I want to know what your thoughts are on this topic of fast fashion. I’m talking about websites like Shein and Temu that sell products from China at really cheap prices. There’s been a lot of talk about these websites lately, especially regarding the quality of the products and the ethics of their business practices. And I have to admit, I’m torn on the issue.
I’ll just say up front that I’ve never purchased anything from Temu, and I don’t plan on starting now. Every time I do a google search for a product, my search results are filled from top to bottom with products from Temu, and there’s just something about that that I find unsettling. In addition to that, the prices are so ridiculously low. I’m talking about a winter coat for 50 cents, or a dress for 25 cents. They may as well be giving those away for free, and as the adage goes, if you’re getting something for free, it’s because you’re the product. So Temu is a no go for me.
I have placed one order from Shein, and that order included five tops. The quality seemed good, and the shirts were cute. I was pleased with my order. But after I placed my order, I started hearing all of these issues with this “fast fashion” industry. If you just search for “Shein” in YouTube, you’ll come up with probably hundreds of videos from people talking about the ethical issues with purchasing from these fast fashion companies (called that presumably because it’s fast and cheap, like the fast food industry).
And then, just a few months ago, this SNL skit went viral online.
You can read the comments on that YouTube video and see that almost everyone agrees. These companies are terrible. Stay away from them.
So after coming across all of that, I decided that my one order from Shein would be my only order, and I would go back to purchasing clothes from the stores I was used to buying from. And what are those stores? Stores like Gap, Old Navy, and Loft. I also shop occasionally at WalMart. And then I love a handful of little American-owned online boutique stores.
One of my favorites is called Mod Boutique. I’ve shared this store with y’all before. I love that they have do loads of photos and one video for every piece of clothing. I love that they provide the exact measurements for each piece of clothing rather than offering a general sizing guideline. And I love the clothes they offer. I don’t like everything they have, but their selection appeals to me more than any of the other boutique stores I’ve ordered from. So I literally check out their website every Sunday when they update their website with new arrivals.
But here’s the deal. Last night I was searching for something, and that took me to the Shein website. I got curious to see what was new, so I started poking around a bit. And I just happened upon this flutter sleeve sweater listed for $9.23.
Wait. WHAT? Nine dollars and twenty-three cents? That’s interesting because look what I have in my closet.
Only mine’s not from Shein…or at least not directly so. Mine is from Mod Boutique, and I paid $46.99 for it, plus tax and shipping.
But I’m sure mine is the ethical one, right? Well, how do I know that? It’s made in China also, and there’s no way anyone can guarantee me that it’s made in some ethical factory.
I also have this one. This one sold by Mod Boutique was $72.99, because anything they sell with embroidered sleeves is $65.00 and up. (And I’m a sucker for embroidery.)
It’s made in China.
That shirt is sold by Shein for $9.53.
So the question I’m really struggling with (and yes, I’m really very conflicted about this) is this. Does purchasing these items from an American boutique store that’s buying them from China and marking them up sometimes as much as 700% somehow make me morally superior and more ethically-minded than people buying them directly from the Chinese factory? Or does it just make me a sucker.
I mean, my closet is filled with clothes from China. I bought this at that same American boutique store for $64.99. It’s made in China. And while I haven’t found this exact shirt on Shein, there are several very similar.
I bought this shirt, made in China, from an American boutique store for $76.99.
This isn’t the same shirt, but this is one of the five I bought from Shein with beautiful embroidered sleeves. This was under $10.
So I guess my question is…are we tricking ourselves into thinking that paying more for the same items being sold through American “middle man” companies is somehow morally superior than just buying them directly from the Chinese company when the items are the same? On the one hand, I want to support American businesses, and especially American small businesses. But when those companies are just buying Chinese goods and marking them up at a rate of up to 700%, I start to get conflicted. It would be different if they were selling American-made goods. I would gladly pay more for that. But those goods seem to be few and far between these days.
And this spills over into home decor as well. There are so many items that companies like Pottery Barn, or even Magnolia here in Waco, are selling that come from China. And yet, you can buy directly from China on sites like Shein and save a bundle of money. Am I somehow acting more ethically by choosing to purchase my made-in-China item in downtown Waco from Magnolia at a 500% upcharge? If they were selling American-made goods, I’d happily purchase from them, pay more to support an American company, support the local economy, etc. But how do I make sense of the argument that it’s my moral and ethical duty to purchase those made-in-China goods through an American middle-man company at a 300-700% upcharge?
I genuinely want your opinion on this, and if you have any insight that I’m missing, please share it. I want to be clear that I’m not arguing that we should overlook the ethical issues that people have raised about these overseas factories. But how do we get away from supporting them when our options seems to be (1) buying directly from them, or (2) purchasing through an American company that’s buying from them and marking prices way up?
So if you’ve done way more research into this topic than I have, help me make sense of all of this. I’m not trying to justify my next Shein purchase. As of this moment, I don’t have any plans to make a second Shein purchase. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this issue, and figure out how we deal with it. Is there really a truly ethical answer here?
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.