Woman saves £500 buying luxury DUPES – but warns there’s a catch

A British woman has revealed how she’s saved £500 through buying dupes of high-end items – but urges people to be aware of common issue.

Brianna Campbell, like most people in their 20s, is a lover of buying clothes.

The 22-year-old, from Dudley, spends hours per week scouring fashion websites, such as Coach and Cyber Sweetie, to find her next Insta-worthy outfit.

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Using her monthly earnings as a retail optical assistant quickly runs dry, though, and she’s often left feeling disheartened about not being able to place an item in her wardrobe.

That was, until, Brianna found a hack which has seen her own the closet of her dreams – and save £500 while doing it.

“A few years ago, I’d say I definitely had some unhealthy shopping habits,” she told Whats The Jam.

“I had loads of outfits, but, somehow, felt like I had nothing to wear.

“Moving in and out of university was especially stressful because I’d accumulated so many clothes – most of which I never wore.

“But I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them.

“Some pieces had sentimental value and others I held onto because I’d previously regretted letting similar items go.

“I convinced myself I might need it again one day.

“Over time, I realised that mindset wasn’t sustainable and I needed to get better at letting go.”

Brianna was spending £150 on clothes and jewellery per month.

Now, she forks out that amount across the year.

And still has more clothes than before.

Her trick? Finding dupes.

She said: “Social media is probably the biggest place I find dupes – especially TikTok.

“If I see something I like, I’ll usually check the comments to see if anyone’s mentioned the original brand.

“If not, I’ll screenshot and use Pinterest to reverse search the image.

“A lot of the time, the original is quite expensive, so I’ll then check resale apps to see if I can find it cheaper.

“And if that doesn’t work, then I look at websites such as SHEIN, Alibaba or Temu where I often find something similar, for a lot less.

“The dupes also photograph well and they look just as nice as the originals in my pictures.”

Brianna often goes looking for clothes now if her wardrobe needs a refresh, or if there’s a special occasion.

Her dupes finds include a green dress, retailing for £48 on Mabel Love, purchased for just £5.92 on SHEIN.

Another steal was her white graduation dress that cost just £29.82 on SHEIN, but a whopping £155 for the original from BabyBoo.

She advises people to keep on top of sales on budget websites for further savings to get the biggest discount possible.

Also, for another penny-pincher, use loyalty points and cashback.

Brianna says people looking for dupes should look out for a few things.

She said: “Avoid products that don’t have reviews with images and check any reviews thoroughly.

“I usually opt for items with over four stars only.

“And check the return policies.

“Some dupes don’t live up to the expectations and if it doesn’t look how you thought in person, make sure you can send it back to avoid wasting money.”

She hopes sharing her hack will help people to save pennies while still being able to keep their wardrobes well-stocked.

But Brianna warns these dupe websites could be at the root of a bigger issue and urges people to be mindful of their dupe-buying habits.

She said: “A lot of the time, people buy things for one specific occasion and it just sits there.

“It’s a waste – even if it was cheap.

“Sustainably, dupes aren’t great.

“They’re cheap and easy to buy, which usually leads to buying more and wearing things less.

“That’s what fuels fast fashion.

“So it’s worth asking yourself if you’d ever consider buying the original item in the first place.

“Check second hand options first; it’s not perfect, but it’s better than buying brand new, low-quality pieces.”

Brianna has started to do regular clear-outs and donates often to charity shops or passes clothes down to her younger siblings.

She claims not to be “addicted” to buying dupes, as she’s conscious of how these habits build.

The 22-year-old is part of the 57% of Brits who have bought a copy cat product, according to research found by Rakuten.

Bola Sol, Rakuten’s saving expert, said: “While cost-of-living continues to affect budgets for many, it’s clear that people are still keen to stay up-to-date on the latest trends.

“Consumers are becoming more savvy, seeking out alternatives that allow them to stay stylish without overspending.

“It’s worth doing some research and keeping more of my money!”

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