Designer clothes at discount prices
Written: Jul 29 '02
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The first point I will make about Bluefly.com is a criticism: for being marketed as this large site with a wide array of designer items, I do not think the selection is as great as they make out. Yes, there are plenty of designers and good prices on the site, but some of the major designers either aren't listed on Bluefly, or have limited selections.
Basically, Bluefly.com has a lot of the designers you would find in the mid-expensive range in a store like Bloomingdales. The very high end designers - Fendi, Chanel, Calvin Klein, etc. are either not listed or items are there in small quantities.
The bottom line is -- don't get your hopes up. When Bluefly.com first launched, there was a lot of marketing and talk about it. I went there with very high expectations that were let down.
That said - there are still many designer items and the prices are discounted -- somewhat.
Now, the good stuff
The typical "bargain" shopper still won't find these prices all that great, but for someone who buys at designer prices, these prices will be a relief. Average savings seem to be anywhere from 30-70% off retail price. (On their website, they claim to have savings of up to 75%)
One example -- I just did a search on Prada bags. As I said earlier - many of the "high-end" designers have limited selections on Bluefly. Here, my search comes up with only one purse -- a "small nylon tote." The price of this bag for retail is $450, and Bluefly is selling the purse for 45% less, $249.00. Not exactly flea market prices, or prices you'd find on the streets of Italy, but still a significant discount.
Items for sale; coupons
Aside from handbags, Bluefly.com has a large selection of men's and women's apparel, some housewares and some children's clothing. My most recent order from Bluefly was last month -- I received one of their promotional emails about end of summer items for sale, and I purchased a bathing suit for my husband. The trunks are Polo design, and the price was 40% off retail and came to $39.95. Pretty standard price for a pair of men's trunks, but a nice pair, and with a coupon I found on bigbigsavings.com, I received free shipping.
I received a confirmation email within minutes, stating that my shipment should arrive in 3-5 business days. The order did arrive on the firth day.
Site performance
I have not always been impressed with their site performance. For example, while writing this epinion, I went to click on a highlighted clothing item on the homepage - and I got an error message. Sometimes the site is slow; sometimes it's fast.
In terms of finding what you need - I have always thought the site was laid out acceptably. If you click on the category you are interested in, it is then broken down into subcategories. (Women -- Belts, Blazers, Denim, Dresses, etc.) They categorize all of their items pretty in-depth and the average web user should not get lost.
Overall
This isn't "bargain shopping," in the least. But if you are an expensive person with expensive taste, you might find the prices at Bluefly to be a steal. Personally, I'll stick to J. Crew, Banana Republic and some other more mainstream stores where I can afford the price tag.
Recommended:
Yes
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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