I feel like I may be giving everyone the wrong (or right) impression of me here on Stylingo. With posts like my guide to the best cheap makeup products out there at the moment and various other references to being a bargain hunter, I do think you might all see me as some kind of homeless penny pincher. This is kind of true to an extent (apart from the homeless bit). I’m still looking forward to the day that I can shop in Topshop without feeling horribly guilty and I have discovered that being a grown up means you have to buy boring things like food instead of a new pair of shoes, SNORE.
For this reason (and making sure we can afford tequila, vodka and other important things), Claire and I tend to always be on the hunt for a bargain. Claire is officially the queen of eBay and impresses me daily with her bidding action and I physically can’t say no to something that is on offer. We tend to do a fair bit of shopping, I mean client research, online at work because it’s convenient, so we have actually become quite the experts at where to find cheap clothes and products, how to obtain a fashion bargain and what the best way to save money online is. And because I’m such a kind and giving person, I’m sharing this list with y’all.
It’s not a huge surprise that this is at the top of my fashion bargain list! You can buy pretty much everything from eBay and it’s a great place to check for second hand gems. Over the years, I have accumulated quite a lot from eBay but probably the best buy I got was a pair of baby pink Hunter wellies for £20. The eBay shops are also brilliant and they often do things that are on sites like boohoo.com or missguided.com. Claire and I have come to the conclusion that eBay shops and some online fashion retailers have the same supplier, but often the eBay version is cheaper. It’s worth having a look what’s available; we have our eyes on the platform block heeled boots that are everywhere at the moment.
This has a similar vibe to eBay, but is run through Asos and is a bit more upmarket. There isn’t a bidding system but it is a place that many people sell second hand items. Asos impose strict quality control, not only on the clothes themselves, but also on how people sell them (you have to post pictures that have been taken outside etc!). You do have to have a bit of a root around, but you can really find a great bargain for really high quality and fashion forward stuff!
Blog Sales
If you’re a frequent reader of blogs (which chances are you are, if you’re reading this!), you may have noticed that a lot of bloggers do personal blog sales. This is usually to get rid of any unwanted products or clothes and it’s a brilliant way to get a bargain from one of your favourite bloggers. They sell anything from high end products to cheap clothes, so it really is worth having a look at what bloggers are selling.
Cheaper online options:
I’m definitely not knocking missguided.co.uk, boohoo.com or any other online retailer. I’m actually a massive Missguided fan and I tend to check there before anything where I’m looking for an outfit. HOWEVER, it is worth saying that there are other alternatives online that sell exactly the same thing for a cheaper price. Similar to the eBay shop situation, a lot of these online shops appear to have the same wholesaler and you can usually pick up a bargain if you’re prepared to have a good root around. Some examples of cheaper alternatives include:
OMG Fashion
Fashion Union
Mary Jane Fashion
Karma Clothing
Daisy Street
Desire Clothing
It just goes to show what a difference a quality model, good styling and a good marketing strategy can make!
Online shopping tips:
It is amazing to find a bargain on the internet, but buying cheap clothes online can also be a bit disappointing. You do have to be a bit more shrewd when it comes to choosing what you buy, because you can’t check out the quality, fit and real life colours for yourself. Over my internet shopping years, I’ve picked up quite a few handy tips so I thought I’d do a little addition to this post to share them and make your online shopping experience that much more magical.
1. Check the sizing! Claire did a really good post a few weeks ago on vanity sizing and what high street size you really are, which really highlighted the size differences between shops. Also, a lot of the cheaper shops do basic sizes like ‘S/M’ or ‘M/L’. This is slightly bizarre, because I am most definitely a ‘M’, whereas Claire is definitely a ‘S’. There is no way I’d fit into her teeny tiny jeans for example, just as she wouldn’t fit into one of my bodycon dresses. It’s worth really thinking about the garment you’re planning on buying and deciding whether basic sizing is going to have an impact. For an oversized jumper, basic sizing wouldn’t really matter but for tighter fitting clothes, you may want to try and check the measurements. Of course, you can always return something if it doesn’t fit properly, but that’s a faff and aint nobody got time fo’ dat.
2. Check the country! If you’re buying on eBay or other auction sites, it’s really important to check where the item you’re buying is being delivered from. Sometimes, the really cheap stuff is from the US, China or other international places, which can mean that delivery costs will be high. In the end, you might not actually save that much money. International items also take a lot longer to ship, so you might need to think about whether you can wait a few weeks for that must-have to arrive.It can be worth it though, I bought 60 pairs of eyelashes from Hong Kong for about £7. They took a while to arrive but really were a bargain!
3. Research voucher codes! Most online shoppers will be aware that brands often put out codes that offer money off, free delivery or other special offers. These can be amazing and are really worth taking advantage of when you can find them. I often find these on Twitter or Facebook, but you can use great sites like Fashion Vouchers. These let you search through various categories and find what offers are on at the moment. If you’re shopping from a regular high street store, there really is no reason not to find what voucher codes are out there.
SO. That is my rather long winded post on what good websites for cheap fashion are available out there in the big scary mystery that is the internet, as well as a few online shopping tips because I am just feeling pretty generous today ;). What do you all think? Have you got any other tips to add?