Jan 26, 2011

tips for shopping at online shopping clubs

in the last year, there has been an explosion of
"private" or invitation only shopping clubs/outlets like:













i think these are fantastic resources for finding
interesting and unique items at a fraction of the
cost that you might find them boutique stores
or other places online.
here are a few things that you can do to better
 prepare yourself to find some amazing items 
at great prices:
check often.
most of these stores highlight several 
vendors/"events" a day, and the sales last anywhere from
 24 hours to 4 days, and once they are gone, they are gone.
most will send out a daily e-mail, alerting you to
the new daily deals. be sure to at least look at the
vendor lineup to see if there is anything that
piques your interest. most of the time there will
be an "intro" picture that represent what is
being sold...don't judge the entire inventory
based on that one picture. i have found some
pretty amazing items in "events" that
have pictures of something that i thought was...
um...kinda ugly. don't be afraid to click around.
know what's "out there".
in order to know if the deals that you are seeing
at these online shopping outlets are really
GOOD deals, you need to look around. spend some time
looking at local and online stores to get a sense
of what you like, and what they COST.
for instance, i have been wanting a "driftwood"
looking lamp for a while now. every time i 
visit a new-to-me site, i would always check out the
lamp section to see if they had a driftwood lamp, 
and to see how much it cost. (usually,
these lamps cost between $100 and $400.)
which leads me to my next tip...
be prepared to pounce.
sometimes, items sell out within minutes of the
store/event "opening". at many of these sites, the items are
one of a kind, and acting quickly can make
all the difference between getting the item you
want, and getting left with empty dreams of 
that perfect pillow/lamp/poster/treasure.
remember that driftwood lamp i have been hunting for?


last week, at the foundary, i spotted one for $72.
(it's not this exact lamp, but pretty close!)
since i have been doing some looking around, 
i knew this was a great deal and 
acted quickly. i must have gotten the last one,
because as soon as i completed the checkout 
process, a big "sold out" tag went 
across the lamp. good for me, but not
so good for anyone else who might have wanted one. 
***
if you haven't already signed up,
click below, and come shop with me:
joss and main
and, if you know of any others, 
please let me know!


5 comments:

  1. I'm kind of out of the loop on these, but I always hear everyone talking about them so I guess I need to pay more attention! (and thanks for the tips and links).

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  2. Seriously pounce! I just went to buy a Hobo International wallet this a.m. from Rue La La and by the time I went to add to cart my first choice color was gone!

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  3. I just got an invitation yesterday to join Eziba, so it's funny you posted this! I was actually curious about others out there, so it is helpful to learn about the good ones. :)

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  4. http://shopurbanhome.com/shoppingcart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=57&products_id=873&zenid=a40300017ee3538b0ab3761817c1f8c4

    Here's one from Urban Home $79.99.

    Love your blog :)

    Cathy

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  5. www.HauteLook.com is one as well. While not a decorating site, they do have a housewares section. A lot of clothes, make up and skin care. Just so you know!

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