StrawberryNET

Full review
I like when people link related items in their Epinions and that’s how I found StrawberryNet.com in a beauty review. It was the first I had heard of the site and I was pleased that they offer “free shipping anywhere in the world in 4-10 postal working days.” They also had the product I wanted for several dollars cheaper than listed on some other sites I checked and offered a free lip gloss for first purchases. That sealed the deal.

The basics
Strawberrynet.com is a worldwide vendor of discounted mostly high-end beauty products. They sell men’s and women’s fragrances, skin care, makeup, and gift sets. They carry product lines from Bare Escentuals, Smashbox, Philosophy, Aveda, MAC, Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder, L’Occitane, Shiseido, and much more. They also offer a lot of popular fragrance brands: Coty, CK, Britney Spears, Curve, J. Lo, and even some Disney gift sets for little girls. Their fragrance selections are quite impressive (we’re talking tons of brands), but not all of the prices are as competitive as I’ve seen elsewhere and not all of the beauty lines are comprehensive. There are 20 country flags listed on their home page and a drop-down menu with many more, so, clearly, this is a globally recognized company. Strawberrynet is based in Hong Kong and that’s where my shipment came from.

My experience
There’s lots of purple on this site. It doesn’t detract from the navigation but definitely gives it a colorful, girly, slightly less professional look. While I went to the site with one particular product in mind and was able to locate, I do find the site navigation a bit cumbersome. You have to click on each subcategory (skin care, make up, perfume & women’s fragrances, cologne & men’s fragrances, gifts & specials) and then click on the brand for which you’re searching. There is a search by brand option, too, but in my case I knew the name of the product not the manufacturer (I did find it through Google). I’m not particularly keen on the chart listing of search results either but it isn’t hard to read and clearly displays the product and price. It’s just a pain to scroll through.

The product I wanted was from an Asian company I was unfamiliar with so other than online, I had no idea where to buy it. I found the direct link through an online search engine and was glad that Strawberrynet offered it at a competitive price to my other main online choice, beauty.com. The free shipping and free lip gloss made the price cheaper than on that competitor site. When I tried to find this product on the site itself, though, I had a bit more trouble. The brand I was looking for is divided into many sections and it took me a while to find the right spot and scroll through the chart listing to find the right product. There is no search field at the top of every page as is common on most Web sites so I couldn’t just jump to the mask I wanted. There is an alphabetical search on the left side of subcategory pages. Really, unless you know what you’re looking for, it’s hard to browse here.

I ordered my peel-off mask on April 5th in the late evening and the package arrived on the 12th. It was sent by registered mail through the USPS and required a signature (the site estimates 4-6 days for capital cities, 7-10 for other destinations, and 10-14 for more inaccessible locales). Since I wasn’t home that day, I had to pick it up at the post office the following morning. This may be a concern for folks who don’t have the luxury to work at home and the site even advises sending purchases to your work address. There is a non-registered mail free shipping option but it adds several days to the arrival of your shipment (10-14 days for most destinations, 14-21 for more inaccessible locales). There is no tracking for these shipping choices but there is an Express (2-3 days, $10 for U.S. and Canadian purchases) trackable option through hongkongpost.com (Strawberrynet is based in Hong Kong). Although the site gave me a confirmation screen, which I saved, I never received an e-mail to confirm the order or a second e-mail to confirm the date of shipping. That bothered me a little, but since the order arrived on time, I’m not too bothered by it.

The site has loyalty bonuses for return shoppers (1% off for second visit up to 10% off on the 20th order) and an additional 5% off whenever you purchase 3 or more products. Plus, when I ordered there was a promotion for a free Loreal lip gloss for new customers with any purchase over $25. These perks do make the site appealing.

The mask I received was sealed internally and appears to be the real deal. It works well and I’m happy with my purchase. The free Loreal lip gloss was sealed and looks and works fine, too, so I don’t think either product is expired or anything.

As a sidenote, my credit card company contacted me about fraud a couple days after I ordered from this site. The two charges in question were for small amounts from companies I never heard of. One occurred right after this purchase and the other occurred right after I paid my Classmates.com fee. The site claims that “We use the latest SSL encryption (128 bit) technology to ensure all your details are kept secure. We do not sell, rent or otherwise pass on any of your details to other parties. Ever.” I have no idea whether my purchase on Strawberrynet.com was in any way connected to those fraudulent charges but it does make me weary for next time. That said, there probably will be a next time.

Overall
Despite my concern about credit card security and my disgruntlement with locating products, I was satisfied with my experience on this site. The brand selection is wide, though you’re not going to find every size and variety, there’s free shipping, and the prices are pretty competitive. My shipment arrived on time and was complete. The brown box was even tied with purple ribbon. But the lack of a search field is a little frustrating.