Bag
06
Jul
Follow BagBible
Posts Tagged ‘Hautelook’
07
Jun
26
May
14
May
TS Talks to the CEO of Sample Sale Site Hautelook
If you’re not already familiar with sample sale site Hautelook, you’re in luck because the TalkingShopping team got a chance to chat with the genius behind Hautelook, CEO Adam Bernhard, and to say business is good would be an egregious understatement. Business isn’t good, it’s thriving. Hautelook is increasing its membership by 30% each month and frequently sells out its designer sample sales completely. Fashion lovers and bargain binners alike are fiending to snag a membership to the site, thirsting to score some of the best deals in the biz on items that at retail, during these tumultuous economic times, they wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
The lowdown: 
- Launched in December of 2007 by CEO Adam Bernhard, Brett Markinson, and Konstantin Glasmacher.
- Bernhard says, “I always keep in mind that we’ve got two customers: the brands and the shopper. For the brands, we serve as not only a way to just clear their inventory, but as a marketing tool to engage new customers” adding that, “We allow the brand to control their own destiny.”
- Offers off-market pricing on some of the most coveted clothing labels, accessories brands and beauty brands (a recent addition to the lineup) at discounts between 40% and 75% off.
- To become a member, you must be invited by a friend (via email–your friend will get a $10 credit to the site if you sign up), get on the wait list by simply signing up, or find a VIP email referral to use, occasionally given out by Hautelook.
- Each brand’s as sample sale lasts on the site for 24 to 48 hours, which in turn causes some of its members to obsessively check the site each morning so they’re abreast on what the day’s offerings are.
- Items sell out quickly, and there’s only so much stock to go around. If an item says “On Hold” that means that the last piece of inventory for that item is in someone’s shopping cart. It will be released if the item has been in a member’s shopping cart for 10 minutes with no activity.
- On any given day, there could be seven, sometimes even eight sales in motion to peruse, depending on how long each sale is and how many new sales commenced that day.
- Think a current season (as opposed to last season’s leftovers) $230 Lauren Conrad maxi dress for $68, $198 Citizen jeans for $110, coveted $89 Go Smile whitening systems for just $30 and a $495 Robert Rodriguez trench for $149.
- Basically, If it were a brick-and-mortar establishment, lines would form outside in the early morning hours (even in a snow storm or pouring rain) and wrap around the building, with a subsequent mass of clothes flying in every direction, possibly a little hair pulling and bow throwing. After all, sample sale shopping is practically a contact sport.
02
May
Here is how:
Step 1: Buy your bags at deep discounts.
I usually can get my bags at deep discounts. Especially in this economy when everything is pretty much on sale. I don’t buy my bags right when it comes out because it won’t be on sale. To be a smart bagaholic you should be patient in shopping. Always look around and find the best price. It’s really not that hard. All you have to do is just click, click, click. I like to go on eBay, Bluefly and the private sales sites such as Ideeli, Gilt, Hautelook and Rue La La. If I happened to go out, I like to check out Saks and Neiman Marcus outlets. They sometimes have very good deals. If you are not an experienced eBayer I would suggest to be extremely careful when shopping on eBay for designer bags, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Prada, Bottega Veneta, etc. These particular brands are a common target for counterfeits. If you are new to eBay, start by buying contemporary designer bags such as Rebecca Minkoff, Bulga, Gustto or other similar designers, because those brands are not widely counterfeited yet. If you don’t mind buying vintage designer bags, there are also some reputable sites that sells pre-owned, gently used, authentic bags such as, Yoogi’s Closet, Authentic Bags for Less, and Fashionphile. I don’t have any experience with these sellers however, I’m sure you can go to the Purse Forum and ask for tips from those that have done business with them.
Step 2: Keep your bags in good shape.
Use you bag gently and maintain your bag well, so that it will look almost new. Read here on how to keep your bag looking nice and new. This step is very important in order to recoup most or a big part of your investment.
Step 3: Sell the bags that you haven’t worn in a year (except for classic bags).
I’m the kind of person that gets bored easily. Whenever I have some new bags I tend to use the newer bags more often compared to my old ones. Set aside the bags that you haven’t worn in two seasons (I’m talking about fashion season which is spring/summer and fall/winter). Try to sell it. I prefer selling my bags on eBay, because I usually can recoup most of the money I paid. Sometimes, I even make a little profit. However, if you are not familiar with selling on eBay, you can always sell it to someone you know or to the pre-owned bags seller that I mentioned in step 1. With the money you made selling your old bags that were just sitting in your closet inside the dust bag, you can now shop for your newest obsessions.
As for classic bags, you probably don’t want to sell them yet after a year because these bags tend to appreciate in value over time.
Image from Polyvore