Overstock.com is just what the name implies—an online outlet for the liquidation of excess stock, including designer and namebrand goods. It is, essentially, an outlet mall for the Internet (cue the heavenly beams of light and angelic choir).

Like any liquidation/closeout/outlet type shopping experience, however, knowing where to start (and where to go from there) can be a challenge. Some Overstock shopping tips:

Shop Overstock for High End Goods. If we’re going to shop Overstock, quite frankly, the whole goal is to get designer or name-brand goods at the cheapest prices possible—in other words, it’s all about shopping for value (if we want to just amass a bunch of cute but ultimately tossable stuff, we’ll go to Charlotte Russe). Have a goal in mind—that Prada handbag you’ve always promised yourself you’d have one day, or that pair of Christian Louboutin’s that are your personal shopping holy grail (there go the heavenly beams of light again).

Chat With an Online Representative. Overstock is among the increasing number of online retailers that allow you to click to chat instantly with an online representative, in case you have questions about products, ordering, etc. Much more convenient that filling out a “contact us” email (which, we’re pretty sure, get funneled into a black hole in distant outer space) or holding for half the day on some over-burdened 1-800 “hotline”.

Join Club O. If you like what you see and intent to shop Overstock REGULARLY, take advantage of Club O membership. We put REGULARLY in caps because you can find free shipping and other discounts for Overstock pretty easily without purchasing a special memberships. However, if Overstock is your spot, then for $19.95 a year, you get free shipping, 5% off orders (with some exclusions), and special O-club members-only coupons and discounts. 

Hit Overstock Auctions. We did a search for those Christian Louboutins, and while Overstock didn’t have any at present, scrolling down took us to links for pairs on Overstock Auctions (including these unbelievably fab Armadillo Red Satin d’Orsay Pumps, which at that moment had a starting bid of $199 . We’re thinking that’s just scratching the surface, and we love that even if Overstock doesn’t have what we’re looking for, there’s another avenue to take without hitting a whole other site.

Online Best Price Match. Scroll down the front page to the “Help” section on the lower left hand side, and click on “Online Best Price Match” to get the lowdown on Overstock’s policy on price matching. Here’s the bottom line: If you happen to find a better online price for a specific product, and meet the particulars of the policy, Overstock will issue you the difference in price with up to $500 in-store credit toward future purchases at Overstock.com. Sure, this won’t come into play every time you shop, but if you just happen to buy something and find it cheaper elsewhere you’ve got an option other than messing around with returns (or just kicking yourself).

O-Text. Live on your Blackberry? Yeah, us too, which is why we dig an option that sends the deals to us wherever we might be. Like this O-Text option—and it won’t just be random deals, as you get to pick which categories you’re interested in. Oh, and you’ll get exclusive promotional discount codes too. Yep, no downside here.