There’s a lot to like about buying clothing online: More sizing options, no poorly lit fitting rooms and the ability to audition new items with shoes and jackets you already own to see if they deserve a place in your wardrobe.
But there’s one major problem. If you want to try on multiple sizes or a lot of items, you have to pay hundreds of dollars up front and wait for weeks for a refund on what you return.
Some retailers and services are offering a way around that, and it doesn’t involve going back to the fitting room. They’re letting you try on clothing at home for free or a small fee.
Read on for some of the best retailers that allow you to try on clothes at home without paying full cost.
[See: 12 Shopping Tricks to Keep You Under Budget.]
Amazon Prime Wardrobe
You must be an Amazon Prime member (cost: $119 per year) to use this service, but Amazon’s Prime Wardrobe is probably the most flexible try-it-on-for-free option out there.
Prime Wardrobe lets you order up to eight clothing items, pay nothing up front and have those items shipped to you for free. You have seven days after the package’s arrival to try on the clothes and return what you don’t want by dropping it in a UPS drop box. After seven days, Amazon will charge you only for the items you’ve kept.
Not all clothing available on Amazon is eligible for Prime Wardrobe, but thousands of items are.
[Read: Shopping Holidays: The Best Days to Shop in 2018.]
Nordstrom’s Trunk Club
Trunk Club is an on-demand clothing box that lets you summon a collection of clothing handpicked by Nordstrom stylists whenever you want.
You will pay a $25 styling fee for each delivery, but it will get credited toward anything you keep from that trunk.
Before you order your first trunk, you’ll need to fill out a style profile. Then, you’ll chat with a stylist on the phone or via Nordstrom’s messenger app and receive a digital preview of your trunk. You’ll have 48 hours to make changes to the preview.
Once your selection is finalized, your trunk will arrive in four to six business days. Shipping is free. You have five days to try everything on. Returns are free, and you’ll be charged for what you keep minus the $25 styling fee.
After you return what you’re not keeping, you can order another trunk whenever you like.
Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix functions as either a subscription box or an on-demand clothing box, depending on your preferences.
Fill out a style profile to give the Stitch Fix stylists an idea of your personal style, size and preferences. Then choose how often you’d like to receive shipments. You can receive automatic deliveries every two to three weeks, every month, every two months or every three months. Or you can opt out of automatic shipments and simply request a box manually whenever you want one.
For each box, you’ll pay a $20 fee, which will be credited toward whatever you keep from that box. Shipping and returns are always free.
You’ll have three days to try on your items and decide what you’re keeping. Stitch Fix will never charge you for items you send back.
MM.LaFleur
MM.LaFleur is a higher-end clothing box service. There’s no subscription option. Each clothing box, which MM.LaFleur calls bento boxes, must be ordered manually. Each box will contain four to six items that are handpicked by stylists based on the style profile you filled out. Return whatever you don’t want within four days to avoid being charged.
There is no styling fee with MM.LaFleur, and shipping and returns are free. However, MM.LaFleur is a luxury clothing box service, and items start at $110 and range up to more than $300. That makes it potentially the priciest service on this list.
[See: 12 Habits of Phenomenally Frugal Families.]
ThredUp Goody Box
This budget-friendly Goody Box service comes from ThredUp, the online secondhand clothing store.
Fill out a style questionnaire and order a box of 10 items whenever you wish. You will need to pay a fee of $10 per box, which will be applied to any item you keep. As with the boxes listed above, you’ll pay only for what you keep. You have seven days after receiving the box to return unwanted items.
What makes Goody Box unique is that you can choose a theme for your box. Themes include date night clothing, work clothing, vacation clothing and fall clothing. Or just leave it up to the stylists.
Whichever service you choose to try clothing on at home, be aware of the following terms to avoid getting charged for items you don’t keep.
— The deadline: Each service gives you a clearly defined length of time to try on the clothing. You’ll be charged for any items you keep for longer than that.
— Returned items must be unworn with tags attached: Try on the clothing as you would in a fitting room. Don’t remove the tags and don’t try to return items you’ve worn outside the house.
— The return shipping method: Follow the instructions that come with your box to ensure you return unwanted items with the proper carrier.
Companies and products mentioned in this article may be promoted on www.offers.com.
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5 Services That Let You Try on Clothes at Home for Free originally appeared on usnews.com
