Prime Try Before You Buy Review | Honest Thoughts From a Crazy Busy Momma

So…you’re reading an Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy review.

Maybe you’ve felt disappointed by services like Stitch Fix or Le Tote. Wondering if Prime Try Before You Buy is a decent alternative? I can help!

Or maybe you struggle to nail down the right size when you shop online. Wondering if Prime could solve the problem? I’ve got your back!

As for me? Well, I had just accepted my first job away from home in seven years.

When you spend nearly all day, every day in your own home, you tend to recycle outfits pretty often. But when you “want to be where the people areeeee,” (to be sung like Ariel) you probably want to look like you own more than two shirts.

I wasn’t starting a job that required business casual dress. I just needed a few new tops to look a little less hermit-y.

So there I was…in need of new clothes but chained to my 4-year-old nearly every minute of the day. Maybe your young children are fantastic at clothes shopping. Mine is not.

She makes her own suggestions, feels personally offended if/when you don’t agree, and likes to deliver a dressing room play-by-play loud enough to reach everyone within a 20-foot radius. There’s also an excellent chance she’ll receive my butt to her face as I attempt to change clothes with her just inches away.

So I tried Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy! I figured if the whole thing tanked, I’d still have enough time to shop before my orientation.

*Please note that you must be an Amazon Prime member to use this service. Don’t have Prime, but want it free for 30 days? Use this link!

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy Review: The Process

So how does it work? Visit the Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy homepage to select two to eight items. Categories include clothing (adults, kids, and baby!), shoes, and jewelry.

It’s important to remember that not every item on Amazon Prime is eligible for Prime Try Before You Buy. So be careful to avoid navigating outside of the Prime Try Before You Buy pages. Amazon won’t charge you for any of your selections yet.

You’ll receive all items, shipped together in one package, within 4-6 business days. You then have 7 calendar days from the day your order arrives to try on the items at home.

Once you’ve decided what you want and what you don’t, make your selections via the Your Orders page on Amazon. Throw what you don’t want back into the envelope/box it arrived in, slap on the pre-printed return label, and drop it at your nearest UPS store. You’re only charged for the items you keep, after you make the selections in Your Orders.

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy Review: Personalization

Unlike other wardrobe services, Amazon does not curate a box of clothing for you. You scroll through categories yourself and decide what you like and what you don’t.

Some people might feel that detracts from the overall experience. While I agree it’s exciting to imagine what surprises might be arriving in the mail, I was only pleasantly surprised by two Stitch Fix items out of four total boxes.

So if your personal stylist is killin’ it via Stitch Fix, you might stick with him/her. But if a stylist has let you down, you’ll likely enjoy knowing the items coming your way are those you chose yourself.

I knew what I needed, so I narrowed down the category to short-sleeve shirts (I live in south Texas, ya’ll.), scrolled through about 10 pages of options, and found 8 shirts that really excited me.

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy Review: Quality

One of the things that bummed me out most about Stitch Fix was the quality of the clothes. If I’m going to pay $60 for a tank top, I don’t want it to pile or shrink the first time I wash it.

You can expect the same quality from Prime Try Before You Buy items that you would from any item on Amazon, good or bad. Most items have customer reviews, so you can search for details on quality, fit, and more.

I personally felt all of the items I selected were high quality and would wear well. But to be fair, I did read reviews before adding them to my cart.

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy Review: Price

I wasn’t thrilled with the prices when I tried Stitch Fix. Although I had checked all of the boxes to receive the most economically priced items, I still received shirts that rang in around $50-60, jeans around $70-90, and bags $70+.

In contrast, you know in advance what you’ll pay with Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy. I was hoping to pay less than $30 for each shirt but stretched just a little higher for a particularly cute top that I knew I could dress up or down.

If you know you don’t want to pay $60 for a tank top, you can just leave it out of your cart with Prime Try Before You Buy.

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy Review: Timeline

Although I would have loved to receive my Prime Try Before You Buy order within two business days (Prime has spoiled me), I could get on board with waiting 4-6 business days. Mine was scheduled to arrive in four business days, then ran into a shipping delay that added an extra day. This is still much faster than most wardrobe services.

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy Review: Ease of Use

I would rate ease of use a C+ but it could easily become a B+ if you know what you’re looking for going in.

First of all, it took me a few minutes to realize that just because an item is labeled “Prime Try Before You Buy Eligible” does not mean it’s eligible in every size and color. You have to select your own size/color preferences, then confirm the item is still eligible given those factors.

Secondly, viewing my cart and then hitting the back button on my browser didn’t actually take me back to the last page I was viewing. (Which is important if you’re scrolling through 10+ pages of shirts.) I solved this issue by opening multiple tabs to keep my place.

Again, after a little trial and error, all was good. This is still a relatively new offering and Amazon will likely improve the customer experience over time.

Overall Pros

Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy did an excellent job of making clothing shopping painless, with free shipping and return shipping, an incredibly simple return process, and helpful customer reviews available for most items.

Their process ensures you’re comfortable with the price point of any items you purchase and all items arrive within what I consider a reasonable timeframe. I personally enjoyed that the items were not curated by a stylist but chosen by me.

Overall Cons

It was a bummer to find that not all items listed as eligible for Prime Try Before You Buy were, in fact, eligible after I selected my size and/or preferred color.  The navigation process was a little tricky as well, since it was easy enough to navigate out of Prime Try Before You Buy’s dedicated page and accidentally start viewing non-eligible items.

While it doesn’t come with the warm, fuzzy feelings of a box curated by your own personal stylist, Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy definitely makes shopping easier for those unable (or willing) to leave home. Once you learn to navigate the website and find eligible clothing, it’s an incredibly smooth process.

This would be a fantastic service for anyone who struggles to make it to a physical storefront or for someone who wants to try multiple sizes or styles of an item without having to pay for all of them upfront. While the options are somewhat limited, Amazon has promised that they are constantly expanding their Prime Try Before You Buy offerings.

All things considered, this crazy busy momma scored four new shirts that she loves without ever leaving her home. I call that a win and plan to use Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy again soon.

Thoughts? Questions? Be sure to share in the comments!

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