Online shopping pet peeves

Between missing my parents, college football, cranberries, and having one of the worst (mock) thanksgivings in recent memory yesterday - I needed a pick me up. I decided to partake in some online retail therapy. (I hate to cater to the stereotype of females loving to shop - but you know what, I can´t lie, sometimes shopping helps). Just like I am particular about my food, I am particular about what I wear. My number one priority is avoiding clothes made in sweatshops - nearly impossible when it comes to mainstream appareal - but I try nonetheless. My number two priority is clothing that is environmentally sustainable. My number three priority is that it looks good and I can afford it. teehee.

To address these concerns online shopping is great. Faeries Dance is an online retailer that addresses the human component and environmental impact of clothing. Fair Indigo focuses on the wages that laborers receive and No Sweat is 100% union made. Websites like Greenloop and Envi focus on higher end eco-friendly clothing. And when I want to shop "vegan" I´ve got Mooshoes, Pangea (which is also great about fairly made products), and Herbivore. (there are MANY others retailers I like - like gaiam, vickerey, and lotus organics - but I will save them for other posts).

I like online shopping but I definitely have some pet peeves. I can´t stand when they don´t list the inseam length, or only have one photo of the item, or have an unclear/difficult return policy, or don´t offer free shipping when I buy more then $100 worth of goods, or don´t tell me where the item was made. But my biggest pet peeve is when the same item is sold for different prices at different sites.

The thing about fair trade environmental clothing is that it is more expensive (especially fancy pancy designer stuff like Edun, Loomstate, Stewart+Brown, Habitude, Charmone)- and that is okay with me. If someone makes a living wage and I help sustain the environment then I am happy to pay more. I just want to make sure I know why I am paying more and who is pocketing the profit. I especially ask myself this question when there is a notable discrepency in prices for the same item. Take the Emma Shirt by Of The Earth - not a style I personally like - but perfect for illustrating my point. On the Faeriesdance website the shirt sells for $49.00. On the Greenloop website the shirt is selling for $64.00. And at yet another random online retailer - Backcountry - the shirt sells for 57.45. Ugh!

So this rant was totally unrelated to Brasil. But as I was online window shopping it just struck me how annoying this phenomenon is and what better way to vent then to blog!
I hope everyone had a delicious, loving, peaceful thanksgiving filled with gratitude. I´m grateful for all of my family and friends that read this - you rock!