Fabletics Review 2024: Is It Legit or Scam?

Fableticsis where you can purchase the latest fashion-forward and versatile activewear for both men and women. Express your unique style with its selection of yoga pants, leggings, joggers, tops, tees and more – all at unbeatably low prices!

However, with a lot of activewear companies out there, the big question is what makes Fabletics different from the rest. More importantly, is it worthwhile to use Fabletics for your activewear needs? Does Fabletics hold high-quality activewear, or is its “fabulous athletic” tag nothing but cunning marketing? If it does have high-quality athletic wear, what about pricing? Does it live true to its promise to offer these at affordable price points?

What about its services; does Fabletics offer the top services that we’ll expect of the ideal online store (such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer service, etc.)?

In the first place, is Fabletics legit, or is it just another scam store out to rip off people?

Yes, Fabletics is legit. It is not a scam because they will never take your money without shipping your products. And you will get all the items you ordered from the store without a problem.

This Fabletics review will examine Fabletics in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

Fabletic review at a glance

• Website: fabletics.com
• A US-based activewear brand founded in 2013
• Operate 35 retail outlets across the US
• Uses a subscription model, where the member is charged monthly except they shop or “skip”
• Ships to the US, Canada, and Australia
• Free shipping is offered when ordering from the 48 contiguous US States
• Returns are allowed if made within 30 days of the shipment date
• Free Returns is also available (for orders from the 48 contiguous US States)
• 24/ 7 customer support is available via telephone (1-844-322-5384) and Live Chat

What is Fabletic?

Fabletics was launched in October of 2013 by the founders of JustFab (Don Ressler and Adam Goldenberg) and Kate Hudson (the actress). The website says that the inspiration was a gap in the activewear marketplace, which is high-quality gear at an accessible price point.

Fabletics does come offering high-performance athletic wears. Its apparel focuses on fit, function, and style. As the company like to say, it offers “complete coordinated outfits for your workout and beyond”. Fabletics started exclusively as an online store with no retail outlet.

However, it saw so much success that by January 2015, one million orders have shipped, and by June of the year, it launched FL 2 (its men’s line). Later in that same year (in October of 2015); Fabletics celebrated its second birthday, and with it launched brick and mortar stores, opening six retail locations in the US. At the time of writing this review, Fabletics’ retail outlets have grown to 35 stores in 22 states across the US.

Is Fabletics legit?

It’s not news that there are many scammers in cyberspace using different fronts to rip off unsuspecting netizens. Over the years, one scam front that has proved successful to these scam artists is “fake stores” (a place where customers will make payment for orders, but will never receive the order). Thus, before using any eCommerce platform, it is wise to first determine that it is legit. Thus, the big question here is whether Fabletics is legit. The short and simple answer is “Yes, it’s legit”. The longer answer is: it is 100% legal, it has industry-wide recognition, and it has a track record of fulfilling orders.

Our first check of a legit online store is usually legality. This is because stores that are 100% legal are less likely to be scams. Thankfully, Fabletics ticks this box as it is owned by TechStyle Inc, which is a 100% legal company registered in the US. It operates other sites like FabKids and ShoeDazzle. Suffice it to say that a scam store will not be powered by a company with such a profile.

Another check of a legit online store is industry-wide recognition. This is because the scam stores almost always operate in the shadows. Thankfully, Fabletics ticks this box. Thanks to being co-founded by the world famous Kate Hudson, it has always had the flashlight shone on it. Fabletics has been featured by a lot of influencers as well as industry followers and watchers alike.

These include top publishers like People Style Magazine, Elle, USA Today, The Chalkboard Magazine, and many more. Suffice it to say that top influencers will not be associated with a scam store; and that a scam store cannot earn a space in the pages of top magazines.

Another check of a legit online store is the test of time. This is because the scam stores are short-lived. It’s only a matter of time before scamming is exposed, and with such exposure, the affected store usually closes its virtual doors. Thankfully, Fabletics ticks this box. It’s been operating for over 6 years now, which is enough time for it to be called out if it were a scam.

Another check of a legit online store is physical existence. This is because the scam stores almost always exist as virtual spaces; that is, there is usually no physical existence (no production centre, no warehouse/fulfilment centre, and no retail outlet). Thankfully, Fabletics ticks this box; and not just because it now has many brick and mortar stores scattered around the US.

Rather, even before October 2015 when it was exclusively online, it had a robust center in Los Angeles where all its items are designed. With physical centres (design hubs, production centres, warehouse, etc), there’s no doubt that Fabletics has the capacity to fulfil orders, which is something that cannot be said about a scam store.

The ultimate check of a legit online store is the fulfillment of the order. Simply put; when you place an order, a legit store will deliver real products that are also functional. Thankfully, Fabletics also ticks this box. Over 35 million products have been sold, and customer reviews show that these are top quality products with top functionality.

With Fabletics powered by a 100% legal company, earning the recognition of many industry watchers, and having a rich history of fulfilling millions of orders with real and functional products, there’s no doubt that it is a legit online activewear store.

Is Fabletics safe?

Fabletics is safe. With no doubt about Fabletics’ legitimacy, another question is whether it is safe. You’ll want a safe online store so that the sensitive information that you share with it (such as personal information and credit card details) will not leak out to unauthorized third parties.

In this regards, Fabletics says that the security of your personal information is important to them, and as such they follow generally accepted industry standards to protect information that users submit, both during transmission and after it is received. One of the technical measures used is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology. With the use of the bank-grade encryption protocol of SSL amongst other measures, it is safe to say that Fabletics is safe.

Products

When making any purchase, you’ll want to find a wide range of products so that you can shop all your related items in one place. One-place shopping is more convenient than having to visit different stores for your needs. Also, it comes with cost savings, from big order discounts, or paying to ship one order, instead of paying to ship different orders from multiple stores.

Fabletics as an athletic wear brand focuses on women wear, and you’ll find everything from wears to accessories. When shopping, the product categories you’ll find, and the items you’ll find in each are as follows:

Fabletics Women Outfits:

• Outfits – Yoga & Studio, Running, Gym & Workout

Fabletics Women Tops

• Tops – Tanks, Short Sleeves, Long Sleeves, Jackets & Vest

Fabletics Women Bottoms:

• Bottoms – Leggings & 7/ 8, Capris & Crops, Pants, Shorts

Fabletics Women Sports Bras:

• Bras – High Impact, Medium Impact, Low Impact,

Fabletics Accessories:

• Accessories – Shoes, Bags, Hats & Hair, socks & Underwear, Workout Gear
• Plus Size

How it Works

However, Fabletics does not operate like the regular online stores where you go to at anytime you choose browse its listing and make a purchase. Fabletics uses a membership subscription model. Describing this model, Fabletics explains: “Shop or simply click ‘skip’ by the 5th of every month. If you don’t shop or skip by the 5th, your credit card will be charged $49.95 on the 6th until you cancel”. However, the charge is a credit in your VIP account and never expires; that is, you can use it to shop in Fabletics whenever you want.

That is, the model of Fabletics is predicated on the assumption that you’ll need a monthly supply of athletic wears or gears. Seriously, we don’t know anyone who does. Once you join the membership program, it is no longer shopping as usual (where you can go to the online store at any time); you’ll now be required to go to Fabletics at least once every 30 days (before the 5th of the month) to either make a purchase or “skip”.

If you make a purchase, or “skip” before or on the fifth of any month, your credit card won’t be charged. But if you do not make any purchase and forget to skip, your credit card will take a hit of $49.95. The one good news is that it goes into your Fabletics account as a store credit which you can use for future purchases.

If you are wondering why you’ll signup for Fabletics subscription-styled membership instead of using the regular stores, it is because the affordable pricing that Fabletics promises is largely enjoyed by customers in its VIP membership program. For example, at the time of writing this review, we selected a Mila High-Waisted Pocket Legging into our cart.

Its price at checkout was: $74.95 – Regular; $54.95 – VIP. That’s a whopping $20 off for VIP members. Then, we picked an outfit (a lightweight drawstring shorts and boat-neck sweater). At checkout, its price was: $89.90 – Regular; VIP – $39.95. Again that’s a whopping $49.95 off for VIP members.

This shows that you can actually have regular purchases in Fabletics (one-time purchase where there’s no pressure to make monthly purchases and no worrying about forgetting to skip and incurring monthly charges). However, it also shows that the main goal of Fabletics is to get its customers to sign up for its VIP membership. We don’t know any shopper who’ll use a shopping model when there’s another that offers the same product for $20 or $49.95 less (over 25% or 55% lower respectively).

More so, Fabletics says that the VIP membership is simply an option during checkout, but the checkout process by default puts you in the VIP membership. You’ll have to un-check a box, to opt-out of VIP membership. However, even minus the default process of the checkout, shoppers really don’t have much of an option. If at checkout you see two prices, one over 25% (or 55%) lower than the other, which will you go for?

Pricing and Promotions

Pricing

Every shopper wants the best deal, thus, the ideal online store should offer competitive prices. In this regards, Fabletics says that its mission is not just to provide on-trend activewear designs that are high in quality, but to provide these at prices you’ll feel good about. Fabletics does live up to its promise. Whatever category you enter to shop, you’ll find its prices to be competitive.

Promotions

Promotions allow customers to get items for less than the items’ going prices. Thus, everyone loves the promotions and will rate as ideal any online store that runs a lot of promotions. Fabletics does well in this regards. Not only does it run promotions very often, but its promotions are usually very massive, taking sizeable chunks of prices. For example, at the time of writing this review, there was a promotion that was promising getting “2 for $24” promo which promised to offer customers 2 leggings for just $24. Another promo promised 70% off everything. However, most often than not, Fabletics’ promos apply to only VIP members.

Shipping

An important part of all our reviews of online platforms is shipping. This is because, with every online purchase, there are shipping considerations. You’ll have to consider: whether the online store ships to your location, how long it takes for orders to be delivered and how much shipping costs.

Shipping Destination

This is always the first consideration; except an online store directly ships to your location, it’ll be difficult to receive delivery of your orders. In this regards, customers move for stores that ship to worldwide locations so that their location is more likely to be covered.

Fabletics is not a world facing store. At the time of writing this review, it only ships to the US (including APO/ FPO addresses and P.O. Boxes) as well as Canada and Australia. This means that if you live anywhere else, you’ll have to look elsewhere for your athletic wears and gears.

Delivery Times

This is also an important consideration because no one will want to wait forever for his/ her order. Thus, the ideal online store should feature fast delivery.

Delivery time is always determined by order processing time and order shipment time. The former is how much time it takes from when you place the order to when the item ships, while the latter is how much time it takes from when the item ships to when it gets to your shipping address.

Fabletics does relatively well in this regards. In terms of order processing, it takes 2 business days. However, it warns that during peak shipping periods such as the first of each month, promotional events and holidays, order processing may take an additional 1 – 2 business days due to high volume of orders.

The shipping time varies depending on where the item is shipping to. Fabletics offer two shipping options – Standard shipping and Rush shipping. When shipping Standard Shipping, orders going to the 48 contiguous United States take 4 – 7 business days, while orders going to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, military addresses, Canada, and Australia take 7 – 10 business days.

However, Fabletics warns that shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, military addresses and Australia may take up to 30 days due to the carrier or location of the station. Rush Shipping is available only to orders going to the 48 contiguous US states, and it takes 2 – 3 business days.

Shipping Cost

In online purchases, the total acquisition cost consists of the item purchase price and shipping cost. Thus, where shipping costs are high, even items that are perceived as acceptably priced can easily become too expensive to acquire. Thus, the ideal online store should feature shipping costs that are perceived as low and reasonable.

Fabletics does very well in this regards. Standard shipping to 48 contiguous US States is free for all items over $49.95. That free shipping is offered is not what makes Fabletics come out fine, rather it’s the fact that the minimum order requirement to get free shipping is only $49.95. There are many stores out there that’ll require your order amount to get to three figures ($100) before you qualify for free shipping. However, with the $49.95+ order requirement of Fabletics, you’ll not have to overspend in chase of free shipping.

Also, where US Standard order is not up to $49.95, the shipping fee that applies is relatively low (only $4.95). However, when shipping (Standard shipping) to Alaska, Hawaii, and US military address, shipping cost is $9.00. When shipping internationally to Australia, Standard Shipping cost is $9.95, but if you’re a new customer (VIP member), you’ll get a one-time first order shipping fee of $5.95. When using Rush Shipping (which is available to only the 48 contiguous US States), the shipping cost is $8.95.

Returns

Given that customers are sometimes not satisfied with their order when it is received; customers gravitate towards online stores that’ll allow them to return an unwanted item and get a replacement item or a refund. Thankfully, Fabletics ticks this box as it allows returns.

Return Window

However, you don’t have forever to return any Fabletics item that you are not content with. In Fabletics, if it’s your first order, you’ll have 45 days from the date of shipment to return the item. However, if it isn’t your first order, you’ll have only 30 days (from shipment date) to make a return.

It should be said that the return window is relatively shorter that what’s becoming the standard – 30 days from the delivery date. Since the return window of Fabletics starts closing when the item is shipped, it means that by the time you’ll receive the order, you’ll have even less time. Thus, if you must return a Fabletics order, you’ll have to act fast upon receipt of the item.

Cost of Returns

You’ll not want to have an unwanted item delivered to you but prevented from returning it because of the high cost of returns. Thus, the ideal online store should offer returns costs that are as low as possible. Fabletics ticks the box here.

All orders to the 48 contiguous US States are eligible for free returns, while a return shipping rate of $9.00 will apply for other orders.

Return Process

You’ll also not want the return process to be stressful. Thankfully, Fabletics offers a hassle-free return process. It does this by providing return labels. To return a Fabletics item, after contacting them about it and getting a return authorization. You can then proceed to print out the Return Label and Return Slip, package the item appropriately and attach the return label to the outside of the package, and ship it to the return address provided.

Exchanges

Sometimes customers only want to get a replacement item when they return an unwanted item to its retailer. Such product exchanges facilitate the process of getting the right product because you’ll not have to wait to be refunded before placing a new order for the right product.

Thankfully, Fabletics allow product exchanges. However, Australia customers cannot return Fabletics orders for exchange.

Customer Support Service

The ideal online store should have an effective customer support service which will handle the questions and issues that customers will have.

Fabletics does relatively well in this regards. First, there’s a detailed FAQ section which holds answers to many questions, and you just may find your concern treated. The section is arranged as per the following subjects: About Fabletics, Membership, Shopping the Site, Clothing and Outfits, Rewards Program, Shipping and Returns, and Gift Cards.

If you need to directly contact a customer support rep, Fabletics can be reached via Facebook, Telephone, and Live Chat. The phone number to call is 1-844-322-5384. Interestingly, the telephone service is available round the clock. That is, you can reach an agent on the phone 24 hours a day; seven days a week. However, the live chat, while also available 7 days a week, is only live from 9am – 9pm (EST).

Complaint

Our reviews are never complete without looking at complaints. This is simply because what real customers have to say about a company says much about how healthy it is. For this section, we checked some of the top independent customers’ review platforms like Trustpilot and Sitejabber.

Interestingly, Fabletics has mixed ratings. For example, in Trustpilot, it is highly rated, scoring 4.2 out of 5 (rated by 95,414 reviewers); however, in sitejabber, its rating is slightly below average, scoring 2.2 out of 5 (rated by 1,594). Some complaints stood out in the reviews, and these are as follows:

VIP credits don’t apply to Sales items

As mentioned earlier, the main business focus of Fabletics is to sign everyone to its VIP membership, where are charged $49.95 any month that you either do not shop or do not “skip”. Yes, we stayed our hands from shooting Fabletics because the charge is credited to your VIP account to be used at any time. The catch is that credits can easily build up for persons who are caught up in whatever and forget to skip.

Now when you do want to make a purchase, you’ll find that you are unable to use those credits to buy “Sales” items. Specifically, some of the complaints were as follows:

For example:

• Yuliana Lacsina says in Trustpilot says “Clothing is great!!! However, they do not allow you to use your credit towards sales items. Or should I say they don’t honour the sales price if you use your credit”
• Rosa Araica in Trustpilot says “I don’t understand why they would hold a sale and at the end when the customer is checking out give them the option to use their credit but pay full price or not use the credit but pay for the outfit on sale. My credit is money that I’ve paid. It’s very tricky and it makes me not trust Fabletics as a company even more. I think they have good quality clothing but the way they do business is sleazy”
• Keri McCoy in Trustpilot says “Your website is not intuitive. I can’t buy leggings with my credits and get a promo item. And if I can, it is not easy to figure out how”
• Kelsey Wetherell says “I am unhappy that as a customer I cannot use my credits when purchasing something that is on promotion sale…”

As one customer rightly says the “credits” is money that has been paid, so there really should be no reason why one cannot use credit to buy “Sales items”. Interestingly, Fabletics in its replies fails to give an explanation (a wise move as any explanation will be crazy); they only thank the customers for the review assuring that the comments “regarding our promotion will help us know what we can do better”.

Monthly Charges

It’s been said that the business model of Fabletics is subscription-styled. It will seem that a lot of customers do not find joy in this, as seen from the following complaints.

• Kim W in sitejabber says “I bought leggings from Fabletics a month ago and signed up for the membership program not knowing it was $50 a month! …”
• Esha N in Sitejabber says “wow I wish I could give them zero ratings. They signed me up for their VIP membership without telling me and have been charging my account 68 dollars every month. Never EVER purchase from them. They will steal your money. THE WORST COMPANY EVER. DO NOT TRUST THEM”

To be fair to Fabletics, it says right in the landing page of its website that a $49.95 charge will apply monthly if you do not shop or skip adding that the charge will become a member credit to be spent at any time. Also, during checkout, there is also a snippet about this $49.95 monthly charge. With a little attention, this problem of not knowing of the charges will not exist.

However, what we have issues with is Fabletics saying that you have the “option” to join its membership program when checking out the first time. Actually, every first checkout, by default, puts you in the membership program. The “option” you have is opting out of the membership program.

Cancellation is a headache

Another complaint that you’ll find is that cancelling the VIP membership to avoid those charges (if you forget not skip) is not as easy as customers will want it to be. For example:

• Paty R in Sitejabber says “they keep charging me monthly and whenever I try to cancel they’re always on hold or the online chat is never available. I need a refund, I don’t even buy anything”
• Kalena S says “Great product, horrible to cancel”. The review added “the products you get is high quality… it’s just that the cancellation is HORRIBLE. I called to cancel and they put me through the ringer until I accepted $10 worth of store credit as long as they would notify me every month in order to [skip] the monthly payment for store credit… Anyway, I never got a notification… So when I forgot again (due to being busy with work and financial issues) I got charged. I called again and demand my subscription be cancelled. I had to repeat myself about 5 times because every time the person would try to keep me like a VIP and totally disregarded what I just said. I finally got to cancel and got reimbursed but this was such a headache”

Charges even after cancellation

Another complaint we saw was that not every cancellation of the VIP membership is successful. As the customers’ reviews show, some persons, who thought their membership is cancelled and do not go to the site to skip a month” get charged the monthly fee. For example:

• Tory N in Sitejabber says “I have stopped with fabletics a few times in the past and last month I tried to cancel my membership, after doing so I received a charge on my card for their monthly fee so I reached out to the live chat. After going back and forth with their customer service for a while I finally convinced her to give me a refund/ cancel my membership. Then I received another charge for a monthly fee this month so [I] reached out again and was told that the agent had told me in our previous conversation that my account will be remaining active (which did not happen). Then after going back and forth with this agent, I got my money back again. This time I was smart enough to screenshot the conversation for the next time this happens. I am very sad that this is happening, I like their products but the monthly membership is a scam and they will do all they can to keep your money”
• Renee C in Trustpilot says “Bills you after cancellation”. The review continued “I cancelled my subscription over the summer [because] of the monthly charges. I simply could not afford to shop with them anymore and thought it would be a simple cancellation process. I was wrong. I called the help number to cancel my subscription at least twice with the reassurance it would be handled but ended up getting billed twice more after that, and [I] have noticed they’ve been trying to bill since then despite having cancelled. I’ve cancelled, yet keep getting these notifications. I liked their products but if this is how they treat their customers then it’s not worth the trouble…”

Unhelpful Customer Support Service

Another complaint you’ll find is that customer support service is unhelpful. For example:

• Kim W in sitejabber says “… When I saw the charge on my card this month, I tried to call the customer service number on their website but would be answered by a robot and would be hung up on multiple times. Using the chat feature, I talked with a service representative Janice who copy and pasted something about their membership and how I should have opted out for that month (for something I was again unaware of) and then ended the chat. I will sure as hell never buy from them again. I’m still working on getting the refund – all of the customer service representatives have been very unhelpful”

However, it should be said that customers who complained of the Support Service of Fabletics being unhelpful where those that needed help with leaving the VIP membership. Since the main thrust of Fabletics is to get customers into the VIP membership, it is understandable that they (the support reps) will do everything to keep customers in the membership. That said, if you want help with leaving the VIP membership, don’t be too dismayed if you do not get a smooth exit.

Pros

• Holds a wide range of activewear (tops, bottoms, sports bra, and more) for both men and women)
• Prices are competitive
• Also offers a lot of price slashing promotions
• Free shipping is offered (albeit to only the contiguous US states)
• Minimum order requirement to qualify for free shipping is only $49
• Delivery is relatively fast
• Provides Return Label for making easy returns
• Offers a return window of 30 days from the shipment date (45 days from shipment date on the first order)
• Offers free returns for orders from the 48 contiguous US States
• Customer support is available round the clock, every day

Cons

• Ships to only the US, Canada, and Australia
• Charges $49.95 monthly (which is credited as store credits) if one does not make a purchase and does not remember to skip
• VIP membership credits cannot be used to purchase any item on promotion (e.g. sales items)
• Promos mostly apply to only customers in the VIP membership
• Exiting the VIP membership is not usually smooth

Conclusion

Fabletics is an activewear brand co-founded by Kate Hudson. It is a very legit online store that holds a wide range of high-quality athletic wears. It ships to the US, Canada, and Australia; US customers even get free shipping, with a relatively low $49 minimum order requirement.  More so, shipping is relatively fast. If you’re not content with an order, returns are also accepted if made within 30 days of the shipment date. US customers even get free returns.

Prices are competitive, and Fabletics offer a ton of promotions that further bring prices to tantalizingly low levels.

However, if you’re to enjoy the competitive pricing of Fabletics, or its promotions, you’ll have to join its VIP membership. But that means that you’ll have to make a purchase or “skip”, else you’ll be charged $49.95, which goes into your VIP account as a credit that you can spend at any time in the store. One big thing to consider is that you’ll be unable to use the credits to buy items on promotions.

That said, if you need a monthly supply of active wear, you’ll definitely find Fabletics just right. Also, if you’ll not forget to skip when you don’t need to make a purchase, you’ll also find Fabletics as fine. However, if you’ll not be making a monthly purchase and may forget to skip it, then you may find Fabletics frustrating, as you’ll be charged monthly, and this will build up store credits in your account.