FashBlog.com

By: Lindsey Rawson-Lin

Do you want fun, fashionable, discount clothes, but do not want to travel far to get them? Try discount shopping on the Internet. If you are short on time, do not enjoy outlet shopping at the stores, and have an Internet connection you can find many amazing high-end fashion deals in cyberspace. You can get designer brands like BCBG, Calvin Klein, and Juicy Couture for 30-80% off the retail prices. You do not have to be a techie to find these deals, all you need is some basic knowledge of how to use the Internet. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to finding amazing deals with just a few clicks of your mouse. Sound easier than you thought? If you check out the websites I recommend and check out some of my tips, it can be easy and entertaining and you do not have to leave the comforts of home.

Safety and security Concerns:

If you are concerned about security over the Internet, like many of us are, it is important to do your research. Not every website is secure for making purchases with credit cards. If you are concerned about security, you want to find reputable websites that have privacy and security statements. After reviewing the security and privacy policies, if you are not comfortable with their policies I recommend not purchasing through that site. There are many other sites out there. The last thing you want is to have your credit card number or identity stolen. With the increase in shopping over the Internet there are now more websites than ever that are completely safe and will have detailed safety policies. If you still do not feel safe directly using your credit card check out PayPal.

What is PayPal?

Some discount websites like Overstock do not even require you use a credit card, you can pay with PayPal which may make you feel more comfortable. PayPal is the submission of money to a company or seller in which you can use a credit card, bank account, or debit card, but do not reveal personal information such as credit card numbers to the seller. This is one of the most popular methods of payment on EBay because it is quick and secure. If you do not have a PayPal account, Google it and check out their website.

Some General Tips:

Searching Options:

My favorite way to search for discounted designer clothing is to go to the apparel section of the website and click on the general apparel option. From there I pull up all types of clothing in order to get the best search results and the best discounts possible. Once you pull up the general apparel section I choose the option to search by percentage off (if the option is available). This way you can go directly to the items with the best percentage off of their retail prices. Some websites start out at 90% off. If you want specific types of clothing because you know what you are looking for, go there first. When a website does not offer the percentage off option I start with the lowest price to highest price search option. Here the items will not be listed by percentage off so you may have to calculate your percentage savings if that is of interest to you. Most websites will also let you search by designer so if you know you want to buy Prada enter it into the search area and see if they offer Prada.

Clearance and Bargain Bins:

Often websites will display sections that have deeply discounted items in Clearance, Bargain, or Last Chance sections. Usually these are towards the lower left hand side of the website or at the bottom. They are not the top items the website is trying to push because they are not the money makers. Take an indepth look at the website; get to know the layout and how it works.

Start with General Discount Websites:

Starting with general discount websites will give you the most variety if you are looking for a multitude of designers.

Below I have listed my favorite discount websites that I use:

Overstock:

Overstock is a great website for finding clothing at really great prices. They usually have a large inventory of dresses, pants, handbags, sunglasses, shoes, and tops. Last year I bought silk Dolce & Gabbana tops for $40 each and they retailed at $500. It is an easy to use website that offers brands such as Von Dutch, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci, BCBG and Calvin Klein. Shipping is a flat rate at $2.95 and there is no tax. Shipping is usually pretty quick, about a week or less on the average. The only problem I have is that returns can be confusing with this retailer and you only have 30 days in which to get the item returned to their facilities. Quality of packaging is excellent. I have never received damaged clothing from them.

SmartBargains:

SmartBargains is affiliated with the discount department store Loehmann's. Like Overstock they offer some of the best designer discounts that I have found. Their inventor is more in fashion than Overstock. They offer brands such as Max Studio, Michael Kors, DKNY, and Bill Blass. They have an easy to use option to search by brand or size. You can also search by greatest percent off. They have wide variety of dresses, pants, tops, handbags, and sunglasses. I found a Nicole Miller dress for $79 on their site, original retail $320, a 75% discount. Shipping varies depending on what you are ordering so it can be more on the expensive side, starting at around $7.95, but if you are buying more than one item, it is usually worth it. SmartBargains has a 30 day refund policy.

EBay:

Looking for designer merchandise on EBay is a little more difficult. First I search for items by brand and that advertise New With Tags so I know that it really is a brand new item the seller is selling. Then I look at the ratings on the seller. You want to purchase from people that have good ratings because with EBay you are buying from individuals. Occasionally you do hear about people that do not receive items or they were not what they described. I also only buy items with good pictures. I want to see the front, the back, the detailing if any. EBay is great though, because you can find just about any brand name you are looking for. You might not get it because it is a bidding process, but sometimes that can lead to great fun. Be careful to set a price in your head that you will not go over though, because it is easy to get carried away. Bidding can become a sport and not as much about the item, as winning the bidding war. Shipping varies and rates vary. Make sure to inquire with the sellers if it is not listed because they can charge whatever they like for shipping and handling. Also most items are usually not returnable. Check out each seller and their policy on returns, if they do not have a policy, just shoot them an e-mail. But remember nothing is guaranteed. They could say yes you can return your item and then change their mind later.

Classic Closeouts:

This is a smaller based website that does not have as good of selections as the above retailers but oftentimes better prices. You can find designers such as Calvin Klein, and DKNY. Outerwear is a great buy on this site, often they have DKNY at 50% off or more. You can also pull up a list of all the designers and search by designer only. Shipping is not too expensive, most of the time if you spend over a certain amount of money they offer free shipping. But if you are looking for items to arrive quickly or you need them for an event in a week or two I would not buy from them. I have gotten many great items from this site, but delivery times can take up to a few weeks.

Look for Online Coupons Before you Hit Buy:

Often you can search online coupons that will give you coupon codes that will offer you extra percentages off of the final price or free shipping. If you go to Google and search for online coupons you will find a variety of different websites. You can go to these websites and search the company you are buying from to see if they have any coupons available. Then you click on the link to access the coupon or are given a coupon code to use at check-out.

What about sizing?

Finding the size that fits you best can be a downside to purchasing clothes on the Internet. If you know the designers you are buying from then you know the sizes. I tend to stay away from purchasing jeans or anything that has a contoured fit to it over the Internet unless I know the brand from which I am buying and how their clothing fits. Sometimes you can find measurements for a particular designer on the Internet. Buying on the Internet is much like buying items out of a catalog, you never know exactly how it will fit until it arrives. Shopping on EBay, many of the listing offer rough measurements. If you are buying an item that you are not really sure about check the return policy and perhaps purchase the two closest sizes and return one later.

Check Out Individual Store Discounts:

If you know what stores you love to shop at then checking out the stores online is another good idea. Most stores have websites that offer sale or clearance sections. At the end of the season I have gotten e-mails from stores to check out their websites and have found some really enticing bargains.

Some of My Favorite Online Stores:

The Gap:

The Gap has an extensive amount of sale clothing including jeans, dresses, tops, and jackets on their website. The end of the winter is a great time to stock up on coats for the rest of the cold months and next year. Often you can find outerwear for more than 50% off of the retail price.

Urban Outfitters:

The first time I looked at Urban Outfitters online store I was amazed by the large amounts of sale and clearance items. Perhaps this is because they do not have an outlet store. Check them out, usually they have a good variety.

J Crew:

Buying online can be your best bet at finding J Crew deals anywhere. Often they will have clearances on shoes and outerwear which are pretty expensive in the store. However, sometimes the sizes they carry on their website are very small or very large. If you get an e-mail about a sale check it out quickly because the average sizes will sell out fast.

Newport News:

This is a catalog based company and their website is constantly offering clearance and sale merchandise. They have a lot of really good sales on handbags, shoes, dresses, and swimwear. I bought a two piece swimsuit I loved on clearance there for only $14.99.