Craigslist
Bonanzle.com: Fashion Overload
Sometimes, the shopping experience is more important than the purchase. If you don’t agree with that sentence, skip on Bonanzle.com, which is kind of like “eBay with a face.” Users interact with each other on a personal level, buying and selling items that range from classic records to Chanel purses.
Buyers can look at items posted in the past 24 hours, browse items by category, and check out the bonanza (online garage sale) schedule. Each bonanza has a unique theme and percentage discount offered. If you’re looking for sellers in your zip code, Bonanzle will capture your IP address and point you in the right direction! A little spooky, but hey, it works. Much like Craigslist, you can even track down “freebies.”
What’s on sale at Bonanzle.com right now that you might care about? A $499 Louis Vuitton purse, a $60 Simone Perele bra, an $8 headband, a $9.95 knit cover-up from CHICO’S, and $32 pink satin heels. You get the picture.
While Bonanzle has a nifty search filter and a friendly and active community, it’s a little confusing and cluttered. For those who have the patience to explore it, it’s a great place to find affordable, one-of-a-kind, new and vintage clothes and accessories. But for those who know exactly what mass-produced item they want, Craigslist and auction sites like eBay are way more straightforward.
7 Great Online Classified Sites
Think Craigslist is the only online classified site out there? We’ve done a little digging and, lo and behold, there are other options. While it’s true that classifieds are not exactly a top source for fashion items (actually, we wouldn’t really recommend them as a source at all) but we also know your budget shopping savvy doesn’t stop at Misses Department. You buy other stuff right? Or, in this economy, perhaps you have some stuff to unload and need a reputable place to advertise? Either way, you’ll need to get the lowdown first, and here it is:
Craigslist.org. We thought we’d just get this one out of the way right off the bat. Craigslist is to classifieds what eBay is to auction sites. Looking for a big response? Craigslist probably is your best bet. Of course the biggest site will likely also attract the biggest number of kooks (we’ve all heard the stories). So screen with care.
Angieslist.com. Shopping for services instead of goods? Angie’s List has become a popular site for consumers seeking reputable service-providers (landscapers, plumbers, etc.), which is understandable since everyone has some kind of horror story about the handyman who came and tore up the bathroom ceiling only to never to be seen again (or maybe that’s just Angela). The drawback? Good advice here isn’t free—you’ll pay a sign-up fee and montly charge (or you can opt to pay for a year at a time).
Oodle.com. Oodle’s tagline is “more listings. smarter classifieds.” There are a lot of listings, but as for the smarter part? Yeah, they might have that wrapped up too. Because what Oodle does is pull classifieds from a number of other online classifieds sites and consolidates the results for you right there. It’s a Shop.com for classifieds, if you will. And that caveat about buying fashion items through the classifieds? Well, there was this pair of Michael Kors shoes that we felt oddly drawn to, tucked in amidst the Bandolino boots and brand new Uggs, all of which we were surprised to find. And since we’d already plugged in our zip code, what showed up was within 60 miles of home sweet home.
Livedeal.com. Livedeal focuses on access to local classifieds too, which is great if you want to inspect something firsthand before you buy or if you don’t want to mess with the whole shipping hassle (and cost). You can create an account and post ads for free (you can choose to pay for optional ad features, of course). Are we wowed? Um, no. But it’s perfectly functional, and if you’re in the market for a something larger like, say, a new house or car, those sections seem to be where the site has actually found its niche.
Hoobly.com. Post free ads and search for local goods, services, merchandise. Honestly, it’s not terribly intuitive to navigate, and the most ads we found seemed to be for dogs—if it’s a pit bull with champion bloodlines (mm-hmm) you require, this might just be the place for you. Otherwise, there are better options, in our humble non-pit-bull-requiring opinion.
Backpage.com. It’s kind of a Craigslist clone, but there’s nothing wrong with that exactly. Pick your metro area, and get an easy to scan list of categories, with plenty of ads to scan in an eminently readable format. Post local ads for free, pay for listing in multiple cities, and, of course, browse at your leisure. We like it when things are easy, so we’ll probably return.
Classifieds.MySpace.com. If you want literally millions of listings to choose from, MySpace.com’s classified pages are for you. Even though we’re not HUGE fans of MySpace (only because we’re not teenyboppers and therefore do not receive NEARLY enough attention there to suit us) we have the say, the classifieds are pretty extensive, and of course you can localize results. Angela, for example, found a very cute Banana Republic wrap dress, new with tags, for $48, just a few miles away with local pickup available. Okay, it’s not exactly a vintage Coach Bag for under 10 bucks (let us know if you find one) but it’ll do. Oh, and you can post ads for free too.
Eleven Top Online Auction Sites
Shopping auction sites requires a few caveats—beware of designer knock-offs, check the feedback ratings on sellers carefully, only pay through secure options like PayPal. Once you’ve got the cautions out of the way, however, there’s the possibility of finding some truly great deals, even on items that are rare or one-of-a-kind. Also there’s the thrill of being the top bidder—if you enjoy that sort of thing (and we kinda do). Check out our reviews of these sites so you’ll know where to begin:
UpperBid.com. The most designer (Armani, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, BCBG Max Azria, etc.) and vintage items we’ve found thus far, and it looks the most like eBay, too, which may not exactly be a big deal except that means it’s familiar and relatively easy to read/navigate. Our fave find? A Miu Miu handbag (which appeared legit) with a buy now price of $59.99.
OnlineAuction.com. Lots of apparel, lots of handbags, a huge list of detailed categories. Okay, we like—but a few random clicks didn’t bring us much in the way of super-hot deals (there were several Juicy Couture handbags for example—which would be super except the prices weren’t much different than if you bought them directly from Juicy Couture). That being said, if you don’t mind browsing quite a big, OnlineAuction.com is a site that appear to have a good reputation and an extensive number of sellers.
CQout. When, at first look, we see more than 44,000 apparel items available, our heart rises just a little. And upon further inspection, oodles of cool shoes (Chanel, Fendi, Christian Louboutin), handbags (Gucci, Hermes), and apparel, with current bids well within the realm of affordability. Jackpot! The downside? Many of the items would be coming from abroad (the site is based in the UK) meaning pretty high shipping costs. However, if you find a fab designer deal on the cheap, the additional shipping still might be worth it . . . just watch your budget carefully. And there is a “local only” tab to sort out auctions closer to home, meaning in the US—the pickings are much slimmer, but many sellers offered free shipping.
ePier.com. After sorting through pages of random items on some other sites, we appreciate ePier’s search function—which, when we clicked “apparel” took us to the next set of categories (kids, men’s women’s) and then upon clicking “women’s” even more categories (designer clothing, evening wear, jeans, etc.). Of course, “designer clothing” brought up items like an Express skirt and Wilson’s leather jacket, but still. Well organized, easy to navigate, and opportunities to peruse classifieds, trade, and wanted item listings as well.
ShopGoodwill.org. We’re just going to come right out and say it—we love Goodwill. We love the stores, and we love the online site, mostly because this is the first auction site we’ve come across that when we clicked on women’s apparel, we came up on the first page with a mink coat and a vintage black, rhinestone studded dress. Okay, so we weren’t in the market for either, but it made us feel like we might really find something here. A little further searching turned up a few things more in our price range, like a Dooney and Burke handbag with a starting bid of $5.59 and a pair of new Nine West Black Leather Pumps (in a hard to find size 10 yet!) at $11 with 12 hours to go . . . Our favorite part is that being items sold through Goodwill organizations throughout the country, we’re pretty confident that the namebrands we’re bidding on are authentic items, not cheap knock-offs. And it’s for a good cause.
eBay.com. Of course you knew we’d get to this one sooner or later . . . and there’s probably not much we can tell you that you don’t already know. It’s the behemoth of online auction sites, and if you’re looking for something—anything—you will most likely find it here. The deals, however, aren’t quite what they used to be. We remember the days of actually getting designer and brandname goods for, almost literally, a song—now, with lots of eBay “businesses” and “buy now” options, the prices just aren’t as good as they used to be. Still, it’s no fuss, no muss—easy to find items, easy to bid, and pretty darn trustworthy payment options.
Webidz.com. Webidz gets pretty high marks from lots of the online auction site reviews we read, and they had a reasonable amount of apparel. But designer stuff? Not so much. We searched for a few designer names (Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Burberry) and came up with 3 items total, none of which were particularly tempting deals even at the starting bids. But, if you’re in the market for, say, sports memorabilia, toys, books, and collectibles, this just might be the site for you (the “sports memorabilia” category alone boasts more than 28,000 items . . . )
uBid.com. When clothing items are relegated to the “Everything Else” category, we know this isn’t exactly a site made for fashionistas (the day we looked there were only 45 apparel items, total)—so if you’re just looking to pick up designer apparel on the cheap, skip it. However, if you’re looking for computers, electronics, fine jewelry and watches, however there are plenty to choose from, with lots of auctions that didn’t even have reserve prices.
Overstock.com Auctions. Overstock.com is where we love to shop for namebrand and designer goods at big discounts, so we’re delighted to find that Overstock.com Auctions looks exactly like it’s easy-on-the-eyes overstock counterpart, featuring all the same categories, but with auction items from retailers and private sellers. Want some Overstock.com-worthy deals at potentially even cheaper prices? Look for the seller name “Overstock Returns.”
PropertyRoom.com. A police auction site, PropertyRoom.com is just what you might imagine, featuring items that have been stolen, seized, found and otherwise acquired by more than 1,100 law enforcement agencies that are involved with the site. Of course, designer goods are on the docket, but just don’t expect to find a specific item you have your heart set on. Instead, think of it as an adventure—one never knows when 200 Burberry handbags might be seized by authorities in Des Moines, for example (it could happen!). And we’re pretty sure the transactions are reasonably secure.
Amazon.com Auctions. We’re only including this because you may be wondering about it—but the honest truth is, don’t bother. Amazon may be a Goliath in terms of online sales of, well, just about everything else under the sun (and at great prices, if we do say so) but for auctions? Well, it’s clear that it’s not a priority. First of all, to log-in to Auction.Amazon.com one must have an account, and once logged in, you’re inexplicably taken to a page that says “search transactions.” Well, we didn’t want to search our transactions. So we clicked the teeny tiny “auction” tab—only to be taken back to the log-in page. Um, nevermind.
Designers and Their New Budget Fashion Lines
Back when I started thebudgetfashionista.com in early 2003, tons of sites focused on various aspects of being fashionable, but not on being both fashionable and on a budget. Fast forward two years and now everyone is talking about budget shopping and looking fabulous for less, giving the same old tired budget tips while wearing $500 shoes.
For example, Rebecca contacted me early one morning, virtually screaming on the phone. Apparently, a very popular website that never discusses budget shopping, was on a local morning show discussing budget shopping. To add insult to injury, the head of the site had on a shirt that even on sale would have set her back a pretty penny. Not cute.
So what is a true Budget Fashionista to do? Go into debt to hire a fabulous publicists, when she can barely afford the $25 bucks it takes to post a job on Craig’s List? Suggestions are welcome.
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