Stores Like SheIn: These Stores Are Just as Cheap, but With a Few Better Perks

If you love shopping Shein’s trendy clothes at their shockingly cheap prices, you may have asked yourself, what other stores like Shein are out there?

Online-only retailer Shein offers nearly everything on their website for well under $50, with substantial additional discounts up for grabs. Plus they ship to over 150 countries around the world. So stores that compete against Shein — like Forever 21, Asos, and Nasty Gal, to name a handful — try to stay competitive by offering better perks wherever they can.

We compared the top stores like Shein with similar items, prices, and discounts. Rather than list out all their similarities, we compared the big things that matter to your wallet (and your sanity) — like return policies, shipping fees, and any additional discounts they offer.

Now let’s get into how these four stores like Shein — Asos, Boohoo, Forever 21, and Nasty Gal — compare to one another.

For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, text HACKS to 57299.

 

Your Cheat Sheet: How Stores Like Shein Stack Up

• Better first-purchase discount — Nasty Gal
• Bigger student discount — Nasty Gal or Forever 21
• Cheaper returns — Asos
• Faster shipping — Forever 21
• Similar dress prices — Boohoo

 

Here’s How These Stores Like Shein Compare:

1. Nasty Gal gives you 20% off your first purchase compared to Shein’s 15% off.

Okay, just ignore the questionable name of this online retailer. Nasty Gal clothes have the same trendy vibe as Shein’s, along with similarly low prices. However, Nasty Gal will give you 20% off your first purchase when you use the Nasty Gal app (iOS / Android) to check out. And you get another 15% off coupon when you sign up for their newsletter.

Compare this to the 15% off you get with your first purchase from Shein.

Other stores like Shein have similar, if not lower, newbie discounts:

• Nasty Gal: 20% off your first purchase when you use the app, plus 15% off for new email subscribers
• Shein: 15% off your first purchase
• Asos: 15% off your first purchase
• Boohoo: 10% off your first purchase
• Forever 21: No special discounts exclusively for new shoppers

TIP: To snag these newbie discounts, look for pop-up windows or promo banners when you first arrive on the website. You can also visit the website in Incognito/Private mode to see what offer a newbie will get.

 

2. Nasty Gal and Forever 21 have a 20% student discount — a bit better than Shein’s 15% discount.

Nasty Gal offers students a 20% discount through the verification site Unidays. Forever 21 also offers a 20% student discount, and with theirs, you can use it even if you’ve graduated in the last five years. But compare that to Shein’s student discount, which only gives students 15% off.

Here’s how the stores compare on their student discounts:

• Nasty Gal: 20% off student discount
• Forever 21: 20% off student discount (valid within five years of graduating)
• Shein: 15% off student discount
• Asos: 10% off student discount
• Boohoo: 10% off student discount

Related: We can show you tons more student discounts that are worth a sign up.

 

3. Asos gives you unlimited free returns, but only your first return to Shein is free.

With their free return policy, Asos comes out swinging in this list of stores like Shein. You have 28 days from the day you receive your Asos items to postmark the return package, and the return shipping is always free.

Compare this to Shein, where only your first return is free. After that, subsequent returns to Shein will cost you $7.99 per package. And your return window is 35 days from the date of your purchase, not from the date you receive it. (See the next tip for info about just how long Shein’s shipping can take.)

To recap, here’s how these stores compare on their return shipping deadlines and fees:

• Asos: 28 days to return items; free returns
• Forever 21: 30 days to return items; $5.99 fee for returns by mail; free in-store returns
• Boohoo: 28 days to return items; $6 fee for returns
• Nasty Gal: 28 days to return items; you’ll pay for postage
• Shein: 35 days from the purchase date; first return free, but subsequent returns have a $7.99 fee

TIP: The return policies for some of these online stores can be tricky, so always double-check their most updated Returns pages for exact details and excluded items.

 

4. Forever 21 packages will arrive in one to seven days, while Shein packages can take up to two weeks.

Looking for a cute date night outfit for this upcoming weekend? Don’t shop on Shein.

Your Shein items will take about two weeks to arrive. That’s the longest shipping window of all the stores on this list!

Here’s how the other stores’ shipping timelines compare to Shein:

• Forever 21: one to seven business days
• Asos: four to seven business days
• Boohoo: five to eight business days
• Nasty Gal: five to eight business days
• Shein: 11 – 14 days

 

 

5. Boohoo also has $4 dresses, just like Shein.

Now let’s talk prices. All the stores we compared have similar price points to Shein on most of their items. So what’s the price range like?

Let’s use dresses as an example.

At Shein, dresses can start as low as $4, and at the time of writing, they only go up to $119. Pretty impressive, considering their site features roughly 5,000 dresses.

Here’s the range in dress prices at other stores like Shein:

• Shein: Dresses for $4 – $119
• Boohoo: Dresses for $4 – $162
• Forever 21: Dresses for $5 – $129
• Nasty Gal: Dresses for $10 – $189
• Asos: Dresses for $9.50 – $630 (for bridal dresses)

 

6. But other stores like Shein will charge you more for shipping.

Shein offers newbies free shipping on their first order, in addition to that 15% off your first purchase promo. It’s how they hook you! After that, Shein offers free shipping on orders of $29.99+. Under that and you’ll pay a $3.99 standard shipping fee for each order.

Our competitor stores won’t let you off that easy with shipping fees. Check it out:

• Shein: Orders of $29.99+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $3.99)
• Forever 21: Orders of $50+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $6.95)
• Asos: Orders of $50+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $7 – $10)
• Boohoo: Your first order of $19+ gets free shipping (all subsequent orders have a $9.99 fee)
• Nasty Gal: Orders of $70+ get free shipping (below that the fee is $11.99)

Related: Check out all of these top Shein hacks to save 60% – 80% on their already (ridiculously) low prices.

 

7. Nasty Gal’s categorized lookbook is organized better than Shein’s.

I love when apparel sites offer a lookbook, where they organize different outfits based on the occasion or vibe you’re shopping for. It’s a tool that saves time and energy — plus it can be downright inspiring. But only if the categories make sense.

Shein’s lookbook is more than a little confusing, with categories like “Exhilirating Ball Game,” “Dressing in Dazy,” and “Lost in Wasteland.” What does that all even mean?!

Meanwhile, Nasty Gal’s lookbook is the best of the bunch, with categories that are a lot more relatable. You can check out themes like Airport Outfits, Festival Shop, and Boho Outfits. Yes, please — on all three!

 

Have you had luck shopping at any of these stores like Shein? Let me know in the comments.