Wish.com

What Makes Wish Different?

Founded in 2011 by former Google and Yahoo engineers, Wish.com is an online retailer that features hundreds of different stores and millions of products from suppliers all over the world.

Wish.com merchants primarily sell apparel, electronics, and health and wellness products. The merchandise comes directly from the factory, allowing Wish.com to sell you products at lower prices.

Most products are listed at more than 50% off their retail price, with some at 98% off or even listed as free (you only pay for shipping).

At first glance, Wish looks like an incredible deal. Does the company deliver? Let’s look closer at how the company works, what they sell, and whether shoppers are satisfied to find out.

How Does Wish.com Work?

The first thing you’ll notice after landing on the Wish website is that you have to set up an account with your name and email address or Facebook/Google account before browsing their products. Shopping on the site isn’t possible until you’ve done so.

Wish.com’s home page will display their most recent listings, but you can also narrow your search by category (fashion, accessories, gadgets, etc.), or by product type (shoes, tops, underwear, and so forth).

If you come across a product you want, click on it to view description, pricing, more pictures, previous customer ratings, shipping charges, and estimated arrival time.

From here, you can buy the item or save it to your Wishlist. You can create multiple Wishlists through your account and add or delete items as you see fit. Wish.com also gives you the ability to follow your friends, view their Wishlists, and share your Wishlists to Facebook.

Wish specializes in knockoffs of electronics like smartwatches intended to look like an Apple Watch, Bluetooth earbuds, action cameras that are knockoffs of GoPro cameras, storage media USB flash drives, cables, essential oil diffusers, and more.

The company also sells lots of clothing and accessories in trending styles. For the most part, the site’s products are less than $100 and usually fall somewhere between $5 and $50.

As you browse Wish.com, add items to your Wishlists, and purchase products, you’ll earn rewards in the form of Wish Cash, which can be viewed in the Wallet section of your account.

Is It Safe to Buy from Wish?

Wish’s low prices will likely pull you in, but many people wonder if they are too good to be true.

Our research shows that Wish.com is a valid online platform, similar in function to other multi-vendor sites like eBay or Amazon. Venders are responsible for their own listings, pricing, and shipping policies, but Wish.com will step in if you have problems with your order.

We looked through customer reviews across a variety of platforms—especially YouTube—to see whether people felt scammed when they bought products from Wish.com.

We learned that most shoppers received products that were a “rough approximation” of what they ordered.

In other words, Wish products tended to be lower quality than their name-brand competitors.

Chunky throw blankets weren’t quite as chunky (or the right color) as described. In one memorable instance, YouTuber Safiya Nygaard said the “camera-enabled drone” she bought flew better than expected, but the camera was just a piece of red plastic mimicking an on light.

These findings don’t necessarily mean that Wish.com isn’t reliable if you’re willing to sacrifice quality for price.

The chunky blanket we mentioned earlier was listed for $35, while competitors’ blankets can be over $100. You may find the coloring surprise still worth the savings.

Electronics and apparel might be more of a gamble. Your electronics might have the features described and many reviewers wrote that the clothing didn’t fit as described.

Shipping and Return Policy

Since Wish.com only acts as a marketplace for other sellers, each listing comes with shipping charges, although we found free shipping to be the norm.

From our research, most shipping times ranged from 10 days to three weeks or longer.

All products come with a 30-day refund policy (from the date of delivery), minus shipping and handling charges.

You can initiate a refund through your online account. It’s also possible to cancel your order within eight hours if you change your mind.

Analysis of Wish Customer Reviews

Wish has been in business for a long time and has accumulated thousands of reviews. Here at HighYa, the company has more than 900 reviews and with an average rating of two stars.

Many of these customers vent that Wish’s customer service was horrible and that they never received their promised products.

Others were unhappy with the quality of their purchases and struggled to get much money back when returning them.

Those who seemed happiest with their purchases shared that they ordered simple products such as electronics accessories and phone cases, rather than clothing or electronics.

The reviews aren’t any better on Trustpilot, where Wish has 11,000 reviews, averaging two stars. Customers had the same complaints on this site, citing quality issues, slow shipping times, and poor customer service.

Should You Buy from Wish?

While there are deals to be found, the majority of products are priced low for a reason. Your order might not look as expected when it arrives, and electronics most likely won’t work as well as the competitors it’s meant to mimic.

Wish draws shoppers in with their low prices, but there’s little emphasis on quality or customer service.

While this factory-direct marketplace saves you money, the fact that you are buying from random suppliers means you’re dealing with some unknowns that could, as many reviewers found, result in a disappointing shopping experience.

If you want to have success with this site, you need to know what it’s limitations are so that you don’t buy products you will regret.

Pros:

• Shipping is often free
• Lots of options for taking advantage of extra sales and daily deals
• Can save 95% or more off competitor pricing
• A cheap way to try out trends or otherwise expensive electronics

Cons:

• Shipping may take several weeks (and some items never arrive)
• Quality can be significantly worse than advertised
• Some vendors may sell knockoff electronics that won’t work as described
• Customer service problems are common
• Minimal information about vendors available on the site
• Clothing often doesn’t fit true to size

Our advice? Pay attention to customer reviews. Lots of products have hundreds of reviews online. Past shoppers will let you know if a purchase didn’t match their expectations so you know whether it’s worth skipping.