Shopping for Mardi Gras Gowns online

Women are on the hunt to be the best dressed all in the name of Mardi Gras. With the balls rolling out this weekend we wanted to help you in the hunt for the perfect gown.

Online shopping offers a wide selection and some risks. We’ve looked at a few popular sites to see what you are saying about them...and put them to our own tests.

First, Lightinthebox.com .

It’s a china-based retailer that sells everything from showerheads to tablets and they have a huge selection of evening gowns.

On its info page it says, "We buy direct from an ever expanding network of Chinese manufacturers so we can keep costs low while maintaining the highest of standards.”

There’s a lot of options on this site and a lot of mixed reviews throughout the web.

Site jabber is a good place to look to check out what people are saying.

The comments range from one star to five but overall got a 4 ½.

Its tough getting in touch with the company. You have to call an international number that is not clearly listed on the site.

We took to the live chat offered by the company to ask some questions.

It only took about 10 seconds and we were live with Vincent.

He told us the fashions come from their own "famous designer."

We also inquired about the return policy, he informed us that if it was their fault, they would fix it but if you get your dress and don't like it no refund.

Dress firm.com is also a foreign based retailer. Lots of awesome dresses and if they aren’t so great in person you can get a refund but you have to pay for shipping.

If you don't get your item at all here is what the website says:

"Because of some reasons, you may fail to receive the items. We would take the responsibility and make full refund to you, if the reasons come from us. If the conditions are not like this, we would say sorry to you."

Once again, it is not easy getting a live person on the phone. You have to make an expensive international call but the site got some pretty favorable reviews online.

On to Rentthe runway.com .

The plus to this service is it is easy. You pick an amazing designer dress, they send you two sizes, you wear it and then send it back.

The prices range from 20 dollars to 500 dollars for a night in a red carpet worthy designer gown. This site has made all of the fashion blogs and people are singing its praises.

They even have a live stylist hotline. We called and asked for some help picking out a dress. We told them the occasion and challenges with fitting and within seconds the stylist was sending us options that have been proven for similar clients.

But of course there is a downside, kind of like Cinderella, the dress is only yours for the night.

There are also sites like Amazon.com and Bluefly.com that have discounted dresses, a smaller selection, but these sites are tested.

The bottom line is when you are shopping online, you are taking a chance.
Companies post phony reviews all the time to get your business and overly negative reviews about its competitors.

There are some ways you can spot phony reviews. Here are some tips from Consumersearch.com :

• Ignore the raves. Reviews that are 100% positive aren't really that helpful. We think every product has some drawbacks, even if they are small.
• Check out the 3-star and 4-star reviews first. These are usually people who are mostly happy but have some concerns. This is where you'll usually find the most balance. Look for "real life" stories. A comment like "This is the best food processor I've ever used!" is much less helpful than a statement like "This food processor is much better than my old model at kneading my sourdough bread recipe."
• If you're suspicious, turn to Google. We've found that fake reviewers often post the same review on more than one website. Try copying a sentence from the iffy review and pasting it into the Google search box.