Is Cider Legit? Read This Review Before You Buy From Them

Cider is an online shopping destination for women’s clothing that has quickly become popular since launching in 2020. But is Cider legit? Do they offer free shipping, and what types of products can you buy?

In this Cider review, I’ll explore the pros and cons of shopping on Cider and explain their shipping and return policies.

By the end, you’ll know if Cider is the right choice for you.

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What Is Cider?

Cider is a Hong Kong-based fast fashion brand for women that offers low prices on hundreds of products shipped directly from China.

Since their launch in 2020, Cider has increasingly become popular among Gen Z, who want stylish but budget-friendly clothes. Cider’s popularity is mainly due to their targeted ads on TikTok and Instagram.

The ShopCider website offers creative ways to shop by allowing customers to choose from different “moods” designed for specific microtrends.

Cider uses AI forecasting to maintain their zero-inventory strategy. This method helps the brand make well-informed choices about the amount of clothing to produce, significantly reducing waste resulting from surplus inventory.

Overall, Cider offers a diverse range of stylish clothing options, all manufactured in China and offered at low prices.

Is Cider Legit?

Cider is a legitimate company but they make cheap fast fashion clothing that is meant to be worn once and thrown away. While not publicly traded, Cider’s credibility is backed by its Trustpilot rating of 4/5 and Sitejabber rating of 3.8/5, which should make you feel confident in shopping with them.

With over five million downloads, the Cider app provides secure payment options, easy ordering, and the added perk of free returns on all orders.

However, as with any online store, you should exercise caution and review product feedback before making a purchase.

Is Cider Safe?

Buying from Cider is 100% safe because they offer free returns on all orders, along with a free shipping label. Cider also secures your personal and payment information using SSL encryption and avoids storing any information after your order is completed.

Here’s how Cider’s returns process works:

You initiate a return by selecting the order you wish to return on the “Orders” page.
You confirm the receipt of your order by clicking “Confirm Receipt,” then start the return process by clicking “Refund | Return.”
You print the shipping label and drop off the package at an eligible USPS station.
Your refund will be processed within seven to ten days after Cider’s US warehouse receives your return package.

In addition, Cider provides estimates for processing and shipping times. Once your order is shipped, you’ll receive a tracking number.

What Products Does Cider Sell?

Cider has a wide variety of products, including tops, bottoms, dresses, bags, jewelry, pet products, and even wigs.

Here are a few of the items you’ll find on Cider:

Crop Tops & Camis
Tees
Bodysuits
Blouses & Shirts
Sweatshirt & Hoodies
Skirts
Shorts
Jeans
Short, mid, and long dresses
Swimwear
Loungewear
Activewear
Hair Accessories
Socks & Tights
Gloves & Scarves
Hats
Belts & Chain
Eyewear
Phone Cases
Wigs
Women’s jewelry
Pet jewelry
Pet clothes
Pet collar
Pet raincoats

Cider mainly offers a sophisticated selection of trendy clothes. They have unique categories such as “Pick a mood,” which allows shoppers to choose clothes based on moods like Fancy, Edgy, and K-Pop, as well as “Trending,” showcasing garments currently popular on TikTok.

The quality can differ based on the particular design and type of clothing, and Cider has received criticism in the past over the accuracy of their sizing.

As a result, you must look at the reviews before purchasing a product from Cider.

How Cider Works For Buyers

Cider offers a range of clothing and accessories, processes orders within one to three days of purchase, and enables personalized shopping through account creation, and pre-order items.

Here’s how to shop on Cider step by step.

Open An Account

To create a Cider account, simply go to their homepage and click the person icon at the top left corner.

You can sign up using your email, phone number, Google, or Facebook. Once you’re set up, Cider activates your account, and you can start shopping.

Shop On Cider

You can shop on Cider without an account, but there are perks to having one. After becoming a member and adding your size measurements, Cider displays clothes that fit you.

You can also save your favorite products to a wish list, and your cart is saved in case you need time before you make up your mind.

Cider Shipping

Cider orders are delivered between 6 to 9 days for standard shipping and 3 to 5 days for express shipping.

During checkout, Cider provides estimated shipping times for each product and you can choose between two shipping options:

Standard shipping: This shipping method takes six to nine business days and comes with a flat cost of US$4.99, but for orders exceeding US$39.00, shipping is free.
Express shipping: This shipping method takes three to five business days and costs US$15.99.

The best part about Cider shipping is that they waive the shipping fee for your first order.

Cider also sells pre-order items to minimize waste from unsold inventory. You’ll notice a small yellow clock icon on specific sizes, colors, or items. When clicked, this icon reveals the estimated shipping time, typically spanning one to two months.

Many Cider customers have complained about shipping times being longer than the initial estimates because the items are shipped from Guangzhou, China.

Note: If you’re located outside the US, shipping starts at $7, and delivery times can be longer than US shipping.

What Is Cider’s Return Policy?

Cider’s return policy allows you to submit a return request for any item within 14 days from the date of receiving the order. But you need to return the item within seven days of submitting your return request to qualify for a refund.

Cider offers free return shipping labels on all orders. But if you decide to make a 2nd return from the same order, shipping is at your cost.

After receiving the return package from the customer, Cider takes about seven to ten working days to process the refund.

For payments made with credit cards, debit cards, or online payment providers, the refund is sent back to your bank account within approximately five business days.

Refunds for payments made with a Cider Gift Card are issued to your Cider account. However, if your order was paid using store credits from a previous return, the order is not eligible for a free return.

What Payment Methods Does Cider Accept?

Cider accepts payments from major credit cards and reputable providers, such as Apple Pay and PayPal.

Here’s the range of international payment methods available for your Cider orders:

American Express
Apple Pay (US only)
Bancontact (Belgium only)
Blik (Poland only)
Discover
Dlocal (Brazil only)
EPS (Australia only)
Ideal (Netherlands only)
Kakao (Korea only)
Klarna (EU & North America only)
MasterCard
Oxxo (México only)
PayPal
Pay U (Poland only)
PIX (Brazil only)
Przelewy24 (Poland only)
Visa

How To Earn Money From Cider?

You can make money with Cider through affiliate marketing and referring friends to join the platform.

Affiliate marketing is when you earn a commission for promoting products through unique affiliate links. Here’s how you can earn from Cider from affiliate marketing:

Sign up on affiliate networks partnered with Cider.
Add your unique affiliate links to products and promote them.
When a user buys an item within 14 days of clicking your link, you receive a 12% commission.

In addition, you can earn from Cider by referring friends. Share your referral link, and when they download the app, you earn 100 points. After their first purchase, you’ll receive $20.

Cider Pros and Cons

Cider offers stylish women’s clothing at low costs, and customers can enjoy hassle-free returns if they’re not satisfied with their purchases. However, Cider also has some downsides, such as slow shipping times and challenges with returns for customers outside the US.

Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of Cider:

Cider Pros

Trendy product selection: Cider provides the latest fashionable clothing designed for Gen Z and younger age groups.
Easy returns: After requesting a return, you only need to print the shipping label and ship the package with USPS.
Free returns: Cider covers the cost of the return shipping label for all your orders, except if you’re returning a second or subsequent item after the first return.
User-friendly interface: The intuitive platform makes creating an account and shopping with Cider a breeze.
Low shipping costs: Cider charges $4.99 for standard shipping on orders below $39, while orders above $39 qualify for free shipping.

Cider Cons

Slow shipping: Shipping within the US can take up to a month, even though estimates suggest one to two weeks.
Return challenges for non-US customers: Customers outside the US need to cover the cost of their return shipping label. In addition, return warehouses can be in the US or China, leading to potentially high return shipping fees.
Size issues: Some users have reported sizing issues. You must check the sizing details for each item before making a purchase.
Customer support: You can reach out to Cider exclusively through email, as they don’t provide live chat or phone options for urgent matters.

Cider Reviews: What Customers Are Saying

Cider has a review rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot and 3.8 out of 5 stars on Sitejabber. However, customers have complained of slow shipping, unresponsive customer service, and subpar quality goods.

Here are the most common Cider reviews you’ll find online, along with tips to prevent being scammed:

Cider Review #1: Slow Shipping

One of the most frequent complaints about Cider is the slow shipping. While Cider has a warehouse in the US, all of their items are dispatched from China, which makes slow shipping inevitable.

Depending on the month, your products may arrive within a week or a month, given how shipping from China is unpredictable.

Another concern is pre-order items, which are produced only upon ordering and can take about a month or two to make.

This is why you should check the estimated delivery date and add an extra week to gauge the accurate shipping time for your order.

Cider Review #2: Poor Quality Items

Cider keeps prices low by using cheap materials like polyester. The standard of quality in China is notably lower than that in the United States, resulting in poorly made products.

To avoid receiving poor-quality goods, follow these guidelines before making a purchase:

Check reviews: Opt for products with reviews that include images.
Check the number of reviews: Buy products with at least 50+ reviews.
Read all one to three-star reviews: Avoid products with quality complaints.

That said, many customers have praised Cider for having better quality products than SHEIN and Temu.

Cider Review #3: Unresponsive Customer Service

Dealing with customer service can be hit or miss with any online store, and Cider is no exception.

Cider lacks live chat and a phone helpline for urgent issues. They only offer email support, though their claimed one-business-day response time contradicts some online reviews.

To manage expectations, you should avoid placing complex or urgent orders, as customer support response times tend to be slower.

Cider Alternatives

Cider is a legit shopping destination, but there are other options that might be better and more eco-friendly. Before you decide to go with Cider, here are a few alternatives to consider:

Boohoo

Boohoo is a UK fast fashion brand aimed at 16 to 30 year olds. Boohoo also owns other famous brands like PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, and MissPap.

Like Cider, Boohoo sells affordable women’s wear in categories like dresses, tops, bottoms, lingerie, plus-size clothing, and accessories.

Standard shipping times are eight to ten business days to the US, but oftentimes it takes days for the order to be dispatched from their warehouse in the UK.

Boohoo also offers a membership at £5.99 for customers residing in the UK for next-day delivery.

For Days

Everything sold at For Days can be completely recycled. The team designs and produces products using organic, non-toxic, recycled fabrics.

In addition, when you’re finished wearing any of their clothes, you can send them back through their “Take Back Bag” program.

For Days has a wide range of apparel and skin care for women, men, kids, and babies. They have t-shirts, rompers, bodysuits for adults, and even comfy loungewear for kids.

Everlane

Everlane is an ethical apparel brand that creates modern and sustainable designs. This San Francisco-based clothing company uses recycled materials and has claimed to replace 90% of the new plastics in its supply chain.

Everlane is a great alternative for those who want to buy affordable, high-quality, but sustainable clothing similar to SHEIN and ROMWE.

Should You Buy From Cider?

Cider is a great option for individuals looking to buy low-cost trendy goods where quality is not a factor.

However, there are some big concerns regarding Cider that you need to be aware of. For instance, a few small fashion designers have accused Cider of directly copying their designs.

In addition, the goods are shipped from China. If you’re okay with waiting two to four weeks for delivery, then shopping from Cider should be alright.

In spite of these issues, Cider remains highly popular among Gen Z. But if you care about sustainability and ethics, you might want to explore other brands, such as Everlane and For Days.

Cider FAQs

Who Owns Shopcider?

ShopCider was founded in 2020 by Fenco Lin, Yu Oppel, and Michael Wang.

Are Shopcider And SHEIN The Same?

No, ShopCider and SHEIN are different clothing brands focusing on Gen Z. However, both brands produce trendy, low-cost apparel and have warehouses in China.

Does Shopcider Sell Counterfeit Products?

ShopCider does not sell counterfeit products and only lists products they create in their own factory in Guangzhou, China. However, small designers have claimed that ShopCider copies their designs.

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