Wildberries: A Treasure Trove of Scams and Disappointments

I've been shopping on Wildberries for over a decade now, and back in the day, I remember being able to pay in-store after trying on clothes, but there were only a handful of locations in Moscow, so I had to trek for three days to get to the one near my place, which was basically a dingy basement.

At the time, I only bought clothes, as makeup was always way more expensive here than in other stores.

FALSE DISCOUNTS

The scam starts even before you check out. The price is artificially inflated by at least twice the original cost (sometimes up to 10 or 20 times!) using some sort of formula.

Take my current 'discount' for example - it's a whopping 13,269 rubles!

It's like they're saying 'Da-da, I believe you!' DELAYS

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to experience delays.

I once ordered a cream that had expired by the time it arrived, and I only noticed when I got home because Wildberries cleverly sticks their labels on the packaging or the expiration date. You could blame the seller, but I found their social media rep who was stumped as to where Wildberries even sourced that expired product, considering they're supposed to be getting fresh stock regularly! They asked me not to trash them in the review and sent me a replacement cream with a fresh expiration date.PROMOTIONAL DISCOUNTS

One thing that caught my attention is how the discount amount varies with the total purchase value. As you can see, my total purchase amount is almost 10 times less than 500,000 rubles, which supposedly would qualify me for the maximum 10% personal discount. However, I'm getting a 15% personal discount instead.

I've noticed that they occasionally bump up my discount to 15%, but in reality, it's just a ploy to get new customers to buy in before the discount ends. It's easy to spot when you see 'delayed' items with prices that don't decrease, but instead, increase over time!

HOW TO BUY ON WILDBERRIES WITH MAXIMUM DISCOUNT

It's pretty frustrating to buy an item with a 15% personal discount only to find out the next day that it's on final sale with a price significantly lower, even with a 3% personal discount. I've seen price variations of up to 500 rubles on a single item, like a high-end toothpaste. It's even more alarming when I see green 'Final sale' or 'Classy discounts' labels popping up everywhere.

THE TRICKS

Before watching Katia Konasova's video on 'Baked cosmetics on Ozon and Wildberries' and 'Wildberries exposed: who and what's being sold there,' I had no idea that the platform was riddled with counterfeits. I highly recommend checking out the video, which reveals how they're passing off cheap, market-bought cosmetics as authentic Elizavecca products. You'd think that after the video gained over a million views, something would change, but the fake products are still there.

At this point, the price really tells the story. But how do you know which one is the original and which one is a fake when you're faced with such a wide variety of products from different sellers?

The price isn't a guarantee that you won't get a counterfeit product from China, and you can only identify it by opening the packaging. And once you've opened it, the product is no longer returnable!Scent on Wildberries

I'd strongly advise against buying perfumes on Wildberries.

For example, let's take one of my favorites - Tom Ford Lost Cherry (you can read more about how to spot the original in my review)

I mean, Tom Ford's got some amazing products on their site - even deodorants for 675 rubles! People are buying these, but still wondering if they're the real deal or a fake. And then there's the 15ml variant for 101286 rubles, with a shelf life of 730 days. The 'composition' section is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. But if you're looking for a more 'affordable' option, you can get 48ml for 55312 rubles in an atomizer.

It's like that joke - 'I'm a deer, just a deer'. You've got your usual Tom Ford bottle sizes - 50ml, 100ml, 250ml. But on Wildberries, I found a new addition - Tom Ford in 1-liter bottles, priced at...

no, you're not seeing things. I guess it's time to talk about Louis Vuitton perfumes, too.

At a glance, it's easy to question whether this is a genuine or fake product, especially when you consider the original Louis Vuitton scent costs a whopping 21,800 rubles and is only sold in LV boutiques or through their website – and let's be real, there are no discounts on LV fragrances, ever!Nope, not these people:

The seller claims their version is even better than the original!And, yes, you can buy a Louis Vuitton bag on Wildberries!

It's even possible the photo shows the original, but the seller sends you something that barely resembles the model. And the 'purchaser' is thrilled to share their thoughts on the purchase – silently, I'm writing reviews in my head:

I mean, you can even buy a Burberry watch from this seller, and they'll claim it's the real deal, of course.

Don't just read customer reviews - check out the questions people are asking too, you might find some valuable info in there:

As far as I know, Burberry stopped producing watches after their rebranding in 2018, but sellers are taking advantage of that - they can easily claim these are leftover original models. Aside from the obvious cases where it's clear the product is a fake, the website has a huge variety of cosmetics, including some genuine items, but...

HOW NOT TO GET SCAMMED ON WILDBERRIES?

When I'm shopping for a product, I always compare the prices on the brand's official website with those on various marketplaces. Next, I reach out to the brand's official customer support to confirm if the product is available on Wildberries. Sometimes, the prices on the official website and the same product from the official representative on Wildberries can be significantly different. I've talked to reps from several brands and found out that these discounts are often at the expense of the seller. They're forced to sell at a loss, rather than setting their own prices. For the buyer, this is a plus, but for the seller, it's a struggle to make a profit from the sheer volume of sales.

So, it's essential to get confirmation from the official representative before buying a product with a good discount.

I was really keen on trying the Elizavecca bubble mask, but unfortunately, my question to them about which of their many masks is the genuine article and if they have an official store on Wildberries went unanswered. As a result, people end up buying counterfeit products from China and the negative reviews keep piling up.

THE ULTIMATE SCAM ALERT!

I've also fallen victim to another type of scam when buying an eye cream. I tracked it down for ages and finally bought it at a discounted price during a massive sale. But when it arrived, it was marked "out of stock" with a note saying "on backorder".

It hung around for a while, but after a week, I finally got my money back. The thing is, this cream was still listed as available, and they were selling it like it was no big deal. Then, they took it off the market, and I got added to the waitlist with a note saying the next batch wouldn't be available anytime soon But then, out of the blue, I got an offer to buy it again the very next day – for a whopping 1600 rubles more! But was this cream even real?

It didn't seem like it, judging by the comments from people who actually received their packages from this seller:

Instead of the Swiss high-end cream, everyone got the L'Oréal cream for 400 rubles. And the seller's response? "We're clearing out the remaining stock from this brand, and there won't be any more shipments." So, in the end, I got a 2300-ruble cream replaced with a 400-ruble one. So, ladies, be careful – never send your husbands to pick up your creams, and always check the packaging and expiration dates!

Product Info is usually nowhere to be found on the product page! It's like they're trying to be funny, unlike Ozon, where they actually list the ingredients. Let's take this cream as an example:

Water and cosmetic base yes! That's not a description, that's a joke! They could've just written 'Good cream'.

Scammers

I feel like they're treating customers like migrants from Syria in Europe. They do whatever they want, break the rules, and there's no deportation.

Take this dried mango for example. They've got a great price per kilogram! But let's be real, King mango can't be that cheap per kilogram, can it? I mean, I'm sure it's just a miracle.

Wait a minute, what's this 1 star rating under the product? That's the overall rating based on customer reviews. I always read the negative reviews. The rating on the product page is placed above the images:

You'd think it's hard to scam people with this product, but the comments from customers reveal the truth. Sellers are shipping out raisins instead of mangoes, all wrapped up in non-transparent packaging. So if the packaging and product look nothing like what you ordered, it's best to avoid the self-pickup option altogether. There are plenty of sellers like this, and it's been going on for months. Customers have been trying to reach out to customer support, but the sellers who are scamming people aren't being removed, and it's just causing more problems.

Or take the example of someone who orders a high-end face mask, but gets a cheap patch instead. And from what the comments say, it's not just a mistake - it's a deliberate scam (I'm not sure if it's the seller or Wildberries who's behind it).

WAITLIST

This is a really useful feature! If the product you want is out of stock, you can add it to the waitlist, and when it becomes available, you'll get an email notification.

DELAYED ITEMS

Don't keep things in your cart that you're not planning to buy right away - it's better to move them to the delayed items section. That way, you won't accidentally buy them by mistake.

If you accidentally click 'order',

Ah, the order's been placed, and now it's up to customer support to figure things out. In the meantime, the products will start shipping and getting sent out. One thing that's got me scratching my head is that when I pay on other sites, I get a code sent to my phone that I need to enter to confirm the payment. But not with Wildberries - they don't ask for any codes at all.

Minimum Order Amount

There are some products on the site that have a minimum order quantity attached to them. Not the overall order amount, mind you, but the quantity of a single item. Take, for example, the stainless steel loofah.

You add it to your cart, and suddenly they're forcing you to buy four of them! What's the point of that? And it's not just the loofah - the same thing happens with the rubber gloves. I mean, I don't want to buy two pairs at once. I just want to try one out first, in case it's some kind of dud. Payment

Ugh...

You're forced to link your card to your profile, but Wildberries still manages to take a single ruble from you )

Apparently, it's similar to Qiwi, where they deduct 300 rubles per month from your account, supposedly due to "processing costs". Wildberries offered me the option to pay on delivery at a pickup point only a couple of times, but that was a fail. I couldn't pay with a card that's not linked to my profile.

And starting from August 17th, Wildberries introduced a 2% commission for Visa and Mastercard payments.

Paying for my order on Wildberries without commission is now only possible with a MIR card, Sberpay, or SBERBANK QR-code. I tried and tried, but I just couldn't figure out how to pay using the QR-code, even with my husband's help - maybe there was a glitch initially.Wildberries explained it by saying that MIR card owners get a 2% discount, but in reality, they just add 2% to the payment instead of applying the discount.

RECEIPTS FOR WILDBERRIES PURCHASES

can be found in "Profile" under "Electronic receipts"

I've been storing receipts digitally, and it's been a total game-changer. No more digging through old emails or dealing with faded paper copies that eventually fall apart. It's especially convenient, considering the strict rules at Irecommend. For example, if you want to leave a review for a product you bought a year ago, it's a breeze to find the receipt and send it to the seller. To get a receipt, you just need to click 'Send to email' RETURN OF GOODS AND MONEY As someone living in Moscow, I'm lucky that delivery to a pick-up point is free for me. And if I need to return a product due to defects, expiration, or incorrect item details, I don't have to worry about paying for return shipping.

Those living in distant cities aren't so fortunate. According to the Sales Rules (Article 6), return shipping costs up to 700 rubles!

But will Wildberries refund the return shipping cost? That's the million-dollar question. They do charge a 2% commission, which I'm sure they won't refund. Unfortunately, I couldn't attach photos of all the issues I encountered when returning the product. There were issues with eaten nuts, broken chocolate, and the wrong item. Now, I always pick up my returns in person, after my husband accidentally ordered a crushed pasta and a leaking jam in the same order )

I was surprised to find that the glass kettle was packed so carefully - it arrived in a box with a thick layer of bubble wrap, which saved it from any damage. Kosmetics, clothes, hygiene products, and jewelry aren't returnable if they're found to be defective. Sometimes you buy a product and get a real surprise. I recently bought a few microwave ovens, and they were all different sizes, making it hard to use the thicker ones. To make matters worse, they were old and dry, so I had to toss them.

It's almost impossible to prove that you received a spoiled or counterfeit product, especially if it's within the expiration date. Even if you claim that you've used it multiple times and it was different, that won't fly. And who wants to go through the hassle of getting an expert's opinion? I received a cream that I'd bought several times before, and it had a normal expiration date. But when I got home, I found that the cream was missing its protective membrane, and the surface was all dry and had some tiny hairs on it.

RETURN POLICY

Unfortunately, if you open the cosmetics to check them before returning, it's not possible to return them. The same goes for opened cosmetics - they're not eligible for return.

COLLECTING YOUR ORDER AT THE SELF-SERVICE POINT

You don't need to show your passport to collect your order (unlike at SDEK points), just enter the code from your personal account. The code changes daily.

To avoid any issues with returns, carefully check everything, from the packaging integrity to the expiration date. When buying cosmetics, make sure to check the integrity of the protective membranes and the contents. It's a shame, but I've read that some sellers might take a sample of the cream or use the lipstick during transit. Luckily, I haven't encountered this issue myself, but I can imagine it's not uncommon in smaller towns.

It's inconvenient that not all items from your order arrive at the same time, but rather on different dates.

For example, four items are ready for collection, while the fifth one is still on the seller's stock:

FAIL TO STORE PRODUCTS PROPERLYI'm not judging all the warehouses, but I'm speaking from my own experience - the pickup point I use is basically a hotbox. This summer, the temperature inside was often over 35 degrees Celsius, way above the recommended storage conditions of 20 degrees. Even after waiting in line and checking my order, I'd be sweating bullets when I left the pickup point. I think a lot of great products get negative reviews just because Wildberries isn't storing them properly.

PACKAGING

When I place a big order, it comes in a branded bag with the Wildberries logo. The bags are nice-looking, but super flimsy - they can't handle a lot of weight, so they're not ideal for grocery shopping.

Most items are wrapped in bubble wrap, and sometimes the seller will even throw in a box for extra protection, but that's not Wildberries' policy, as far as I understand.BUYER REVIEWS VS FAKE REVIEWS

I want to give a huge shoutout to everyone who leaves honest reviews with great photos! Photos are super important when buying clothes or swimwear - you might order something that looks amazing online, but when it arrives, it's a whole different story.

Be aware that photos you post will be publicly accessible and can't be removed once they're up. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers have caught on to the scam of boosting their product's rating and trashing their competitors' by posting fake reviews. You can get either a glowing or a scathing review, and the seller will compensate you after it's posted. There are thousands of people across Russia who are eager to participate. The brand rep can ghost you and keep your money, and then you'll discover that the 'amazing' cream isn't so great after all. The blogger will leave a glowing review just to get their money back, because they don't get paid for negative reviews - which, I guess, makes sense. It's pretty clear from the product card photo that this brand is all about sending free stuff to bloggers to get fake reviews. I mean, not only will the cellulite disappear, but so will the fat under your bum, apparently.

Writing fake reviews on Wildberries and Ozon has become a well-oiled machine, and most sellers don't even bother with shipping products to bloggers. They just order them through middlemen, who then send out offers to bloggers to write reviews for cash. I recently stumbled upon Anastasia Makeeva's cosmetics on Wildberries. Anastasia's a psychologist, but she's not exactly qualified to dish out life advice - she's more like a jack-of-all-trades. Now, she's even got a cosmetics line. But here's the thing: where is Makeevan cosmetics actually made? The official website doesn't say, and there's no Russian contact info - no phone number, no address. But hey, they do list addresses for offices in Milan, Paris, Zurich, and London, with the same phone number starting with a +88 code from Bangladesh. The product's being sold by Petrasvet RF, a company that makes light fixtures, and they don't even have the right OKVED to sell cosmetics. So, Wildberries must be doing some serious document-checking... or not. Sure enough, the product's got a zero rating, and I'm guessing it's because nobody's actually ordered it yet. But I'm predicting a flood of fake five-star reviews soon, all about how amazing the 'collagen' mask is.

Apparently, there was a typo on the label originally - it said 'kologen' instead of 'collagen'.

And, of course, there's some trolling going on in the comments too.

I've got to ask, what's the deal with a lighting manufacturer that doesn't have the right business registration selling cosmetics? The story of Makieva's cosmetics is eerily similar to Oksana Samoilova's, same Mixit brand but way more expensive. Makieva's cosmetics are made by OOO 'FITOPROM', the same company behind cosmetics like Kora and Sante. But then I see an address in Switzerland on their official website - what's the story?EXCLUDING REVIEW RATING FROM RANKING

Recently, suspicious reviews started getting excluded from the ranking on the site. True, I'm not sure how the algorithm works, but it's possible they'll exclude a genuine review from a regular customer too.

After a while, the 100,000+ positive reviews started getting some negative feedback from customers who fell for the hype: If you got sent some dodgy product, your negative review might be visible to you, but not to anyone else. Once you post the review, you'll see this message:

And sometimes, when you try to post a review with 1-2 stars, you'll get this: Despite there being no links or any profanity in the review. If you post the same text with a 5-star rating, the review gets published right away!

It's pretty easy to get a Wildberries account, even if you're just some small business owner selling stuff from your backyard )

I stumbled upon it while searching for pinecone jam — yeah, that's a thing! ↓

I've gotta say, on March 14th, 2022, when Roskomnadzor was supposed to shut down Instagram, Wildberries suddenly went down with it! I'm talking, Wildberries isn't working at all!!! All my purchase history, receipts, and completed orders just vanished into thin air. What's even more concerning is that I couldn't get any confirmation via SMS when I used my linked card for payment, which is something I'm used to on other websites. The fact that I'm stuck with linked cards that I can't detach from Wildberries is leaving me wondering what's going to happen next.

EXPECTATION VS REALITY:

Wildberries is basically a treasure trove of photos for an 'expectation vs reality' style in the clothing section, especially swimwear

Expectation: sexy-shmexy,

Reality )

To make it clearer, I'll enlarge: THING THAT BUGS ME:

1. The lack of card selection option when paying in-store pickup. I'm stuck with using only my linked card.

2. The lack of purchase history notes on the product page, so I always leave reviews to keep track of what I've bought.

3. I'd love to see a 'blacklist' feature where I can flag suspicious sellers so their products never show up in search results again. But that's just a pipe dream, and Wildberries actually benefits from customers repeatedly stepping into the same trap.

4. Verifying the authenticity of cosmetics is a real challenge. Many sellers just ignore my requests for a certificate.

BUYING TIPS ON WB:

1. Don't hesitate to ask the seller for a certificate in the 'Questions' section.

2. Check with the official brand representatives to see if they actually sell their products on Wildberries.

3. When receiving your order, make sure to check not only the packaging and seals but also the expiration date – Wildberries often tries to hide it.

4. When buying nuts and dried fruits, opt for packages with transparent 'windows' so you can see what's inside. Otherwise, you might end up with 'premium' almonds like the ones I got ((

5. If Wildberries refuses to assist with returns or exchanges for defective products, try finding the seller through a search engine and contacting them directly – you won't lose anything, and the chances of getting a favorable outcome will increase.5. Always share detailed reviews with photos to help other customers and avoid buying the same product twice (I made that mistake with adhesives once).

6. When in your cart, only keep the items you're ready to pay for, or you might accidentally pay for something you didn't intend to buy.

***************

WHAT'S NEW ON WILDBERRIES?

I thought this was a rare occurrence, but after reading customer reviews, I'm starting to think it's a sneaky new scheme by Wildberries to take money from their customers.

I ordered a few items, but the delivery was short by one item. It turned out that due to a glitch in their system, one of the PAID items I ordered wasn't registered as a purchase, but rather as an 'oversupply' (whatever that means in their internal terminology). They told me not to worry, that as soon as the item returns to the warehouse, the money would be refunded to my card. The catch is that the item I didn't receive was listed in my personal account under 'Purchases' as 'On return processing', not like it usually is when you don't receive an item. Just in case, I recorded the situation in the complaint book, took a photo, and sent an email to the customer support service the same day, attaching the only proof I had - a photo from the complaint book.

Of course, there are also records from the cameras showing that the item wasn't delivered to me, but why bother Wildberries, when they can just feed me 'breakfast' - maybe the customer will get tired and drop their legitimate claims for a refund! They've been feeding me 'breakfast' and automated responses from the customer support service for over a month now. At first, they promised to refund the money when the item returns to the warehouse, then they started sending me the same automated response every time I asked about the status of my request.

No one responds to questions about the processing time for requests. The only way to get a response is through the personal account, where you get automated responses. Lucky for me, the amount was small, but this could happen to someone who ordered an expensive item from Wildberries!

REMOVAL OF REVIEWS

I was surprised when I realized that Wildberries has started removing negative reviews. Before, I could warn other customers and describe the problem in detail, but now my negative reviews are being removed with a note saying 'violation of rules', even though I'm not breaking any of them!

HOW TO GET A REFUND FROM WILDBERRIES?

I've been emailing their customer support every week for two months, trying to get a refund. Each time, they just kept passing me on to someone else, took my phone number, and promised to call me back, but no one ever did. Then they gave me the phone number for Wildberries' customer support, 8-495-775-55-05, and told me to press 1 and then 1111. I was relieved that I might finally get through, but it turned out that this combination just transfers you to the sales support team . I got lucky and the girl transferred me to the returns department. They promised to speed up the refund process, and a few days later, the money was back on my balance. I'm not sure if it was because of the call or just because it had been two months.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CARD BINDING!

I'm kicking myself for not screenshotting this step on the website, but I managed to link my Sberbank card by accident. When I tried to remove it, I realized that the only option available in my account was to hide it, but I needed to unlink it. I had to email the support team to figure out how to do it. Can you imagine how many emails they must receive every day? Make sure to check your email address, as the response will come from the same address you used to send the email. They also need to explain why they suddenly cancelled my card.

If you do decide to link a card to the site, make sure it's not your main credit card, salary card, or primary card. It's best to have a separate card that you can top up as needed.I hope my review will help you avoid any similar issues and unnecessary expenses!

On Ozon, I encountered some bigger problems - they sent the wrong scooter and messed up the delivery of a conditioner, but the issues were always resolved quickly, and they even credited me with bonuses for the mistakes.

However, I would strongly advise against contacting WB!

If you're looking for more reviews from me, you might also want to check out these:

I was really disappointed with this red lip balm from Nouba

How Diksi is scamming customers in their stores