Is Cider a Scam? 

If you’re thinking of using Cider, you need to know: Is Cider a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Cider is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when using this website.

What Is Cider?

Cider is an online fashion brand. It was founded in 2020. 

The brand has become popular mostly through promotions on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 

Customers can shop based on “normal” filters like “tees” and “skirts” but also by mood (e.g., “Feeling sharp” or “Feeling K-Pop”). According to Cider’s website, being able to shop by mood is one of the things that sets them apart (“If it’s blowing up on social, it’s already here – ready to match your mood and make you feel unstoppable.”)

The brand also says it has less than 3% unsold inventory. 

Is Cider a Scam?

No, Cider is not a scam. It’s a legitimate fashion brand. 

However, Cider gets mixed reviews from users:

• 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 10,213 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 3.0 out of 5.0 stars (from 94 reviews) on Sitejabber.
• 4.7 out of 5.0 stars (from 32,126 reviews) on Google Play.  
• 3.5 out of 5.0 stars (from 95 reviews) on Trustindex.io. 

Reviews on online forums like Reddit are also mixed. 

Most users say that the quality of Cider items isn’t great. In fact, Cider is often compared to Shein. 

People also claim that Cider dropships its items and that you can find the same products on AliExpress and Amazon. 

On the other hand, a minority of people report positive experiences while shopping at Cider.

Cider was also positively reviewed by Business Insider. According to the writer, their order was shipped within a week of ordering and arrived days later. The items were apparently in perfect condition and of great quality. 

Cider has a separate page on its ethical sustainability efforts. 

Still, people question its practices. 

Good On You, a website that rates fashion and beauty brands based on their sustainability efforts, has given Cider a “We Avoid” rating.  

Online tracking

Cider lets you track your order through its website. All you need to do is enter your tracking number. 

Returns and refunds

Cider has a clear return and refund policy on its website. 

For example, you have 14 days from receiving their order to submit a return request (with some exceptions, like “Final Sale” items, which are non-refundable). Then, once the return request is made, you have 7 days to mail the package.

A $3.99 restocking fee per parcel applies to returns made after Sept 13, 2024, though you get one free return as a new customer. 

Refunds are issued 7–10 days after the returned item arrives at the warehouse and goes back to the original payment method.

Security

In its privacy policy, Cider says it uses “industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data” but does not specify what these measures are. 

Privacy

Cider explains the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it in its privacy policy.

It collects information that you share with it directly, such as:

• Account information, e.g., email address, phone number. 
• Order details, e.g., name, mailing address, email address, and payment information. 
• Customer support communications. 
• Fitting preferences, e.g., body size (voluntarily). 
• Promotions/marketing, e.g., date of birth, phone number, email address. 

It also collects certain information automatically, including:

• Device information, e.g., your unique device identifier, operating systems, mobile device advertising ID.
• Usage data, e.g., IP address, viewed pages. 
• Facial data if you use Cider features to evaluate your clothing preferences, wearing style, etc. 
• Location data, e.g., IP address to infer your general region. 
• Information from cookies and other similar technologies, e.g., which parts of the website you’ve visited. 

Cider uses this data to provide and improve its services, personalize your experience, process orders and payments, communicate with you, detect and prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations. 

It may share this data with service providers (e.g., payment, shipping), advertisers (where legal), affiliates, and with your consent. It may also share it for legal reasons, to prevent fraud, and in a business transfer. 

Your data may be transferred out of the country you live in. 

Cider will retain and use your personal information for as long as necessary for legal and business purposes. 

The Common Sense Privacy Program has given Cider’s privacy policy a “Warning” rating. This means the policy “Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.” 

The program flagged the following issues:

• Cider shares personal information for third-party marketing.
• Personal ads are displayed. 
• Third parties collect data for their own purposes.
• Your information is used to track and target ads on other third-party websites. 
• Data profiles are created and used for personalized ads. 

According to the program, it’s unclear whether Cider sells or rents personal information to third parties. 

So, Should You Use Cider?

Depends.

If you want trendy, affordable fashion, don’t care that much about sustainability, and are ok with longer delivery times, then Cider can be a good option. 

How to Use Cider Safely

• Don’t use social login. Instead, create a separate Cider account to avoid cross-tracking. 
• Create a strong password. When making a Cider account, make sure you use a unique password that doesn’t include any of your personal information and that you haven’t used elsewhere. 
• Use a masked or secondary email address. This protects your primary email from spam and marketing messages. 
• Use a credit card. Credit cards tend to offer better protection against fraud than debit cards. 
• Or even better, use a virtual card. That way, you don’t have to expose your actual card number. Plus, if you suspect fraud, you can delete the virtual card immediately.
• Share minimal information. Don’t fill out optional fields like body measurements unless necessary.
• Be wary of phishing. Only shop at the official site, and don’t click on any links in suspicious emails or texts. 
• Read Cider’s privacy policy. Before shopping on Cider, familiarize yourself with how they’ll use your data. 
• Read the return policy. Make sure you know your rights when it comes to returns and refunds. 
• Opt out of marketing. Unsubscribe from marketing emails by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link in any Cider email and respond with “STOP” to texts to no longer receive Cider SMS promotions.