Joom is an online marketplace that promises a new era of shopping, one characterized by a wide range of quality products and low prices.
However, it is not news that platforms sometimes promise so much and deliver so little. So, the question is whether Joom is actually a place to get high quality items at low prices. That is, is Joom a legit platform that you can trust, or is it a scam platform that’ll rip you off?
This Joom review will put Joom under the microscope in an attempt to answer this question. We will address other topics relating to Joom, such as: products available in Joom, Joom shipping, Pros and Cons of using Joom, and more.
What is Joom?
Joom is an online marketplace for products from Asian and European countries at very low prices. That Joom is a marketplace means that it simply connects sellers (from Asian and some European countries) and buyers (from virtually everywhere in the world). Thus, the products you can buy in Joom are not owned or sold by Joom, but by independent sellers using the platform.
Launched in June 2016, Joom is one of the latest entrants onto the growing list of online ecommerce platforms. It is headquartered in Riga, Latvia, and has offices in Moscow, San Francisco Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
Joom differs from many other online market places in that it is a mobile-first platform. It has mobile app for Android and iOS devices which are available in the respective app stores. It also has a clean website (www.joom.com), which is mobile-friendly. In fact, Joom was created with people who shop on the go in mind. Over 80% of its transactions are made on mobile.
Using Joom
Joom is very easy to use (app or web). In fact, the clean and intuitive interface is one advantage of Joom over its competitors.
You can shop in Joom as you will in any online store (you’ll only find it easier because of its great design). To make a purchase: Simply scroll through the product categories to find what you like; add it to cart and continue shopping or click “Buy Now” if it’s the only thing you want; then proceed to check out.
While signing in is required for purchase through the website, it is not mandatory for purchases via the Joom mobile apps. Although, signing in allows you to access the history of your orders and your products/ stores saved as favourites. You may not even have to Sign in to make purchase when using the app.
What products do Joom offer?
Joom boasts that it is a marketplace “where you will find everything you need, and even more”. Fortunately, Joom is everything it says it is in this regard. Joom features a sea of products which are are arranged in different categories. The product categories are:
Hobby, Sports, Travelling; Health & Beauty; Electronics; Home & Kitchen; Luggage & Bags; Women’s Clothing & Accessories; Automobile & Bicycles; Baby & Kids; Jewelry & Bijouterie; Men’s Clothing & Accessories; Weddings & Events; Footwear; Watches; Cameras & Optics; Pet Products; Industry & Business; Office & School Supplies; Garde Supplies; and Tea
Each product category has different product sections (and sometimes subsections). For example, the Women’s Clothing & Accessories category has the following sections: Accessories, Dresses, Intimates, Socks & Hosiery, Jackets & Coats, Clothes Care, Tops, Bottoms, Swimwear, Jumpsuits & Rompers, Sun dresses, Wedding Party Dresses, Cocktail & Evening Dresses, Women Muslim Clothing, Hats & Caps, Blazers, Clothes for Pregnant Women, and Bodysuits.
Prices of Products in Joom
Low prices is one of the biggest draws of Joom. It promises low and unbeatable prices; and it delivers low and unbeatable prices across all its product categories.
For those $10 – $20 deals on Party Dresses, Office Dresses, Bodycons, and more; for those $1 and $2 deals on exquisite necklaces, pendants, and other fashion items; for footwear starting at $3; for watches starting at $5; you’ll want to check out Joom.
Quality of Products in Joom
“A wide range of quality products at low prices” is the promise of Joom. Yes, Joom ticks the box on the first and last points; it offers a wide range of products, and at low prices. But what about product quality? This one is a little tricky.
Joom has “Return and Refund” Policies (more on these later), which in theory should ensure that only high-quality items are featured. This is because these policies allow shoppers to return sub-par items and be refunded. However, in the independent review platforms, the number of complaints posted by Joom’s customers that mention low-quality items, is concerning.
All said; we think it is fair to say that when using Joom, in terms of quality, you will get your money’s worth. Yes, you can find good or decent quality items in Joom. However, when you select those $1 and $2 items into your shopping cart, you shouldn’t expect premium quality.
Joom Shipping
Most of the sellers in Joom are China-based, so most often than not, your Joom orders will be shipped from China. But one good news is that you do not have to worry about shipping costs, as Joom offers free shipping.
However, Joom does not do so well when it comes to shipping times. For most items, the shipping time advertised is 15 – 45 days. This does not qualify as “fast delivery”. More so, a few complaints show that sometimes, it may even take longer than this for your orders to get to you.
Also, when more than one item is ordered, they will very likely be delivered separately (in different packages and at different times). Joom explains that this is because items purchased in the platform are purchased from different sellers; and that even when the items are purchased from the same seller, they may be stored in different warehouses located far apart.
Joom Returns & Refund
Can you request a refund when using Joom? Yes. There are different situations where you can request a refund.
First, Joom does not want your items to take forever in getting to you. So, it gives sellers only 10 days to prepare items for shipment. If the seller is taking too long to ship your item (keeping your order in the “Confirmed” status), you can contact the Joom Customer Support to request a refund.
Secondly, Joom wants your orders to get to you. So, it provides that if your order is not received within 100 days of purchase, you can contact its customer support and request a refund.
Thirdly, Joom wants you to be satisfied with your orders. So, it provides that if your order is defective, non-functioning, or of low quality, you should contact its support team within 30 days of delivery with evidence. It’ll then analyze the situation and decide on a partial or full refund.
What if an item does not have a problem in itself, but you just don’t like it? Joom also allows returns of such items (within 30 days of delivery).
When will you receive your refund?
After Joom issues a refund, the status of your order becomes “Refunded”, but the money will be credited to your account within 14 days. However, it is not clear how long it’ll take from when you submit a refund request to when Joom issues the refund.
What Payment Methods do Joom accept?
You can pay for your Joom orders using the following methods:
- Credit and debit, such as Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, etc.
- PayPal
- Google Pay and Apple Pay
Unfortunately, the supported payment methods are relatively few. In fact, Joom only started supporting PayPal; and it still does not support such a host of alternative options, including payment from mobile phone accounts or payment by cash on delivery.
The good news though is that when paying for your Joom order you do not have to worry about the safety of your payment information. All information transmitted through Joom is encrypted and securely protected. Thus, online shopping is not only easy on Joom, it is also safe.
Can you contact Joom?
Yes! Joom offers 24 hours customer support. You can get help in a language you are familiar with, as the Joom’s support service is available in 21 languages. Shoppers in North America can reach Joom via telephone by calling 1 844 535 5666. This is a toll-free number, so you do not have to worry about phone bills.
In fact, Joom thrusts its Customer Support so much that it does not allow shoppers to contact sellers in the platform. Whatever reason you may have for wanting to contact the seller, you have to contact the Joom Customer Support about it; and the team will help facilitate a solution.
Joom Complaints
In the top customer review platforms (like Trustpilot.com and Sitejabber.com), you’ll find some unhappy Joom customers. In fact, Joom is not highly rated in these platforms. For example, as of writing, the overall rating of Joom in Trustpilot and Sitejabber is 2.4/ 5 and 1.48/ 5 respectively. Some of the most prominent complaints are:
Small Sizing
Just too many customers complain of receiving items with small sizes that do not fit. In fact, many customers advice that when ordering from Joom, the only way to get items that fit is to order one or two sizes larger than you normally wear. However, it is generally held that Asian sizes are smaller than American and European sizes.
It is also important to point out that this issue with sizing is not peculiar to Joom. It’s something you’ll find with virtually all the Chinese cross-border online stores.
Cost of Return
Most customers are taken aback when told that they have to pay return shipping to China. Especially when Joom declares that the item delivered is alright, to exercise your right to return it, you’ll have to pay return postage. Unfortunately, this is prohibitively high, as the return package will be flying all the way to China.
Evidence of defect, non-performance, or low quality
If you request a refund stating that your order is defective or of low quality, Joom will ask for evidence of your claims, such as pictures or videos. The problem is that most customers think that what Joom ask of is excessive.
For example, a customer in Trustpilot did not like that Joom asked for a video to prove that the mobile phone charger purchased was not working and that the USB plug was overheating. Another customer did not like that Joom asked for a picture with a measuring tape next to the item to prove that they weren’t the right size.
However, Joom has always maintained that if the requested evidence is provided, it’ll gladly consider a refund option.
Our thoughts on Joom
There’s no doubt that Joom is a legit discount shopping marketplace. That is, Joom is far from being a scam. True, there are too many complaints than we’ll like. However, it only makes it a legit e-commerce platform that has a bit more fine-tuning to do.
Conclusion, Pros & Cons
Joom promises a new era of shopping. In many ways it does just that. Shopping is made easy as the great design of the mobile-first platform is intuitive. With a wide selection of products at low prices, which it ships at no cost, Joom is really a fine online marketplace.
Considering all its Pros and Cons, Joom is not just a legit online marketplace, but also one that is worth considering for your online purchases.
Pros
- It is mobile-first, and easy to use
- Offers a wide selection
- Offers very low prices
- Offers free shipping
- Accepts PayPal
- Shopping is safe as information is well encrypted/ protected
- Customer support is 24/7
Cons
- Customers’ complaints of receiving delivery of low-quality items are quite many
- Supports relatively few payment methods
- Shipping times are relatively long, and late delivery is common
- Items in the same order are very likely to be delivered in different packages and at different times
- You cannot contact a seller, but will always have to go through Joom support team
