I have never heard of Mali and Mae, and am concerned about making a purchase. Are they trustworthy?

Before you make any purchases online, you should make sure that the merchant you purchase from is a legitimate and trustworthy seller. We are not associated with Mali and Mae, so you will need to make your own judgment calls about the risks of purchasing from a merchant you are not familiar with. That being said, below are some recommendations and tips.

First, determine what information is made available about the seller. Does the seller provide a physical street address? Is there a dedicated customer support email address? Is there an "About Us" page that goes into detail about who the people behind the online store are, and what their story is? The more information there is, the more likely a merchant is a serious and legitimate seller. You can even dig a bit deeper - for example, plug in the physical street address into Google Maps and see if the location is someone's home, or an actual office building. What is the domain name for the email address? If it is a gmail or yahoo email address, for instance, that may suggest the merchant has not taken the time and effort to create a dedicated email address tied to the merchant's online store website.

According to our records, Mali and Mae was registered on October 26, 2020. This may help provide some clues as to how long the merchant has been in business. Keep in mind, however, that not all merchants have had an online store since they started. Some companies sell from physical storefronts for many years before registering an online store.

Next, you could attempt to reach out to Mali and Mae directly with some questions about the products you are interested in. Even if you don't have any specific questions, don't be afraid to ask questions to confirm things you see on the website. For example, you could ask something like "I see on your website that orders over $50 qualifies for free shipping. I am based in XXXX location, would I also qualify for this offer?" The most important thing here is to determine if the merchant is able to provide a timely and professional response. If you don't hear back at all, that would be a big red flag. If the merchant isn't even willing to help you make a purchase, how can you expect them to help if something goes wrong after you place your order?