This article will provide some information on where one can buy designer products for much less than traditionally found in department stores.
Bargain retailing is already a big business, and it's still growing exponentially. The reason - every one of us wants quality designer merchandise but not the hefty price mark-ups that come with the goods. The question therefore is: where can you get the stuff cheap? That is, where can you buy discount designer clothes, belts, hand bags, perfumes and colognes without compromising the quality and integrity of the products?
The answer is not department stores, or flea markets. Nor is it an appeal to your patience -you don't have to wait for annual or semi-annual sales. The place to buy the designer products is the Internet. Right now there are several web-based stores that offer a variety of designer merchandise at heavily discounted prices.
My goal is to build your confidence in shopping online, to show you that is not only acceptable, but that it is the current and future trend of commerce. There is a reason why corporate giants like Best Buy, Wall-Mart, Costco and others are closing down stores every day. The reason is that competition from discount web based businesses is increasing, and these brick and mortar giants cannot compete with the web stores in terms of cost of doing business. If I can help you see that buying online can be safe, fun, and significantly less expensive, I will have achieved my goal. I will also provide tips to confirm the integrity of the web-based store as well as to ensure safety and security in your shopping experience.
Here is another way to look at the current vicissitudes of buying designer products - Every business is competing for your hard-earned dollars. And you are competing against the world to be as caught up with the fashion as the next young, smart and trendy individual. The only problem is - buying everything that is hip and in-style is not cheap. You want to know how to look "designered" up without having to sweep out your bank account. So what is the solution to your dilemma? Shop around online until you get comfortable with the online store that offers you what you are looking for at a price tag that is within your budget.
You can find almost any item of any brand online these days. Although it's true that not everyone can afford the Armani or Gucci items every single time he or she wants to buy something, if you know where and how to search you will find something that fits your budget every time. Having said that, getting good deals on names like Armani and Gucci is not uncommon at all. However, don't expect Armani or Gucci at low prices every time you search! This is because some big name designers have quantity control in place to create a tightly regulated market in which they monitor their product quantities very closely.
So what if Gucci and Armani are not within your budget every time you search? There are several other cheaper designer items available which will allow you to create the image you are going after. I will write an article in the near future explaining the supply and demand as well as the price elasticity as it relates to the marketing and supply of designer merchandise. Add this in somewhere later on
The new trend in discount shopping has been made available by the existence of the Internet through sites such as Ebay and DealNews. On Ebay a consumer can bid on products other people and businesses have for sale. Many times you will find some very good deals and very good prices. However, the challenge with sites such as Ebay is that not all sellers are honest. There also have been many hackers and spammers that have used Ebay's name to con people into taking their money. Careful due diligence is necessary when bidding on items on auction sites such as Ebay. In contrast, DealNews is my personal favorite bargain hunter site. The site functions as a watchdog in where you type in a search for an item (mainly electronics) and the site crawls the entire Internet universe to provide you with the product you are looking for at the best price. For example, if you type in a search for "Casio Exilim", the site will provide you with all the stores that carry the camera at the best prices. You may then click on the item/price that you choose to and the site will route you to the original seller of the product. I like this site because it provides you with fresh results every time you search given the ever-changing prices in the retail environment. It's just too difficult to keep track of all the bargains and sales so I let this site handle the dirty work for me. No matter where you shop, the best bargain shopping is achieved by shopping around and getting comfortable with vendors you buy from. This site does just that for me.
Designer items don't always have to be luxury items that can't be afforded by many. One must understand the supply chain between the manufacturer and the end consumer, you, to realize that it does not really cost that much to manufacture designer goods. You can find heavily discounted designer items and the Internet is the main avenue to find them at. [Whether you need the new low cut white tops for the next club outing or just want to smell and look good at the right price, the solution is to shop on the web with some cautions discussed in this article.
The next section will cover specific tips on how to get comfortable shopping online and what to look for in an online retailer.
TIPS ON SHOPPING ONLINE
When shopping online, always look for recommendations from the store and the user community. Many sites will also give you comparison shopping tools or simply list the retail prices for you compared with their prices. If the site does not provide any reviews, go to Google and search for reviews on the product you are searching for. Look for links to bulletin boards and discussion forums in which consumers write about the product. Also look for Blogs that discuss the product you are looking for. User generated content is definitely your best bet in gaining familiarity and comfort with both the product and the web-based store.
Use sites like Froogle as a comparison benchmark
Froogle is Google's bargain search helper. Instead of typing in Google, type in http://www.froogle.com on your web browser. What you will see is a product finder site where you can type in the product you are looking for. Be as specific as you can when searching for products. For example, do not just type in Armani if you are looking for an Armani perfume. Instead, type in Armani Mania 3.3 OZ Eau de Toilette. Or if you are looking for a specific Calvin Klein perfume, do not just type Calvin Klein but rather type in CK One by Calvin Klein 3.3 OZ. Froogle allows you to arrange listings by Relevance, Price, Seller rating and Product rating. Each store that is displayed by Froogle is approved by Google in advance. Froogle is a very good resource for discount shopping.
SSL
Shop on websites that are committed to making your shopping experience safe and convenient.
Look for the privacy disclosures on a website and ensure that all personal data received by is kept private and confidential. Your personal information must be protected by a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), a technology that fully encrypts and protects all of your personal information (name, address, credit card number) so that it can not be read by anyone over the internet. To further protect user identity and unauthorized usage of financial information, ensure that the site does not store credit card information in their databases. Haven't you heard about the recent breach of security in the US Military technology that allowed hackers to access hundreds of thousands of credit card and social security numbers? I am personally wary of sites that "auto-bill" you automatically by storing your credit card information on file. Also look for disclaimers ensuring no personal information is sold or rented to a third party and that information will only be provided to a third party with the customer's advance consent.
To ensure that the site is secure and protected look for a small icon of a lock on the lower right hand side of the webpage anytime you are required to enter personal information and/or conduct a money transaction. For example if you go http://www.myperfumesforless.com and click to Log In link on the top right of the page, you will notice a small icon of a Lock appear on the bottom right of your screen. The lock ensures that your information is safe and protected. Do not enter any information or conduct transactions on sites that do not have this icon.
Integrity of product backed with company guarantee / (FAQ) section
The FAQ section has become a staple online. Through this section, web-based companies convey their message to the customer as well as answer several frequently asked questions that a customer might have. A good company updates the FAQ section regularly by adding questions that are commonly asked by their growing user/customer base. Through the FAQ section a company can explain its product in greater detail as well as provide you with additional confidence that they are willing to stand behind the performance and integrity of their products by providing a good warranty/guarantee program. For example, when a customer visits our company's website, the first question that often comes to his or her mind is whether the products are genuine. I myself would have doubts if I were to see designer perfumes and colognes at such low prices. This is a completely normal and rational reaction. It is the company's responsibility to educate its customers and inspire in them enough confidence in the company's products for the customer to be comfortable enough to pursue a transaction. If you click the About Us and FAQ sections of our company's website, you will see a complete description of where we get our products and how we are able to provide them for prices that are initially difficult to believe.
