For all of you frequent shoppers out there, you already know how much damage a shopping addiction can do, especially on a credit card. Well, let me introduce you all to the best and absolute worst thing ever created: online shopping. In a few simple clicks, you can easily spend over $200 without even realizing it. Since I’ve been there, done that, I’m here to show all of you online shoppers where you can find the best deals and steals.
One of the first websites I found was ASOS.com. It is a European online-only company that produces everything from cocktail dresses to handbags to shoes. Don’t be alarmed when you first look through the site; some of their items are pretty pricey. There is even a whole section dedicated to just designer clothing. The trick is to ONLY browse through the sale items. Their sales are insane – usually around 70% off for most things. It’s like their own mini outlet online. And all of their products are, eventually, available in the sale section.
Hautelook.com is another trick I usually like to keep hidden for myself, but am willing to share with all of you. It’s pretty different from most websites though, so it definitely takes some getting used to. Hautelook is mostly only designer items, but at amazing prices. And they constantly have new “events,” or deals, so it’s important to keep yourself updated on what’s available. When looking through the different categories, it’s vital to first look at the top of the page right under the description to see when the “event” ends. For example, right now, Hautelook has an adorable black tucked sleeve dress on sale from $395.00 to just $85.00 but only for three more days. Although the dress may still be a little expensive for our college budgets, the deal is insane. One tip: take your time looking through this whole website and pay close attention to all the little details that you may usually just skim over.
Renttherunway.com is another out of this world find I have made in the past year. Although this website may seem geared towards the more formal crowd, if you look hard enough, there is a little something for everyone. To access this website, you have to become a member, which is free, and also beneficial. This is because if you want, you can receive emails on an updated basis that shows you what just came in stock or new deals that they may have. The thing I love the most about this website, that some people may shy against is that all of their items are rented, not purchased. There is an upside to this, though. Although you may love to see that beautiful dress hanging in the back of your closet, the reality is that you’re probably only going to wear it once. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a dress when you can rent it for less than half the original cost?! This summer I had a cocktail party to attend and didn’t want to buy a brand new dress so I went to Renttherunway where I found a Fierce McJagger dress that I loved. The dress retailed for $325, but I only had to pay $60 for it. Not only that, but Renttherunway allows you to receive a free second size, which means they will send you the same dress in two different sizes, so I was able to be fitted to my true size.
Saboskirt.com, dsw.com, jcrewfactory.com, and necessaryclothing.com are a few more of my favorites that offer amazing clothing, shoes, jewelry, and many others at discounted costs. And I found most of these websites accidentally. Sometimes, all it takes is googling the description of a piece of clothing you’re looking for and seeing what comes up in the results.
My only frustration with online shopping has come from H&M. At first, they were supposed to launch a US online site for the 2012 New Year, and not long after that, the new deadline became fall of 2012. With the first day of fall fast approaching, clothing on the website is available to look at and skim through, but not to purchase. Just reading through a few blogs, I can already sense that everyone is as frustrated with the whole situation as I am. H&M is a store I strongly endorse because of its cheap prices and pretty good quality of clothing. I will definitely keep the updates about their online status coming, if they ever choose to issue a statement about it.
Online shopping is an easy way to find amazing deals that are not necessarily available in the stores. And the feeling you get when your package finally comes in the mail is probably the best feeling ever. Oh, and one last tip – always look to see if you can use your college student ID to get an extra discount!
Image Sources:
http://www.asos.com
http://www.techfundz.com