HotTopic.com

Advantages: Quite an impressive range, international shipping, helpful staff generally
Disadvantages: shipping cost not reimbursed for returns, excessive Parcel Force costs

I came across Hot Topic purely by chance a few years ago when I was idly browsing the internet for a gift for a friend. The site itself has not changed much since then. First, a little bit of background. Hot Topic is a chain store in America with most branches in shopping malls across the USA. It specialises in music merchandise, fashion and memorabillia and the first Hot Topic was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden. It's target customers are teens and ...
.../ rock / metal / emo persuasion sweeping across train stations and skate parks near you. *adopts deep american voice* And now for our feature pree-sentation. The Hot Topic website, as I mentioned, has effectively remained the same over the years (why fix it if it ain't broke?) and the main page itself is very clearly laid out and the menu on the left hand side which has a search facility for a specific brand or item; an option in the form of little ... Read review

Advantages: Great selection you don't get in the UK
Disadvantages: Price of P+P

I first came across the wonderful Hot Topic while on holidays. I dress kind of Punky, and getting clothes to suit me is difficult in Northern Ireland, so this shop was heaven for me! There were funky band tshirts, from 80s cartoon characters to punk and rock bands you simply wouldn't get over here in the UK. I was pleased to find they had a website, with mail order, so on returning from my holidays I logged on and soon had my virtual shopping cart ...
...my horror the postage and packaging came to £18! This was for two tshirts and a couple of small patches! They insist on using the fastest over-seas delievery, so unfortunately my student budget wouldn't stretch to such a luxury and I had to abandon my cart. I was very disappointed. I found it ridiculous that my postage price was HIGHER than the overall cost of my goods! I would also comment that the site was very difficult to find things on, and ... Read review

Advantages: Loads of great things, its my perfect shop!
Disadvantages: Price of posting, don't accept solo cards!

I came acorss this site when I was looking for Hello Kitty items, because at that time they were hard to find in the UK. I was so amazed at the online stores, its got everything a girl like me could ever want! including band merchandise, tv show merch, goth things, hello kitty, cartoon characters, disney things, and loads loads more, the list is endless! It does bags, hats, clothes, accessories, hair things, bedsheets, badges, patches, wallets, ...
...be found in the UK, which is why it is god send for people like me, i love little gotthy things and hello kitty and tinkerbell. My mum went out to claifornia and she stopped in the shop and got me a few things and said i would have loved it, one day I will save up enough to go to america and spend hundreds in that store! So back to my online experience, there was a gorgeous black tinkerbell bed set, so i put in my shooping basket, saw that the shipping ... Read review

Advantages: Commercial tat
Disadvantages: Excessively high shipping

I have regulary shoped with hottopic.com and when I saw they recently had their sale on, I had just been paid and thought "what the hell" and had a massive blow out, spending about 100 quid. What happened next has tottally put me off the shop forever and I will never ever buy from them or recommend them again. They emailed me a few hours after my inital order informing me that I would now have to PHONE AMERICA to confrim my order as there had been ...
...address I could find on hottopic.com (this is including their Human Resourcses email, and director ones etc). They customer service rep asked me my name, what credit card company I used and my birthday. I was surprised she didnt ask me my favourite colour. These questions in no way prevent fraud. They are answers any one trying to fraud the company would have. A stupid waste of time. She appologised and said they had recieved a higher than normal ... Read review

Advantages: wide range of clothes and good prices
Disadvantages: none i know of

When i walked into Hot Topic for the first time, i was amazed. I normally shop at ebtm.com, camden market or random shops. But this one hit me like someone threw a cricket ball at my face! I was looking for the perfect skirt, and i came a cross a black and white striped mini. It costed 6 pounds, reduced from 27 pounds, bargain alert! Now, the webiste, well its awesome. Not much has changed but its really easy to get around the site, and it just looks ...
...WOW online, much cheaper then in store. My mate Jake found a Jack Skeleton shirt the other day and it looked gorgoues! So, basically the messege im trying to say is.... ... GO TO HOT TOPIC! The stuff is awesome and the products are worth it! Charlotte, -x-x- ... Read review