Holiday Bargain Shopping Tips

Danae just pointed out how poorly the dollar is faring on the world currency market and for a lingerie lover it can be devastating because most top flight lingerie comes from overseas with only a few exceptions.  Now I find myself back where I started 3 years ago, trying to find luxury lingerie that was affordable without accepting lesser quality or knockoffs, then sharing my finds with you.  Not to date myself but “we’ve come a long way, baby”.  No longer are your only choices either ebay or spending hours Googling, now you really can “let your fingers do the walking”…damn I’m old, and with the click of button get all of your holiday shopping done while saving cash.

Social Networking

Not just for keeping up with friends and family anymore.  Keep up with your favorite shops and blogs and their sales and promotions, right from your desk using a social media network.  Facebook, Twitter and RSS Feeds are the biggest but you can also use Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin’, Digg, etc…  While I was on Facebook I found out that Journelle has started their own membership style shopping experience with Confidentielle.  Once a week Confidentielle members will be notified of a special sale and this week it’s 50% off the ruby red silk satin and fuchsia French lace Crush Collection by Fleur of England.

Online Personal Shoppers

If you are just interested in finding out about specific items on sales consider shopping sites like Shop It To Me (available in the U.S. and U.K.) or MyNines.  At Shop It To Me You tell them what you’re looking for by category, brand, size and even discount percentage then they scour over 200 stores and 700 brands to find the best prices on the items you want.  MyNines takes it a step further by only pulling up items by membership/sample sale sites and by joining MyNines you can shop over 70 of these sites without joining each one of the thus eliminating a lot of emails.  My latest MyNines email gave me the heads up on lingerie & swimwear from Stella McCartney, La Perla, Prada, Pucci, DvF and more for 60% – 80% off.

Swishing and Swapping

This is probably my new favorite way to shop because you can get amazing ‘new to you’ designer and brand name apparel, you spend next to nothing, its fun and recycling is always a great idea.  Swishing is the U.K. term for swapping and at sites like The Big Swish/Wardrobe (U.K.) and ReFashioner (U.S.) are where you can swap your new (tags on) or gently used items with someone else and all you pay is postage and a small transaction fee.  Both sites allow worldwide transactions but shipping can get a bit pricey.  And yes you can find some amazing lingerie, in fact last week Alison told us about the upcoming Boudoir Swish with entertaining seminars from Kiss Me Deadly, Playful Promises, Velda Lauder and more.  Visit each site for more details.

Extra Tips

Shop via CashBack websites worldwide.  Cashback websites receive commissions from retailers for your purchases, then they  share the commission with you.   Sign-up on site like Fat Wallet, ebates and Big Crumbs then instead of visiting the retailer directly, go via one of the cashback website (you can also compare who is giving the most back -ebate doubled rebate during last holiday season) to shop.

Don’t wait to late. If you need something by a specific date do not wait or you should expect to pay extra for shipping.  The closer to Christmas the busier the postal service is and the longer it takes for a package to arrive.  Now compound that with the fact that some membership/sample sale site can take upwards of 2 weeks before they even ship your item and you may not see it until after the new year.

Look for shipping deal.  Notorious last minute shoppers can catch a break with shipping deals (2 day shipping free, discounted overnight shipping…).  These sites often offer free gift wrapping as well.

Research the price.  Just because a site says it’s having a sale doesn’t make it the best deal, Neiman Marcus isn’t called Needless Mark-up for nothing.  If you’re shopping on ebay know the fair market value and stick to it…no overpaying please.  Please note: If you’re shopping at a small boutique (even online) expect to pay a bit more, you’ll see the value in the service you receive (hard to find items, helpful shopping advice, gift wrapping, special notes…).