Brandless Review – Is There Value Here?
Many consumers are slowly shifting away from caring about brand names when it comes to consumer goods. They’re starting to care more about shopping based on their values, aka buying sustainable product (cruelty-free, organic, etc.).
Sustainable shopping is fairly expensive, though; just look at a place like Whole Foods. Some simply can’t afford to purchase organic foods and cruelty-free products.
Here to close that gap is an online store called Brandless. They buy consumer goods straight from the manufacturer and sell them directly to you.
Their emphasis is on sustainable, innovative products at low prices.
Whether you’re into sustainable shopping or are just looking for ways to save money, Brandless may be your next favorite online store. Check out our Brandless review to learn more.
What is Brandless?
Brandless is an e-commerce store selling a wide range of products, mostly home and beauty products. They were founded in 2012, but the online store was launched in 2017.
Brandless is all about the consumer. They aim to bring you top-quality products with the best ingredients at ultra-low prices.
Part of their consumer-friendliness is in the name “Brandless”. There’re no brand labels; replacing the brand labels is information regarding the product and its benefits.
Here’s the cool part: Brandless has partnered with Feeding America to provide those in need free meals. Brandless donates 1 free meal for each individual purchase you make, and 2 free meals for each subscription you sign up for.
How Does Brandless Work?
How are Prices so Low?
Brandless cuts out the middleman, buying their products straight from the manufacturer. Extra costs involved with more complicated supply chains can be cut, allowing Brandless to pass the savings on to you.
It’s essentially a giant dropshipping store on a mission to help the consumer.
In addition, costs such as retail markups, brand premiums (paying more for a recognized brand), and wholesale to retail fees are all cut for more savings.
The Site
Brandless’s site operates similar to other large e-commerce marketplaces. You can browse items by category, or you can use the search bar to be more specific.
Each item has a complete listing, similar to Amazon’s but it actually looks cleaner. Accompanying the product description and photos are ratings, reviews, usage instructions, and recommended products.
When you find your desired item, just add it to your “box” (Brandless’s shopping cart). Fill out your payment & shipping details, and you’re done.
What Does Brandless Sell?
Brandless’s portfolio of items is large to say the least. While known mostly for home and beauty products, here is a full list of categories:
- Baby – Diapers, baby care, and baby food
- Beauty & Personal Care – Beauty, personal care, and baby care products
- CBD – Ingestible and topical products
- Food – Snacks, pantry essentials, drinks (coffee, tea, etc.), baking mixed, and granola and oatmeal
- Health & Wellness
- Home – Kitchenware/tools for both indoors and outdoors, tableware, cleaning supplies, office supplies, etc.
- Pet – Toys/gear, treats, supplements, pet care, and pet cleanup for cats and dogs
- Travel – Luggage, travel accessories, etc.
They also have a “New” category. Here, they display their newest items in all categories.
Brandless’s Pros
Low Prices
Perhaps Brandless’s greatest strength is the prices. Many items on Brandless retail for $3, while similar items will be much more elsewhere. Granted, some products are priced higher than retail. These products aren’t terribly frequent compared to the discounted ones, though.
Website Interface
Brandless’s site seems a lot less crowded than a site like Amazon, yet it still has everything you need. Searching for products is really easy, and the site is by no means slow.
Subscription Delivery
Find yourself loving Brandless’s products? They offer subscriptions on a lot of their consumable products. You don’t save money, but you get a free gift with your first subscription delivery.
Plus, you don’t have to remember to order the product when you’re about to run out. Brandless lets you set the interval in which your product is delivered, anywhere from 2-8 weeks.
New Items
Brandless is constantly adding new products to its store. If you’re bored of your current products, you won’t have to wait too long to try something new.
Value-Based Shopping
Brandless is a big fan of sustainability. You can shop based on what you value in your products, such as
- Certified organic
- Non-GMO
- Vegan
- Cruelty free
Among other relevant parameters.
Charity
Sleep better at night knowing that each of your Brandless purchases keeps someone from going hungry. Each purchase = 1 meal, and each initial subscription signup = 2 meals!
Brandless’s Cons
Shipping Costs
Shipping on Brandless is a bit expensive, especially in the world of Amazon Prime free shipping. A $5 bottle of body wash runs you $6.95 in shipping, more than the product itself!
That being said, shipping doesn’t increase beyond $6.95 if you add more products to your order. Stock up!
Shipping Time
Shipping time isn’t the fastest, either. Brandless takes 3-5 business days combined for both processing and shipping; this isn’t too bad, but many are used to Amazon Prime’s 1-day free shipping.
Quality
Brandless products aren’t perfect – some products are poorer quality, which can contribute to a lower price.
This is more often seen with one-time products, such as kitchenware. However, some have complained that the food items don’t taste as good as expected.
That’s probably due to them actually being organic and healthy, though.
The Verdict
Is Brandless a Good Deal?
Brandless is a great deal. You’d be hard-pressed to find a lot of similar products.
Yes, some products are overpriced. But that allows Brandless to knock down prices for other items, ones that you might be interested in buying.
Who Should Use Brandless?
People who love to shop sustainably without breaking their budget will love Brandless.
Same with people who don’t care about brand name. Having no brand means the products are going to be cheaper, and it’s harder to obscure important product information seeing as said information replaces branding in terms of location on the packaging.
