1. They may be making money on the shipping charge,

How to bag the perfect wedding dress without breaking the bank

Most little girls dream of getting married and we women are no different when we grow up. We still have that picture in our mind of how our big day is going to be. You imagine walking down the aisle in the perfect wedding dress, looking just like a princess. Wearing a sophisticated tiara or hairpiece, and holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Everything is just perfect, and money is not a thought that enters your head.

Now your dream becomes reality and youe gotten engaged and are beginning to plan the perfect day. Except when you do start you soon realise that the reality is that funds are not endless and you have to work within a budget. That budget must cover so much, fees for rental of your ceremony and reception site, decorations, catering/food, bar, flowers, music, photography, video, marriage license, invitations, wedding rings, transportation, honeymoon, attendants, gifts, guest wedding favors, and a myriad of other miscellaneous costs. So how much is then left for your wedding attire. A dress for you, your bridesmaids, flower girls and of course the men's wear..

Not many of us have the luxury of spending over ?000 on a designer dress and even if you could you might prefer to allocate less towards the dress and use a larger portion of your budget for a more elaborate honeymoon or reception party.

Whether or not you are working to budget everyone enjoys the feeling of accomplishment when locating and acquiring a bargain. These days it's not so hard to come across a bargain with little effort.

The best way to start is to have a look in some bridal shops. You may not have the intention of buying from them but you can certainly establish the style, size, and cut of the kind of dress you are going for.

Make notes of what kinds of styles and colours you like the best. Sometimes you find a style in a magazine and when you try it on you find it isn't really how you imagined and it doesn flatter your shape the way you expected. Bridal gown sizes can come up smaller than your usual size so the best thing to do is to go by your measurements and ask dressmakers for the bust, waist and hip sizes that make up the size in general. Some bridal shops don't keep the manufacturers labels on and instead re-label and price with their own internal tagging system (many salons long plus size evening do this to avoid "competitive shopping" and price comparisons). The shop should tell you the name of the designer or manufacturer if you ask.

Once you have got an idea of the styles you like and the size you need, then you can begin searching for your gown and accessories. It best to purchase your dress before shopping for accessories. Certain elements of the dress will help you choose the best accessories to match.

When you start looking for a gown it is better to find a dress that either fits perfectly or is just a little bit big. Because of the delicate fabrics making alterations can be done easily if the dress needs "taking in" but to "let it out" can be quite tricky. Most gown designers always allow about an inch or slightly less for seem allowance. If a gown is very tricky to alter this will reflect in the price of the alteration. So remember your dress budget needs to be for the dress its self and any alterations needed.

Prom Dresses lace strapless dress From Overseas Auction Sellers Five Things You Need To Know

Browse online auction sites and you're sure to be amazed by the number of bargain prom dresses being advertised. However many people fail to factor in shipping charges, customs duty and VAT before purchasing a gown and end up with a prom dress which costs more than they expected. In addition to this, buying overseas may make it harder to get a refund if you receive a gown that does not match the description.

The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the things to bear in mind when buying prom dresses from overseas auction site sellers.

1. They may be making money on the shipping charge, not the purchase price

Does the price of the gown seem too good to be true? Many sellers offer a very low price on prom dresses and make their money from charging very high shipping charges. They do this because they know that many consumers will focus on the purchase price, audrey hepburn black dress treating the shipping price as an incidental cost. In some cases, by the time you've added on shipping costs, you can end up paying more than three times as much as you expected.

What to do: Many people focus on the bargain purchase price and try to put the postage price out of their mind. When ordering a prom dress from overseas the cost of shipping becomes part of your cost of purchasing the item. Always check the postage price and calculate the total amount that ordering this dress will cost you before making the decision to buy.

2. Overseas Prom Dresses will cost you 30% more than you think

If you're importing a prom dress into the UK from a county outside of Europe you will be charged VAT and Customs Duty by HMRC if the amount you pay (for the item, shipping included) is over ?0. VAT and Customs Duty are calculated based on the shipping and purchase cost. Once added on these taxes will normally increase the price of prom dresses by around 30%. This means if you pay ?0 for the dress and ?0 for delivery the total you will end up paying will not just be ?20, it will be close to ?60.

What to do: Contact HMRC for advice on how to work out the VAT and customs prom dresses attract.

So let's say you receive a gown and wish to return it. What are your options with regards to prom dresses which don't fit or dosn't meet their descriptions?

3. It will cost you money to return the Dress

If the seller agrees to let you return your prom gown then don't forget that you'll be the one who has to pay out for international postage to mnm couture send it back to them.

What to do: Ensure that you coral evening dress bear this risk in mind when purchasing your gown.

4. You may find UK law unenforceable

What happens if the factory refuses to allow you to return an item? If you were buying from a UK seller you have the options of contacting Trading Standards or taking the seller to small claims court. However, while UK law is enforceable in the UK, you may find it very difficult to enforce if you've bought prom dresses overseas.

What to do: Be aware of the risks involved; the greatest protection you have are therefore the threat of negative feedback or using a protected payment method.

5. Raising a dispute may not be successful.

If worse comes to worst and the seller won't refund your money for a dress which doesn't match the description then you have two options. You can either threaten the seller with negative feedback or (if you've used a secure payment method) you can raise a dispute. However do bear in mind that such disputes are often difficult to settle and it is by no means a guarantee that you will definitely get your money back.

Buying prom dresses overseas from online auction sellers not only has hidden customs and VAT costs, it also has inherent risks. Be aware that buying abroad often means paying high shipping costs, customs duty, VAT and can affect your ability to return an item with which you are not satisfied. With this in mind you will be in a position to make an informed decision about whether the costs and risks involved in buying from an overseas seller make it a good option for you