Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Online Shopping - Made Simple

With years of experience buying birthday gifts, clothes for work, clothes for leisure and all sorts of specialty items, I wanted to share my comprehensive list for bargain online shopping sites. Suggestions are welcome and look for updates.

Overstock.com
www.overstock.com
From household items, shoes and apparel, this is a great site and a breeze to navigate. There used to be plentiful online coupon codes, but nowadays they are scarce. Shipping is a flat $2.95, so bulky and heavy items are no longer out of reach. Imagine buying a TV stand or couch and it shipping to your house for only $2.95! The UPS man will hate you, but talk about convenience! I bought my lovely Philips LCD TV from Overstock and the price still holds up after all these years. Users are pretty good at submitting reviews, which is very helpful in making decisions. You can learn a lot about fit, comfort and quality by scanning the reviews.

I purchase a lot of my bedding and shoes from Overstock. Great quality and prices. Returns and exchanges are relatively hassle free.

Sierra Trading Post
www.sierratradingpost.com
This is more of a sporting good and sportswear site. Think Bass Pro Shops or REI. They have incredible bargains on athletic shoes, hiking sandals and some comfort-based fashion shoes. With brands like Ecco, Columbia, Merrell and Teva, you can't miss. Also another site where avid reviewers share their two cents so you can make an informed decision. I also have found great outdoor dog supplies (portable bowls, backpacks, leashes, etc.) Their products are high quality and their prices can't be beat. Returns and exchanges are relatively hassle free. Online coupon codes are pretty easy to find. Once you purchase, they include a card in your shipment for 35% off your next purchase.

Metrostyle
www.metrostyle.com
This is a great website for women's fashions. A small, but good selection of clothes for work, shoes and evening gowns at reasonable prices. The quality is pretty good for what it is. A girlfriend of mine bought some super cute sweaters from this site.

Make Me Chic
www.makemechic.com
They offer a very trendy selection of shoes, accessories, dresses and lingerie. You can find cute dresses for around $20 each. Some of the items are kind of "hoochie-mama", but amidst all the glitz are some great timeless finds. A lot of people buy their shoes, although their selection may strike you as "stripper-esque," keep digging, there are some cute bargains. When I made my purchase, they advertised free shipping on $50 or more. Now we'll see how the quality measures up. Update on my purchase soon!


Karma Loop
www.karmaloop.com
They offer a youthful collection of edgy street wear for boys and girls, veering towards the "juniors" age. Their prices range from the reasonable to the higher end, but their site is easy to navigate and they have a great selection.

Etsy
www.etsy.com
This is THE site for vintage clothing, handmade jewelry, purses and art. It's a veritable hipsters paradise. Great photos, easy to navigate, with one of a kind finds ranging from rockabilly frocks to flapper duds. If you're looking for some unique mod outfits or something wearable for a costume ball or Halloween, this is the place to shop. It's an online marketplace that allows you to buy and sell instantly, without the auction hassle.

The Popular and Somewhat Obvious... Auction Sites and Classifieds
Everyone knows Ebay and Craigslist. One great site if you're looking beyond your local Craigsliste area is www.searchtempest.com. You can set the mile radius that you are willing to look and negotiate with sellers to ship items. I found my nifty Yamaha Vino 125 scooter all they way in New Jersey this way.

Christina Tran gave me a great tip on another classified sites called Bonanzle, check it out!

Retailers
Target, Kohls, Old Navy and JC Penney all have awesome deals online for clothes and home decor. Always google for the name of the retailer and "online coupon" to take advantage of instant coupon codes! If you're a AAA member, your card entitles you to a number of online shopping discounts.

Labels for Less
A lot of people rave about Bluefly, but I haven't been all that impressed. True, they have big brand names, but their prices are not fantastic. You could probably do better looking through clearance racks of high end department stores or cruising Loehman's and Nordstrom Rack. What I've bought from Bluefly hasn't been all that impressive, so I personally am not a big fan.

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