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Is Lipomarts a Legitimate Online Store? An In-Depth Investigation
Lipomarts is an online retailer that claims to offer a wide selection of sports jerseys and apparel at heavily discounted prices. However, several concerning reports and red flags have surfaced regarding the legitimacy and trustworthiness of this website. In this comprehensive review, we’ll take an in-depth look at Lipomarts and the available evidence to determine whether or not it can be considered a safe and reliable place for online shopping.
Website Background and History
The first thing to examine is background information about the Lipomarts website itself. A whois lookup reveals that the domain lipomarts.com was registered very recently in March 2021 and is set to expire in March 2024. Sites established for short periods of time can be a red flag, as it allows scammers to easily disappear once their scheme is discovered.
Lipomarts also provides very little company information on its “About” or “Contact” pages. No business registration details, physical address, phone numbers or names of owners/operators are disclosed. This lack of transparency is concerning, as reputable merchants should have no issue publicly listing legitimate contact and ownership info.
Customer Complaints and Reviews
Searching online uncovers numerous complaints from alleged Lipomarts customers claiming to have lost money in failed transactions. Common reports involve placing an order only to never receive the purchased items or to get something totally different and inferior in quality.
One Reddit thread details a user’s experience ordering three jerseys for over $100 that never arrived after several weeks. Attempts to contact Lipomarts’ customer support went unanswered. Other forums contain similar stories from apparently disgruntled former clients.
On the Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile for Lipomarts, the website has an F rating based on a pattern of complaints over delayed/missing shipments and non-responsive customer service teams. Clearly there seems to be a disturbing trend in poor experiences with this retailer based on user feedback.
Questionable Business Practices
Beyond complaints, several questionable practices employed by Lipomarts raise doubts about the legitimacy of their operations:
- The physical address on file does not match any known business premises and instead links to a private residence according to public records. Fraudsters commonly use bogus contact info to avoid being located.
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Images of merchandise for sale are traced back to being stolen from legitimate brand websites and designers. Scams copies photos and descriptions rather than stocking real inventory.
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Products are sold at prices that seem too good to be true (e.g. premium jerseys normally $150 marked down to $29.99). This unrealistic discounting is a hallmark of “bait and switch” frauds meant to entice shoppers.
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No details are provided about the origin or shipping estimates for items. Scams ship cheap counterfeits or nothing at all from offshore dropshippers.
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Lipomarts has no clear company registration, certification, or security credentials displayed to build shopper confidence. Fraudulent stores hide identifiers.
Taking all these deceptive activities together, it’s fair to conclude Lipomarts is very likely operating as a dishonest online scam rather than a bona fide business. Let’s review some final recommendations based on this evaluation.
Verdict and Advice for Customers
Given the significant number of concerning red flags uncovered in our research – questionable domain history, disguise of contact info, negative reviews citing unfulfilled orders, and engagement in dishonest business practices – it is the assessment of this author that Lipomarts should not be viewed as a legitimate or trustworthy place to shop online.
Interacting with this retailer poses substantial risk of payment fraud, identity theft, failure to receive goods purchased, or getting stuck with inferior counterfeit items. For those seeking sports apparel, far safer official brand stores or large reputable third-party sellers should be supported instead.
If any past Lipomarts customers are still owed refunds or products, it’s probably best to consider the money lost and warn others about this deceitful operation. Going forward, taking time to research merchants more thoroughly upfront using sources like the BBB can help weed out questionable entities before handing over sensitive financial details. Stay protected by shopping smart online!
Conclusion
In closing, the intentions of Lipomarts remain unclear beyond a goal of unlawfully procuring funds from unsuspecting buyers. Sadly, deceptive scams are all too common in e-commerce. However, diligent vetting of sellers along with listening to customer reviews can keep personal information and bank accounts secure from opportunistic fraudsters lurking online. With care and insight, empowered consumers can make savvy choices to avoid shady schemes like the one perpetrated by Lipomarts.
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