
That said, do you research, look at all the comments on every post, search the store’s hashtag for any bad reviews, and make sure you ask all the questions you can before handing over your cash!
And if you have stories of getting scammed by an Instagram boutique, leave a comment! It’s ok to name names. You won’t get deleted here;)
Happy Shopping!
*The pictures above are used for illustrative purposes, and are not meant to depict that the pieces come from dishonest vendors.
*Just for fun, check out Bossip’s Gallery of the Worst Instagram Boutique Dresses.