Flash-sale sites are great, often-untapped venues at which to shop an ever-changing selection of designer items at on-sale prices.
Flash-sale sites, members-only online stores that offer limited-time, exclusively priced designer products, have garnered mixed reviews in recent months. The Wall Street Journal claims that “shoppers may be souring on the model,” pointing to declining sales of many such websites. The article also goes on to explain that the reason the flash-sale model became so popular was the financial downturn, and now that economic horizons are improving, shoppers are slowly moving away from flash-sale sites and back to traditional retailers. However, this article seems to ignores us: college students, a market of mostly bargain-hunting, penny-pinching young adults who still want high-end, fashionable looks, yet don’t necessarily want—or are even able—to pay top dollar.
One of the reasons that flash-sale sites have failed to capture their full potential of the college-aged market is faulty marketing and advertising. As an avid online shopper, I have been frequenting flash-sale sites almost since their inception, but it is not often that I meet someone else my age that does the same. Most of the time, they simply haven’t heard of the sites at all. For this reason, here is an introduction of the top seven best flash-sale sites that are worth shopping. (If you haven’t heard of them, you’re missing out—membership is free, after all! Just click on the flash-sale site links to sign up.)
1. Gilt
Gilt has a Penn connection: its current CEO is Wharton undergraduate alum Michelle Peluso! (Fellow Wharton Women members, you may remember her as the keynote speaker of this past Annual Dinner.) As if that isn’t reason enough to check out the site, Gilt is one of the most consistent when it comes to offering the latest and greatest trends and labels. Recent notable sale events include Rebecca Minkoff and Helmut Lang.
2. MyHabit
MyHabit is an offshoot of Amazon, and you can actually use Amazon gift cards and credits on the site if you use your Amazon credentials to log in. As with the rest of Amazon, MyHabit offers fast, free shipping (usually in the three-day range—no Prime membership required), whereas other flash-sale sites could take up to two or three weeks to deliver your items. MyHabit offers many theme-based sale events, such as its latest fall preview sales, which can also serve as sources of fashion inspiration.
3. Vente-Privee
Vente-Privee is a more under-the-radar flash-sale site, but it is a great place to look for wide selections of the latest contemporary brands. Some of their best events in the past year have featured Elizabeth and James, L*Space, and Yosi Samra. Vente-Privee also offers some of the best clearance sales (sales on sales—what could be better?) during the end-of-summer and end-of-winter sales seasons. Also, unlike many other flash sale websites, Vente-Privee generally takes slightly longer to sell out of sizes, so you’re less likely to run into disappointment at a sold-out item.
4. Rue La La
Rue La La is comparable to Gilt, often featuring on-trend, brand-oriented events such as Hudson jeans and Balenciaga. However, it is slightly harder to keep track of their events, since, unlike most other flash-sale sites, you have to sign up individually by event in order to receive reminder emails. Rue La La also has well-stocked end-of-season sales, which are worth looking out for.
5. HauteLook
Recently acquired by Nordstrom, HauteLook can now be described as the flash-sale arm of Nordstrom Rack, Nordstrom’s outlet center store. HauteLook has recently begun to partner with Nordstrom Rack for sales events, such as the recent Ugg Australia event that spanned both physical Nordstrom Rack retail stores and the HauteLook site. Expect a selection similar to that of Nordstrom Rack but much easier to shop—no need to dig through physical racks or browse through several pages of the Nordstrom Rack standalone site to find a particular label!
6. Ideeli
Ideeli generally has a stronger focus toward casual workwear, featuring many classic American brands and styles like Calvin Klein. Nevertheless, there is also a fair share of contemporary offerings, including events featuring Free People, Halston Heritage, and Tart Collections. Ideeli is slightly less high-end than Gilt and Rue La La, with more items selling at under $50.
7. Modnique (*Site is currently under construction)
While slightly more difficult to navigate than other flash sale sites, Modnique is home to many hidden gems. Their events tend to include up to 500 items each, which makes the usage of filters essential. I’ve had the best luck with filtering by brand; in recent weeks, there have been great pieces from BCBGMaxAzria and Koral.
Honorable Mention: BeyondTheRack
BeyondTheRack is a bit of a hit or miss; once in a while, it will feature an event worth browsing. You will probably have better luck shopping for shoes and accessories than for clothes; recently, there have been competitively priced events featuring Hunter rain boots and Longchamp bags. BeyondTheRack’s shipping times are on the long side, however.
Now go forth and conquer! Share your best flash-sale finds in the comments below and let me know what tips on online shopping you want to read about next!
P.S. Most of these sites have men’s sections too!
