What are the best websites you've found over the years in regards to Lolita fashion?
A lot of link lists are out of date so I'm hoping this thread can become a more current / updated list of resources that we can refer people back to. A good idea might be, though no one has to use it in their post, is to list links under some categories like;
Please note that you do not have to use this list format at all; it is only a suggestion. Knowledge is power and however you want to share what you know is great, fine and perfectly acceptable.
If you see a catagory not listed below that you think should exist, please feel free to suggest it or place it in your link list post.
If you have any experience what a store or it's products that you see mentioned in someone's post; please post a reply sharing your story / opinion with the community.
- Sub-style Specific Stores; If you've found a store, or a series of stores, that are really excellent for a certain sub-style of Lolita fashion; please feel free to make a category in your post to list them together.
- Unexpected Lolita Store; A business that never intended to market it's products for us but sell completely Lolita-able items. Please mention what kinds of Lolita-able items the shop sells or even what sub-style the store best caters to.
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- Favorite Small Brands; Brand usually implies there is an industrial level of production involved. They're bigger then an independent "Ma & Pa" shop but stand nowhere near the scale of most well-known brand stores.
- Storenvy Shops; Some people really prefer to shop through Storenvy. It is very important to share any information or stories about communication, quality and overall experience with these storefronts.
- Etsy Stores; Some people really prefer shopping through Etsy. Again; information about personal experiences is very important as well as thoughts on overall quality.
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- Best Deals; Best overall deals. Maybe this site has incredibly cheap shipping or sells general Lolita items for lower then what that type of product usually goes for.
- Really Affordable (Cheap) Dresses; Stores that may or may not offer other items but mainly stock cheap main pieces and separates.
- Really Affordable (Cheap) Accessories; May or may not stock other items but mostly has cheap accessories like head pieces, jewelry, bags and socks.
- Preferred Secondhand Stores; Please mention if these are stores or auction sites. Also if an SS or Forwarding service might be needed.
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- Plus Size Friendly Stores; Stores that offer sizes above the usual range made by brands. If you can list which sizes are available in the shops, please do.
- Unusual Sizing Stores; Some companies make Lolita fashion items in non-standardized sizing proportions. If you know a store that is really friendly towards broad shoulders, narrow hips, wide feet, narrow feet or other non-standard measurements / body types; please share!
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- Preferred Tao Bao Shops; Stores directly hosted on Tao Bao that are Lolita-focused or might not be but have a lot of Lolita-able products that people may not have otherwise seen before.
- Rakuten Market Shops; Stores directly hosted on Rakuten. Please mention if they ship internationally or if an SS or Forwarding Service will be needed to complete an order.
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- Trustworthy Tao Bao Re-sellers; If there is a re-seller you would prefer and use over any other, please share with us!
- Trusted Shopping Services (Japan); Shopping services that you've either heard very good things about them or ones you have personally used yourself. Any details would be awesome such as if they are reliable but slow or fast but not good with communication.
- Trusted Shopping Services (International); Make sure to list the country in question and what stores they have easy access to. Like above; any information about what to expect from the SS is really important in helping people make an informed choice.
- Good Forwarding Service; These companies give you a P.O. Box address or street address that you can use while shopping web shops that do not ship internationally. Forwarding Services and SS overlap in many cases but sometimes it is more important to use one type of service over the other. Again, any personal experience stories for this category would be extremely helpful.
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