Their No Return Policy Makes Shopping There an Adventure I Don’t Choose to Go On
Bath Body and Beyond
I love bath and body products and like to seek out lesser-known sites to try. A while ago, I came across Bath Body and Beyond and checked it out to see if there was something out there that I didn’t already have.
Navigation
This is a very simple, almost amateurish site (complete with ads for bigger websites like Overstock.com) that is broken into these categories: Bath and Body, Body Butters, Herbal Soaps, Gift Baskets, Kama Sutra, Feng Shui, Gift Certificates, Samples, Novelty Items, and Handbags. They also sell soap making oils.
A strange mix but that made it interesting when I was browsing around. It’s very easy to navigate, everything is ultra simplistic.
Variety
This site doesn’t have a ton of items but it has items in quite a few categories. Bath and Body only has a total of seven items in the inventory and the rest of the site is pretty similar in quantities.
My Experience
I didn’t recognize any of the names of items on this site. In fact, none of the items have names! For instance, the item I purchased was called simply “Sea Salt Scrub”. But there were a zillion fragrances to choose from and the short description said it was all natural, rich oils, and fragrance. It seemed like a minimal chemical product as do most of their items.
Upon further investigation, I found the following about the site: “Bath Body and More is here to bring you quality, affordable products with the customer in mind. Our products are at the request of the consumer, you may customize your toiletries from bath salts to bath and shower gels to fragrances, lotions and incense. Our products are all natural and never tested on animals. We believe strongly in consumer excellence and work hard to maintain customer satisfaction.”
One big drawback for me was that there is no ingredients list with any of their products. I like to know what is in items I put on my body and face even if I don’t have a clue what those ingredients mean. However, I like to be a minimalist if possible and would have liked to have known what was in the scrubs and butters before purchasing anything. There is a blurb on the “About Us” page that says that their shea butter is 100% natural and unrefined but that is all there is about the ingredients of their products. The Handbag section has no descriptions at all — there is no way of knowing what size a bag is or what it is made from. They look like leather but who knows?
Prices range from reasonable to high depending on what you choose to buy. Because these aren’t brand name items, it’s hard to justify paying too much for anything on the site, in my mind.
Still, this is a small site that claims to have all natural items and is run by one woman who started making items as a hobby and turned it into a business a few years ago. I have a soft spot in my heart for the little guys and, if their stuff is good, and my experience is positive, I will usually return for more.
I got an immediate letter verifying my purchase. My item arrived about 10 days later and in good condition. The packaging was quite plain but the product was pretty good.
There is one major drawback to this site though which make me leery to shop there again.
The Drawback of Shopping on This Site
They do not accept any returns for any reason. Without having a list of ingredients and with a rather sparse description of items, it is almost impossible to know if you will like the product, especially the first time. If you develop a reaction or allergy, you’re out of luck. A no return policy turns me off fast. I don’t believe that I should have to risk my money on an unproven product and know that if it isn’t what I expect or what is described, I am stuck with it. This is why I won’t go back and try anything else from the site.
Shipping and Payment Options
Shipping methods include Basic UPS, FedEx, and Airborne ground service, residential and business and USPS priority and parcel post. Express shipments are also available for a substantial fee.
There is, apparently, a layaway option for purchases over $50. I am not sure how it works but you can layaway items and make small payments until they are completely paid for and then you will get the items. I have never heard of a bath and body shop offering such an option and can’t really fathom that it is used all that often.
Shipping starts at $5.95 and goes up depending on weight of your items. I added four 16-ounce scrubs to my cart and my shipping was $8.70. It was $5.95 for one jar so shipping is in the fairly reasonable range.
I was not charged tax but you must input your state to see if you will be. There is no list of who has to pay sales tax and who doesn’t.
They take all major credit cards and paypal as well as checks.
Contact Info
email: sales@bathbodybeyond.com
Phone : (303)568-0450
Fax : (303)568-0450
snmail: Bath Body and Beyond
PO Box 12917
Chicago, IL 60612-0917
Conclusion
This is a unique little site with a variety of bath, body, and novelty items. Their prices are average but their no return policy is a turn off for me. Shipping is fairly reasonable and the products are supposedly all natural but I do question that, particularly on some of the “novelty” items sold. Without an ingredients list, there is no way of knowing what is in the stuff you are getting. While the scrub I bought was quite nice, it was no better than scrubs I have purchased at comparable prices elsewhere.
This is an average site with a few average offerings. Some items may appeal to the person who wants to try something other than the well known products sold but the site needs to give a disclosure about what is in their products as well as better descriptions. They do, however, have tons of choices of fragrances for their scrubs, butters, and lotions.
This could be a great little niche site if they would pay more attention to detail and give the shopper more information. They may want to rethink their no return policy as well. I understand a small business not being able to cater to all kinds of returns but there should be some leeway for those who buy a product and can’t use it due to a reaction or other unforeseen problem.
Shipping was fairly fast and painless and shipping costs are about on par with many similar websites.
You may like what they have to offer if you are looking for something a bit different and a little unique. I wasn’t impressed enough to return for anything else after my first purchase.
Three stars for this site.
Recommended:
No
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