Is Wish a Scam? 

If you’re thinking of using Wish, you need to know if Wish is safe. Is Wish a scam? 

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

What Is Wish?

Wish is an online marketplace.

It doesn’t stock inventory itself, but instead connects buyers with third‑party merchants (primarily based in China and other low‑cost regions). 

This means that merchants list products on the platform, set their own prices, and ship directly to consumers. 

Is Wish a Scam?

Depends on what you mean by “scam.” 

Over the years, Wish has been subject to several controversies. 

For example, there have been instances where products sold on Wish were found to be fake, illegal, or dangerous. 

In 2021, under pressure from the French government over widespread safety and counterfeit concerns, Google (alongside other major tech firms) even delisted Wish from its search results and app stores in France ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Investigations revealed cases where sellers hosted fraudulent stores, creating situations in which customers would place orders for popular, heavily discounted items that either never shipped or were not as advertised. 

User reviews of Wish are mixed:

• 4.5 out of 5.0 stars (from 195,820 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 4.7 out of 5.0 stars (from 14,442,932 reviews) on Google Play.
• 4.7 out of 5.0 stars (from 2,338,328 reviews) on the App Store. 
• 1.9 out of 5.0 stars (from 8,285 reviews) on Sitejabber.
• 1.3 out of 5.0 stars (from 1,882 reviews) on ProductReview.
• 1.43 out of 5.0 stars (from 37 reviews) on Better Business Bureau. 

On online forums like Reddit, people’s experiences with Wish are also mixed.

One person said they shop through Wish all the time, and even do their full Christmas shopping there: “Personally, I have never had a problem with wish. I’ve done full Christmas shopping before just through this app. All the products that I get are as pictured and they all work. The only thing that I would say would be a negative for wish is the delivery time which is why you plan ahead. Other than that wish for me is an A1 company.” 

However, others said it’s not uncommon to receive items you never ordered.

As one user said: “I’ve gotten screwed by Wish a couple of times. Twice I ordered a wooden puzzle and they sent me stickers instead.” 

In its terms of service, Wish makes it clear that it’s merely a platform, i.e., merchants are solely responsible for product quality, the accuracy of listings, and the legality and safety of their products. 

Others said they were charged for items that were out of stock and found Wish customer service unhelpful: “Their customer service is appalling. Be prepared to contact your credit card company for a refund because Wish won’t. I was charged $ 20 shipping on an item that was ” out of stock “.

One person said that the advertised item vs the item you receive are usually different: “Wish itself is a scam. It’s 95% false advertising. They advertise using pictures, descriptions and ad videos from legitimate products and send knock off versions. That’s why it’s so much cheaper than the products sold elsewhere. Plenty of YouTube videos showing advertised product vs what wish sent.”

There are numerous posts on Reddit comparing the items people ordered with the items they received.

Wish is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). 

According to the BBB website, Wish has received a total of 257 complaints in the last three years, with 39 of these complaints closed within the last 12 months. (Read our review “Is BBB a Scam?”)

Money Back Guarantee

Wish has a Money Back Guarantee. 

According to Wish, if the item you ordered doesn’t arrive by the Refund Eligible date (as calculated by Wish), you can contact Wish for a refund. 

Refunds and Returns

Wish also offers refunds and returns.

You can request a refund within 30 days of delivery (or within 30 days of the maximum delivery date if your order never arrives).

Any item that’s broken, faulty, or not what was ordered is eligible for a refund (and may need to be returned), regardless of other exceptions.

Once approved (and, if required, after Wish confirms the item’s return), you’ll get back the purchase price plus standard shipping. 

Special/expedited shipping fees, as well as your return shipping costs, are non-refundable.

Security

In its privacy policy, Wish states it takes “reasonable and appropriate steps” to keep your personal information safe.

It says that it has “procedural and technological security measures” in place, but does not provide details on what these measures are. 

In its FAQs section, Wish states that it never stores cardholder data. It provides it directly to payment service providers. 

It also says that it “employs various measures that are designed to comply with applicable portions of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS),” but again doesn’t go into the specifics.

We were unable to find any additional information about Wish’s security controls. 

Privacy 

Wish describes the kind of information it collects, why it collects it, and with whom it shares it in its privacy policy.

It collects the following data:

• Identifiers, such as your name, email address, phone number, shipping address, social network accounts and credentials, device identifiers, advertising ID, and government identifiers.
• Commercial information, such as transaction data.
• Financial data, such as payment method or payment accounts.
• Contact information, such as email addresses, postal addresses, and phone numbers.
• Internet or other similar network and device activity, such as browsing behavior information, search history, IP address, and interactions with Wish websites, emails, and ads, including data from cookies, web beacons, and pixel tags.
• Location information, such as general location and GPS location (with your permission).
• Inferences regarding preferences and other characteristics, such as the types of products or services you may be interested in.
• User-generated content, such as reviews or profile pictures.

Wish uses this data to set up and authenticate your account, process orders and payments, provide customer support, personalize your experience, market to you, test for bugs, prevent fraud, and comply with legal requirements. 

It may also use it for analytics, corporate transactions (e.g., mergers and acquisitions), and investor relations. 

The company may share your information with affiliates, contracted service providers (e.g., payment processors and logistics providers), merchants, and other users to fulfill orders and display reviews or wishlists, as well as advertising partners (e.g., Facebook and Google) for personalized ads (opt-outs are available).

Additionally, it may be shared with courts, regulators, law enforcement, or in business transaction scenarios (M&A, bankruptcy), as well as with fraud prevention networks and, if authorized, unrelated third parties.

Wish states it will retain your data for “as long as reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes or as required by law.” 

It also says that it specifies its retention periods in its data retention policy, but we couldn’t find this policy. 

Personal data can be moved anywhere in Wish’s global network (including the U.S.). 

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to exercise certain privacy rights, such as the right to obtain a copy of your personal information or request the deletion/restriction of its processing. 

You can edit or delete the information you provided Wish through your account settings. 

To opt out of advertising and personal information sharing, you need to fill out an online form or use Global Privacy Control. 

Terms of Service; Didn’t Read (ToS;DR), a project that rates internet services’ terms of service and privacy policies, gives Wish a “Grade E.”

This is the worst grade available. It means “The terms of service raise very serious concerns.”

Some of the issues highlighted by Wish include the following:

• Wish may keep personal data after you request erasure for business interests or legal obligations.
• There’s tracking via third-party cookies for advertising.
• It shares your personal data with third parties that are not involved in its operation.
• It tracks you on other websites.
• It can license user content to third parties.

However, it also notes some positives, such as:

• You can limit how your information is used by third parties and the service.
• You can request access, correction, and/or deletion of your data.
• The service informs users about the risks associated with publishing personal information online.

The Common Sense Privacy Program, which rates services’ privacy, gives Wish a score of 46% out of 100%, which is a “Warning.” 

This means Wish “does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.”

The Common Sense Privacy Program notes that Wish sells or rents data to third parties and shares it for third-party advertising and/or marketing. 

It states that it’s unclear whether Wish creates and uses data profiles for data enhancement and/or targeted advertising.

So, Should You Use Wish?

Depends on your tolerance for risk and patience.

If you’re purely after rock‑bottom deals, and you’re okay with slow shipping, occasional duds, and doing most of the heavy lifting on refunds or disputes, Wish can be a fun bargain hunt. 

However, for anything you really need to work, arrive on time, or ensure safety and legality, you may want to stick to more reputable retailers.

You may also be interested in our “Is DHGate a Scam?” guide. 

How to Use Wish Safely and Privately

• Stick to low‑risk items. Wish can be great for inexpensive novelties, but you may want to avoid electronics, health/beauty products, or anything that must meet safety standards.
• Vet the seller. Choose merchants with hundreds (or thousands) of recent sales and a good average rating. Take the time to read both positive and negative reviews, and look for patterns related to shipping delays or product quality.
• Use protected payments. Pay with a credit card or PayPal to leverage their buyer‑protection dispute process if the item never arrives or is not as described.
• Plan for lengthy shipping. Ideally, order at least a month before you actually need the item.
• Document everything. Keep screenshots of the listing, price, and any promo codes in case you need to open a dispute.
• Limit how much personal information you share. Only fill in the required fields at checkout.
• Use a dedicated or masked email address. Create a dedicated address just for Wish or use a masked email address to keep your primary inbox free of spam. 
• Block trackers and cookies. In your browser or mobile device, install an ad‑and‑tracker blocker and/or turn off non‑essential cookies in Wish’s cookie‑settings banner.
• Enable Global Privacy Control (GPC). Wish respects GPC. Turn on GPC in your browser settings to signal “do not sell/share” automatically.
• Opt out of personalized ads. In Wish’s account settings or via its privacy portal, turn off ad‑sharing and targeting.