A lesson learned by the Tildon skirt

So yesterday I posted a K/R thread about the broken dot Tildon tube skirt http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....tube-skirt and have learned a lesson through this purchase.

I love Nordstrom and its selection and amazing return policy. Unfortunately I need to order from them now and again to remind myself that the cross border shipping and duties is not worth the item. Here's the math - the cost of the skirt was $53 and once shipping/taxes/duties were added, the total came to $89. In contacting Nordstrom last night to get my Return Authorization form, I was informed that with return shipping and reverse charges, I would receive a credit of $22. So I essentially lost $67 to try a skirt out.

Not only is the return not worth it financially, I would have to physically take the package to the DHL location in my home town (which is NOWHERE near my end of the city and closes before I could get there after work). Grrrr...

So I have decided NOT to return the skirt and instead, pay Wonder Woman to alter it to fit. With the tights issue, it won't be wearable in the cold weather but I should be able to wear it for the month of September and then again in the spring. I am thinking of asking Wonder Woman if it's possible to remove the self fabric lining and attach a slip lining instead to make it wearable with tights. Gotta make lemonade out of lemons, right?

And Nordstrom - I love ya, but I won't be ordering from you again

11 years ago

Von

Veteran

For the price, keeping it is the right decision. It doesn't need that much work to make it right, and I think it could be a really good piece for your style this fall -- but in the future, Nordstroms sounds very cost prohibitive. If it were me, I wouldn't buy anything else without exact measurements and intent to keep whatever comes.

Anonymous

Maybe once they open in Canada, they will have online shipping for us that isn't so expensive!

I am in the same boat -- I refuse to pay high shipping and duties. It definitely restricts the pool of fashion I have access to, but I don't want to throw money away, especially if the items might not work.

Emily

I'm sure the skirt will look fab once it is altered, so from that perspective, I'm glad you're keeping it!

But ugh, the borderfree return shipping & whatever charges! Absurd. I feel your pain.

From a cross-border perspective I'm pretty impressed with Amazon.com. You pay the tax and duty up front, but if you return you get a refund without ridiculous handling fees. When an item qualifies for free returns (eg shoes) they'll refund you up to $15 towards return shipping from Canada.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Shannon, why don't you list it on ebay instead. You can probably get back at least $40-50 since you can charge shipping. If you add another $30-40 for wonder woman, that brings the skirt up to $129 for an item that dosen't work for the intended purpose and doesn't fill a hole in your wardrobe AND more importantly, sucks up funds from your jar that could be put towards a fab red item you love.

Transcona Shannon

Aaaaahhhhh Dianthus - EXCELLENT idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you

Beth Ann

Great solution, Shannon! I'm behind on the forum, so I just saw the skirt, but I agree that it's not worth less than a third of the price to return. We all have to do some "shopping math" occasionally to evaluate whether we're shopping as wisely as possible. For me, I'm trying to learn more about garment quality per dollar. I think I fall into buying cute tops from Kohls and Target as a fallback. I need to stay more strategic. While these shirts range between 15-35 dollars each, I'm never financially ready to buy a coat, or a nicer pair of boots.

When you feel blue, looking at the marvelous Nordies items, unavailable at the Bay, I want you to remind yourself ----------- those Yanks don't have Danier!

Lol Beth Ann! So right you are

Angie

Fashion Stylist

OOOOH. That's daylight robbery.

Great suggestion from, Dianthus. xo

lyn67

LOL Beth Ann, and a hug for you Shannon!:-)

Janet

Oh, ouch! I'd try ebay too. We're pretty spoiled by Nordstrom here in the US -- I tend to forget how awful all the extra charges are for Canadian shipping.

Suz

Oh, man, I FEEL your pain, baby. It really is expensive...even when items work out, it is quite a lot of money with exchange rates now. I like Dianthus's plan of listing it on ebay. I hope you find a buyer pronto.

Shannon, does Dianthus not sometimes do the "my US address" thing for cross-border orders? I don't know how long it is to the border, but honestly, for me this system works out really well.

I do not order from the US very often. At the NAS, and maybe once or twice more per year. Now, Mr. Suz and I do have occasion to go to the US either for pleasure or to visit family, and this usually happens once a year. So one of my trips at least is a longer one (allowing me to bring back more should I want to, and tying in to other family priorities, so not costing me "extra" in time or money).

But the other trip or two are just quick cross the border and then cross back. It takes about half a day or a bit more. The beauty is that I try on items in the pick up location, decide quickly, and simply return whatever does not work immediately -- at no charge, of course.

Now and again there's an item I'm not sure about. I might end up paying the duty to bring it back. But that is (eventually) refundable if I do return it. And for me, making the trip across the border to do that is actually easier than any other option!

It's about 45 minutes to the border from where I live.

As a matter of fact, I am planning to drive over the border later this week. It is about an hour to Pembina from my home so about 2.5 - 3 hours round trip. Well worth it given that the shoes I bought online for $45 were on sale for $110 here.

Neel

Oh boy! What a frustrating situation to be in. But I love Dianthus' idea! Sell and let someone else enjoy while you collect the money for the fab red items in your shopping list.

kerry

Yes. I know this too! I ordered the Munro Robyns and Nicole Miller dress during NAS. I was thinking about trying another size in the Robyns but it was prohibitively expensive to do.There was no duty because they're made in the US and no shipping because there was a promotion. But ... when I decided to return (I've never done this with Nordstrom before) I was told there was a $42 fee to ship. When I raised an issue with this I was told I could ship it back myself but wouldn't be refunded the duty (in this case tax). Is it Nordstrom or Borderfree that makes this so costly?

Kimberley

Like Suz and Dianthus, I order from Nordstrom and other US vendors and have it shipped to the US border - free shipping and returns that way. I even try the stuff on before I bring it back into Canada so I can reduce any duties to be paid. Better yet, I find someone who is going to the States to bring the parcel back for me = no duty to pay at all.

Is this an option for you, Shannon?

You know, I've thought about doing the border crossing shipping/pick up thing - but I just can't be bothered.

I think every once in a while I need an expensive reminder that I'm trying to commit to purchasing within my own area to support my local economy. This excludes my EF eBay purchases of course as there is no EF distributors in Winnipeg.

No biggie - will list the skirt on eBay.

Well, it is an admirable goal, Shannon, and good for the community. And the skirt will make somebody else very happy.

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