What is Shein

I found myself first asking, “What is Shein” while trying to figure out which clothing brands Peloton instructors wear.

That is, I would see them teaching a class or on social media in an outfit I wanted to buy for myself.

When I plugged the details into the Google machine, often the results say it’s something from Shein.

For example, when I was trying to figure out the rainbow animal print outfits that Leanne Hainsby and Cody Rigsby wore on their two-for-one ride, I ended up finding this Shein outfit.

Looks very much like what they were wearing, right?

What is Shein?

So, what is Shein?

It’s the epitome of a fast fashion company.

“Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.”

Normally, I would think of retailers like H&M and Forever 21.

However, now that I’ve learned about Shein, I would add it to the list.

There are a number of categories you can shop on the Shein website:

• Women
• Curve
• Home
• Kids
• Men
• Beauty

Then, within each of these categories, there are subcategories.

For example, under Kids there is clothing for children and toddlers, naturally.

However, this is also where the company categorizes maternity wear and nursing attire for mothers.

Plus size clothing

Also, Curve is Shein’s way of describing plus-size clothing.

For women, they stock sizes XL to 5XL in clothing.

In addition, sports bras go up to 46E.

Speaking of sports bras, some of them are in sizes 85 through 110, which is confusing.

However, there are size charts that explain how to convert a Shein size 100, for example, into a U.S. friendly size–it’s close to a 40 band size.

I get the sense that these three-digit sizes are probably measurements in centimeters, not inches.

Not surprisingly, there is a popular activewear subcategory.

That should be obvious since I first stumbled upon Shein when looking for the workout clothing that Peloton instructors wear.

I send a weekly email about Peloton instructor clothing.

What is Shein free shipping Sunday

There’s another reason that Shein came onto my radar.

I found that a lot of readers were asking, “What is Shein free shipping Sunday?”

Since I didn’t know the answer off the top of my head, I had to do some research.

This past Sunday I visited Shein.com and dug into the details.

Basically, if you shop on Shein on Sundays, you’ll qualify for free standard shipping no matter how much you spend.

On other days of the week, you’ll qualify for free standard shipping by spending at least $29.

That doesn’t sound like a lot.

However, the stuff on Shein is really cheap.

Like there are sections for items priced under $15, $10 and $5.

And there’s tons of things that show up in those price categories.

Granted, nearly everything the company sells is mass produced overseas.

Thus, those really cheap prices.

Anyway, if you’re looking for how to save money on Shein, I would say this with confidence: shop on Sundays.

Shipping times on Shein

The downside of standard shipping on Shein?

It’s nothing like what you may be used to on Amazon, Chewy.com or even Zappos.

According to the Shein shipping page, every order requires one to three days of processing time in the warehouse.

That’s because a majority of Shein warehouses are overseas.

Quick tip: if you see “Quickship” next to an item, that means it’s available from a U.S.-based warehouse.

Therefore, the processing time will likely be faster.

Anyway, back to shipping times.

Then, if you’ve chosen standard shipping, you can expect to receive your package 13-15 days later.

Those that choose express shipping or qualify for it by spending at least $129, well, they’ll get their order four to five days faster.

So, express shipping is still arriving nine to 10 days after placing an order.

What is Shein return policy

I mention these longer shipping times because it plays into how the Shein return policy works.

From the Shein Return Policy page:

“You have a maximum of 35 days from the date of your purchase to make a return. Your return package must be postmarked within 35 days after the purchase date. Returns postmarked after 35 days from the purchase date will not be accepted.”

So, let us do that math.

If you place an order and it takes 15 days to arrive, then you’ve only got 20 days left to send it back.

That’s still a decent amount of time.

However, since Shein won’t accept returns after 35 days, you really need to keep track of your time.

Also, if you’re going to make a return, you want to do it all at once.

Why?

Because Shein covers the cost of return shipping for a first return on an order.

However, some items are not returnable at all.

They include:

• bodysuits
• lingerie
• underwear
• jewelry
• accessories
• cosmetics
• pet products

If, for some reason, you decide to make a second return from that same order–within that 35-day return window–then you’ll pay $7.99 for return shipping.

Finally, considering this postmark rule, I would make sure that you bring your Shein returns to the post office to ensure they get postmarked and go out in time.

Final thoughts on Shein

If you’re interested in buying fast fashion, then you should check out Shein.com.

However, if you want to shop more sustainably, I would recommend visiting your local thrift shop or organizing a clothing swap with friends.