Forever 21 is the answer to so many of our fashion prayers: it’s cheap, has a great mix of basic and trendy clothes, and you’re bound to find at least one cute item every time you shop there. However, sometimes going into the store can be mayhem- clothes strewn everywhere and long lines at every counter.
Thankfully, their online store has hundreds of items available at the click of a mouse. It’s a treasure trove of awesome- if you know the tricks to shopping there. Here are some essential tips on how to score at Forever 21’s online shop.
Related Reading: Best Forever 21 Finds: The Cutest Items to Scoop Up ASAP
Table of Contents
Shop Often:
Most stores change their inventory every few months, and therefore their online stores are very similar day-to-day and week-to-week. But according to a Forever 21 sales girl I know, F21 stores go through 20% of their inventory every week! What does that have to do with online shopping? Well, essentially, Forever 21 has new items every day. I’ve seen especially cute skirts sell out in every size in two days!
How can you avoid missing out on a must-have item? Make sure to check the website every few days. If you do see something you like, make sure they have it in your size! Sometimes, an adorable shirt will show up on the ‘Tops’ page for weeks and weeks- and only one size will be left! Basically, if you see something you love, put it in your shopping bag ASAP, and if you still really want it a few hours later, then snap it up!
Pay Attention to Hemlines:
Forever 21 has lots of adorable tops and tunics that the company masquerades as dresses, and vice versa. Many of these “dresses” are seriously short (or in the case of tops, WAY too long). Although I’m only 5’3″, I once ordered a dress that was 30 inches from the top of the shoulder to the bottom of the hem… and it barely covered my butt!
How to avoid too-short dresses and too-long tops? If you live close to a store, try on the dress/skirt in person to see how long it is on you. If you don’t live near a store, have a measuring tape handy so you can measure a favorite skirt/dress to see how long it is in comparison. Then pay attention to the measurements listed on the website carefully! It can be so disappointing to get an item you weren’t expecting, so make sure you know what you’re getting before you buy!
Combine Shipping with a Friend:
Shipping is almost always free at Forever 21 with a purchase of $75 or more. Although that’s a lot of money, it’s only about 4 items! That’s why after finding a few things I love, I combine the order with a friend or two. It drastically cuts down shipping costs, which run at $8.95 (or the cost of 1/2 a top) for a basket containing $50 (but less than $75) worth of items! You’ll definitely find at least one person who needs a new pair of yoga pants or a cute party top, so it’s worth it to combine and save on shipping!
Be Creative with Your Shipping Address:
For some reason, Forever 21 doesn’t recognize my address at school, even after I’ve toyed with it for hours. If this also happens to you, you have a few options. You could find a friend who lives off-campus and have your items delivered there. Or you could just be creative with your address! Last year, I found the magic formula for my particular building was:
My Name Here
#123
456 Main Street
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(Where #123 is my room number and 456 Main Street is the street my dorm building is on – not my real address for obvious reasons!) If that doesn’t work, try shipping it home or to a relative close by so you can get your new purchase ASAP!
Your thoughts?
What other tips do you have for shopping online at Forever 21? What have your experiences been with the store? Tell me in the comments!
@Samantha- I’m sorry you had such a poor experience with their customer service! I’m curious as to what happened- they’ve always been really pleasant with me!
@Kate- You can combine baskets with Forever 21, Faith 21, Heritage 1981 and Twelve by Twelve, and they all come in the bubble wrap packaging.
If you leave near a store and shop there you can order up to $75 (the free-shipping line) and return the things you don’t like or want for store credit.
Kate,
I know 100% that you can combine orders for Faith 21 and Forever 21. They are the same site, just a different tab.
About the packaging, not sure. I would guess they come in the basic F21 package, especially if they are combined. I couldn’t imagine they would spend the extra money to produce special shipping packages for an extension brand – but you never know!
Hope it helps!
BA CAREFUL at Forever21.com!!!
My sister had her credit card info stolen from there, I think they’ve been having problems with that for a while!!! They had a notice up on their website for the longest time!
What amazes me is sometimes when I go out at night… it’s obvious that some girls are unable to distinguish the difference between a top and a dress that you’ve mentioned here. You know ladies… if you’re almost flashing your hoo-ha just by walking down the street, that should be a pretty good clue. =/ Anyway, good post. You touched on a peeve of mine. 🙂
If you leave near a store and shop there often you can order up to $75 (the free-shipping line) and return the things you don’t like or want for store credit.
There is this really awesome blog www.forever21report.com that used to do reviews and real life photos of f21 clothing on real girls.
It was so cool and useful…. but they seem to have abandoned that blog 🙁
If we all leave comments on there, maybe they will come back! it was so helpful!
I also think Forever 21 deserves a shout-out for its great plus-size division, Faith 21. It’s only online right now, last I checked, but it’s got some really cute stuff. 🙂
Random, but does anyone know if clothes from the Faith 21 come in Forever 21 or Faith 21 packaging if you order online? Normally F21 sends a bubble package thing with the logo stamped on it.
Also, do you know if you can combine orders between the two sites?
Hi,
Does anyone know how the sizing at Wetseal is compared to Forever21? I don’t have a Wetseal near me, but I’m a M-L in Forever21, so what size would I be in Wetseal terms? How about Alloy? Thanks!
I’m so annoyed, it says that it’s free shipping on up to $50 and I have $57 in my cart and it even has ‘free’ written when I look into my cart. Yet when I go to place my order it gives my the full shipping charge of $119. Why?
this happened to me as well so i put my boyfriends address he lives 10 minutes away from me and it worked!
i treid putting my address into the address box thing but whenever i press check out it keeps telling me that the address i put in was incomplete.. what do i do?
i live in appartments and i put my apartment # then my street then the city state and my zip code but if keeps telling me it’s incomplete!!
Forever21 is not for petite women. I’m 5’1 and 100 pounds and I hardly EVER can find a dress that fits properly from Forever21. They don’t carry many XS and sometimes even the XS is too big! My advice to those who are petite like me is to check out the girls department (and this goes for any store that sells kids clothes). That’s right…the CHILDREN’S department, and get the XL or the size that’s meant for 12-14 year old girls. It’s cheaper and fits much better, and a lot of clothes made for kids can also pass as women’s – basic styles and patterns. I’ve bought many basic dresses from the kids department in Forever21 and H&M. Just make sure it isn’t too juvenile looking!
I have never heard of Forever 21.I will have to go to there site and see what they have to offer.
I like the article, but I’d LOVE to see a follow-up with more tips! The combined shipping tip is the best one, but I think most people who shop online already try to do this. Something about the quality (as in the previous comments) and their (crazy) return policy would be appreciated.
anna–
I too am a M-L at forever 21, closer to the M side depending on what type of item it is (M for bottoms, L for tops or dresses because I have a larger bust), and I’d say stick with the same sizes for wet seal.