Limited time, limited availability, limited membership. They’re the three ingredients that make up online private shopping clubs, the mecca for high-end brands at low prices.
The premise for these ‘private shopping clubs’ is simple: you sign up as a member, and whenever a sale is on the horizon, the shopping gods send you an email or an iPhone alert warning you that something big is going down at a specific time and on a specific date.
You save the date, you get into work early, you hammer the refresh button until your fingers seize up, and as the time ticks over, your page refreshes and a goldmine of designer labels and boutique wares—most of which are exclusive to the site—appears. And all at rock bottom prices.
Similar to deal-of-the-day websites like groupon.com, each item has a time and stock limit, so you’ve got to hurry. (Window shoppers beware, this is an impulse buyers zone.) Despite the rush, there is an upside: you won’t have to elbow the masses eyeing those Jimmy Choo shoes too in order to get them. Join now to shop your little heart out.
Reebonz
Chanel, Miu Miu, Coach? You’d be forgiven for thinking that at these prices, you’ve been given cheap knock-offs, but Reebonz assures that all sale stock (mainly bags and accessories) is the genuine deal. How they’ve managed to keep these high-end labels affordable is beyond us, but it’s made us happier than a kid in a candy store. A Willy Wonka factory-sized candy store. Loyalty is where it’s at at Reebonz. The more you spend/share the Reebonz love, the more points/credit you’ll earn towards your next purchase. What’s more, you can even sell your old designer handbags on Reebonz for cold hard cash.
Shipping? Zilch.
When will you get it? Five days.
Refunds? Returns within 14 days, refund within 30 days.
My Net Sale
Welcome to My Net Sale. Upon arrival, you’ll receive a $10 gift voucher/code to spend as you like. You’ll also receive some style stalker advice, because it’s one thing to be able to purchase the latest, it’s another to know how to flaunt them on the city streets. We know what you’re thinking: cut to the chase and tell me what brands are behind this virtual door! In short, you can expect anything from D&G and Gucci, to Versace and LV. There are other smaller, more youthful collections on show by Moos and Suboo and celebs like Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, but we had you at Gucci, didn’t we?
Shipping? $9.90-$19.90.
When will you get it? Dependent on item location, estimated time displayed on purchase page.
Refunds? Change of mind cancellations accepted if made before sale closes. Returns accepted for credit only within seven days.
brandsExclusive
You may have heard of this one. It’s laid claim as Australia’s #1 online shopping club - and with good reason. It was one of the forerunners of the membership model and sells Australian and international labels (e.g. I Love Billy, Burberry, Gucci, Josh Goot) at up to 70% off the retail price. brandsExclusive covers all your shopping needs from fashion and homewares to beauty and books, with sales typically lasting 2-4 days. For every friend you invite, you can earn $10… to put toward your next purchase, naturally.
Shipping? $9.99 (metro), $10.99 (regional)
When will you get it?2-4 weeks
Refunds? 30 days, no questions asked, returns policy. Faulty goods will be provided with a pre-paid shipping label.
Well, that's our top three done and dusted. But if we haven't quite satisfied your shopoholic needs, here are a few more hot private shopping clubs you might want to take a look at.
Buyinvite
Hot on the heels of brandsExclusive is Buyinvite. It offers up to 80% off the RRP of its stock (think big brands like Hugo Boss and Armani, and fun youthful lines by Roxy and Vans) and for every friend you invite you can earn $20 toward your next purchase. As they hold “one day deals”, notifications are sent daily to keep you up-to-date with these flash sale bargains, which includes tech gear, wine deals and travel packages. Best of all, the website features a “coming soon” section, so you can window shop and prepare the bank account in time for the sale. Transferring funds now.brndas
Shipping? $9.95, unless otherwise stated.
When will you get it? 15 days after you place your order or 1-2 weeks after the sale closes.
Refunds? 14 day return for store credit. Faulty, short-shipped or unavailable items will be refunded within 72-hours of processing.
Ozsale
Australian brands at up to 80% off - like you really needed an excuse to visit this site. It sells a product every five seconds on its websites worldwide, so you’re in good shop-a-holic company, my friend. If you think the threads look familiar, there’s a reason. Ozsale is so huge that in 2012 it acquired Buyinvite, and so it shares its members and sale stock. Ozsale however prides itself in being the ‘parent’ company, having operations in the US, Asia and New Zealand. It also has priority membership (for a fee) so you can pre-shop the sale stock. A user-friendly app makes it easy to shop anywhere, everywhere… and one hour before your computer-lovin’ card-holding counterparts can. Suck it.
Shipping? $9.95, unless otherwise stated.
When will you get it? Between 7-21 days.
Refunds? Change of mind within 21 days for store credit unless otherwise stated on the purchase page. Incorrect or faulty items are entitled to a refund.
Brandsfever
Cool brands, hot sales and another up to 80% off guarantee. Clearly we’re paying too much at the register. Brandsfever specialises in more everyday, wearable find-it-at-Westfield brands like GAP, Fossil, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Diesel. Like something not on sale at Brandsfever? Tell them and they could add it to their catalogue. The variety is quite limited at the moment, though they’re always requesting your input on what brands you’d like to see in-store. We’re subscribing to the “ask and ye shall receive” theory here.
Shipping? $4.90, or free for orders over $100.
When will you get it? 1-4 weeks from the sale closure day.
Refunds? Returns within 14 days for store credit.
Gilt
Five things you should know about Gilt:
Gilt is one of those wonderful US-based retailers that ships to Australia
Luxe boutique brands are the name of the game. Think Jason Wu and Rachel Pally
Stock typically flies off the shelf within 36 hours, so if you want it, buy it
Regret is not something Gilt wants you to feel - it’ll let you know when there’s less than five items left in stock, so if you want it, buy it
Sales start at noon ET time (Sydney 4am - eeek!). Bonus sales appear on Sundays and Wednesdays at 9pm ET (Sydney 1pm - that’s better!)
Sunshine, lollipops and blue skies will abound when one of Australia’s own adopt the Gilt model, as it’s not purely a look-and-buy site, it’s a personal shopping experience. Shop by shoe size, discover the many ways you can wear coloured denim, and abuse the “gift finder”. Simply answer the questions on what s/he likes and how much you want to spend and witness the magic of the internet, as a whole menagerie of perfect gifts are laid out before you. The only thing left is for you decide on which one to buy. One thing’s for sure, at these prices, you won’t feel guilty.
Shipping? $19.95, more for heavy/bulky items.
When will you get it? 2-5 days longer than the quoted US shipping time.
Refunds? International refunds will not be accepted.
Ideeli
This one’s brought to us by the guys at Groupon. So if you’re a fan of that site, bets are on that you’ll love Ideeli too. Alongside Gilt, it’s one of those US-based shopping experiences that invite Aussies to the party. (Yay!) The downside? Another noon sale time, meaning another 4am wakeup for you (Boo!). It’s worth it though for the 1,000+ brands like Elaine Turner, M Missoni, and Michael Brandon at your fingertips. Look out for the Warehouse Sales which are worth their weight in pocket change at up to 90% off the RRP.
Shipping? Varies depending on your location. Not all items will ship to Australia.
When will you get it? Delivery times vary depending on location. An estimated delivery time will be provided at the checkout.
Refunds? International refunds are not accepted, unless the item is defective, damaged or incorrect.
HauteLook
8am Pacific Time (3am, Sydney) is when the sale begins at HauteLook. That’s every day of the week. There’s a smorgasbord of events (read, sales) on all the time so if you can’t roll over in bed for first pickings, there’ll still be plenty of designer labels on the virtual shelves for you to pick from when you do manage to crawl out from under the covers. HauteLook is all hooked up to devices, so you can access it via iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle whenever you feel the urge to shop with your fingers and credit card. Which is all the time, right?
Shipping? From $22.95, charges based on weight.
When will you get it? Delivery times estimated at checkout.
Refunds? Returns accepted within 30 days and made easy via the online form.
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