A Not So Fun Shop With Not So Fun Policies
FunShop.com
I am not a party girl anymore. I don't even like parties. But sometimes one has to do what one has to do. Such was the case a while ago when I was invited to a costume (!!) party given by a somewhat important business associate of mine. Did I want to go? NO. Did I go? Yeah...
The question was, what would I wear to said party? I don't have many costumes hanging around so I did a little search for a place that had some variety and wasn't too racy (this wasn't the time to wear a French Maid's outfit).
I found FunShop.com and they had a large variety of fun things so I decided to go with them and hope for the best. My experience is below.
What Fun Shop Sells
They have all sorts of costumes and accessories for adults and kids. They also have a lot of novelties items (like two headed nickels) and cardboard standees. There's really a potpourri of different things all sold on one site.
Navigation
Simple, simple. The site is professional looking with no annoying flashing or scrolling text. It is dark green with many different photos of things that are hot sellers. The have links down both sides of the page. On the left are category links. On the right are the search link and some other informational links. Across the top are the important contact and faq links. Everything is very easy to navigate and find.
Click on a category and you can browse within that category. There are photos of everything and you can click on one and see a larger version and a slight description. Not much is needed for a fake arm cast or a two headed nickel but the costumes have slightly more descriptive wording.
The larger photos are not so great. They're blurry or pixely but you get the idea.
If you want something, click to put it into your cart. Unfortunately, you cannot see your shipping costs until after you input your personal (but not payment) info. I hate that.
But as long as they were not asking for my payment details, I was OK with it since I had gone that far.
Fill in your billing and shipping info and voila, you have several options and prices for shipping. You can then choose the option that is best for you and continue on to the payment part of the transaction.
They accept Paypal, Amex, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover Card.
Once you pay you get a confirmation number and then an email. You will get an email when the order is shipped out as well.
My Experience
I was a little unsure about this site because the photos weren't very good and the descriptions were practically non existent. However, I decided on a Cat Woman costume which came with everything I needed in one package. Simple, simple. It wasn't cheap though. $49.99 for a few flimsy items. This came in "One Size Fits All" although we know that isn't true. However, this fit me as I am average size. It would not have fit a larger person though and they would have been stuck because you cannot return one size fits all costumes. That's unfair because it's simply a fallacy that one size fits everyone.
The costume was a little low in quality for the price. I could have easily picked up the same thing locally for cheaper. I should have. But hindsight is 20/20 and all that. Shipping was about $8.00 which I thought was fair even though this costume was feather light.
My transaction went OK and I didn't need customer service but I wouldn't go back. The quality is jut so-so and the prices are a bit too high for so-so quality. Also, they have a strange return policy that I wouldn't want to get wrapped up in if I had a problem.
This site is isn't my favorite. I was lucky the costume fit and got me through the party but I probably will never visit the site again.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping costs are dependent on location and weight and you have a variety of different options to choose from depending on how fast you need your order. They primarily ship through UPS. The costs seemed about on par with other sites I have been to but could get pretty high if you have a large order and want it to get to you faster than a week to ten days.
There is no tax added unless the order is shipped to Minnesota.
There is a Paypal option as I mentioned. Some people will like that as they don't have a credit card or don't like to use credit cards online.
They will exchange things for size if there is a size on the thing to start out with. You need a RMA from them to return anything. If you send something back without authorization, you are subject to a 30% restocking fee.
You cannot return many items for hygiene reason. Those include masks, fake teeth, legwear, body suits, contact lenses and, for some reason, cardboard standees. I don't know why you can't return the standees but that's the policy so shop wisely.
Shipping charges are non refundable and all sales are final meaning they don't have to take anything back for any reason. So if, say, my costume came to me with a big hole in the suit, they could have legally told me I was out of luck as they post on their site that all sales are final. Would they do that? I don't know and I don't want to find out.
Contact Info
Email: sales@funshop.com
Phone: 1-952-876-9071 Hours: 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (Central Standard Time)
Note this is NOT a toll free number.
Fax: 952-876-9098
Address: Funshop.com
1151 American Blvd. E
Bloomington, MN 55420
Recommendation
This is a rather ordinary novelty and costume shop with rather ordinary costumes and novelties at prices that surely are not the lowest on the net. They have a decent variety of costumes but nothing you haven't seen in every costume or novelty shop on the net or locally.
The returns policy is touchy because just about everything is non returnable. You can only exchange for size if the item has a size. Most adult items are one size. Kids costumes do come in a few sizes, though.
If you really want something that this site sells and can't find it locally, I suppose this is a decent enough to site to but it on. Just remember all sales are final.
I give this site 3 average stars because that is what it is. Very average.
I don't recommend the site, though. I caution you to choose wisely and ask all questions about sizing before you click on the link to pay. Being sure the size is correct before it comes to you is the key to not having a lot of headaches and troubles. Also be aware that the quality is just average. You get a packaged costume that is just like most costumes you buy at lower priced costume shops.
Frankly, I would look elsewhere for novelties and costumes because there are lower priced sites out there with higher quality items.
Recommended: No
