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Landepend.com EXPOSED – Scam or Legit? Investigation

By Thomas Orsolya7 min read

Landepend.com is built to make you pause. Stylish clothes, home gadgets and gifts appear at prices that are a fraction of what they normally cost.

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The images are tempting. The real items often aren’t the same, and refunds can be much harder to win than the order was to place.

Landepend.com scam

Overview

Not a brand, just a dropshipping store

Landepend.com sells products it never made. Thousands of similar shops do the same, listing items from low-cost suppliers and having them sent straight from warehouses in China.

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Here’s the setup: the store prices the items, runs the ads and collects payment, but never touches the products. A supplier you’ll never hear from packs and mails them.

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Think of Landepend.com as one copy of many. The scam network behind it clones the same templates, product photos and return policies across near-identical stores that reopen under new names.

Expect very low quality, not what the ads show

Expect very low quality and an item that looks nothing like the ad. The photos are usually lifted from other sellers or brands, so they picture something you won’t get.

Returns that cost more than you’d get back

The refund promise can sound comforting, but here’s what the fine print means for you:

  • Returns head to China. In most cases, you’d have to mail the item back to China yourself, and the postage comes out of your pocket.
  • The postage beats the refund. International shipping on a $25 item can run higher than its price.
  • Expect a lowball offer. When you ask to send something back, the usual reply is 15% to 30% to keep it, rather than a full refund.
  • Getting answers takes time. Contact is usually by email alone, and days can pass between replies.

The bottom line for this shop: Landepend.com is a high-risk store. Do not buy from it. You’ll likely overpay badly, with no realistic route to a return.

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What We Found on Landepend.com

Here’s what we noticed when we looked at Landepend.com:

  • Landepend.com was registered on August 8, 2022, about 4 years ago.
  • The MalwareTips URL scanner gives Landepend.com a Safety Score of 15/100, rated Dangerous (full report).

What Happens When You Order from Landepend.com

Most orders play out the same way. If you know the pattern before you buy, you can keep your money and skip weeks of email back-and-forth.

Step 1: An ad with a price too low to trust

Usually, it begins on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. You see a short video or a polished photo showing the product at a steep discount, often tagged “limited time.”

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Scroll a little longer and the same video often turns up again, promoting dozens of different shops. Each one buys from the same suppliers and reuses the same marketing material.

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Step 2: A shop that seems bigger than it is

Landepend.com puts on a convincing show of being established, with categories, star ratings and a friendly About Us page. Its substance is often just a template and supplier list.

The About Us story is usually part of the package. Whether it features a small family business or a passionate founder, many unrelated shops use the same wording.

Step 3: Settling in for a long delivery wait

Your order ships from China, so the promised 5 to 7 days can stretch into three or four weeks. Tracking can also stall on a single update for days.

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Rather than one delivery, some orders come as a few small packages, each tracked on its own. One that never arrives can leave you struggling to prove what’s missing.

Step 4: Your order doesn’t match the listing images

Once the package does turn up, what’s inside is smaller, thinner or plainer than the ad promised. It’s the sort of item you’d find elsewhere for pocket change.

Clothing draws the most complaints. The fabric feels cheap, the stitching comes loose and the sizing follows a chart unrelated to the one on the website.

Step 5: Why sending it back isn’t worth it

Getting your money back means sending photos and then mailing the item to China. The postage by itself can wipe out the refund.

Usually, support counters with a partial refund: keep the item, get 15% to 30% back. Sounds fair, until you realize most of the price is gone on something unwanted.

Many buyers drop the matter here. The policy is worded this way for exactly that reason.

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Red Flags at Landepend.com

Before you pay Landepend.com anything, give each of these warning signs a minute. They show why the store isn’t the deal it appears to be.

Suspiciously low prices for what’s shown

That $29 leather bag or $19 smartwatch isn’t luck. Prices that low mean the item you get is a far cheaper version than what the photos show.

A crossed-out “original” price makes the offer seem better still. Rarely is that number real. It’s there so an everyday price passes for a discount.

Photos that show up on other sites

Drop a product photo into a reverse image search. It often surfaces on other stores, marketplaces or the website of the brand itself.

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The brand in the picture won’t be the one sending your product. And if the image comes from a marketplace, buying the same item there is often cheaper.

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No business details to look up

If your order goes wrong, who do you chase? With stores in this network it’s hard to say, because a company name, tax number or local address rarely appears.

Support you can only email

An email address or a contact form is usually all you get. With no phone or live chat to fall back on, time-sensitive problems can take weeks to resolve.

Slow replies also run down the time for a bank or PayPal dispute. While you’re waiting, keep a close watch on those deadlines.

Pressure tactics: timers and low-stock warnings

You’re meant to feel rushed. That’s why the timer resets when you reload and why “only 2 left” appears on every single product, something real stock never does.

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Step away and revisit the page later. When the “sale” is still running, you know it was never limited.

Add-ons that appear at checkout

Don’t trust the total at a glance. Shipping protection, priority handling or a second item can already be ticked in your cart, so read each line first.

Those add-ons rarely deliver faster shipping or real cover. They inflate the bill for an order that may already be worth far less than what it costs.

A different company name appears at checkout

An unrelated name at checkout should end the order. Stop there, because the card details you enter go straight to a company you’ve never heard of.

One of many lookalike shops in a scam network

Nothing here is original: dozens of other shops share the About Us story, policies and product photos. When one closes, another opens with a new name and the same catalog.

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How to Check an Online Store Before You Buy

A few minutes of checking can tell you whether an online shop is worth your money. Start with these questions before you pay:

  • Who is selling to you? Look for a company name, a registration or tax number and an address. A shop that names nobody is hard to hold to a promise.
  • Where do returns go? Find the return address in the refund policy. If it’s overseas or missing, assume a return will cost more than it’s worth.
  • How old is the website? Paste the address into the MalwareTips Website Scanner. It shows the domain’s age and any known warning signs in seconds.
  • Are the photos original? Run a reverse image search on a product photo. If the same picture appears on many sites, the item is a generic product.
  • What do buyers say elsewhere? Search the store on Trustpilot and in search results, not just the reviews on the shop itself.
  • Is the ad real footage? Many shop ads now use AI-generated videos and photos. If the product only ever appears in slick renders, expect something plainer.
  • Does the price make sense? Compare it with the same item on a major marketplace. A huge markdown on an unknown shop is a reason to slow down.
  • Can you reach a person? A phone number or live chat is a good sign. An email address alone means problems will take a long time to solve.

If several answers come back wrong, close the tab. There’s almost always a seller with a clearer return policy and a company you can actually look up.

For extra protection while you browse, Malwarebytes Browser Guard warns you about many known scam and phishing sites before they load.

Where to Buy Instead

Liked something on Landepend.com? You don’t have to buy it there. Try these safer routes:

  • Find the same product on a large marketplace. Buyer protection and honest reviews come standard there, and the price is often much lower.
  • Buy where returns go to a local address. Cheap postage turns a return from a nice idea into something you’ll really do.
  • Hunt for customer photos in the reviews. Real buyers show you the item that arrives, not the one the ad promises.
  • Check the seller’s location before ordering. Marketplaces make it visible. Shipping from a local warehouse brings faster delivery and returns you can manage.
  • Pay with protection. Use a credit card or PayPal, which lets you file a dispute if you need to.

The cost may run slightly higher. What you gain is the item you paid for and a seller that honors refund requests.

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What to Do If You Already Ordered from Landepend.com

Ordering from a shop like this doesn’t mean the money is gone. Acting early gives you the best chance of fixing the order or getting a refund.

  1. Save everything. Keep the order confirmation, the tracking number, every email from the store and screenshots of the product page as it looked when you bought.
  2. Photograph what arrives. Take clear photos of the item, the label and the packaging, especially anything that doesn’t match the listing.
  3. Ask the store in writing. Email support, describe the problem plainly and say what you want: a full refund or a replacement. Give them a short deadline.
  4. Don’t pay for an overseas return yet. If the store asks you to ship the item to China, check with your card issuer or PayPal first.
  5. Don’t accept a token refund. Offers of 15% to 30% back to keep the item are common. If the item isn’t as described, a dispute may get you more.
  6. Open a dispute if the store stalls. Use “item not received” or “not as described” with your card issuer or PayPal, and attach your evidence.
  7. Watch the deadlines. Card disputes often allow around 120 days, and PayPal generally accepts claims within 180 days of payment. Don’t let weeks of unanswered emails use them up.
  8. Ignore “customs fee” texts. Fake delivery messages asking you to pay a fee or update your address often follow online orders. Don’t pay or click.
  9. Leave an honest review. A short review on an independent site, with photos, helps the next shopper decide.
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If you paid by bank transfer, contact your bank right away and ask whether the payment can be recalled. The sooner you call, the better the odds.

If the store won’t cooperate, file a complaint at econsumer.gov, which handles cross-border shopping complaints, or at ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Landepend.com a scam?

Yes, and a delivery doesn’t change that. Landepend.com is a high-risk store in a scam network, selling very low-quality items with returns that cost too much. Do not buy.

Where does Landepend.com ship from?

China, in most cases. Suppliers there send the items straight to you, so delivery can take several weeks and tracking is often slow to update.

Why does the product look so different from the photos?

The images usually come from other sellers or brands, not from the item in your order. That item is a cheaper version, made so the price can stay low.

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Can I return an item to Landepend.com?

Shipping it back to China at your own cost is usually the only option. When the item is cheap, the refund can be smaller than the postage.

Before paying for postage, contact your card issuer or PayPal and ask if a “not as described” dispute would protect you instead.

My order never arrived or isn’t as described. What now?

Give the store a chance in writing first. When that brings a refusal or delays, open a dispute through your card issuer or PayPal, with item photos and listing screenshots.

Are the reviews on Landepend.com real?

Stay cautious with them. A shop can fill its own reviews with glowing ratings very easily. What buyers post on independent sites, especially photos and comments, carries more weight.

The Bottom Line

Landepend.com is a high-risk store, part of a scam network built from lookalike shops. Expect very low-quality items that look nothing like the ads, plus returns that rarely make sense.

Do not buy from Landepend.com. Saw something you want? Head to a marketplace with buyer protection and search for it there.

Already placed an order? Build a paper trail: order email, product screenshots and photos of the delivery. If the store won’t fix it, open a card or PayPal dispute.

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Written by

Thomas Orsolya

Thomas is an expert at uncovering scams and providing in-depth reporting on cyber threats and online fraud. As an editor, he is dedicated to keeping readers informed on the latest developments in cybersecurity and tech.

45,645 articlesWriting since 2023
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