LightInTheBox Review: Clothing, Sizing & Shipping

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Searching for stylish pieces to refresh your wardrobe or for that perfect outfit for your next big event? The world of online fashion offers endless possibilities, but knowing where to shop can make all the difference.

LightInTheBox has grown into a huge online store for people who crave variety but may not know exactly what they’re searching for. 

In this LightInTheBox review, we’ll take a deep dive into fashion collections to assess whether their clothing truly delivers on quality and fit and what their shopping experience is actually like.

From swimwear and laid-back tees to sophisticated dresses and seasonal accessories, they seem to have something for every occasion.

Whether your style leans toward classic elegance or you’re drawn to the latest trends, LightInTheBox caters to a range of tastes—all at prices that won’t break the bank. 

Yet, as with any online store, it’s hard to know if what you see on screen truly matches what you’ll receive because let’s face it: online shopping can be a mixed bag. Items that look flawless in photos don’t always hold up in real life. 

So, if you’re curious about snagging that perfect dress, stocking up on cozy knits, or simply discovering new fashion finds, keep reading to see if LightInTheBox is worth your time (and money).

Overall Review

Product Accuracy

Fabric Quality

Stitching

Comfort

Sizing

Website

Order & Payment

Shipping

Return Process

Customer Service

What Kind of Store is LightInTheBox?

LightInTheBox is a budget-friendly online fashion store that sells clothing for men, women and children.

They primarily stock women’s wear and offer a huge collection of clothing. The range of fashion items they offer include:

Some of the curated collections they offer include:

The store offers a lot of different fashion styles, from very floral, feminine prints and vintage silhouettes to more timeless and versatile clothing. 

To keep their collections updated, LightInTheBox adds new styles to this page on a regular basis, and offers frequent sales and discounts on many items (more details on that below).

Does LightInTheBox Have Good Product Quality?

Overall, LightInTheBox has good quality clothes and shopping experience considering the price. We purchased a number of LITB clothing items from different categories anonymously in order to test the quality.

We assessed how accurate their product description was in comparison to how they looked in real life, the quality and feel of the fabric used and the attention to detail in the finishings like the stitching, hemlines and zippers.

We also assessed how comfortable they were to wear, as well how easy they are to maintain. So let’s have a look at how LITB performed.

Accuracy

Each item purchased matched quite well with the product page photos and details. Below is a comparison of each item of clothing in the original product photos online and in real life, styled up.

Product Photo
woman wearing white summer dress from lightinthebox
Lightinthebox White Summer Dress

The quality of the dress from LightInTheBox was good. The dress was very beautiful and had a lovely flattering fit with a square neckline and puffed sleeves.

It came fully lined from the bust to the knee but the white material was still a little transparent and required neutral colored underwear so as not to distract from this beautiful dress.

Product Photo
Woman wearing formal navy jumpsuit with lace detail from lightinthebox
Formal navy jumpsuit with lace detail from lightinthebox

The quality of the LightInTheBox jumpsuit was okay. The piece matched the product photos very well but it was slightly bigger than expected and would be and had a slightly weird fit around the arms.

The piece was very unique and very elegant when it was on, but it was slightly awkward to wear.

Product Photo
woman wearing black and cream floral bathing suit with matching serong from lightinthebox
Lightinthebox black and cream floral bathing suit with matching serong

The quality of the LightInTheBox swimsuit was very good. The material had a great stretch to it but was still quite structured and felt almost like shapewear.

The matching floral serong was made from a very light and sheer material but matched the color and print of the swimsuit perfectly.

Product Photo
Woman wearing Lightinthebox linen-style women's floral white and blue blouse
Lightinthebox linen-style women’s floral white and blue blouse

The quality of the LightInTheBox shirt was very good and well made. The material was synthetic but had a high-quality linen finish and very sharp hemlines and seams.

The blue floral pattern didn’t correspond exactly to what was pictured in the product page but the quality of the shirt made up for that.

Product Photo
Woman wearing lightinthebox pointed summer flat shoes
Lightinthebox pointed summer flat shoes

The pointed flats from LightInTheBox were well made. The shoes felt well constructed like I could get a good amount of wear out of them for the price.

They were comfortable to wear and looked elegant for the office during warm weather but the fit was a fraction tighter than expected.

The product descriptions were detailed and helped to know exactly what you’re going to get. 

The descriptions contain the length, the waist type, the style, the occasion, the fabric composition, the washing instructions and the color.

Some product photos look slightly different to what we actually received but the colors, prints, silhouettes and sizes matched very well to what was shown in the visuals and mentioned in the description.

Fabric quality

LightInTheBox makes a lot of its clothing with polyester or a blend of polyester and other fabrics. 

If you’re someone who likes to wear authentic linen or 100% cotton, you may want to shop their Cotton and Linen Collection.

Stitching and fabric details of lightinthebox bathing suit and serong
Closeup stitching and fabric details of lightinthebox bathing suit and serong

However, polyester fabric doesn’t automatically mean poor quality fabric. The LITB fabrics felt very good quality even when stretched and they felt like they could last in your wardrobe.

Closeup of zipper and lace detail on formal navy jumpsuit from lightinthebox
Closeup of zipper and lace detail on formal navy jumpsuit from lightinthebox

The lace fabric on the jumpsuit was mostly fine but it did feel a little flimsy and delicate in some areas.

Stitching

Generally, the stitching was quite good on all garments purchased. Hemlines were secured with a double blanket stitch while single stitch details were straight and uniform.

Every now and again there was a single loose thread that didn’t get finished but it wasn’t a major problem.

The zippers were well secured and easy to glide up and down while the buttons and buttonholes matched perfectly and were well secured.

Close up of lightinthebox white summer dress zipper, fabric and stitching detail
Close up of lightinthebox white summer dress zipper, fabric and stitching detail
Lightinthebox linen-style women's floral white and blue blouse details
Closeup of fabric and stitching details for Lightinthebox linen-style women’s floral white and blue blouse

Comfort

Each item was comfortable to wear with no itchiness or chafing for example. The fabrics were quite soft and weren’t uncomfortably tight or too loose anywhere.

While the jumpsuit had a nice silhouette it didn’t fit quite as well as expected on the top and required some adjustments around the lace to make sure it didn’t lose any detail.

Are LightInTheBox Clothes True to Size?

The LITB clothes we purchased were generally true to size in terms of both length and fit around the hips, shoulder and torso and most items matched closely with the sizing guide that was supplied in the product description.

There were however, one or two items that ran slightly larger or smaller than expected when worn compared to other items that seemed to fit really well.

LightInTheBox Sizing

LightInTheBox product pages include details regarding the size and fit of the garments, which can be really helpful for managing your expectations.

One sizing tip is to pay attention to whether the item has elastane or spandex in the fabric composition as this usually means it will have a good amount of stretch.

LightInTheBox also provides an easy to read size rating system on items where you can see how many of the reviewers found that the item was either true to size, smaller or larger than expected.

Shopping at LightInTheBox

Shopping at LightInTheBox is easy, they don’t have a physical store but the online catalogue is well organized and easy to navigate on desktop and mobile.

However, there are a number of different things about shopping at LightInTheBox that we’ve assessed below including the order and payment process, shipping and packaging, their customer service and the returns process so you know what to expect.

Navigating the website

LITB Main and Sub Menu

The LightInTheBox website and app lets you filter and sort through their selection of clothing easily.

You can either search through their curated collections or filter your results so you can quickly find what style, color or type of clothing you’re looking for.

The product pages high-quality images let you see each dress up close, so you can check out all the little details before making a decision.

Your account also lets you create your own favorites list so you can easily keep track of the clothes you love.

Order and Payment

Ordering and paying for items on LITB was super easy. LightInTheBox has lots of payment options, including Google Pay, PayPal, Visa, American Express, and even international methods like Klarna and Afterpay.

Applying discounts or gift card info is quick and easy and once your order is placed, you can track your order online to stay updated every step of the way.

The tracking information allowed you to see where your parcel was during the delivery process.

Shipping and Packaging

LITB Exterior Packaging
LITB Interior Packaging

We placed our LightInTheBox order on November 11, we then received an email update on November 14 to say that 5 out of 7 of our items had been shipped and two of them were still pending.

One item was out of stock and one item finally shipped on November 20. This delay was well communicated so it wasn’t so much of an issue.  

We received the main part of our parcel on November 26. And we received the shoes, which were delayed, on November 27. 

That means the Lightinthebox shipping took 15 days in total including 3 days for turn around and 12 days in transit. The clothes arrived neatly folded in transparent plastic coverings and then inside an opaque plastic envelope. 

Considering that our package was delivered to Europe, it’s likely that shipping times to the USA take a similar period of time.

Return Process

LightInTheBox offers a return or exchange window of 30 days if there is an issue with your purchase like they sent you the wrong item or it’s damaged etc. and 14 days to return if you’re not completely satisfied with your purchase for a personal reason. 

The return shipping is non refundable and unfortunately there are no return shipping labels provided.

The return process is straightforward, all you have to do is go to your account, select the order you want to return and add a reason why, customer service will contact you with different solutions and the return address, then send your parcel to the address provided.

Customer Service

LightInTheBox customer service is conducted through email and was responsive within 48 hours each time we sent a question or a reply.

Contacting the customer service through the app is slightly quicker to respond than through email but they also have a detailed FAQ section with lots of information about common issues.

The agent we spoke to was very polite and eager to help us find a solution that suited us when we contacted them.

Does LightInTheBox Have a Discount Code?

Yes, LightInTheBox has multiple ways that you can save money on your orders including;

Get rewards and credits that can be used on future purchases! 

Get the app for extra savings!

Get an extra 10% off when you spend over $79

Click to view their dedicated Sales page

LITB also has specific pages for different seasonal sales including: Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter

Pro Tip: Bookmark this webpage if you want to find these pages easily in future, as they’re not that easy to find on the website.

Pros and Cons of Shopping at LightInTheBox

Pros

  • Wide Selection

    Wide range of clothing for casual and more formal wear.

  • Very Affordable

    Almost all items are relatively inexpensive allowing you to bulk order in one shipment.

  • Flexible returns

    30 day return window (for LITB faults) with full refund and exchange options.

  • Free Shipping Threshold

    You can get free shipping to the USA if your order is over $49 on eligible items.

  • Rewards Program

    The more you shop the more credits and rewards you get towards future purchases.

  • Multiple Payment Options

    Offers a variety of payment methods, including international options.

  • Frequent Discounts and Sale Items

    Regular promotions and discounts to save on purchases.

Cons

  • Mixed Reviews

    Some customers have left a negative review either about the clothing or the customer service but others have left a positive review

  • Sizing Differences

    Sizing can vary between different styles.

  • Return Shipping Fees

    Return shipping fees are not included in your refund but you don’t have to ship it all the way to China. There are return addresses in the USA, Canada and the UK.

  • Return Shipping Window

    Shipping window of 7-14 days on items if you’re returning them for a “personal reason” ( bought by mistake, don’t like it etc.)

Is LightInTheBox Worth It?

LightInTheBox is worth it if you’re looking for a specific style or silhouette at an affordable price and are willing to take the time to check reviews, size charts, and be patient with shipping.

While there can be some variability in quality, if you check reviews and size charts carefully, you’ll end up with better finds than if you don’t.

If you’re looking to add new items to your wardrobe that are a bit different from and unique at a fraction of the cost, LightInTheBox is worth checking out.

What do LightInTheBox Customer Reviews Say?

You can see many LightInTheBox customer reviews on their website. Each item has its own review section where you can sometimes find HUNDREDS of reviews with customer feedback and even photographs of the clothing items they received.

LightInTheBox has become my source for unique, hard-to-find clothing, shoes, accessories, home decorations, and nearly everything else I can imagine! Their customer service is impeccable! Any problems with an order is tended to rapidly to resolve the issue. Without a second thought, I would recommend LightInTheBox to anyone looking to find good quality at reasonable prices.“—Mitch, USA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was a little reluctant to buy from this company due to the goods being shipped from outside of the UK. But I loved the premium curved pocket maxi dress and it kept popping up on my socials. I’m so glad that I ordered. Yes it did take a while to arrive but tracking was kept up to date and the quality is outstanding (especially given the price). Beautiful heavy material and fully lined. Fits exactly as shown. Can’t wait to wear it.“—Tracey, UK ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is my second purchase from this company. I loved the first dress. Now I’m looking forward to this one. The quality was above par. My co-band members loved the first one. I recommend you for performance outfits. Very reasonable too.”—Lisa, USA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the first time I have ordered from Lightinthebox. I was concerned that the items would not be correct and the quality would be lacking due to the very reasonable sales price. I was delightfully surprised that the quality of the items were very good and the fit was true to the size chart. Very happy and now I am ordering more items.“—Cheryl, Canada ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am satisfied with the service I received when ordering. Ordering and delivery time went very smoothly. Even though I got the wrong color, the exchange went without a problem. I received several suggestions on how to return or exchange, so I was very satisfied. Therefore, I would recommend this company to others who intend to shop there.”—Michaela, Sweden ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So far my experiences with LightInTheBox have been absolutely pleasant and pain free. Shipping was reasonable, but if you’re facing a time constraint situation you may need to give yourself a little extra buffer in case it takes a day or so longer than expected to receive your goods. The shoe quality is great and the prices are super reasonable & quite affordable.”—Raquel, USA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What are the best alternatives to LightInTheBox?

The best alternatives to LightInTheBox offer similar budget-friendly pricing, wide product ranges, frequent discounts and promotions, convenient shopping experiences, and reasonable customer service. Here are some of the best alternatives to LightInTheBox:

If you’re looking for different stores to shop at, don’t miss our extensive guide to the best affordable fashion sites, to help you spend less while elevating your style with additional bargains, promotions and coupons.

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