I've seen this topic discussed on other boards, so I felt it was fitting that it might be discussed on here. What are your etailer shopping habits? Do you prefer etail vs. retail? And what type of products do you buy?

For me, I use etailers to supplement my retail shopping. I tend to buy what I can't find in retail stores. Most retail scrubs don't work out for me (w/ the exception of VS Secret Garden), so this is why I started buying scrubs from IOE. I also liked that there was much more of a scent selection b/c I found retail choices of scrub scents to be quite limiting.

For bar soap, it's split between etailers & retailers. I buy from Lush, which is considered a retailer, but it's probably the closest thing to an etailer in the retail world since everything is "freshly made". But I also buy from etailers for bar soaps since Lush can sometimes be expensive & I'd like more of a variety of scents. I've tried Wylde Ivy, Villainess, & Tval for bar soaps. Villainess emerged as my #1 soap etailer. That doesn't mean I won't look at other soap etailers, it just means I'll be more picky about it.

I've also gotten into the etailer world of home fragrance. Since there are many retail options for home fragrance, this is something I'm quite picky about. I'll just order if I think the tart or candle is cute & really unique. So far, I've ordered La Dolce Aroma's cupcake candles & some Villainess tarts (which are shaped like lips). So far, I haven't been enthused by the LDA cupcakes, but I will make a 2nd order eventually to give it another chance. I haven't gotten around to burning my Villainess tarts, so I hope I like them.

hi megan! great topic hers is mine

i love etailer products i absoulty love roll ons and body powder i love trying out new scents

as for scrubs i'm not picky any etailer will do!

for soaps i love the two i got from dark temptations on etsy i'm getting my order from her any day now! i cant wait to try villianess and the soap box after i got samples from megan awsome!

i dont really buy tarts but i love etailer tarts as well i like cys and smells so sweet they are pretty good

cool talk to you all later! anita

I like both, the etailers are a good way
to buy scents that you may not be able to
find in a store.
or items that are made by etailers which
you can find.
and the excitement of just ordering from a
new etailer in the hopes of a great new product.

im hooked lately on madcitysues scrubs.

At this point, I think I might be switching over to etailers almost completely for a while.
I'm a huge fan of sweet scents. Once upon a time when I first got into bath & body products, either BBW had Tutti Dolci or they had Temptations, or else VS had the Insatiable line which was the best of them all. Now two of those lines have been discontinued, and Temptations has been wimpy lately with nothing new coming out. So I need a different source of my dessert-themed scents, and the variety that etailers have to offer is simply unbeatable.

I started out with retail, but shifted over to etailers a few years ago. I like the convenience of shopping from home and being able to help out small companies. I also like the wide scent varieties!

However, lately, I've been more into retail. I have ordered too many unsatisfactory products and scents from e-tailers over the years. Most of them have been swapped away, given away, used up really fast so I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore, or are collecting dust. Plus, shipping costs are killing me... I especially hate feeling obligated to make huge orders to deter the shipping cost. I'd rather pay $9 for shipping and get $100 worth of stuff than pay $9 for shipping and get $5 worth of stuff.

Lastly, I've had a few rocky experiences with orders, such as missing products or unresponsive owners. The only e-tailer I haven't had any problems with is Coconut Hut. I'll admit that I like IoE's products as much as (if not more than) CH's, but I have had very two difficult orders with them. I'm getting sick of hearing about people not getting their orders from various e-tailers, people not liking what they order, etc.

I never thought that I'd say this, but retail products are better because you KNOW what you're getting, you don't have to pay shipping, and you don't have to wait and deal with the suspense.

In the future, I plan to purchase more retail products than e-tailer products. I would like to make another CH order sometime this year, though, because I haven't ordered from them in almost two years!