The ins and outs of Wish.com

Online shopping site Wish.com has become a global phenomenon, with people around the world flocking to the site every day. However, not everyone seems pleased with the service, with some Hello Peter reviews calling the service a ‘fraud’ and cautioning people to use it at their own risk.

Justmoney looks at Wish.com and what you should know before using this service.

Further reading: Looking for a good deal? Local group buying website Hyperli offers discount prices on a range of items and experiences, click here for more about this website.

Fees, offerings and delivery times

There are a host of products available for purchase on Wish.com. These range from beauty and make-up items, to hobbies and crafts, as well as a range of fashion items including shoes, clothing, accessories and bags.

Many of the items on offer are often advertised at a reduced rate with some items going at up to 95% off. Depending of the product being purchased, some start at really affordable prices with many items on offer for R13. However, there are items that cost hundreds of Rands.

Delivery times for the products vary depending on what you ordered and where it is being shipped from. Don’t order something if you want it within a week or two. From what Justmoney has heard from users, most items take up to a month or longer for delivery.

For example, Justmoney selected a pair of scissors for purchase on 29 June, valued at R36.97. The estimated date of delivery was 19-20 August. That is almost two months after placing the order. The estimated shipping for this item was $2.07 (about R26.93 on 29 June). That brings the total cost for this item to about R63.90.

Terms of use

Something that many people often neglect to read is the terms and conditions of products or services that they are making use of. Unfortunately due to the length and technicality of some of these documents, people simply click ‘Accept’ to be able to use the service, as failure to accept the terms of use stops you from using the service.

Some of the key points from the Wish.com Terms of Use are:

• People under the age of 13 are not permitted to use the service.
• You are only permitted to use the service for your personal and private use and not for the use of a third party. The use of the service must also be in line with the laws where you are. “If your use of the Services is prohibited by any applicable laws, then you aren’t authorised to use the Services. We can’t and won’t be responsible for your using the Services in a way that breaks the law,” states the Terms of Use.
• While you can have more than one Wish.com account there are limitations to this. The Terms of Use clarify: “Wish strictly forbids the use of multiple accounts for the same sole user or the use of one account for multiple users for the purpose of earning more rewards. Wish will not honour rewards earned from such accounts.”
• Agreeing to use the service means that you have also agreed to receive email communication from Wish.com, however, after signing up, you will have the ability to edit your preferences.
• Among the restrictions on your behaviour according to the Terms of Use are that you are not permitted to carry out any action which may violate or infringe on the rights of another, including Wish.com, including intellectual property rights. Furthermore, you behaviour cannot risk the security of yourself or other Wish.com users.
• The content on Wish.com is protected by copy right law and intellectual property rights, including all images and text.
• Some of the content that you post as a user on Wish.com may be accessible by other users.
• Wish.com does not hold in liability in the interaction between users. “Your interactions with organizations and/or individuals found on or through the services, including payment and delivery of goods or services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such organisations and/or individuals,” it states in the Terms of Use.
• Conflict resolution also falls outside of Wish.com’s responsibilities. The Terms of Use states: “If there is a dispute between participants on this site, or between users and any third party, you agree that Wish is under no obligation to become involved. In the event that you have a dispute with one or more other users, you release Wish, its officers, employees, agents, and successors from claims, demands, and damages of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, disclosed or undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such disputes and/or our Services.”
• There are no fees to browse or access Wish.com, however, if you purchase an item, you are responsible for the payment of the item and any tax or shipping fees that may apply.
• Purchases can be returned within 30 days of delivery. “If a Wish promotional credit is applied to an order and that order is refunded for any reason, any promotional credit used in that order will not be refunded. Wish cannot refund, reimburse, cover, or otherwise be responsible for any fees not paid to Wish. This includes any customs taxes or VAT as well as any return shipping costs you may incur in the refund process. However, the foregoing refund and return terms do not apply to any product you purchase by using Wish Local. Transactions conducted by using Wish Local are entirely between you and the other user of Wish Local,” elaborates the Terms of Use.

For the full Terms of Use for Wish.com, click here.

Your information

When signing up to Wish.com, and following that when making a purchase, the website collects a host of information on you. This includes contact information such as an email address, your name and surname, as well as your delivery address for the goods purchased.

The information you provide can be used in the following ways, according to the Wich.com Privacy Policy:

• Providing you with the best user experience possible.
• Providing the services you use, and to respond to your questions.
• Communicating with you regarding service updates, offers, and promotions.
• Delivering customised content that may be of interest to you.
• Addressing network integrity and security issues.
• Investigating, preventing or taking action regarding illegal activities, violations of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policies.

Your information may also be shared with other companies within the ContextLogic group, the company that owns Wish.com. However, the Privacy Policy emphasises that your information is not sold.

For the full Privacy Policy, click here.