Is Light In The Box a Scam?

If you’re thinking of shopping at Light In The Box, you need to know whether it’s safe. Is Light In The Box a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Light In The Box is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when shopping at this online clothing store. 

What Is Light In The Box?

Light In The Box is an online clothing company that sells women’s and men’s clothing, as well as lifestyle items. 

The company is known for affordable prices. 

Light In The Box was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Singapore. It is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Is Light In The Box a Scam?

Light In The Box is a legitimate clothing company. However, reviews of it are very mixed and tend to lean more negative. 

For example, one person who placed a ~$200 order with Light In The Box to do a thorough review for Yahoo Creators platform noted that shipping is slow (14-15 days) and not free, returns are not worth it (in many cases, you only have 7 days to make a return and have to pay for it yourself), quality is inconsistent, and sizing is unpredictable. 

The reviewer advises against shopping at Light In The Box unless you want something very specific that you can’t find elsewhere. 

At the time of writing, Light In The Box gets the following ratings across customer review sites:  

• 3.9 out of 5.0 stars (from over 5,000 reviews) on ConsumerAffairs.
• 4.3 out of 5.0 stars (from over 450,000 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 1.05 out of 5.0 stars (from over 100 reviews) on Better Business Bureau.
• 4.1 out of 5.0 stars (from over 13,000 reviews) on Sitejabber.
• 3.6 out of 5.0 stars (from over 3,000 reviews) on ProductReview.

Positive reviews highlight value for price, accurate sizing charts, ease of shopping, and vibrant colors.

Negative reviews claim that getting help or a refund is extremely difficult if something goes wrong. 

On online forums like Reddit, the general consensus seems to be that “you get what you pay for.” People allege that the low-quality items they receive don’t match photos or descriptions and that returns are a nightmare. 

In its return policy, Light In The Box states that it does not provide return labels, will not process returns if you reject delivery, and requires evidence for returns (photos or videos). 

If a return is made for a “personal reason” (e.g., you ordered the wrong size or don’t like the item), you only have 7 days to return the item, or the item is not returnable (e.g., event dresses, electronics, etc.)

Light In The Box is not Better Business Bureau-accredited and holds an “F” rating as of this writing, as well as one consumer alert (related to delivery issues and hard-to-reach customer service, though the company responded that the shipping delays were primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic). BBB ratings reflect how the BBB believes a company interacts with its customers. 

Specifically, the BBB says the reasons for its low rating of Light In The Box are a large number of complaints filed against it and the company’s failure to respond to these complaints.

Complaints include delivery issues, unreachable customer service, products that don’t match what’s advertised, and difficulties getting a refund. 

One person also notes that they thought the company was US-based (based on how it presented itself on the website), only to find out that items actually come from overseas when tracking showed the package clearing customs.

Light In The Box security

The below section looks at Light In The Box’s security measures and security incidents. 

Light In The Box security measures

In its privacy policy, Light In The Box briefly describes its security measures.

It says it uses encryption and PCI-DSS standards for payments, has access controls for employees, only works with providers that maintain adequate data protection, and retains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards regarding how it collects, stores, and discloses your data. 

It also says it does not retain your payment information. 

Light In The Box security incidents

In 2019, security researchers reported that an unsecured LightInTheBox database exposed over 1 TB of customer-related data, including IP addresses, countries of residence, email addresses, and detailed browsing activity.

Light In The Box privacy

Light In The Box explains in its privacy policy the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it.

It may collect the following personal information: 

• Information you provide directly, such as name, address, phone number, email address, and order information.
• Automatic data from your browsing, e.g., IP address, device information, clickstream data, and cookies. 
• Information from third-party sources, like delivery carriers.

The company may use your data to process your orders, payments, deliveries, and returns. Plus, to run and improve its website and apps, personalize your shopping experience, communicate with you, show you personalized ads and promotions, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.

Light In The Box says that it does not sell your personal data, but it may share it with service providers, advertising partners (using minimized or pseudonymized data), authorities (or other companies when legally required or for fraud prevention), and successor companies (if Light In The Box is merged or sold). 

It may also share non-identifiable or aggregated data. 

Some data (like reviews, photos, ratings, and location) may be publicly visible.

After you register, you will get marketing emails from Light In The Box by default, but you can unsubscribe from them.

Light In The Box uses cookies, pixels, browser fingerprinting, and analytics tools (like Google Analytics). You can block cookies, but then parts of the site may stop working. 

The site does not honor “Do Not Track” (DNT) browser signals. 

When it comes to privacy rights, you can:

• Access, update, or correct your data (via your account).
• Opt out of marketing emails and ads. 
• Request account deletion and data copies. 
• Object to certain data uses. 

Light In The Box says it may charge a small fee for large data-copy requests.

Depending on where you reside, you may have additional privacy rights. For example, California users have CPRA rights (deletion, correction, access, opt-out, and non-discrimination). Nevada users can opt out of any future sale of their information.

It may keep your data for as long as needed for the purposes described in the policy, for legal and/or tax requirements, or to support your continued use of the service. 

So, Should You Use Light In The Box?

Depends.

Light In The Box may be a good option if you want something cheap and specific, and you’re okay with slow shipping and keeping the item even if it doesn’t meet your expectations.

On the other hand, you may want to avoid it if you care a lot about quality consistency and want easy returns. 

How to Use Light In the Box Safely and Privately 

• Prepare for overseas shipping. Assume long shipping times and don’t order anything you need by a hard deadline.
• Expect difficult returns. Reviewers allege that returns require evidence and many back-and-forth emails. If you think you might need to return an item, open the packages carefully (keep the labels and packaging) and photograph the item on arrival, including any damage or mismatch. File return requests within days, and know you’ll need to pay return shipping yourself.
• Share the minimum information required. Don’t add extra details to your Light In The Box account unless required.
• Use a unique password for your Light In The Box account. Never reuse a password from email, banking, or social media.
• Use a “shopping-only” or masked email. Doing so helps keep your primary inbox free of marketing emails and reduces the blast radius of any future data exposure.
• Use a privacy-focused browser setup. Turn on tracker blocking and third-party cookie blocking. 
• Opt out of marketing. Opt out of marketing emails in account settings as soon as you create your Light In The Box account. 
• Be careful with reviews. Reviews, photos, ratings, and your location may be public, so don’t upload photos showing your face, shipping labels, and home photos with identifying details. Also, avoid real names in reviews or profile display names.
• Delete your Light In The Box Account. Especially if you haven’t shopped in a long time.