Sage Sydney Avis 

The feather dress was a little outside what I normally wear, but that is probably why I liked it so much. It felt fun without being too much, and the shape was flattering on me. I wore simple shoes and kept the rest of the outfit plain. It ended up being one of my favourite looks from the event.

The blouse has quickly become one of those pieces I reach for when I do not know what to wear. It works well with both jeans and smarter trousers.

Dress materially different from the photographs — disappointing refund process - DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY

Look at SageSydney.com review with 1.5 star rating. This is the same site you just get redirected to SageSydney.co.

I purchased a dress from Sage Sydney for approximately NZ$89, believing I was buying a quality garment based on the photographs and presentation on their website.

Unfortunately, the dress I received was materially different from the dress advertised. The sleeves were different, with no cuff and a tighter, straighter fit instead of the loose, gathered sleeves shown. The advertised dress had an additional frill and a flowing, uneven hem, whereas mine had no frill and a much straighter hem. The neckline and waistline were also different, and the dress had contrasting white topstitching rather than the stitching that blended into the red fabric in the advertised photographs. The fabric and overall finish were also disappointing.

I sent photographs comparing the advertised dress with the one I received, but Sage Sydney said the photographs were a fair representation. I strongly disagree. The differences in the design and construction are clearly visible in my comparison images.

Getting a refund was another frustrating part of the experience. Although the website promotes 30-day returns and a full refund, Sage Sydney told me that its Australian address was only its registered business office, not a returns facility. I was instructed to return the dress to a fulfilment centre in China at my own expense.

The website is branded Sage Sydney, provides an Australian company name and Australian address, and presents itself as an Australian fashion retailer. Its “About Us” page states, “Rooted in Sydney, Sage Sydney is more than just a clothing store.” It also describes the business as founded by “Lisa” and repeatedly uses Australian and Sydney-based branding. I therefore reasonably understood that I was purchasing from an Australian/Sydney fashion retailer, with the reassurance that this implied. I was not made aware before purchasing that returns would have to be sent to China. Discovering this only when I tried to obtain a refund was particularly disappointing and raised concerns about the impression created by the website.

I tried to find a reasonable solution and offered to return the dress to the Australian address shown on the website. I even offered to have their quoted NZ$17.50 shipping cost deducted from my refund, but this did not resolve the issue. I was offered partial refunds or a gift card instead.

I eventually sent the dress back to China. The return postage quote was NZ$32.02, a substantial additional cost for an NZ$89 purchase. I am currently waiting for the returned dress to arrive and for my full refund to be processed, so I cannot yet comment on the final refund outcome.

I also discovered that typing sage-sydney.com into my browser automatically redirects to sage-sydney.co. Both websites display the same Sage Sydney branding and Australian company details. The reviews on sage-sydney.com are very low and I believe because of this redirection they are the same company.

My advice to anyone considering buying from Sage Sydney is not to but if you want to do you own research try doing a reverse image search of the product photographs before ordering. When I reverse searched the dress images, I found what appeared to be the same or very similar product photographs on multiple websites including Temu. This raised questions for me about the product listing and prompted me to look more closely at the business and its return arrangements.

A reverse image search does not, by itself, prove that websites are connected or that a business is illegitimate, but it can help shoppers discover where else the same images appear and make a more informed decision.

Please also check where returns actually have to be sent, rather than relying solely on the business name or advertised address.

Based on my experience, I would not purchase from Sage Sydney again. I hope this review helps other shoppers avoid a similar experience and make a more informed decision before spending their money.

I have also reported my concerns to the relevant consumer authorities in both New Zealand and Australia. I hope my experience helps bring attention to the importance of transparent product advertising and clear return arrangements for international customers.

I was looking for something a little different for an evening event and the feather dress caught my eye. It feels playful without looking costume like which was my main concern. The fit gave me a nice shape and I loved how it moved when walking. Definitely more fun than the plain black dresses I normally end up buying.

BUYER BEWARE…This company is a fraud. They take photos of legitimate brands for their website and then send you a cheap copy. I bought a well known brand of leather shoe, what I received after many weeks was a cheap copy that looked nothing like the photo on the website. Their return policy is also fraudulent. When I tried to return for a refund they offered me a gift card for less than I paid or 10% of what I paid. If I wanted a full refund I had to return it to the supplier ( not the company) at my own expense. I don’t know how this company is still operating in Australia. I hope this review saves someone some money.

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS STORE: Misleading return policy. They are not based in Sydney but in China.

If you want a refund on a product, you need to send it to China at a cost of $30-50 and wait 4 - 6 weeks for a refund. Blatant misleading information on the website.