Nov 23, 2009 11:37 pm US/Eastern
Designer Discounts For Shoppers On The Web
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
When it comes to fashion, we may want designer labels, but usually can't afford designer prices. Now there's a new way to get high fashion at a low cost.
"These jeans tend to go for $300 a pair. I think I bought them for $70 to $60," says Andrea Breslof of Boston.
She found out that dressing the part doesn't have to put you in the poor house. Her secret?
Ideeli.com. It's the latest trend in online retailing. They are member-only shopping communities that offer huge discounts on designer brands, as much as 70 to 80 percent off.
Take this pair of Gucci boots, "These were originally $400, and I got them for $100."
The sites are popping up faster than the latest fashions. In addition to
Ideeli, there's
RueLaLa,
Gilt, and
Hautelook.
"There's a lot of extra inventory out there. These companies are looking to unload that inventory and it's a convenient place to do it, "says Glenn Kelley, a marketing and retail professor at Babson College.
Here's how the work. You apply for a membership. Once accepted, you get e-mails about upcoming sales of sample designer products including clothing, accessories, jewelry, shoes, and even home goods.
"The deals are amazing. You can do really well if you know what you want," says Breslof.
But while the fashions are fabulous and the discounts deep, there are things you should consider before jumping at those offers,
"They try to get you into a buying frenzy," says Kelley.
That's because the clock is ticking. The sale starts everyday at noon, and it only lasts a few days or until the item is sold out.
"They are trying to push those buttons about, you've got to buy it now. It's going to be gone."
Pushing you to spend a lot of money on something you didn't know you even wanted, and now you have to keep. Many items are not returnable.
Don't be discouraged if a website says you need to be recommended by a friend to join. The truth is every site I tried let me in registering.
"They are playing on the psychology of people wanting to be dealt with on an exclusive level," says Kelley.
Exclusive or not, Andrea still feels she comes out a winner, "This bag, I got really excited about it because it's made of an exotic material. It runs for about $1,200, I got it for $300.
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