Online Sample Sale Sites (including Beyond the Rack, Ideeli, Hautelook)

For those unfamiliar with the term, Sample sales are used by retail businesses in order to discard excess merchandise or use samples of products that they will eventually distribute to local vendors. Sample sales are often associated with the fashion industry. Since, it is a marketing phenomenon, the buyer ends up getting designer products for a fraction of the price-tag they carry in traditional markets. Imagine owning a Gucci bag you always craved for but never had the resources to buy!

However, until the proliferation of the internet, these sales were hush-hush events that often took place at impromptu locations with temporary signage. Recent years have seen cropping-up of several online stores with private sample sales events! In fact, a few start-up companies are based on this very idea - to sell cheap designer products i.e. from clothes to shoes to bags to watches! A common thread running through most of these online sites is that:

• Registration is invitational (Only a member can invite new members). However it is increasingly being found that it doesn't hold true for many good sites.
• Sell certain products from top labels in the fashion industry (from previous seasons or current) at a heavily discounted rate (sometimes running up to 90%!).
• Each sample sale tends to run for about 24 to 48 hours, or until sold out (So you gotta be on your toes for buying that one watch you have your eyes set upon!)
• A corollary from the above: Since inventory is often limited and some sites are extremely popular, some items on some sites will sell out in a matter of minutes or even seconds.
• All in all it is often found, the prices and selection are typically better than department store discount stores.

Here is a compilation of a few websites (online stores) that feature regular sample sale events with a lot of dirt-cheap genuine designer products.

HauteLook brings the thrill back to shopping through exclusive, limited-time, online sale events. Each day, HauteLook partners with premium fashion and lifestyle brands to create private, upscale sale events at savings of up to 75% off retail prices. HauteLook is free to join and everyone is welcome i.e. no invitation is needed. Designer products included in the past events have come from the fashion houses of: Diesel, Michael Stars, Vintage 66, Statements Linens, John Kelly and many more!

Products are listed in the categories of: Women, Beauty, Home, Kids and Men. For the Canadian customers, HauteLook offers a low-priced, flat rate shipping ($10.95). Join here.

Sample Sale Links:

Beyond the Rack, is a members-only private sample sale site that offers steeply discounted (from 50 to 90 percent) on designer brand clothes, accessories and other goods. It has raised $2 million in funding from Oleg Tscheltzoff and Oliver Jung, and Montreal Start Up. This brings the startup’s total funding to $4.5 million. Techcrunch reports that the site is seeing 4 million monthly unique visitors, with revenue growing over 50 percent per month. And Beyond the Rack has 600,000 members after only a year's operation!

The site launches up to eight new sales events every day, with each event only lasting a few days. Some of the brands featured in past sales have included: Versace, Gucci, Fendi, Armani, D&G and many more! Registration is free and shipping in Canada is absolutely no charge! To top it off, you get $10 in credit if you are a new customer. Register here.

ideeli is the first invite-only shopping community in the U.S. ideeli offers privileged access to the most sought-after fashion, home and beauty products, but that's not all. ideeli members also enjoy privileged access to luxury lifestyle experiences such as fashion shows and sold-out concerts. ideeli members receive exclusive shopping privileges:

• Insider prices
• Early access to the newest products
• Hot European brands not available in the U.S.
• Exciting giveaways

Generally the registration is free, but sometimes ideeli limits membership to people who have been invited by a current member or its media partners. Previous sale events have included products from: D&G, Steve Madden, Lacoste and many more! Register here.

Some other popular sample sale sites, include: Gilt Groupe and Vente-Privee. Do you know of any other sample sale site? Do you have any interesting tip for the readers? Please leave your feedback in the comments section.