ItalistReviews 285
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From the business
italist is the first platform to offer direct-to-consumer imports of luxury goods exclusively from Italy. Through italist, customers can purchase brand-new, genuine, in-season fashion and accessories from our partner boutiques in Italy. The same high-quality products you’d find on other sites are available at a lower retail price through our partner boutiques—up to 40% less—so italist always provides the best value.
Remember, you’re importing luxury goods directly from Italy, so your returns are processed through Italian customs. This process requires additional shipping costs and customs duties, which is why we don’t offer free returns at this time. Please read our Returns Policy for more details.
Business Highlights
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Italist Reviews Summary
Italist has a rating of 2.6 stars from 285 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Italist most frequently mention shipping costs, return policy and customs duties. Italist ranks 10th among Designer Clothes sites.
We monitor reviews for authenticity
When you return an item bought through Italist, they do not refund your import duties and the charge you to "export" the item back to Italy. Returned items are not taxed and it is relatively straightforward for a retailer to get import duties refunded for a return item. Since international retail returns are pretty straightforward, my guess is they are just pocketing this money like a 40% restocking fee.
Recently bought a men's coat, the should part is odd, and the fit is odd, so I need to exchange to a smaller size, but can not. So I need to return then. Somehow, they want me to pay custom during the return on top of the shipping back charge. So I basically pay over 20% to return.
This policy is horrible and doesn't make sense. If I can give zero star, I would give a zero. Bad customer service as well. So when you buy a product, if you don't return, you don't pay custom, but if you return, you pay custom? This is backwards of other sites. Beware the trap here, and I will never buy from this site again.
Hi there,
We're sorry about the sizing issue and the return fees you experienced. This isn't the level of service we want to provide.
We're working to provide clearer, more consistent sizing information to help prevent issues like this. We've also expanded our support team and are working to make all return costs, including international shipping and customs fees, clearer at checkout and during the return process.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Your feedback helps us strengthen how we present product details and manage returns.
Italist Customer Care Team
I purchased a pair of JACQUEMUS sunglasses and received them to my address in Canada in less than a week! They were securely packed and I didn't have to pay customs on them. Will order from Italist again.
Thank you for your review!
Enjoy your new sunglasses
It does not make any sense to charge the customer the full custom duties and tax as well the returning shipping charges!
You are online store, wo the probability of returning items is too high for sure, therefore, you should offer free return service or at least a fixes fees similar to other online retailers!
I am loosing around 50-60% of the amount I paid for purchase!
Not recommend at all..
Thank you, for your review Mohammed.
International returns are quite expensive. In order for us to keep our prices competitive, we pass those costs to our customers. The majority of retailers take the average return costs and build it into their pricing, which we think is unfair since not everyone will return an item.
Note that as mentioned in our policy, any duties paid are not refundable through italist. Italy, categorizes returns as an import and therefor shipments may be taxed for duties on the return.
A member of our team will reach out to assist you further.
-Matthew
If you are ordering anything that might require a return, like a piece of clothing, absolutely avoid. I ordered a jacket after much research about the sizing, and it arrived, incredibly small and unusable for me. This company had an extremely strange return policy where you have to pay fees, including duties, to return the item to Italy. All in all I'm out over $700 dollars.
Edit: Company contacted me and offered a credit so I am adding two stars, but per their policies they are not in any way required to, so I would still advise caution. The prices are good and so are the products but know that if you make a purchase you think you might need to return, you will lose a portion of your money.
Thank you for your review, Mickey.
International returns are quite expensive. In order for us to keep our prices competitive, we pass those costs to our customers. The majority of retailers take the average return costs and build it into their pricing, which we think is unfair since not everyone will return an item.
Returns are becoming quite a problem among ecommerce retailers, and have proven to have a negative impact on the environment. You will see, many retailers are now trying to limit
Returns by ensuring the right items are ordered to prevent returns, and by implementing return fees.
Our return policy has always been in place since we started.
Thank you again for your time.
-Matthew
I ordered a black Marni dress for 423.00. I was delivered a black mens t shirt valued at 100.00. After multiple unfruitful conversations over e-mail ( no phone contact is available) I was instructed taht I must return the men's tshirt in order to receive a refund. As I am not an Italist member and checked out as a guest I have no way to do this and the cost would be prohibitive. I would strongly recommend not using this site.
Thank you for taking the time to write your review and share your experience with us, Kris.
We are so sorry that our partner sent the wrong item by mistake.
Please return the item as mentioned by our Customer Service Team. Once the item is returned you will be issued a full refund.
Note, that we do not have a guest checkout. All customers create an account in order to make a purchase.
Another member of our team will reach out to further assist.
-Allison
I bought a pair of black and white Prada sneakers and what I received was a pair of white sneakers. I contacted customer service and nothing yet. They are absolutely no help. Now I am left with a $1000 pair of sneakers I cannot use! It's a scam!
Thank you for shopping with us, BM, and for taking the time to leave your review.
We are so sorry to hear you received the wrong product from our partner. We do see that our Customer Care Team
Was able to assist you on Saturday, the 19th.
Please do let us know if you need anything else.
-Allison
I've returned my purchase as the size was small and the return invoice indicated an estimated shipping price of €70 for a pair of sneakers that I bought €130. I trusted that word 'estimated' might mean something. Who could believe half the price was just for the shipment.
I've been refunded almost €70 (my currency was AUD). I wrote a review here for people to read their f**king return policy to be aware of how all the shipping cost would be on you and the shipping cost is no joke.
Italist reached out and offered €90 for my next purchase as a token with an expiry date of Oct'23. This is a nice gesture, but imagine you're so pissed off that you bother writing feedbacks here and there and they offer you another purchase. I didn't accept that, would you?!
Thank you for taking the time to write your review, Azi.
We're sorry to hear that your item did not work out. Our return policy does state that we pass all the return costs to our customers.
International returns are quite expensive. In order for us to keep our prices competitive, we pass those costs to our customers. The majority of retailers take the average return costs and build it into their pricing, which we think is unfair since not everyone will return an item.
Our Customer Care Team will reach out to assist you further.
-Allison
Second ot third time ordering from italist, and they're good. Packing and getting out for international delivery, no issues.
Made my first purchase on a Dior bag a couple weeks ago. When I received it, I can see there were scratches on the buckle as well as the leather. The most noticeable part is that the metal color on the buckle are inconsistent, it was made poorly. I can send the photos if required. I know returning it will cost me money, so not sure if there is anything else you can do. It just doesn't look like a new bag to me, more like a defect, returned, or sample bag.
*update 7/10/23
Thank you again for taking the time to write your review.
We see that our Customer Care Team was able to assist you, and that you decided to place a new order with us.
We see you are a fan of the brand, and we hope you enjoy the new item when you get it.
Let our Customer Care Team know if you need any assistance.
-Claudia
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. I appreciate your effort in reaching out to our support team. In order to process a full refund and arrange a free return for the inconvenience caused, we kindly request you to provide the requested photos to the customer care (not here) with THE ITALIST TAG CLEARLY VISIBLE ATTACHED. As a gesture of goodwill, we would also like to offer you a complimentary gift.
Please understand that we do not offer discounts as compensation for defective items. This policy is in place to prevent any potential abuse from the sourcing and selling aspects of our marketplace.
Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention.
Best regards,
Claudia
Italist is one the worst fashion shopping experiences. I bought Dolce&Gabbana dress for $2175, I returned it on time without any defects, but Italist returned only $1790, because they charged me $40 for return shipping costs and $345 for duties and courier fees. Isn't it too much? To return the unused merchandise will cost you $385!
Thank you for taking the time to write your review, Irina.
We are sorry to hear that your item did not work out and that you had to return it.
Unfortunately, we can not control the cost of duties. Duties fluctuate based on the value of the item.
Our customer care team will reach out to further assist.
-Allison
Trash of a website and company. Sizing is COMPLETELY off and they take no responsibility for it. They put "XS" for an item that's a US size 4. US size 4 is a SMALL / MEDIUM.
Then, to return an item, they "estimate" what the custom duties would be and if you pay more than it actually is, they don't give you your money back. To add, when returning anything back to Italy, you are not responsible for paying customs -- yet, ITALIST makes their own rules just to keep your money.
I will never shop here again, nor will I ever let anyone I know shop here.
Thank you for taking the time to write your review, Shanit.
We don't see that you contacted us about an issue with the sizing of your order. Your emails to our Customer Care Team seem to be regarding
Shipping issues which was resolved.
We are sorry that your items did not work out and that you had to return them, but as our terms and condition states we do pass the costs of returns to our customers.
By not building the cost of returns into the price of the items as some other retailers do we can keep the prices of the items on our website competitive.
Remember, you’re importing luxury goods directly from Italy, so your returns are processed through Italian customs and. This process typically requires additional shipping costs, customs duties, and/or courier charges which is why we don’t offer free returns at this time.
Again, sorry that you did not have a good experience with us.
-Allison
Bought this Gucci pant from them and it was just like the one in store but the price is a lot better, only 60%, almost half of the price but the same stuff.
Thank you for your review, WeiDong!
We are happy to hear you found the Gucci pants on our site at a price that you like
Make sure you order the right merchandise because the return policy here is crazy. When you place an online order, you are not sure what you're getting it looks nice, but when you see it in person it's not what you expected. The wrong size, or could be defective. I had to pay $217 for returns for an item that didn't fit, and not as i thought it would be. When I reach out to them they're telling me that duty and customs fees. Granted you pay for returns but at what cost? Beware!
Thank you for taking the time to write your review, Joyce.
Yes, we do pass the return costs to our customers as stated in our terms and conditions.
International returns can be quite expensive. Luckily our return shipping is subsidized thanks
To our agreements with our courier, but duties and courier fees are something that can't be
Avoided.
The order number you provided doesn't match our records. I will reach out to you via PM
To get more information so that our Customer Care Team can assist you further.
-Matthew
These guys are terrible and with awful service. They mention fees but not the amount. When I went to return something, it was going to cost $150 to do so. That is after charging a ton on the front end. It is a horrible company to deal with and not worth the minimal savings (post fees) that they provide. Avoid at all costs.
Thank you for taking the time to write your review, Robin.
We are sorry to hear that your item did not work out and that you needed to return it.
International returns are quite expensive, and we do pass these costs to our customers to help keep the costs of the items lower on the website.
After looking into your return, we see that the cost of the return is only $60 not, $150. We also looked at your order and saw
That it contained two items which amounted to over $800 USD. U.S Customs and Border Patrol implements duties on items/orders
That total over $800 USD, which is why your order had duties applied at checkout.
All of this is stated in our policy, and we are sorry that you did not have a good experience with us.
Best regards,
Allison
First time ordering from Italist, so was a bit sceptical at first. But my item arrived on time in 4 days in perfect packaging. Totally thrilled with my Thom Browne shoes! Would definitely order again. Highly recommended.
Thank you for taking the time to write your review, Roger
D& G sneaker … i bought the D&J sneaker. The size i choose not fit. I return it. The only thing i don't like is they took i lot of fee..
*update June 15
Hi Anh, our Customer Care Team has advised that they have been able to assist you with your return, and that our partner boutique has confirmed the authenticity.
Please do let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with.
-Allison
Dear Anh, thank you for the feedback. This particular issue, has never occurred in the past 10 years. A representative from our customer care will reach you to better understand your issue. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Best regards.
I fell in love with your store. They delivered parcels to Amsterdam very quickly. One came to the property the day after the purchase. Second in two days simply amazing service. I will recommend to my friends in Europe
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review, Evgenii
These people are crooks! If you ever need to return a purchase, they expect you to recoup, what can be hundreds of dollars, in customs duties. Other online retailers sending clothing from Europe such as Farfetch, My Theresa etc. will credit everything but NOT Italist. I am still trying to get back the sales tax I paid and good luck getting the customs duties back from the government. I'm out almost $600 on a dress I returned because it didn't fit. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ITALIST!
I really really like Italist. They have all the luxury brands that you know and love, but at a (sometimes steep) discount. Louboutins? Yup. YSL? Versace? Burberry? Yup, yup, and yup. I had one relatively small issue with an order and they responded and had it corrected within just a couple of days, including over the weekend time. Super happy with the support I received from them. I will be coming back here regularly for all my fashion forward shopping.
Thank you for the raving review, Taylor!
We are so happy to hear that you had such a great experience with us, and we hope to see you again soon.
-Allison
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- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Thank you for your review.
Customs Duties are not as straightforward as you may think and they vary greatly from country to country, and we certainly do
Not profit of the return fees. We pass all the costs associated with a return straight to the customer.
Italy does not have a separate category for returns and categorizes all items entering
The country as an import. This is why your returns are charged a courier/duty fee. A courier fee is also known
As an administration fee.
International returns are quite expensive. In order for us to keep our prices competitive, we pass those costs to our customers. The majority of retailers take the average return costs and build it into their pricing, which we think is unfair since not everyone will return an item.
Returns are becoming quite a problem among ecommerce retailers, and have proven to have a negative impact on the environment. You will see, many retailers are now trying to limit returns by ensuring the right items are ordered to prevent returns, and by implementing return fees.
Our return policy has always been in place since we started.
We will have someone contact you shortly to assist.
-Allison