Shein vs. Fashion Nova: Prices, Product Quality, Shipping, and More

Shein and Fashion Nova are both well-known fashion brands that have assembled mixed reviews from fashionistas around the world.

With both brands having a wide collection of fashion items, consumers are wondering which one offers the better buy.

This brings us to the million-dollar question: Which brand should you buy from — Shein or Fashion Nova?

This article will discuss the differences between the two brands, including product prices and quality, special offers, shipping policies, and more, so that you can make a more informed choice.

  • History and growth
  • Prices
  • Product design and quality
  • Money-saving features
  • Shipping
  • Return Policies

History and growth of Shein and Fashion Nova

Let’s walk through some more information about the history and the growth of the two brands within the ever-evolving fashion industry.

Shein

Shein was founded in 2008 in Nanjing, China, by Chris Xu.

The brand focuses on women’s fashion — though it also sells children’s clothing, men’s clothing, fashion accessories, purses, and homeware — and has since become one of the most popular fast fashion brands in the world.

Shein’s website traffic grew by 45% from 2020 to 2021, making it the second-fastest-growing fashion retail website. In 2021, the brand reached an estimated $3.1 billion in sales in the U.S. market.

graph depicting the fasted growing fashion retail websites in the U.S. by monthly website visitors

Shein predominantly sells its products online as there’s currently no physical store in America. However, from time to time throughout the year, Shein installs pop-up stores in popular city retailers where you can purchase your items.

With Shein shipping its products worldwide to more than 230 countries, online shopping remains a great option if you miss a pop-up or want to shop the whole range.

Discover over 35 fascinating online shopping statistics.

Fashion Nova

On the other hand, Fashion Nova is an American fast-fashion brand launched by its CEO Richard Saghian in 2006.

The brand prides itself on being the one-stop-shop for trending women's fashion with a wide variety of women's apparel for different body shapes and sizes. This includes jeans, tops, jumpsuits, bathing suits, a huge selection of dresses, activewear, and more.

Though the brand also mainly focuses on online sales, it has five brick-and-mortar stores scattered around Southern California.

Shein vs. Fashion Nova prices

Both online retailers are known for their affordability — with Fashion Nova being slightly more expensive. The gap between the two brands’ prices isn’t that wide, with both retailers’ prices ranging from $1 – $160 (depending on the type of product).

graph showing shein vs. fashion nova prices for different items

In addition to the items listed in the table, Shein also sells Shein X Artist clothes which are designed by independent designers, for $1.75 – $32, as well as New in Trends clothes for $8 – $120.

Similarly, Fashion Nova also sells additional items, including:

  • Shoes for $2.98 – $118.99
  • Sets for $6.98 – $107.99
  • Rompers and jumpsuits for $5.98 – $127.50
  • Graphic tees for $1.98 – $44.99
  • Sweaters for $1.98 – $57.99
  • Bottoms for $0.98 – $118.50
  • Coats and jackets for $5.98 – $167.50

Shein vs. Fashion Nova product design and quality

Product quality is extremely important to consumers. In fact, according to a study conducted by ResearchGate, 63.9% of consumers either “very often” or “always” consider the quality of a clothing item before making a purchase.

graph showing the percentage of consumers who consider clothing product quality when making a purchase.

Here’s information regarding the quality and design of the two brands’ products.

Shein

Shein strives to provide stylish, trending clothes for all budgets. It stays up-to-date with current trends and offers fashion for women, men, and children in a wide range of exciting styles.

The company produces all of its items at low-cost overseas factories to keep its costs at a minimum. In turn, this allows its customers to buy cheap products while still keeping up with the times. As a result, the quality of certain items may not always be great.

Some items may survive a long time, while others lose color after only a few washes. We recommend that you read the reviews of each product to see what other customers have to say.

Fashion Nova

Fashion Nova wants women to feel flirty, sexy, and confident with its wide selection of fashionable clothing. The brand strives to keep up with fashion trends, releasing over 600 new styles every week.

It allows you to shop for clothes that’ll make you look fabulous for any occasion — whether it be a pool day or an extravagant event.

Most of its products are of good quality since the company places bulk orders at higher quality companies primarily based in the U.S., as opposed to making use of low-cost factories like Shein.

Shein vs. Fashion Nova special offers and money-saving features

In addition to having special offers within its app, such as saving up to $3 on your first purchase, Shein also has other money-saving features, including:

Shein coupons

Shein coupons can save you a lot of money on many of your online purchases. Nearly 50% of U.S. consumers discover coupons through emails from brands or by searching online.

image showing the most common ways U.S. consumers found coupons in 2021

However, you can find coupons through a range of basic and advanced methods.

Use our Shein coupons for great discounts.

Shein points

You can earn points on the Shein app when you complete certain tasks. For every 100 points, you’ll get $1. This might not seem like much, but your points can grow over time, which can result in massive savings.

On the other hand, Fashion Nova doesn’t offer loyalty points like Shein. However, it does offer coupons and gift cards.

Fashion Nova coupons

A Fashion Nova discount code can save you a significant amount of money on your purchases when you buy items online. Depending on the type of coupon that you use, you can expect to get anywhere from 10% to 50% off.

Take advantage of our Fashion Nova coupon codes here.

Fashion Nova newsletter

Signing up for the Fashion Nova email newsletter can save you 10% on your first purchase. This is only available the first time you shop with Fashion Nova, so it’s worth getting everything you want in this initial order rather than spreading out your purchases.

Shein vs. Fashion Nova shipping

In 2020, global parcel shipping volume amounted to over 131 billion parcels — with the number predicted to grow to 266 billion in 2026. This indicates that more people are having their items shipped to them than ever before.

graph depicting the global parcel shipping volume from 2013 to 2026

Generally, online shoppers’ main concerns are the delivery timeline, delivery cost, and delivery packaging.

Both Shein and Fashion Nova offer several different delivery options to their customers to accommodate their preferences.

Here’s everything you need to know about Shein and Fashion Nova’s shipping methods, costs, and delivery time.

Shein

Shein has three delivery options. Note that these prices apply to U.S. orders:

  • Standard shipping: This option is free if your order is $49 and above. If not, you’ll have to pay a $3.99 shipping fee, and delivery will take 10 to 12 days.
  • Express shipping: This option will cost you $12.90 and will take 6 to 8 days to arrive.
  • Economy shipping: This option will cost you $2 – $4, and delivery will take 30 to 32 days.

Fashion Nova

Fashion Nova also has three delivery options. Note that these prices apply to U.S. orders:

  • Standard shipping: This option is free if your order is $75 and above. If not, you’ll have to pay a $4.99 shipping fee, and delivery will take 3 to 7 days.
  • Express shipping: This option will cost you $9.99 and will take 2 to 4 days to arrive.
  • Rush shipping: This option will cost you $19.99 and will take 1 to 2 days to arrive.

Both Shein and Fashion Nova’s apps provide customers with tracking features that enable customers to know where their orders are at all times and when they’re expected to arrive.

Shein vs. Fashion Nova return policy

Here’s more information about Shein and Fashion Nova’s return policy.

Shein

With Shein, you have a maximum of 45 days to return eligible items. You can only return the item if it’s unwashed, unworn, has the original tag attached, and has the hygiene label intact.

If it’s your first return, return shipping is free. If not, you’ll need to pay a $7.99 return shipping fee which will be deducted from your refund.

Fashion Nova

With Fashion Nova, you have 60 days to return your purchase. You will receive your refund as store credit on a Fashion Nova gift card. You can get a refund to your original payment method in the following cases:

  • If an item you order sells out before the order can be processed.
  • When your item was damaged during delivery. This could happen due to an error from the delivery team if they didn’t package or transport it properly. Usually, the refund takes two to five business days, but it can take as long as ten days if there are technical issues.

Are you team Shein or Fashion Nova?

Now that you’ve seen the differences between Shein and Fashion Nova regarding their products, prices, shipping, and money-saving features, which one will you choose?

At the end of the day, both brands are considered top-runners, and it all comes down to your style, budget, and shipping preferences.

Want to start using coupons more often to save money on your future purchases? Head over to our beginner’s guide to online couponing that’ll show you the ins and outs of using coupons.

about the author

Tiara Rea-Palmer
Director of Partnerships
As an expert in online savings and an avid deal enthusiast, Tiara heads up retail relations at CouponFollow, where she stays up-to-date on all the best deals, discounts, and freebies, as well as negotiates exclusive coupons and offers for CouponFollow users. In her free time, you can find Tiara writing, DIY crafting on a budget, and traveling with free rewards card miles.