Trying to decide if Trunk Club is right for you? Keep reading our in-depth Trunk Club review to help you decide!
While the idea of personal stylist services is great, it doesn’t always work out as well as they make it seem. I’ve tried multiple options including Stitch Fix, Nadine West, and most recently, Trunk Club! My Trunk Club review will share various boxes I’ve received as well as go into their styling ability, clothing prices, and overall thoughts on this service.
What is Trunk Club?
Trunk Club is a personal stylist service that sends you 12 handpicked items including clothing, shoes, and accessories to try on at home. You try on everything from the comfort of your home, decide if you want to purchase anything, and send back what you don’t want.
The company was purchased years ago by Nordstrom, so they have access to thousands of brands (although their inventory is different, so don’t expect them to have the same things that Nordstrom does).
You are asked multiple questions when you sign up such as your sizes, types of clothes you dislike, budget, and plenty more to help them get a grasp on your style. They do let you preview your Trunk and change any items you don’t like, which is one thing I absolutely love that some other stylist services don’t offer!
Trunk Club Overview
Trunk Club charges a $25 styling fee, which pretty much acts as a deposit. It gets credited toward the items you decide to buy, but it’s non-refundable if you decide not to keep anything.
Luckily, if you sign up with the $50 credit deal, you can eliminate this possibility of wasting $25 because your credit will just be applied to the styling fee. Or, even better, the $50 will be applied to any items you keep!
You have 5 days to return your box. You can also message them if you need longer. If you take too long, they will charge you the full box cost, BUT you can still return the items for 30 days. Luckily, you’re able to schedule a free return pickup, so it’s extremely easy to return boxes.
My Honest Trunk Club Review
So far, I have received 7+ Trunk Club boxes (I have honestly lost count), so I feel like I can give valuable feedback on this service. Keep reading for my full review!
Styling
★★★ 3 stars
My stylist captured my style incredibly well on the first try (a little too well because I didn’t want to spend $400 on the whole box, but I was tempted)!
I think this is for a couple of main reasons. For one, I gave them two Pinterest boards that encaptured my style very well. Many other Trunk Club reviews let me know that I should do this, so I’m glad I did. Also, Nordstrom carries many brands that I absolutely love and shop frequently like Topshop, Free People, etc. These stores offer hundreds of items that match my style perfectly, so I think it was easy for my stylist to find some good things.
After receiving quite a few more boxes, I’m realizing that their styling ability truly depends on the stylist you get. It seems like I get a different stylist every time, so the boxes can be a hit or miss now. For the most part, they do a good job, but I have received a couple of terrible boxes.
Luckily, since you can preview boxes before they ship them out, you can just cancel a bad box and request a new stylist.
Again, you can also swap items out, which is one of my favorite features (make sure to do this from your computer as it doesn’t work from a phone). They also have a “style swipe” section where you swipe right or left on styles to help your stylist get a better feel for what you like, but I didn’t do this.
Price
★★★ 3 stars
When I found out Trunk Club was owned by Norstrom, I was wary that prices would be too high for my budget when I first set out to try Trunk Club.
Although the lowest budget option they have is $50–$100, they are able to work with lower budgets as well. There are a few affordable brands that Trunk Club works with–I see BP, Topshop, and Open Edit most often. They are also able to price match their clothing within 14 days (only if it goes on sale on their own website, not competitors).
I’ve received plenty of items under $50! Here are a few items I’ve received under $40 (most are under $30):
If you want to receive more affordable items, make sure to include this in the note to your stylist. They also have random sales on specific items.
Add-Ons
★★★★★ 5 stars
I wanted to share a bit about the add-on section because I love it! After you finalize your box, they will bring you to the add-ons section where they allow you to add up to three items to your box.
This includes products like socks, bras, workout leggings, makeup, skincare, bags, belts, sunglasses, and even some home items (like candles or throw blankets)!
They usually have leggings or biker shorts from Zella–I’d highly recommend adding these to your box, I have 3+ pairs of these. Although they typically cost around $50, they are fantastic quality and are some of my favorite workout gear around.
Shipping + Returns
★★★★ 4 stars
After receiving quite a few boxes, I’ve noticed that it only takes a day or two to process and ship your trunk, then it only takes a couple of additional days to ship to you. This is pretty quick!
As far as returns go, they make it very easy. The best thing about their return process is that you’re able to schedule a free pickup! When you receive your trunk, you receive an email with instructions to schedule. It’s beyond easy to visit their website and schedule the return pickup. You can also drop your return off at a FedEx location, but who has time for that?
They include a prepaid return label in your box and even a couple of strips of tape to secure your box!
The only downside about their returns is that return shipping is a lot slower than the shipping to get to you. This can be annoying if you want to schedule a new trunk right away, since you have to wait for your return package to get back to their warehouse. I’ve waited a week (sometimes even longer) for my return to get there.
Because of this, I’ve actually preferred “buying” my entire box and returning anything I don’t want at my nearby Nordstrom. However, this is only beneficial if you’re a shopaholic like me and want to schedule your next trunk right away.
If you keep an item and realize you actually want to return or exchange it, you have 30 days to return (according to their policy). You can either send it back in your next trunk or take it to a nearby Nordstrom!
What Customers Are Saying
To really give you an idea of whether or not this subscription is for you, it might be helpful to what other customers think of this service as well. After searching through thousands of reviews, here are some of the pros and cons most customers seem to agree on:
Pros
- Receive 12 items per box
- Option to add up to 3 products from the add-ons section
- Swap out items for similar products
- Budget-friendly options available
- Easy returns (free return pickup)
- Quick shipping
- Large selection of trendy clothes
- $50 credit to use on your first box
Cons
- Slow return shipping
- Different stylists for boxes, so the styling ability varies
- Certain types of items (like shoes) can be more expensive
- They have a different inventory than Nordstrom
- $25 styling fee not refunded if you return everything
Overall, Is Trunk Club Worth It?
To sum up my Trunk Club review, they have been my favorite stylist service so far. They typically do a great job at capturing my style and seem to have trendier styles, which I assume is because they target younger people and have access to many items from Nordstrom’s collection. I really like that they include 12 products per box (plus add-ons), while most other styling services include less.
I also love that they let you preview the box and remove what you don’t want or even swap garments out for similar items. When signing up, I’d definitely recommend attaching a thoughtfully created Pinterest board and letting them know your budget because items can easily get expensive. You might also share a Nordstrom wish list if you have one–they may not have access to some of these items, but this can still give them an idea of your style.
I’d definitely recommend trying it out, especially with the generous $50 credit towards your first box that essentially makes it risk-free!
UP NEXT: Stitch Fix vs. Trunk Club: Which Stylist Box is Better?
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