Most online retailers are aiming for delivery as fast as they can get the goods out the door. However, Zulily, Inc. has a different approach.It is remaining solvent by following a slow delivery policy -- on average about two to three weeks to get the ordered goods to its buyers. Purchases of brand items such as Spanx and Crocs can take about a month to arrive.See:Serena Ng, "Zulily's Secret to Profit Means Slow Deliveries,"Wall Street Journal,May 5, 2014, p. B1.Amazon, QVC, and voerstock.com have average delivery times of three to four days.

Zulilly has was theWall Street Journalrefers to as a "bare-bones distribution system."The company does not purchase inventory in advance; it waits for the orders and then orders its shipment from manufacturers.Zulilly also does not accept returns -- all sales are final.

However, the end result of the no-inventory and no-returns policies is that the prices at Zulilly are much lower than other online retailers.

The company is building astrong customer base throughits focus on deals of the day, and its customer count was double ion 2013 what it was in 2012.See:http://www.king5.com/news/technology/Behind-the-scenes-at-rapidly-growing-Zulily-254830881.html

But, shopping at Zulily requires an understanding of the terms in advance.In fact, before you gain access to the site, you must fill in your e-mail address, which represents and acknowledgement that you agree to abide by Zulilly terms and conditions.Here are the critical terms and conditions that are so different from other online retailers:

2.3 Orders.Your receipt of an order confirmation from us does not signify our acceptance of your order, nor does it constitute confirmation of our offer to sell. We reserve the right at any time after receipt of your order to accept or decline or cancel your order (in whole or in part) for any reason. We may require additional verifications or information before accepting any order. Your order is not accepted until it is shipped (or a portion of the order is shipped). Notwithstanding the foregoing, you agree that, if we cancel all or a part of your order, your sole and exclusive remedy is that we (a) issue a credit to your credit card or PayPal account in the amount charged for the cancelled portion (if your credit card has already been charged for the order) or (b) not charge your credit card or PayPal account for the cancelled portion of the order.

2.5 Shipping PolicyAny delivery dates provided by zulily are estimates. zulily reserves the right to make deliveries in installments. zulily will send you an email when your order has shipped and you may review your order and shipping information on your zulily My Account page. We ship within the US (including Alaska, Hawaii and APO/FPO/DPO addresses), and to Canada, UK and more than 80 other countries.

2.6 Return Policy

(a) Return Policy.zulily will only accept returns on products that are identified on the Product information page as eligible for return or as provided in Section 2.6(c). Once zulily confirms that your Product was returned in accordance with Section 2.6, your sole and exclusive remedy is a store credit in the amount charged for the applicable Product; provided that the credited amount will not include the applicable Delivery Fee, which is nonrefundable. Store credits may only be used for future purchase of Products on the Web site (excluding gift cards) and are subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 14.

(b) Exchanges.We do not accept any Product exchanges.

The bottom line is that Zuliy can ship goods if it has the goods and will do so when it does and you agree to the delay by signing in.You also agree that the sale is final -- you cannot return or exchange the goods.Zuliy is a no-nonsense inline retailer.Consumers who use the sight need to understand the terms of contracting for those terms require a waiver of timely performance and the right to return non-conforming goods. The contract terms and discounts may not cover for the delays -- as one customer noted, "What's the point of saving $15 if you have to wait six weeks?"

The Federal Trade Commission rules only require consumer notification and the right to cancel for delayed delivery, but Zulilly has that all covered through its upfront disclosure and the buyer's agreement to abide by those longer shipping terms.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

1.Explain the terms of contracting with Zulily.

2.Why don't the FTC rules on disclosure apply?

May you please add the citation where you got the information from