Where do you shop?

Anatoliy · 05-04-2007, 07:41 AM

Hi everyone,

For those of you who shop on-line, I'd like to pick your brain with a couple of questions: what web-sites do you like to shop at and why? Your input will help us grow and improve. Thanks so much!

sstacy123 · 05-07-2007, 03:06 AM

I started with Dahlal because that's a place the teacher recommended...

thebellydanceshop-veil was backordered from Dahlal 6 wks so I tried this place 'cause they had what I wanted-I bought again because I liked the way the veil floated

Ebay-bought several DVDs-good selection and better prices

Amazon-bought one DVD from Amazon, selection and price, shopped w before

Magiccitycostumes-the bellydance shop called and said what I ordered was not available-another site I checked said shipping would take a couple of weeks and I didn't want to wait that long and MC had what I was looking for. (found through the ads on orientaldancer if I remember correctly)

I shopped with Magicalfashions once and cancelled the order, got a really ugly email and would never shop again (she did later apoligize)...

Shopped once with Scheherezade Imports-hip scarf caught my eye and they were reputable...

Ordered from sugarpetals because another teacher said that's where she got her unitards from and price was pretty good.

the latest Saroyan-didn't want to pay that much but they got good reviews on product quality

One thing that puts me off though the sites that don't give many pictures or info that just say call or write for more information...I don't like going to that kind of trouble...

gwinity · 05-07-2007, 04:21 AM

I shop online because there's very few places (if any) locally that I can get to during opening hours (and there's only so much I can make). Cost of the items and shipping are my two major concerns, and I'm always conscious of the exchange rate. If the shipping cost is outrageous, more than the items, or indicating sea-mail (which takes around 4 months to get here), then forget it.

Primarily I shop on ebay, because I'm on a super-tight budget, and I've found some lovely pieces there. I've bought some stuff from devs.com.au, initially because he's Dipali

, AND later because he's affordable.

I buy books and DVDs from Amazon, if I can't get them from my local record/book stores. They're reliable, and I've been buying hard-to-find books from them for years.

I wanted some more generic dance-foundation stuff (leotards etc), so checked out discountdance.com, but after emailing to-and-fro for shipping costs (because they weren't displayed anywhere, which is a pet hate for me), it ended up being prohibitively expensive and I cancelled my order.

I've ogled places like Dahlal, Turquoise Imports and so on, but realistically for me (and many others on tight budgets, no doubt), they're simply not affordable. Even Moondance Bellydance, a fairly inexpensive place, is past my limit due to shipping costs.

But then I'm nowhere near the stage of being able to justify spending several hundreds of dollars on a lavish costume!

Ariella · 05-07-2007, 05:16 AM

What matters a lot to me is good photography of the items being sold. Even if it's just a bracelet, seeing it on a human model makes such a difference in my willingness to purchase it. I've been costume shopping lately. I found several costumes that were reasonably priced and should fit me based on the description, but the picture was of the costume on a hanger in a shower or something of the like. I don't even like seeing goods on mannequins.

I understand that sometimes actual models are hard to come by for online store owners, but I think they are very worthwhile.

Many of my purchases have been on ebay. Nonetheless, I'm wary of ebay purchases as you never really know what you are getting. I know a lot of people who have gotten ripped off, and I've been very lucky so far.

Other than that, I've bought things from aliahscloset.com and been very satisfied with the quality of their products. I purchased my very first hip scarf from there, and it hasn't started dropping coins yet! I also purchased a veil and skirt set from their ebay store and was again very satisfied with the durability.

Maria_Aya · 05-07-2007, 08:41 AM

DVD's and music from Amazon mostly. Rarely from the site of the artist.

Kisses
Maria Aya

Zurah · 05-10-2007, 09:37 AM

I used to buy a lot from Amazon and Maqam, but haven't done so in quite some time. Lately the two largest book and music shops in my town have expanded a little their World Music and dvd selection, and I've been able to find a number of real gems I'd been wanting for some time. Also, I keep credit card use to an absolute minimum, and have gotten extremely paranoid about using my cards online since my bank informed me someone had gotten my number and used it when I bought from Amazon, so the option to pay with check is a real plus for me when buying online. Scarves, veils and such, I usually buy from my teacher.

Suheir · 05-10-2007, 11:19 AM

I buy from Amazon, Maqam and Rashid. It's much cheaper for us in the UK to buy CDs from the States via Amazon's marketplace sellers, often half the price including postage.

da Sage · 02-19-2008, 08:29 PM

Amazon, Ebay, bellydancewithk, bellydancestore.net, Sugar Petals for online shopping.

I also shop at a local store which has a good selection of bellydance necessities, discount stores, thrift stores, and swap/buy from local dancers, including Akasha of DanZ PantZ/Akasha Wear. Also, Dahlal comes to town often - I have never ordered from her, just bought in person.

Ease of browsing, selection, additional information, quality products, good customer service, shipping turnaround, and price (including shipping/handling) are all important.

gisela · 02-19-2008, 09:02 PM

I don't shop much online but I have bought music from maqam.com, cd-on.com (this is maybe a scandinavian site?) and a few days ago I ordered from Aladdins cave. The order hasn't arrived yet but I like the process so far with receipts and follow-ups. Seems trustworthy.
I usually don't want to buy any clothes on-line. It's hard enough to find something that fits nicely in a normal store and I don't really trust the size markings on internet-clothing.

clear terms and buyer instructions as well as confirmation e-mails and order numbers, I guess is something that makes it feel more secure.

Fatima · 02-23-2008, 10:14 PM

I usually shop for DVDs and Cds at Amazon.com, DeepDiscount.com, OceanStateMedia.com and directly from Jenna. I hardly ever buy clothes online, the few times I've done it have been through e-bay.

05-04-2007, 07:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
Anatoliy Administrator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Planet Earth Posts: 245	Where do you shop? Hi everyone, For those of you who shop on-line, I'd like to pick your brain with a couple of questions: what web-sites do you like to shop at and why? Your input will help us grow and improve. Thanks so much!

05-07-2007, 03:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
sstacy123 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA Posts: 487	I started with Dahlal because that's a place the teacher recommended... thebellydanceshop-veil was backordered from Dahlal 6 wks so I tried this place 'cause they had what I wanted-I bought again because I liked the way the veil floated Ebay-bought several DVDs-good selection and better prices Amazon-bought one DVD from Amazon, selection and price, shopped w before Magiccitycostumes-the bellydance shop called and said what I ordered was not available-another site I checked said shipping would take a couple of weeks and I didn't want to wait that long and MC had what I was looking for. (found through the ads on orientaldancer if I remember correctly) I shopped with Magicalfashions once and cancelled the order, got a really ugly email and would never shop again (she did later apoligize)... Shopped once with Scheherezade Imports-hip scarf caught my eye and they were reputable... Ordered from sugarpetals because another teacher said that's where she got her unitards from and price was pretty good. the latest Saroyan-didn't want to pay that much but they got good reviews on product quality One thing that puts me off though the sites that don't give many pictures or info that just say call or write for more information...I don't like going to that kind of trouble... Last edited by sstacy123; 05-07-2007 at 04:31 AM.

02-19-2008, 09:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
gisela Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 928	I don't shop much online but I have bought music from maqam.com, cd-on.com (this is maybe a scandinavian site?) and a few days ago I ordered from Aladdins cave. The order hasn't arrived yet but I like the process so far with receipts and follow-ups. Seems trustworthy. I usually don't want to buy any clothes on-line. It's hard enough to find something that fits nicely in a normal store and I don't really trust the size markings on internet-clothing. clear terms and buyer instructions as well as confirmation e-mails and order numbers, I guess is something that makes it feel more secure. __________________ You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche

02-23-2008, 10:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
Fatima Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 135	I usually shop for DVDs and Cds at Amazon.com, DeepDiscount.com, OceanStateMedia.com and directly from Jenna. I hardly ever buy clothes online, the few times I've done it have been through e-bay. __________________ I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. Mikhail Baryshnikov Blogs: Fátima Baila.

05-07-2007, 04:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
gwinity Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 357	I shop online because there's very few places (if any) locally that I can get to during opening hours (and there's only so much I can make). Cost of the items and shipping are my two major concerns, and I'm always conscious of the exchange rate. If the shipping cost is outrageous, more than the items, or indicating sea-mail (which takes around 4 months to get here), then forget it. Primarily I shop on ebay, because I'm on a super-tight budget, and I've found some lovely pieces there. I've bought some stuff from devs.com.au, initially because he's Dipali , AND later because he's affordable. I buy books and DVDs from Amazon, if I can't get them from my local record/book stores. They're reliable, and I've been buying hard-to-find books from them for years. I wanted some more generic dance-foundation stuff (leotards etc), so checked out discountdance.com, but after emailing to-and-fro for shipping costs (because they weren't displayed anywhere, which is a pet hate for me), it ended up being prohibitively expensive and I cancelled my order. I've ogled places like Dahlal, Turquoise Imports and so on, but realistically for me (and many others on tight budgets, no doubt), they're simply not affordable. Even Moondance Bellydance, a fairly inexpensive place, is past my limit due to shipping costs. But then I'm nowhere near the stage of being able to justify spending several hundreds of dollars on a lavish costume!

05-07-2007, 05:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
Ariella Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: someplace far too cold Posts: 204	What matters a lot to me is good photography of the items being sold. Even if it's just a bracelet, seeing it on a human model makes such a difference in my willingness to purchase it. I've been costume shopping lately. I found several costumes that were reasonably priced and should fit me based on the description, but the picture was of the costume on a hanger in a shower or something of the like. I don't even like seeing goods on mannequins. I understand that sometimes actual models are hard to come by for online store owners, but I think they are very worthwhile. Many of my purchases have been on ebay. Nonetheless, I'm wary of ebay purchases as you never really know what you are getting. I know a lot of people who have gotten ripped off, and I've been very lucky so far. Other than that, I've bought things from aliahscloset.com and been very satisfied with the quality of their products. I purchased my very first hip scarf from there, and it hasn't started dropping coins yet! I also purchased a veil and skirt set from their ebay store and was again very satisfied with the durability.

05-07-2007, 08:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
Maria_Aya Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Athens, Greece Posts: 2,221	DVD's and music from Amazon mostly. Rarely from the site of the artist. Kisses Maria Aya

05-10-2007, 09:37 AM	#6 (permalink)
Zurah Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Spain Posts: 647	I used to buy a lot from Amazon and Maqam, but haven't done so in quite some time. Lately the two largest book and music shops in my town have expanded a little their World Music and dvd selection, and I've been able to find a number of real gems I'd been wanting for some time. Also, I keep credit card use to an absolute minimum, and have gotten extremely paranoid about using my cards online since my bank informed me someone had gotten my number and used it when I bought from Amazon, so the option to pay with check is a real plus for me when buying online. Scarves, veils and such, I usually buy from my teacher.

05-10-2007, 11:19 AM	#7 (permalink)
Suheir V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Europe - London Posts: 1,227	I buy from Amazon, Maqam and Rashid. It's much cheaper for us in the UK to buy CDs from the States via Amazon's marketplace sellers, often half the price including postage.

02-19-2008, 08:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
da Sage V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: MN Posts: 1,087	Amazon, Ebay, bellydancewithk, bellydancestore.net, Sugar Petals for online shopping. I also shop at a local store which has a good selection of bellydance necessities, discount stores, thrift stores, and swap/buy from local dancers, including Akasha of DanZ PantZ/Akasha Wear. Also, Dahlal comes to town often - I have never ordered from her, just bought in person. Ease of browsing, selection, additional information, quality products, good customer service, shipping turnaround, and price (including shipping/handling) are all important.