On Easter Monday I received an email from Cotton On announcing their free shipping offer. As a self proclaimed bargain hunter I immediately snatched this deal up and placed an order. Normally Cotton On only has free shipping for orders over $50 or a flat rate fee of $10 for orders under $50. Personally I never found $50 worth of things on the website I had wanted in the past, only bits here and there, mostly sale items which stacked up to around $10 or so. This order cost me $11 for 4 items and I'm very happy with them.
SHIPPING
The website states that a regular order will be despatched within 1-3 working days. This was fairly true as although I placed my order on the 21st and received it on the 30th, that was technically 3 days minus public holidays and weekends.
I did have 1 or 2 issues with delivery however as the only warning I received that my order was on its way was an email from Australia post at 8:12am that morning. Normally companies send you emails prior to shipping your order and a link to a tracking site so this did bother me slightly. Luckily it was my day off but I imagine it would be rather annoying for some people with a busier schedule or those who don't check their emails in the morning.
What annoyed me about this was that although I'd been waiting for the package near a window, I received an email after 1:00pm saying that the home owner wasn't home. So I had to go to the post office to collect my items. Turns out that the package was addresses to an incorrect house number.
I understand that no ones perfect, so it's easily forgiven but I can't imagine what would happen if someone else had signed for the order and kept it themselves.
PACKAGING
I was extremely impressed with Cotton On's packaging. Even the lady at the post office was surprised to see a big sturdy box as opposed to a soft plastic bag as some companies use.
Inside the box were plastic cushions of air made from recyclable material which meant that the items wouldn't shake around. And everything was packaged in plastic bags.
All the items were packaged in their own individual bags so it was fairly neat and very standard of any online store order.
One of my main concerns was the sunglasses I ordered as I was wary that they would break, however they were perfectly secure and wrapped in bubble wrap.
Overall, Cotton On is definitely wins on the packaging front, you can be sure you're items will be safe and sound when ordering from this site.
HAUL
So the primary reason for my order was that I needed a canvas-type bag for university since I had already broke the strap on my Katehill bag and my beloved Zara bag was heading in the same direction. I'd had my eye on this $5 black canvas bag for over a month but had put off buying it because I didn't want to pay for shipping or spend more than I needed to.
I'm really glad I did buy this bag as it fits absolutely everything I need and then some. It feels sturdy and fairly good quality considering only cost $5. My only issue is that it doesn't have a zipper, only a magnetic button to click together the centre. However my other bags wouldn't zip up with laptop, food and books so it's not that big of a deal.
I really don't have an explanation for why I bought this small canvas tote other than I liked what it said. Also, the proceeds went towards the Cotton On foundation so that's always good. I wish it had been made of thicker material though, I doubt it'll last very long or get used for anything but shopping. A pitty really because I have a Target enviro-bag which is the same size but made of thicker material and can be used as a normal bag.
I'd be interested in some aviators for a while now but I didn't want to spend plenty of money on something I might not wear too often. Naturally when I saw these for $2 each I quickly added them to my cart. Unfortunately I feel they may be too big for my face, a risk you take when you buy sunglasses online I suppose. Regardless I'm determined to find a way to wear them. Perhaps a more voluminous hair style will help with proportions.
RECOMMENDATION
I was very happy with my Cotton On experience. The packing was good, the wait not too long and my items were just as described. I would gladly make another purchase if something took my fancy on their site and would definitely recommend it to others.
I'm sure something here will pop up in a future OOTD post so definitely keep an eye out for that. Any further questions please feel free to ask. I like writing and reading review posts so please feel free to link your own.
