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JanineM
01-17-2006, 02:15 PM
I have noticed all those sites in ebay from Chinese companies who make knock off dresses to one's own measurements. They will also make a dress that you design.

Some charge as little as $.99 for a dress but hit you with over $100 for the shipping and handling. Others charge about $40 for the dress and another $40 for the shipping and handeling. Most of the reviews are good on them, but some are better then others.

I have seen at least one picture posted on the Wedding Channel boards of a bride wearing one of those dresses and it looked nice. There are a coupld of others who have ordered them and are waiting for them to come in and will post pictures.

I was wondering if anyone here has purchased or even seen any of these dresses? Where was it odrered from (company name)? How was the service? Were you happy with the dress, the quality, and the fabric? Was it just as pictured? Was the quality compreable to something you would find at David's Bridal?

I did learn a couple of things about them already. They tend to close down for the Chinese New Year holiday for several days so comunication on those days is slow. (another bride ran into this) One company just got kicked off ebay for actually selling the real designer gowns with certificates dirt cheap. She found out about it (apparently it was her contracted factory) and she had them kicked off. They are still filling the orders already placed.

I do not have a ring yet so I will not really be shopping for a dress until I get one and that is a little bit away. Until then, I am educating myself on everything wedding. I am very short and apple shaped so nothing ever fits me right and it would nice to have one made to my size or at least close to it. So I would love to learn from everyone else who has tried this, especially if the company was good to work with and was able to communicate well. I feel that for about $100 it is worth the risk.

So please send some feedback and if you can post or send a picture even better!

Thanks!

erikas
01-31-2006, 05:29 AM
Hello,

I also recntly ran across these places on ebay. One of the more popular ones is China-Ekt. He also has his own website apart from ebay, which is www.1koo.com. He is a power seller on ebay, and has many, many, many reviews. I did not read though the thousands that are there, but I read through at least several hundred of them. All except one or two about the wedding(and bridesmaids) dresses were VERY positive. Most said it came back beautiful, and fit wonderfully. Some needed a little additional tailoring, but considering the price, and the fact that you have to have most dresses altered anyways, I don't think that's a big deal. Some said it wasn't exactly like the picture, but still beautiful. The bad ones said just that it wasn't at all like the picture. He does have a return policy, which (after reading the reviews) seems to work well.

The only thing is that all of them come with zippers, and most wedding gowns have a button-up back, so that is also one reason the price is a little lower - just not as much detail. I am going to email and ask him if they're able to put buttons on the back instead for an extra charge, or even if they can leave it open, and I can then have a seamstress put the buttons on the back after I get it. The price would still be way under a regular gown.

I was pretty chicken about ordering a wedding dress online, but after reading all the reviews and looking over everything thoroughly, I have decided to try it. I will first go and try gowns on to see what style works. But, they're almost all made in China anyways, right? And, he has a good selection to choose from.

I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has already tried this! I will not be ordering for another two months or so, but I will let you know how they turn out!

Erika

JanineM
02-09-2006, 07:09 PM
Thank you so much for replying. I did not notice until today!

Yes, I do know of the company you are talking about. I have been following their reviews for a while and I emailed them 20 questions the other day and they got right back to me with answers.

I too noticed the zipper issue with them and that was one of my questions to them. They told me that they are not using a better quality zipper then before.

I have two threads going on the wedding channel about them. One I started under dream gowns -ebay china thread. Another bride has one under creative ways to save about an issue she is having with the company she used, a different one then you mentioned that has been kicked off of ebay. Another girl got a dress from them that she loves without problem. This one ran into the Chinese New Year celibration back up. Apparently the last week of January and first week or so of Feburary causes back ups with ordering, production, comminication, and even getting products through Chinese customs. Best not to order around that time.

Yes, many of these companies are just stealing picture form the net or magazines of dresses and copying them. Some don't know for sure that the other side of the dress looks like so they just improvise. You are right the pic may not be exact. They seem to be very honest about it not being exact.

Some companies will make a dress from your own design. I have been communication with one person who did this. Her dress came in and was well made but it was too short and they did misinterpreted the tulle in the design and made it more of a ruffel. She was unhappy and contacted them again. They are working with her on it. They are not making her send it back and are only charging another $25 for shipping and are making her another dress the way she wants it. She has posted picture of her inspiration dress, her own sketch, and what came in the mail. I am also waiting for pics from a couple of others.
I noticed under the thread "post a pic of you in your dress" at the same site at least one or two dresses from ebay China.

The company you mentioned will make the button up back and the lace up back, in fact it was one of my questions to them. Several people on other sites have strongly recomended to me that a lace up back is a better choice for online dresses beacuse it permits slight room for adjustment without needing alterations. It does seem to make sense.

The mose specifie the directions with them seem to be the best thing possible. Don't assume they will just know, understand, or interpret a picture or general description the same way. Specifically ask them to email you any questions they have if they are unsure of something and to ask the people involeved in making it to ask and wait for an answer as well before they continue the work.

They also told me that there is no other holidays that interfer in the business other then Chinese New Year. I know what that holiday is like even here as I live in an Asian neighborhood here in the US.

I too have sat dwon and read 20 pages of reviews that company at a time as well as others. A different company that I was very interested in had made bad reviews and put horrible customer reviews back. I would not touch them with a ten foot poll now. Anyone company that has a bad ot neutral review that has follow up reports stating that they are working to resolve it it still worth dealing with, perhaps even more if there are not too many issues. Anyone can make a mistake, but how you handle it from there is what really counts!

I also think that before buying it would be a good idea to email or PM some of their past ebay customers to get a reference and maybe even pictures of what was ordered and what was actually recieved. Most brides love to show off their dress anyway and I know I would be willing to give it to others after I buy a dress.

Anyway my networking on this issue seems to be starting to take off now and I am very glad you are part of it. I found a nightmare theread from a bride on the WC who bought a bunch of expensive dresses at a shop in LA was charged $24 each for special delivary and the ones did come were cheaply packaged and only had $4 postage on it. Others seem to be missing in action and there have been numerour other issues she had had in the ten months since she ordered. So even thought there is always a risk buying over the internet, espceially from another counrty, but it is still not the same $$$ risk people take when shopping here at home. For me I know I will probably give it a shot, and maybe even buy a back up dress too from a second company at those cheap prices.

melanie1973
02-11-2006, 10:48 AM
Hi all, I was looking at www.1koo.com. And some of those dresses are just beautiful!! I already found 3 I really like. I was just wondering
if anyone has bought one of these "china dresses" I also sent an email to find out the price of a dress I want made..I can't wait to see what the price would be...I'm just a little weary of the cheap prices and wonder if the work is cheap or the matreial is cheap as well. I guess for those prices it's a risk but I think it's woth it.
Any help would be great! Are there other companies like this??
Thanks,
Melanie

JanineM
02-23-2006, 05:36 AM
There are many companies like this! That company you mentioned had some issues with the zippers. Most brides said that at the price to have it fixed here was not a big deal and the company also said that they have upgraded the zipper product they use. They will also do button or lace up backs if you want.

We have two threads going on these companies on the wedding channel message boards. One I started under dream gowns called Ebay China. The other someone else stared under Creative Ways to Save. We have been getting people to name the companies and post pics of the dresses when they come in and it is working out pretty well.

People seem to like the material and the quality so far. The issues that have come up have been delays due to the Chinese New Year, but the dress still came within two months of ordering. One dress have the ule done a little different then whet the bride designed (she designed the dress herself) She likes the qulity and fit. They are remaking her an another one for only $25 shipping because she was unhappy with the misinterpertaion of her design.

The companies will often tell you that the dress may be slightly different from the picture. I would ask for more information about how they are different. Communication seems to be key with these companies.

You may also be able to contact some of their past buyers on ebay, I am not sure because I don't have an actual ebay account yet.

Please let us know anything you learn about them back here too!

Thanks,
Janine

JanineM
02-23-2006, 08:38 AM
Sorry for repeating myself so much. I didn't have a chance at the time to go back and read what I wrote before.

JanineM
03-21-2006, 05:36 PM
At least one or two brides on the Wedding Channel boards have orders now in from there and are waiting for their dresses. I will let you know how it works out for them or you can cheak the board there yourself. I posted it under dream gowns and the thread is also called Ebay China. I would love for this thread here to take off like that one has too.

Did you end up ordering from them yet?

erikas
03-22-2006, 12:25 AM
No, I haven't ordered yet. I am trying on dresses next week, and I'm going to see what's out there first. Then, I will make my final decision. I have also looked at the other boards on weddingchannel.com, and they have been very useful. Thanks for the tips! I will let you know what I decide, and how it all turns out!

JanineM
04-25-2006, 10:48 AM
I go by Jan on the WC.

Oopsie
05-17-2006, 05:11 AM
I was pretty skeptical about spending any money on ebay for a wedding gown, but being that I was on a budget I didnt have much choice. I probably could of gotten a dress for abvout $99 at David's Bridal, but not one that I just loved and actually fit. I'm puerto rican and as curvy as they come. Nothing I tried on fit right,anywhere.

A few of the stores on ebay had great prices like at $.99, but you're right they are like $100 bucks to ship. Then I ran into Bridal-Essentials, which I believe are also owners of yourbridalessentials.com and they offer to make me a dress to my measurements and I could pick any dress. After a few days of searching like a crazy woman for "the" dress I sent it to them and they quoted me $325, but with free shipping. It was totally worth spending since the actual certified gown would of cost me over $1,800.

Once I got it and saw the quality I ended up ordering all 8 of my bridesmaids dresses with them as well as my mother in law's dress. Oh! and the flower girl's dress too. I spent a bit more than I was hoping for but it was definitely worth it!

One thing though. They say normally takes about 20 days to make, but with holidays and weekends you can expect a good 30-35 days to get your dresses. They take their holidays seriously apparently.

JanineM
05-17-2006, 05:41 AM
Thank you for the information. I didn't have any info on that company yet. What did the other dress you ordered run? Did you recieve them yet?

Did you require any additional alterations? Did you learn any tips about ordering that you would like to pass along?

I would love to see pictures if you have any. Could you post them here or email them to me at [email protected] .


Thank you!

viajera20009
05-26-2006, 08:56 AM
Opsie (and others)

Do you have a photo of yourself in your gown??

Does the gown have boning and a lining? (I'm also as curvy as they come, so I need all that!

Toni

viajera20009
05-26-2006, 08:56 AM
Opsie (and others)

Do you have a photo of yourself in your gown??

Does the gown have boning and a lining? (I'm also as curvy as they come, so I need all that!

Toni

JanineM
06-15-2006, 10:54 AM
Just a note. Ebay China companies are now knocking off each others gowns in addition to the big guys. I have seen pictures snagged from Julius Bridal and 1Koo that are not being made but eith company even though both companies make dresses that are availible on ebay. JB will stand by any dress they make but not copies from a company that is not associated with them so be careful if ordering. You still may be able to get the same looking dress from one of the other companies but I have not had any reviews on the new copie cats on the other sites I have posted.

Janine

ktaylor718
07-20-2006, 06:46 AM
I purchased and received my wedding gown from a Chinese ebay shop - (Cinderella's Bridal Shop). I can't begin to tell you how absolutely TERRIFIED I was!! The dress is absolutely FABULOUS and I could not have made a better decision had I gone to a local bridal salon.

The dress is a knock off of Maggie Sottero's Dion. Believe me, I compared pictures as closely as I could and could not find any difference. Cinderella's offers to make the dress in any size 2-30, they will custom make the dress to your measurements (which I chose to do). They will also make any other modifications upon request. I requested the dress be made without the train (our wedding is on a large sailboat but not enough room to drag a train and the back is too pretty to bustle).

The dress is a heavy silk, boned, fully lined, and has exquisite beading. I was very impressed with the hemline - it's re-inforced and falls beautifully. It also has the corset lace up back just like the Maggie - and does wonders for those of us with a few extra curves...it hides the bad and shows off the good!

I ordered my dress on 6/20 and received it on 7/10. I got the shipment notification on 7/7 a full 14 days earlier than estimated. I paid $199 + $55 shipping. This ebay shop has many other styles, I assume other Maggie knock-offs and they're all beautiful.

It's about 3 inches too long - but that's my fault. I was measured with heels and have since decided to wear flats - I'm already pretty tall! My seamstress is in awe of the price and fabulous quality and that I don't need any other alterations.

My reasoning...which I haven't seen anyone write about - but I'm not afraid to say it nor do I lack for words on this. This is one day - not even that, it's a few hours and then it goes in a box. I can't comprehend why anyone would spend thousands on a wedding dress to wear for a few hours. I get that we want to look the best ever on "our day". But I can't wrap my head around spending so much money...or insisting on a genuine designer dress with a certificate. What does that do? Whom does it impress? Are you supposed to frame the certificate? I'd rather put more money into making sure my guests have great food, fun, and have a wonderful unique experience. If it falls apart at the end of my day (which I'm confident it won't) it has still done its job and been worth every penny.

JanineM
07-20-2006, 07:37 AM
Thanks for all the info. I will share it with the others I am communicating with on other boards. Do you have any pictures of the dress you recieved that you would not mind sharing? My email is [email protected]

Thanks!

ktaylor718
07-20-2006, 11:46 PM
I don't have pictures of myself in the gown yet...My mother and matron of honor are both 600 miles away and I locked my fiance out of the house when I tried it on by myself...that was an event! I'll try to remember to send pictures when I have some.

The website for the shop I went through is linked here...I can't sing their praises enough!!! All of their dresses are beautiful and my dress (Dion) is exactly as they pictured.

http://stores.ebay.com/Cinderellas-Bridal-Shop

JanineM
07-21-2006, 02:48 AM
I understand how hard it is to take pics with everyone so far away.

I have heard a couple of other good reports about them. I think another bride on the WC bought the same dress awhile back and was thrilled with it. She had them do the embroidery in light blue.

There has been a lot of talk on the WC in the past from brides who agree with you about how it is just crazy to spend thousands for a dress for less then one day. Some people spend more on their dress then I did on my car!

Soon2bMrs
08-17-2006, 08:59 AM
I went to the website after reading your message. The dresses are beautiful. I would love to order my dress from them also but I am afraid to order such an important purchase online. Does the beading on your dress look good? I'm afraid it might look cheap. Do you have a picture of yourself in the dress yet? I would love to see it.:D

ladyaurora
08-20-2006, 10:30 AM
I have a knock off of an older Lazaro dress from one of these Chinese ebay sellers (lisayipoi123). It is beautiful... the only problem I had was that the stays in the bodice are not really that strong. I also personally replaced all the beads and rhinestones with swarovskis.

The dress did have a zipper in the picture but I simply asked for them to put in a corset back... I had to provide a picture of what one looked like and what a privacy panel was, but there was no extra charge at all. It is done to my exact measurements due to the corset back. Total cost to me was around $250 Canadian after shipping.

I found her to be very responsive to emails and very helpful.

Soon2bMrs
08-28-2006, 04:33 AM
Why did you replace the beads and rhinestones? Also where did you get your swarovskis? Thanks.

cyanosis
09-07-2006, 11:08 PM
They had a picture of a justin alexander dress. I bought it for $69 plus $99 shipping plus $10 insurance. I got it more than a month later. It had very little in common with the original, was not made to the correct size, and was made of cheap silk rather than the taffeta I had made sure to ask that it was made of. He promised a full refund if I sent it back. It cost me $37 plus insurance to send it back to China. Then, He only refunded me $71. I complained and told him he had promised me ALL of the money back. He refunded me an aditional $80. So he still didn't refund my full purchase price, but it's better than nothing. All of this took 2 and 1/2 months.

ketgilbert
09-14-2006, 09:11 AM
O ordered my dress from Ekt on Ebay. I paid 51.50 for the dress, 49.00 for air shipping, this was in Euros, it translated to $128.57 USD. I also paid a bank fee of $50 to wire the money to him so that it would be done more quickly. i sent the wired on 09/01/2006. I received an email from him stating he received my payment on 09/05/2006. I then received an email stating my dress was finished and ready to ship on 09/11/2006. I haven't received it yet, and I expect to need slight alterations since my fiance and I did my measurements to the best of our ability, but I have high hopes. I will post the results when I receive it. :D

ladyaurora
09-26-2006, 08:42 AM
I replaced the beads and rhinestones with swarovskis because I liked the look of the swarovskis better. I got the swarovskis off of ebay for fairly cheap actually as I only ordered around 100 of them (small 4 - 6 mm bicone crystals). The beads and rhinestones weren't as good a quality as the swarovskis and the amount of time that it took was just an afternoon.

ketgilbert
09-28-2006, 07:45 AM
I got my dress on the 26th, it took less than a month to get the gown. The picture did not do it justice. It's ven prettier than I thought it would be, and somehow we managed to do my measurements correctly, I don't have to get it altered at all. I am definitely ordereing the flower girl's dress from China-ekt this February. :-D

JanineM
10-17-2006, 09:14 AM
I would love to see a picture of that dress!

jinjguo
10-24-2006, 12:54 PM
Hi all, I was looking at www.kanacca.com. And some of those dresses are just beautiful!! I already found 3 I really like. I was just wondering if anyone has bought one of these "china dresses" I also sent an email to find out the price of a dress I want made. I can't wait to see what the price would be...I'm just a little weary of the cheap prices and wonder if the work is cheap or the material is cheap as well. I guess for those prices it's a risk but I think it's worth it.
Any help would be great! Are there other companies like this??
Thanks,
Jinjguo

JanineM
11-04-2006, 01:27 AM
Yes, there are others. My favorite so far Is www.JuliusBridal.com, but Cinderella Bridal is also another good one and may be slightly cheaper.

The company you mentioned had had very incinsistant feedback over the past year. For a while anyone who complained about them in their feedback got nasty comments back calling them a bad ebayer. They did have some good comments, but many troubled ones. We have not yet come across an actually buyer on any or my threads yet.

BBB also had a few companies listed in their new edition of the book.

Janine

uclachexican
11-29-2006, 01:23 AM
Janine,

Upon recommendation from a friend, I purchased the Bridal Bargains book. I finished it in about 1 week and scoured it for information. Most interesting was the information about ordering dresses from China. I came here and found your thread as well as the one at the WC site. I just really wanted to thank you for starting these threads and spreading all this great information! I haven't read through all of the WC thread yet. I have to do a few pages a day, but so far it has been very helpful and very interesting. This information has been (will be) really useful or brides.

So I see that you really like JB the best so far. Is that just because of the feedback you have gotten about them? Especially on the WC web site? I have noticed that their prices have gone up and am tempted to use one of the other sites. But there isn't a whole lot of feedback from brides who used those companies. At least, none that I have seen.

And, correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that if you email these companies pictures of dresses you like, that they can custom make you a dress. You don't neccesarily have to pick one off their web site. Is this right? There are some on their sites that I like, but nothing that really jumps out at me. I have my heart set on a designer gown, but could never afford to pay $5,000 for a wedding dress. I was hoping that if I emailed them a picture, asked them to make a few changes to the neckline and stuff, that they could pull it off for me.

Anyhow, thanks again. I wanted to respond here since the WC thread is getting so big! I look forward to continuing reading all these great posts. My wedding isn't until October 2007 so I have lots of time.

JanineM
11-29-2006, 05:21 AM
Hi,

Thank you so much. I had been putting in long hours at work lately and have been sick the past week so I have not checked on the WC posts for a few days and am a bit behind in responding there.

Yes, JB did go up on their prices. We were not thrilled with that, we never like price increases. We found out that the reason they did it was because they have a few stores carrying their line now and they were pressuring them to go up on their prices as they could not compete with them online. We had suggested to them to come up with a retail only line and a internet only line and it is under consideration but I don't know if the idea went anyplace yet.

Their dresses seem to be running about $300-$500 now. We like them so much because of the return policy and their willingness to make things right. On first time created dresses it seems to a bit harder to make at first and may need a couple of tries. JB is also located in NYC and the cost of living is higher there and it costs them more for having such a good return policy.

If their prices are too high for you try Cinderella's Bridal on Ebay we have had a good report or two on them! Their prices are still a bit lower. Just make sure to get good pictures of the gown you want and from different angles. Give very specific instruction even on things you see in the picture as they may interpret what they see differently. Use a numbered line by line format and don't overwhelm them with long paragraphs. Use small simple words when communicating as translation can be a problem. The WC thread it time consuming to read but it worth it.

Janine

saraoost
12-28-2006, 05:32 AM
I was checking out the 1koo.com website - any idea if there is any advantage to buying direct versus buying through ebay? I was wondering if it is safer to buy through ebay.

i found a few dresses that i am interested in. Was also wondering what most people do who buy online dresses - do they try on at bridal shops first and then shop online for similar styles - or just take a chance on a dress that looks good online?

I would appreciate any help in this area.

JanineM
12-28-2006, 06:32 AM
A lot of people feel better about buying on ebay because there is some protection there. You will also be able to give feedback and they know it will effect their rating. You can do it however it is an advantage to you.

You need to go to dress stores and try dresses on and see what looks good on you. Brides often find that what looks good on them is much different then what they picked out online. Even if it is not the same dress but you know the style looks good on you will feel safer.

You need to find two people to measure you who know how to measure and take the measurements in both the English and metric systems and clearly label both when sending.

That company is known for zipper issues and their zippers sometimes have to be replaced which is not a big deal but lace up backs can save you from the problem and provide some room for adjustment possibly without any alterations at home.

There are many good tips on the Ebay China Thread on the Wedding Channel. I have not been on the past week or so as I just had so much going on lately.

ms6arcia
12-28-2006, 01:56 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm interested in purchasing a wedding gown online as well. I'm a little bit worried though in regards to sending my measurements because I was measured for a bridesmaid's dress earlier this year - should I use those same exact measurements? The dress was a little big around the waist and I had to get it altered. Will I have trouble getting alterations to a wedding dress bought online from China?

Or do you recommend that I get new measurements elsewhere?


Thank you ladies!

ms6arcia
12-28-2006, 02:05 PM
How long does it take to receive your gown from JB? I tried searching for more info on their site before purchasing and couldn't find an answer.

pepelu
12-28-2006, 04:55 PM
I have some experience with www.littlecoral.com, actually you can't believe that the 1koo.com or the kanacca.com are making the dress at the factory of littlecoral.

Littlecoral also has the ebay store and I found that the reputation is good and now they looks like only focusing on the wedding dress but some new items are adding everyday. I bought 2 from them and the Shipping is even faster than some sellers in USA. And the quality is good enough, we all love it and I have also recommended my friends to shop with them because the best services of littlecoral.

pepelu
12-28-2006, 05:00 PM
Yes, these chinese website including the www.littlecoral.com are accepting the custom made wedding dress. Simply provide the details of the dress you need with the detailed pictures/ materials or even anything, then you just wait at your home for less than 30 days. I believe it's worth.
Good Luck.

JanineM
12-28-2006, 10:39 PM
No! You need to have them redone for several reasons. Your measurments could have changed. Someone could have made an error. You need to go by the measurement chart that the company you want to buy from uses, etc.

I still think people should have two different people do the measurements to make sure there are no mistakes. If the measurements are not the same then someone did make a mistake and it could be an expensive one!

You still may need alterations here even if it is made to order. It may need some tweeking. Sometimes they are perfect and sometimes they even need to be remade. Some companies are better then others.

It is about risk. What can you afford to risk. If you go with the lowest cost companies the money is a low risk, but what it a lot of money is different to different people. The other risk is the time factor if something does not turn out right. I always suggest to people to have a plan B. Even if it is just knowing David's inventory so well that you can buy off the rack from on of their locations if it comes down to worst case. Now I have not yet really found a worst case situation. I have seen some come very close to deadlines due to things like customs delays, hurricanes, Chinese New Year, etc. (God forbid if there is ever a national security issue that effects US ports!)

JanineM
12-28-2006, 10:56 PM
On the Wedding Channel there are two great threads. One is the ebay China thread and the other is the Julius Bridal threads. If you take the time to read them you will see all the ups and downs and worrying and great dresses that come in the end.

For a while JB was saying they could do an order in 30 days, but that is NOT enough time! Now they say the min. is 60 days. They perfer six months. The reason for it is that if the dress has a problem then it can be sent back and remade. I saw one dress that had a new one made three times! It did take a while. The finaly product was amazing! The other two were not really bad, just not the image invisioned as I recall.

The six month rule is one of comfort. The dress may be in with the 60 days and be perfect, but if it isn't then you have that slush room and don't need to panick. (Yes the same thing can happen when buying at a local store, they don't always have a dress on time and perfect either, risk is everywhere not just on ebay!)

Now I am still unsure of the Chinese New Year date. That could be an issue for some ordering from any company depending on their deadline. Some factories in China won't refuse an order and over promise (a Brides Worst Nightmare!) They are still learning from the American and International comsumers. Remember China is currently undergoing their own industrial revolution right in the middle of the communication revolution. They litterally have young girls leaving the farms and moving away to cities and living in company owned boarding houses to work. New companies are poping up every day in China and other nations as well.

I say if you are looking for at a company and are unsure about them to try to contact their past buyers and talk with directly (and if you can have them leave a review here with us too!)

Another note on prices. The same dress may have different prices, especially at JB depending on the materials you choose. If you want a poly then it is cheaper, if you want a silk or a hand woven silk the price jumps! Add in thouhsands of Australian crystals and it jumps again. JB will send you small fabric samples apon request.

FYI- A while back Julius bought up a bunch of the new edition of BBB and gave them away to WC brides (they are all gone now. He sent me one! He even covered the postage himself! Before that he gave away some free wedding fashion show DVDs!

JanineM
12-28-2006, 11:01 PM
That does not surprise me at all. 1Koo sell many different types of items at such a variety it was unliely, but not impossible that they would buy from other manufacturers. Now they may or may not be their only wedding gown producer. If they are I would still have concerns about the zipper quality and arm hole size.

Do you have any dresses from them yourself? Do you have any pictures? If so can you please post them here or email them to me at [email protected] We would like to even see pictures of inside seems if possible!

Perhaps your friends could also come here and post pictures and reviews!

Thanks,

Janine

bwmurphy99
01-11-2007, 12:01 AM
I recently ordered a gown from 1koo.com, highlighted in the book as a reputible site, and was horribly dissapointed when it arrived. The service was fine, they responded to e-mails in a timely manner etc. However, the fabric was nothing like the picture, it was cheap polyster and was poorly sewn. I would not recommend buying any gowns from this site regardless of how cheap it is.

JanineM
01-11-2007, 04:19 AM
Thank you for the information. Would you mind posting some pictures or emailing some to me at [email protected] ?

Thanks,
Janine

mustangtiff21
01-15-2007, 12:57 AM
Hello. I ordered a gown from 1koo.com earlier this month. I know it takes time to get the dress and all but I have received NO response from them and I even tried contacting them thru Ebay, and there store is closed. I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing a problem from them? Thanks!

Tiffany

JanineM
01-15-2007, 05:23 AM
Yes, as of recently their account with ebay is either closed or suspended and I am not sure why. Contact them through their website. You will probably get an answer. Other people have been able to contact them there. Remember to expect a time difference for responses. We are also getting in some reports if inconsistant quality on their dresses and I am not sure if that is part of the issue or not.

wedding07
01-15-2007, 10:48 AM
Hi, would you mind letting me know how it works out with 1koo.com? It's because I'm interested in purchasing a couple bridesmaid dresses off the same website, and I'm a little apprehensive!! Their feedback on ebay is pretty good, but they don't work on ebay anymore at all it seems. I've been able to contact people who bought stuff from them off ebay, and they were all satisfied. But I'd really appreciate your advice as a buyer from their website directly. Thanks so much! Catherine

mustangtiff21
01-15-2007, 11:43 AM
Thanks for the replies ladies. To update you on this, I went and filed a dispute with paypal because I bought thru there website paying with paypal. I have emailed them thru their website at 2 different addresses, messaged them on their msg board on their site emailed them thru their ebay account and paypal has yet to receive any corresponence from them. If I remember correctly, I have sent them 4 emails. I;m not sure if its their chinese holiday going on or something but I cant afford the risk. I dont have alot to spend on a dress as it is, let alone do I want to but still. Let me know if theirs anything else you want to know. Thanks again!

mustangtiff21
01-15-2007, 11:43 AM
Thanks for the replies ladies. To update you on this, I went and filed a dispute with paypal because I bought thru there website paying with paypal. I have emailed them thru their website at 2 different addresses, messaged them on their msg board on their site emailed them thru their ebay account and paypal has yet to receive any corresponence from them. If I remember correctly, I have sent them 4 emails. I;m not sure if its their chinese holiday going on or something but I cant afford the risk. I dont have alot to spend on a dress as it is, let alone do I want to but still. Let me know if theirs anything else you want to know. Thanks again!

mustangtiff21
01-15-2007, 11:44 AM
Thanks for the replies ladies. To update you on this, I went and filed a dispute with paypal because I bought thru there website paying with paypal. I have emailed them thru their website at 2 different addresses, messaged them on their msg board on their site emailed them thru their ebay account and paypal has yet to receive any corresponence from them. If I remember correctly, I have sent them 4 emails. I;m not sure if its their chinese holiday going on or something but I cant afford the risk. I dont have alot to spend on a dress as it is, let alone do I want to but still. Let me know if theirs anything else you want to know. Thanks again!

JanineM
01-15-2007, 11:10 PM
I am also hearing that they have stopped responding to others as well. I believe that the Chinese Holiday starts in Feburary around Presidents' Day.

I know that in the past that there have been some issues with some of the companies/factories and things like hurricanes, etc. I have not heard if this type of disaster related thing has been an issue for any company at this time.

They have not yet responded back to my email either. I will let you all know if they do or if I hear anything else.

I think people have been wise in the steps they have taken so far.

I may have said it before here but I do have very inconsistent reports regarding the quality of dresses from them. Even following them on ebay myself for more then a year now I have seen many great feedback reports and others that are of concern. Their prices were so low it was not a huge risk issue compared to others, but for many the time issue was more of a concern. Still, when it comes to money we like to keep the risk as low as possible.

I am just guessing here but this could be some sort of tech issue in what ever area they are in as well. Even if they are in a more industrialized area.

marla3
01-29-2007, 01:13 AM
I am new to this board and have been following this 1koo "vanishing act" problem and was wondering if any of you had heard back from them. I ask b/c I am also interested in ordering a gown from them, but I am reluctant to do so b/c some of you are experiencing problems. Does anyone know of any other good china gown retailer?

JanineM
01-29-2007, 03:04 AM
I would not order from them right now and am not sure if it is even possible to order from them right now.

I would go with www.Juliusbridal.com , but they are on the pricer end or the ebay china companies, but work out of NYC and place the orders with factories in China. Also try and see if Cinderella's Bridal is active on ebay right now. They do disapear off ebay from time to time when they are at their limit of orders they can fill (much better then taking orders one can't fill!). Also go the the ebay China thread on the wedding Channel. There are a coupl of other companies mentioned on the last couple of pages.

Please keep in mind that the Chinese New year is coming up in Feburary. Many factories will close down for two weeks or so and communication may be limites or slow during that time. In China many workers travel back home to the contryside villages to there families and only see them one a year during this time period, this sometimes includes husbands and wives seeing each other and their children. (PBS had been showing specials in the current transformation of China nad the effects on the people).

Chelee33
02-07-2007, 04:45 PM
Yes, please keep us up to date on 1koo. I am very interested in them. I don't need to order a dress for another 6 months now. Just getting started early! I'll check out the other China dress pages for now!

pupdog
02-13-2007, 04:52 AM
Glad to hear it here about 1koo. It's the only place I've seen SEVERAL gowns that I like (I HATE TRAINS!!!) via their 'beach wedding' category. I'll check out Cinderella's.

So, can someone explain to me how it all works? I haven't seen squat about sizing on any of the sites. Custom doodads?

pupdog
02-13-2007, 07:51 AM
OOP, never mind. I just checked out Cinderella's ebay store, and it's VERY clear! Thanks, I didn't know about Cinderella until I came here. Great stuff! I asked if they could do one without the train.

Steelie232
02-17-2007, 09:48 AM
Any recent info on the 1koo website? I just bought the book and was ten seconds from odering when i decided to check the forum. They're website still appears to be functional. Also I was wondering which of the online shops had the fastest shipping, I have a 1month old and need as much time as possible to lose the baby weight, wedding date is Sept. 8th 2007.
Thanks so much!

JanineM
02-17-2007, 10:13 AM
I would email them first and see if you get a response before trying to place an order. I believe that the Chinese New Year is starting right about now and this will be a problem with ordering for many companies.

This is their biggest holiday. Many factory workers come from rural farm areas or other cities and come to work and live in company dormatories. They often only are able to travel home to see their families, sometimes including sposes and children being raised by grandparents at this time. They tend to stay for two weeks to a month. PBS did a good program on this way of life.

On our end it means that a lot of the factories temeprarly either close down or are on a skelition crew right about now (the date changes each year) Responses may be slow. They are not ignoring you it is just the timing. If the wedding is a logn time away it should not be too much of a problem.

On measuring... email me for some tips on it @ [email protected] . This is a key area. If you mess it up, you will not be happy and it will not really be their fault.

qwickone
04-02-2007, 08:20 AM
I bought my dress from ebay seller jeffliu8000. I was really happy with the dress I got. It does NOT look like the picture, but like it was based on the picture, which i was expecting and so I was happy with what I got. The dress that was pictured was an Eve of Milady $5000 dress, what I got was a knock off for $300. I did do extensive shopping in dress shops before I checked it out online. If i had to guess how much the dress I got had I bought it in a shop, I would guess 1200 - 1500, so it's avery good value. Also, it's tailored so I need minor alterations (my fault for not measuring well), so I'm sure I saved there too. Communication was great and she is very eager to help if there are any disputes. And the dress comes with zipper only. I asked her to add buttons, which she did, but they are fake buttons (only for show, zipper still there). This is better in my opinion because it's easier to put on. Just my 2 cents!

JanineM
04-02-2007, 09:06 AM
Glad to hear it worked out well for you.

Would you mind emailing me pics to me at [email protected]

qwickone
04-02-2007, 08:53 PM
I actually havent taken any pics in the dress and it's at my mom's house two hours away, so I dont have easy access to it.

Another thing I forgot to mention is there's no crinoline (sp?) inside the dress, so mine looked a little weird until I got some (my dress was a full ballgown, so it NEEDS crinoline). That can run upwards of $300 some places, but I'm sure it can be found for less elsewhere (I got my petticoat from someone that was recently married).

JanineM
04-02-2007, 09:20 PM
Well, when you do I would still love to see them!

I see a lot od the crinolines on ebay and craigslist. Many ebay China companies will include one for an extra fee if it is not already included. It is best to inquire before one orders to avoid extra shipping and handeling charges.

Sisioge
06-05-2007, 10:19 AM
Hello,
I'm new to this site and I was interested in your review on Cinderlla Bridals. They're also known as millybridals.com. I've sent sveral emails to them asking questions before ordering but I haven't been able to get a response. Maybe it's because I contacted them via their website.

I am happy you were satisfied with your dress. Did your dress come bustled? Or did you have to request for that? Did you dress come in a protective covering? I'm asking because my wedding is miles away and I need to knw the kind of package they use.

Thanks in advance.

Sisioge
06-05-2007, 10:28 AM
>O ordered my dress from Ekt on Ebay. I paid 51.50 for the
>dress, 49.00 for air shipping, this was in Euros, it
>translated to $128.57 USD. I also paid a bank fee of $50 to
>wire the money to him so that it would be done more quickly.
>i sent the wired on 09/01/2006. I received an email from him
>stating he received my payment on 09/05/2006. I then received
>an email stating my dress was finished and ready to ship on
>09/11/2006. I haven't received it yet, and I expect to need
>slight alterations since my fiance and I did my measurements
>to the best of our ability, but I have high hopes. I will
>post the results when I receive it. :D

Is EKt the ebay seller id?

Does anyone know of a good site to get bride's maids dresses from China.

Sisioge
06-05-2007, 10:38 AM
Hello Ladies,
The Bridal bargains book is a life saver and I'm definitley looking to purchase my gown from China.


I have a few questions..

Did anyone order her bride's maids dresses from China? If so, can you provide the website info


Is it better to order via ebay or is it better to order through their website, for example cinderella bridal on ebay is the same as www.millybridal.com


How often do they return customer emails?
My wedding is in December in Africa and I am so running out of time.

JanineM
06-05-2007, 10:47 AM
Before placing your order you need to ask the company all these questions. Do it in a line by line number from skipping lines inbetween questions. Most dresses do not come with bustles and bustles can be done in different ways. Some companies will do them for you if requested. Crinolines and protective gown bags may or may not be included. You need to ask if it is or it it is an available add on and the price for it. Every company does things differently. The thing is to be clear with your questions and instructions. Don't expect just because you asked for something in a question before you ordered that it will be included in the order unless you again specifically state it in the order again.

We sometimes see brides ask a question about a dress or for an extra then forget to include that same thing in the order. They have too many customers and screennames to deal with to remember everyone and everything. It it like discussing the details of any agreement then getting it in the bill of sale or contract. You want it all in writing in the order.

pupdog
06-06-2007, 03:58 AM
I'm now feeling a little guilty for saying anything negative about Cinderella's! 'Sarah' did get back to me and explained that they've simply had a boom in orders and are much busier/more sucessful than they imagined, and future time extimates will reflect this! My dress arrived on Friday and I'll post a picture if I ever figure out how to. It's amazing! I think it fits perfectly...it's a corset back & nobody's had a chance to come help me into it. But being a corset back, it's self-adjusting anyway. On the skirt I wanted no train, but a little higher in the front, and just barely touching the ground in the back. It's bang-on lengh-wise! I also wanted the fullness to be somewhere between a sheath & A-line. Again, perfect. The fabric is cozy & soft, the beads are all stiched on by hand, and the construction is that the Bridal Bargains book describes when it discusses a high-quality gown. Not a single loose thread, all that good stuff! The feedback I posted on ebay said "buy here for forever wonder 'what if?'"
By the way, it's a WIERD sensation when you're at work, busy as can be, and suddenly the DHL van pulls in with a package for you direct from China...and all that work chaos is going on & you're suddenly signing for your wedding dress! My focus was officially gone after that! I run a winery, and I was, haahaa, getting someone's private event set up at the time!

JanineM
06-06-2007, 04:57 AM
I am so glad to hear that this worked out for you! I can't wait to see the pictures! If you can't figure out how to post them hear could you please email them to me at [email protected] .

I think a lot of the companies have some growing pains as they get to be known on the boards. We need to keep that in mind when ordering and always have extra time figured in to the process.

Sisioge
06-19-2007, 12:51 PM
I haven't really had any luck communicating with Cinderella Bridal. They don't return emails. I sent a picture so I could get a price quote as was advised by a prior Cinderlla email. I am yet to hear anyhting from them 2 weeks on.
>

JanineM
06-19-2007, 01:36 PM
Is this for a new order? I just heard another good report on them someplace else. They maybe not taking any orders right now if they have all they can keep up with as I have heard that they do that from time to time. Other then that I don't know why they are not responding.

Sisioge
06-19-2007, 01:38 PM
>Is this for a new order? I just heard another good report on
>them someplace else. They maybe not taking any orders right
>now if they have all they can keep up with as I have heard
>that they do that from time to time. Other then that I don't
>know why they are not responding.


Yes it's for a new order.

pupdog
06-21-2007, 03:55 AM
[email protected] is their email address in case the web feedback form isn't working.

bu9949
07-24-2007, 03:49 AM
Hi,

I'm interested in an Amalia Carrara dress (which is a collection of Eve of Milday) and received a quote from Jeffliu8800 today for $259. It's really tempting to order it from them, but when I read your review that the dress didn't turn out exactly like the picture, that was kind of disappointing. What kind of questions did you ask them? I sent a picture from their website, but it didn't show the back of the dress. What did you do about that for your dress? Any help would be great! Thanks!

JanineM
07-24-2007, 07:36 AM
Try to find a picture of the back of the dress someplace else on the internet, perhaps the designer's site.

Sisioge
07-24-2007, 08:18 AM
>[email protected] is their email address in case the web
>feedback form isn't working.



I got so frustrated with them not returning my emails that I gave up on them. I ended of ordering from http://www.johnsbridal.com/. The customer service is superb and their prices are excellent. I was able to find a cheaper price of the same dress and he matched the price. Way to Go!!

And I don't have to worry about an English translator.:)



I paid 50% up front and the remaining 50% will be later. My payment was made through paypal....the only secure thing out there.

He's also sending me fabric swatches....Hey I am all good to go.

John also has some dresses on sale. I am so happy that I was able to find his site.

All the dress still come from China but I don't have to worry about John's bridals going MIA or not responding to emails.


Later girls.

sunsethj
07-24-2007, 09:55 PM
I ordered a dress from Kanacca(which has changed their name to sheshopping.com) and was not happy with the results. They did not make the dress exactly to my measurements. It did not fit very well AT ALL. I sent them pictures of how the dress did not cover my breasts completely. They said that I had 'beautiful breasts' and should show them off! After much emailing, trying to break the language barrier, they agreed to make another dress. They were supposed fix three things: 1. Bodice should cover breasts. 2. It should have a drop waist(the first one did not) and 3. They should include the embroidery below the waist(which they left off completely the first time).

After receiving the second dress, these were the results:
1. Bodice covered 90% of the breasts.
2. STILL did not have a drop waist.
3. They added embroidery below the waist, but it was done with beads and the rest of the dress was done with thread embroidery.

I can't fix either of the dresses to wear to my wedding. The waist is too high. If I pull it down to the correct positioning, you can see more of my breasts.

Overall dissatisfied. I paid $179 for the first dress and then $70 to ship the second dress. They were reluctant to make the second one at all.

The seamstresses didn't seem to have a grasp on how to fit a large busted woman. Maybe you'll have better luck if you are smaller. But, do you really want to take that chance?

>Hi all, I was looking at www.kanacca.com. And some of those
>dresses are just beautiful!! I already found 3 I really like.
>I was just wondering if anyone has bought one of these "china
>dresses" I also sent an email to find out the price of a dress
>I want made. I can't wait to see what the price would be...I'm
>just a little weary of the cheap prices and wonder if the work
>is cheap or the material is cheap as well. I guess for those
>prices it's a risk but I think it's worth it.
>Any help would be great! Are there other companies like
>this??
>Thanks,
>Jinjguo
>

bu9949
07-25-2007, 03:51 AM
The original picture that I got was from the designer's website, however, I have looked all over the internet for the back of the dress and can't seem to find it anywhere.

Has anyone worn dress this Amalia Carrara dress, style A1 on the website?

Does anyone have pictures of the back of the dress? If so, please let me know. Thanks!

bu9949
07-31-2007, 11:35 PM
Did your dress come with any boning or a built in corset?

Did you have to tell them what material to make the dress out of?

Just curious since I'm seriously considering ordering my Amalia Carrara dress from her.

shopping
08-05-2007, 10:50 AM
Sheshopping is specialty wedding dresses company,is different Kanacca.They are two different company.

Sheshopping have top-quality,but lower price dresses.

All products,including wedding dresses ,Wedding Accessories,fashion apparel ,all are FREE SHIPPING.

For more information,please visit http://www.sheshopping.com

Thanks

lightningbug
08-19-2007, 11:27 AM
Looks like this may be the reason they changed to Sheshopping--they got busted:
http://secondcitystyle.typepad.com/second_city_style/2007/08/exposed-an-expo.html
An interesting debate on designer dresses vs Chinese knockoffs.

LaurenSCS
08-27-2007, 08:06 AM
Hi! I wrote the post to which you refer. The Expose on Kanacca. They changed their name again? Wow. Does anyone know any other aliases they use? Pretty slimy.

Looks like I have my next article on this matter. Thanks!

Lauren from Second City Style

scoffman
09-04-2007, 03:45 PM
I wasn't brave enough to order my wedding gown from China, but due to some fairly complicated requirements for my bridesmaids (one will be 8.5 months pregnant, and all are fairly modest and want sleeves) I decided to order their dresses online. After getting quotes and reading message boards, I decided to go with ebridal-21cn from ebay. I ordered my flowergirl dresses from them as well so I could get the colors to match exactly. Nothing turned out as planned!
The color of the dresses looks nothing like the picture they sent. The dress is quite a bit different from the picture, and the bow is not only hideous but they did not make it detachable as I very specifically requested (I was able to cut them off). The maternity dress is just made for a very large person and will need to be taken in on top, in spite of the measurements we sent. The sleeves are not adequate to cover my maids' modesty requirements. Because this is crucial, and I anticipated the problem, I ordered an extra yard of both the chiffon from the main dress and the satin used for trim so I could decide how to fix it later, if I needed to. When I received the dresses, my concerns about the sleeves were accurate. I'm fairly laid back, and can work with all of that. But the biggest mistake of all is that the satin on the bridesmaid dresses does not match the flowergirl dresses as it was supposed to, and the extra fabric they sent matched the flowergirl dresses. I have asked for the correct satin, or an extra yard of the flowergirl satin, so I can fix the dresses, and after repeated emails they have refused to do anything about it. They keep suggesting I use the chiffon or stretch the 1 yard of satin to cover all the trim (impossible). I haven't yet decided if I will try to fix the dresses or consider them a sunk cost and start from scratch. I am so disappointed in my experience, and even more so that ebridal is refusing to do anything to fix their mistake. All I have asked for is 1 yard of fabric. I am so glad I did not choose to have my wedding dress custom made!