Thread: Any thoughts on Isis Exchange?

One of my troupe members found a costume she really digs on Isis Exchange. Does anyone have any feedback before she sends them $300?

Thankx in advance!

In my experience, the lower price shows in the quality. I've only seen the cheapie bedlahs, though...their professional costumes may be more well-made.

Also, order UP in cup size. Their cups run small and tend to be pointier than the average boob. ;) You can always pad!

i have one second hand cheapie bedlah from them. the cups arerunning smaller than what we think of as u.s. bra size. i use it under a shamadan so dont get wax on my "good" costumes.

the bra is "sort of hard cup". i would definitely categorize their bra/belt combos as on the lower end of the quality scale if a bella/eman/sahar/etc was at the high end.

that said, they do look sparkly and might do the job for her.
as nasila said - the pro costumes may be better quality.

i think if she likes it, and they have a decent return policy it might be worth a try.

if she gets it and is happy with it, please let us know

I have a lavender costume from them that is up for sale on the swap meet page. i just found out that was where it came from as I bought it from a teacher. I have been very happy with it, it has been around to at least 3 people before me and is only missings a few beads. The cups are pretty stiff, but like you guys said, easy to pad. TanyaSF also has a new one of the same style up in the swap meet too. The designs are really nice and it is very sparkly. But this is based on the costume I have which was listed as "pro". Here are the pictures of the costume I have.
http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff54/alcrea/
They have one very similar to this on isis exchange currently, only in dark purple with a little different pattern.

I ordered a custom bedlah from the a few months ago that they were having a sale on. It took a little longer than it was supposed to(not a unique problem amongst costume makers), and some of the colors weren't eactly as pictured, overall I was satisfied for the great price($200). I never bothered to complain because it really is gorgeous and really unique, so it wasn't worth it for the deal I got.
The cups are hard like has been said, but it's very well made and sturdy.
A good "mid level" costume probably. This is a bit better than the cheapies, but not as high quality as a pro one---
I wasn't sure at first, but after wearing it I'd say that I would order from them again.

I have a cheap gold bedlah and a purple "pro" bedlah from them, and I'm quite happy with both. The construction is very sturdy, and I think you get good value for your money. The caveat on the cheap ones is that the belts are not cupped, so you have to dart them yourself. The belt on my purple costume from them was, however, perfectly cupped; I think all of their "pro" costumes are, as you would expect, better made than the inexpensive gold/silver ones that they sell.

Are the cup sizes smaller than average? That explains why they fit me so well, I suppose, as I'm slightly smaller than an A. I was going to say that I found the fit of the cups very good.

I custom ordered my purple costume from them. I had some problems, but that seems to be standard for custom orders from any vendor. I waited longer than they had originally predicted (four months rather than two), and when the costume came the bra was way bigger than I had ordered (D-cup!). They took it back right away, though, and had a new costume in the right size to me in about six weeks. I don't know if this is everyone's experience with them: apparently, the owner was out of the country due to a death in the family that summer, and so all of my correspondence was with a very helpful woman who was running the business in his absence. That may have contributed to the confusion.

So, in conclusion, I love my purple bedlah from them! I took some fringe off the front of the bra because there was too much of it for my taste, but otherwise I had to do very few alterations to it. Now the only question is whether I should get an L. Rose trumpet skirt to match...

Ainsley, is the purple one as pointy-boobed as the gold bedlah? I've thought about ordering more from them but was afraid the pro ones would be built that way too...

And I think you definitely need a lux velvet L Rose trumpet skirt. ;)

It's definitely on the pointy side. I think it works well for my shape, but I don't know what the larger sizes would be like.

So... tempted... The Shangri-La printed velvet is calling to me, but it might be too busy.

Originally Posted by nasila

Ainsley, is the purple one as pointy-boobed as the gold bedlah? I've thought about ordering more from them but was afraid the pro ones would be built that way too...

And I think you definitely need a lux velvet L Rose trumpet skirt. ;)

Mine was not pointed at all, and true to cup size. a hard cup, but fits very well. I found an L Rose Lycra trumpet skirt in the EXACT same shade of purple as my bedlah! Waiting for it to arrive any day..g.:

I have a cheap set from them and ended up doing a lot of repair work from them when I got it. They had not tied off a number of thread ends from the bead and sequin rows and I was losing stuff everywhere. It took an afternoon to repair and do all that.

But, I guess you get what you pay for.

Lisa

Thanks everyone! She ordered the costume and now we wait. It is one of the "pro" costumes, so I am guessing it will be slightly better than the low end. The best news is that I did not hear from anyone who had a terrible experience with this vendor, so that is encouraging.

Alcrea, I love that lavendar costume you were selling. Do you still have it? I wanted it, but I think I had to back out because the top was too small for me. I guess that is especially true now that I know the cups run small, so I might even be in a D.

Thank you!

Yep, I still have it. Although the cups are really big on me, ( I think they are a C or a D) I am glad it didnt sell. It is a nice costume and its comfy :) Just nice to have around. You will have to post pictures when you get your costume! I want to see it! I am also waiting for a costume, I hope it gets here soon.

Melissa :)

I'm really happy to see all these comments. I have heard some negative stuff about these guys, but some of their on-sale-but-better-than-really-low-end costumes have caught my eye, and I have been considering getting something from them.

--Anahit

I bought one of the on-sale costumes, and overall I'm happy with it. The cup sizes do run small, though. I found that the pieces are sturdy, I've lost very few sequins (and those I lost are unnoticeable), but the costume I ordered didn't look exactly like the picture. The beading was different and the colors were a little off, but it's still a very pretty costume. It did take almost a month longer to receive than is listed on the site, but I will say the communication was good overall.

I'm considering ordering from them again, for whatever it's worth.

Yes I have MANY thoughts on Isis Exchange. I ordered 2 custom made costumes from them and paid for them using Paypal. I received ONE of them about 9 months later. After asking repeatedly for a refund for the second costume which they never sent, I called them and received verbal abuse. I then received extensive abuse via email saying that I was, a-hem, rude, asking for a refund of my money. They agreed that they never sent me the costume, but would not refund me as they didn't like "my tone" of voice when questioning where the costume was 12 months after placing the order.

Needless to say, I never got the refund - about $300USD. So I won't go near them ever again!! It was a very scary ordeal. I have their email to me if anyone wants to see it...

I had ordered a bedlah from them when they were selling on ebay. After about 6 weeks I called him and emailed him several times over a couple of weeks to check on the progress, and no response. The guy never answered my emails until I threatened to take action against him through ebay and paypal. Literally after he received the official notice I got an email from him asking me to withdraw the dispute because the costume was in the mail on its way. What a coincidence! He wasn't too nice about it. I don't know-seemed a little shady! I would be wary of buying from them without being protected by my credit card company or ebay or something like that!

I have had a bad experience with low-quality, misleading merchadise with Isis Exchange's e-bay store. I would not buy from them.

well after hearing the last few negative comments, i think i'm going to pass on ordering from them. nothing infuriates me worse than not getting what i paid for, or having to chase someone for either a refund or for the item in question. bad experiences, i don't need, but i guess they're out there. i just wish there was a bellydancing store near where i lived where i could go and try on dozens of great-looking costumes - a right-on-site kind of sale. try, if you like, buy kinda thing. not so, unfortunately. why do these costumes always have to be in places like turkey, on ebay where you can only see pictures and try to envision yourself wearing them? kinda stressful at times.

well I 've been a customer of IsisExchange.com for the past 2 years. I am very satisfied. i never had a problem. I always got what i ordered. Their costumes are beautiful and they last. Honestly for the price you pay they 're excellent and very comfortable. I tried buying from Dalhal but her costumes are expensive. I recently ordered this costume from Isis Exchange

Belly Dance Costumes Hip Scarves and belly Dancing accessories by Isis Exchange

What do you guys think about it ?..l;,

Well i think you should at least give them a try. Sometimes things can go wrong but that's with every company. Even the biggest ones out there.

I would order from them again.....the custom bedlah I got has received so many compliments, and it's very sturdy.
It's been great for festivals and events where I would hesitate to wear a high end costume. I've worn it a few times now, and not a bead missing! (hope I don't jinx myself)

i just ordered a plain silver bedlah, i got it 3 month later (what they had said). i needed a plain silver set and this on works well for it. nive set for the price, a few beads came off but nothing serious. i added more fringe and sparkle. the service was great , responded to phone calls and emails.

Regarding some beeds falling, I think that's normal. It happens to me too sometimes but its normal wear and tear. Nothing to really complain about. My costumes are still looking great even after dancing in them so many times.

I just received my first bedleh set from them, and white it did take about 4 weeks longer than quoted, I always got prompt responses to my e-mail inquiries. I bought one of the cheapie sets and it's quite lovely and simple. My only beef is with the cups. I wish I had read this thread before I ordered it because the cups fit me horribly and run small. I don't feel like sending it back and waiting goodness knows how long to get another set either, so I'm going to do some surgery on it myself.

Yes. And do not waste your time. They are unreilable,they are known to the BBB. I odrered from them, they took my money I have yet to see a costume. I guess I should have checked them out before making a purchase.


Well I received my costume 2 months late but I received it. I have since returned it I wan't happy with it. Maybe I expect too much. As others on this site are very happy with their product and service. Shop at your own risk maybe you'll have better luck than I did.

Cheers.

Ugh. And here I was considering getting a basic gold bedlah from them. Not sure what to do now.

okay, can anyone else chime in. Has it improved?

Vahana - what happned with your troupe mate costume?

I ordered a costume from them at the beginning of the year, they said it would take 10 weeks and exactly ten weeks later (almost to the day) I received it. The cups were hard and definitely too small, so I eventually sold it here on bhuz, but I was pleased with the overall quality, I would call it mid-level pro, no bella for sure, but I turned heads when I wore it and got lots of compliments. The end product was a little different then what was described in the web site example, the skirt had two front slits instead of side slits. I did tack the fringe ends with glue, and one or two strands needed repair, changed out the elastic in the top of the skirt (too tight) all the little things you need to do to make it suit you, was not labor intensive though. Here is the link for it when I sold it here:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/bellydance...tume-sold.html

Overall, I say cost effective and lovely, just watch out for those too small cups!

After reading the negative feedback on Isis Exchange and positive feedback on other sources, I decided when I get ready to order it will probably be from Joharah or Belly Dance Shop, since basic bedlahs from them are not much more than from Isis:

$140 Joharah
Costumes

$165 Bellydance Store
Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery
Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

I got this costume from them and i like it a lot. Its totally a good deal. The cups are kinda small though.

Beautiful Hot Red Belly dancing costume Belly Dance Costumes Hip Scarves and belly Dancing accessories by Isis Exchange

DONT DO IT!!!! Thank god I used paypal and they gauranteed my noney back!