Ebay Seller Review # 3

Review for Ebay Seller corsets-boulevard-ltd, item ‘RED LEATHER STEEL BONED UNDERBUST CINCHER CORSET’
Notes & Disclaimer: I can only vouch for this particular corset, as I have not yet tried out their other styles. I am not a professional corsetiere, just an average Josephina who can tell the difference between a cheap, poorly made, ill fitting corset and one that feels good. An off the rack corset, no matter how well made, will never fit you as well as a custom corset made to fit your individual curves. This seller does not offer custom corsets.

Price + Shipping:

This is the most expensive off the rack corset I’ll ever buy. In my defense, I found it before I saw any of the cheaper ones, and it was on sale. I paid £29.59 which is about $45.58 for the corset, and £ 6.50 , about $10 for shipping.

The Auction: It was a buy it now auction, for a set size, color and style. All I had to do was click.

Elevator Music:

Not a pleasant experience. I won the auction and paid on the same day, July 9 2010. It was shipped on July 12. A few days after that, I sent a message to the seller politely asking if there was any tracking information available for my corset. This is the reply I received.

“Dear daeuiel,

The mail service you have paid for was Airmail which doesn't have a tracking number, I'm afraid.

In our experience most international customers receive their packages within 15 business days, however, this cannot be guaranteed as it will depend upon the mail delivery service in your area.

I hope this helps. Thank you for your custom and if you have any further queries please don't hesitate to contact us again.

Kind regards
LOUISE
Manager
Corsets Boulevard Ltd”

At any rate, I finally received my corset on 7/19, 10 days after the initial purchase. Not terrible considering it was from the UK, but I suppose I’m spoiled by the 3 day delivery from Pakistan.

The Unboxing:

Well, it started out like any other unboxing, it was in a nice little corset sleeve like all the others. Then I opened it. Unlike the other corsets I have purchased, the laces were not packed separately. They ship their corsets already laced. This would not be unforgivable if the corset was laced correctly. It was not. It was laced in such a way that the laces were caught between the edges of the corset, and had been rubbed awfully in transit. They had begun to fray. I will certainly need to buy new laces for this corset, and I have sent a message asking Corsets Boulevard Ltd to send the corsets unlaced to prevent this in the future. There is more than one way to lace a corset, but the laces should never be caught between the edges like this. It makes it impossible to close the corset properly, as well as causing damage to the laces. Just terrible.

The Adornment:

Putting aside the slow shipping and lacing issues, the corset itself is very nice. I got it in a slightly smaller size than the others, and I’m glad I did. I’ll be wearing this leather corset after my waist is too small for the ones I have already broken in. I can easily wear it now, it just closes at a smaller waist size than the others, which I can wear nearly closed already. It feels very sturdy, and gives an amazing figure, even without being closed all the way. It closes at 24”. Imagine how it will look then! Simply stunning. The laces were perhaps a bit shorter than in other corsets, but by now I’m old hat at lacing up. I've begun wearing my other corsets 23/7, I'll do a waist training update soon.

Overall + & -


Pros
Well made, sturdy corset
Steel boning & busk
Boning accents
Waist tape

Cons

Shipped 3 days after I initially purchased it
Laced incorrectly and tightened so much prior to shipping that it seriously damaged the laces

The Bottom Line
It's a good corset, I don't regret buying it. A corset with this color and material is not available for less anywhere, and certainly not with steel boning. And it was on sale. I expect to be getting years of service out of this one. The seller communicated very well after the initial inquiry about tracking numbers. If anyone buys from them, just ask for the corset to be shipped unlaced, and the laces in a little bag on the side., or expect to be buying new laces. Also, if you need the corset right away, send a message before paying to obtain info about what the shipping rates for express mail are, and how soon you can get it. Just paying without asking yielded a 10 day wait, but I take full responsibility for that, because I didn't ask. The company has been around a long time, they have great feedback and a good return policy. 

Note: This seller sells lingerie corsets and Basque corsets with plastic bones as well as steel boned tight lacing corsets. I do NOT recommend using a plastic boned corset for tight lacing. Please know the difference and read all auctions carefully. In this particular shop, do not think you are getting a real corset for $14, it is lingerie. A steel busk with plastic bones isn’t going to give you a waist reduction, and will be uncomfortable besides.

Spending Habits

Unless I see one that is distinctive and gives me that ‘omg I must have this’ feeling, I probably won’t be spending this much on an off the rack corset again. I’m totally spoiled by earstore & europastyle0092. Not to mention the 2 custom corsets I have in the works. And I’m thinking of a special design for a third. That’s another bonus of going custom, complete control over the appearance of your corset.
Special thanks to Anonymous, my one comment on this blog :)