Big Shiny Balls com has been gaining attention lately for its unique and eye-catching party decor. The website sells large, inflatable PVC balls and ornaments in various colors and sizes.
But is BigShinyBalls.com scam or legit? In this extensive review, we will take an in-depth look at the website, its products, business history and practices to determine if it is trustworthy or not.
Overview of BigShinyBalls.com
BigShinyBalls.com sells giant inflatable PVC balls and holiday ornaments in sizes ranging from 1.5 feet to over 6 feet tall. They offer balls in shiny mylar or clear vinyl, in colors like silver, gold, rose gold, rainbow, clear and more.
The balls can be used for home decor, events, photoshoots, parties, weddings and more. They claim the balls stay inflated for weeks or months when properly sealed.
Some of their top products include:
- Big Shiny Bundle – Includes 1 large 5ft ball, 1 medium 3ft ball and a pump for $875
- Shiny Ornament Bundle – Includes 4 large 3-4 ft ornaments and a pump for $1499
- Big Party Bundle – Includes 1 large ball, 2 medium balls and a pump for $1500
- Rainbow Sequin Ball – A 5ft rainbow disco ball for $325
The website states that the company is family-owned and based in Miami. All products are made-to-order and require 7-12 days production time before shipping.
At first glance, the photos of giant, reflective balls are eye-catching and the products seem fun and unique. But is this company truly legitimate or just a scam preying on customers? Let’s investigate further.
Assessing the Domain and Website
The first thing we look at is the domain name itself. BigShinyBalls.com was registered on November 13, 2023 through Alibaba Cloud Computing Ltd. This is a very recent registration, which raises some red flags.
The website is built on the Wix platform, which is commonly used by small businesses and startups. The design is clean and professional, with high-quality product photos.
There is limited text content on the site and no clear “About Us” page specifying the company’s history or ownership. Only an intro paragraph on the homepage briefly mentions being family-owned and located in Miami.
There are contact details with an email address, phone number and contact form provided. This helps build some trust and legitimacy.
Overall, the domain history is concerning being so new, but the website itself looks nicely designed. More background details on the owners would improve credibility.
Searching for Company Reviews and Reputation
Next, we search for any reviews, reputation or mentions of BigShinyBalls.com across the web. But there is very limited information available:
No Better Business Bureau (BBB) listing – Large, established companies typically have a BBB profile, so the absence is suspicious.
No independent reviews – We could not find any reviews on the website itself or on third-party review sites like Trustpilot. This lack of reviews is worrisome for a company apparently selling since 2023.
No social media trails – The website does not link to any social media profiles for the brand. Searching Facebook, Instagram and Twitter turns up no results for BigShinyBalls.
No press mentions – There are no media articles, blog posts or other mentions of the BigShinyBalls website online.
The lack of reputation and reviews for this ecommerce store is a major red flag. Most legitimate businesses have at least some online presence, but there appears to be none for this website.
Evaluating the Product Offerings
The products themselves also raise some questions upon closer inspection:
Very broad selection – The site claims to be a small family-owned business, yet they offer an extremely wide array of giant balls and ornaments in every color. This immense inventory seems ambitious for a newer company.
High prices – The balls are listed at premium prices ranging from $79 for a 2ft up to $599 for a 6ft. These high price points for inflatable party decor seem inflated.
Long shipping times – The website states all products are made-to-order and take 7-12 days to produce before shipping. Hand-making custom balls in this array of designs does not align with the quick order fulfillment and mass quantities depicted in the photos.
Cloning suspicions – Some product photos appear cloned or copied from other websites. Reverse image searches bring up identical items on Alibaba and other wholesale sites.
With no reviews to confirm the quality, the products raise many doubts about genuineness and value for these premium costs.
Evaluating Payment and Policies
We also examine the website’s payment methods, policies and guarantees to assess legitimacy:
Payment – BigShinyBalls accepts payment through Stripe. This is a secure and reputable payment processor, which offers some legitimacy. However, scam sites can sometimes still process orders temporarily through systems like Stripe before shutting down.
No returns – The website does not mention any return or refund policy. This lack of recourse in case of a problem is concerning.
No guarantees – There is no satisfaction guarantee or other buyer protection policy listed on the site.
Minimum order – A high minimum order value of $400 is required. This tactic pressures customers to overspend.
Ships worldwide – Offering worldwide shipping from a new US-based company is ambitious and questionable. Importing/exporting giant inflatable balls globally seems logistically difficult.
The lack of a proper return policy, guarantees or protections is worrisome for customers making a purchase.
Analysis of Company Background
As we could not find any press releases or About Us page on BigShinyBalls.com, we try to piece together the company history:
No founding information – There are no dates, founder names or inception story provided to substantiate the business origins.
Miami location – The website and domain are registered to an address in Miami, Florida. We checked on Google Maps and no actual office or studio is present at the listed location.
Recent founding – Given the domain was just registered in November 2023, the company appears to be less than a year old. There are no established years in business referenced.
Aliaba connection – The domain registry points to Alibaba, a major wholesale supplier based in China. This hints the source for production.
With no evidence of the business existing prior to mid-2023, the short history and ties to Asian suppliers raises doubts about the legitimacy of this US retailer.
Analyzing the Website Traffic and Rankings
We run the BigShinyBalls website through similarweb.com to gauge its online traffic and popularity. The results show:
Low traffic – The site receives only around 55,200 visits per month. This is extremely low traffic for an ecommerce store, signaling lack of awareness.
Poor engagement – Bounce rate is 97%, meaning nearly all visitors leave the site immediately. Pages per visit is less than 1, also demonstrating poor engagement.
Low authority site – The global rank is very low at 1.06 million and the country rank is 175,000. This reveals the website has little search authority or prominence online.
The very low traffic, high bounce rate and poor rankings indicate minimal online presence or popularity for this website so far. The metrics would be much higher for a legitimate established ecommerce business.
Is the Website Scam: Final Verdict
In summary, here are the key factors that lead us to deem BigShinyBalls.com as a risky website and likely scam:
- Very recently registered domain name in November 2023
- No business licenses, trademarks or public ownership records
- Website hosted on Wix with limited company information
- Completely lack of online reviews or reputation
- No social media trails for what appears to be an active company
- No evidence of any physical business locations or operations
- Products seem overpriced for inflatable decorations
- Photos appear copied from Alibaba and other Asian suppliers
- No return policy or purchase protections provided
- New business allegedly shipping worldwide from US origin
- Extremely low website traffic and search rankings for an ecommerce store
Without verifiable information on the founders, location, or even product origins, this website throws up every red flag in the book. The lack of reputation and the recent, hidden history of the business makes it extremely high risk for customers.
We advise exercising extreme caution before purchasing from BigShinyBalls.com, as it exhibits multiple signs of being a scam website.
For anyone who has already placed an order or wired funds, we recommend contacting your bank immediately to halt the transaction or have charges reversed for suspected fraud. Check with the Better Business Bureau for guidance as well on recovering losses from an online scam.
How to Spot Similar Scam Websites
BigShinyBalls.com serves as a great case study for identifying scam websites trying to entice customers. Here are the top warning signs to watch out for:
✔️ Brand new domain registration – Scam sites often use new domains registered weeks or months ago. Check the WHOIS data.
✔️ No physical address – Withhold sending money if no verifiable HQ address is listed.
✔️ Too-good-to-be-true prices – Unrealistically low prices are a huge red flag.
✔️ Stock photos – Do a reverse image search to see if product photos are copied from elsewhere.
✔️ No customer reviews – Lack of reviews on the site or anywhere online is a giveaway something is wrong.
✔️ Pressuring sales tactics – Minimum orders, limited-time offers, and other gimmicks pressure customers to buy quickly without researching.
✔️ No satisfaction guarantee – Avoid sites with no return policy or that mention all sales are final.
✔️ Grammatical errors – Bad grammar and misspellings signal an amateur scam operation.
✔️ Bait-and-switch ads – If ads or pictures don’t match the actual products, don’t trust the site.
Learning to identify these red flags can help you steer clear of scam websites aiming to separate trusting customers from their money. Stick to reputable businesses that have an established online presence you can research and verify.
Recommended Legitimate Party Supply Stores
If you’re looking to purchase giant party balls or decorations, we recommend turning to these reputable ecommerce retailers instead:
PartyCity.com
Party City is the largest party goods big-box store in the US with over 800 locations. Their website PartyCity.com has a great selection of quality party supplies at affordable prices.
OrientalTrading.com
With over 40 years in business, Oriental Trading is a leader in fun, affordable party supplies, toys and novelties. They offer everything from tableware to decorations at discount prices.
PartyExpress.com
Celebrate Express is a popular online destination for party supplies, offering trendy decorations, plastic dinnerware, costumes and more for everyday celebrations.
BirthdayExpress.com
Birthday Express lives up to its name with the best selection of birthday party supplies and decorations fit for any age or theme. They offer decor, tableware, balloons and gifts galore.
BargainBalloons.com
Bargain Balloons provides inexpensive party balloons, streamers and decorations in bulk. Great for decorating on a budget for any occasion or event.
BJWholesale.com
BJ’s Wholesale Club offers low club prices on party essentials like tableware, decor, and food platters for easy one-stop party planning.
DollarTree.com
At just $1 per item, Dollar Tree is the ultimate party supply store on a tight budget. It takes more creativity, but you can throw an awesome party with their selection.
The Bottom Line
BigShinyBalls.com may offer eye-catching party products, but our extensive analysis reveals it exhibits multiple red flags as a potential scam website. We advise extreme caution before providing any payment or personal information to this unknown, unverified business.
Instead, stick to reputable, long-standing party and novelty stores that offer buyer protections. With more transparency and accountability, these merchants are the safest bet for your next celebration.
After reviewing all the evidence, BigShinyBalls.com looks to be more sketchy than shiny. Have you had any experiences purchasing from this website? Let us know in the comments if you think our scam investigation was on point or if we should reconsider our verdict!
Also Read:
- Barbour Sample Sale Review: Is it Scam or Legit?
- Plin Ko Whai Scam or Legit? My Experience on Plinko Whai App
- Lucifort Scam or Legit? Lucifort.com Review (Beware !!)
