How To Snag Designer Clothing At Bargain Prices

With the economy in decline, it comes as no surprise that sales at secondhand stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army are up as much as 10% to 20% this year. So how you can get in on the action at these resale shops and save some money at local retail stores as well?

Shop Smart Magazine's Sue Perry is here to share secrets for navigating secondhand shops and finding local sales to snag designer clothing at bargain basement prices.

SHOPPING TIPS, VIDEO AND PICTURE AFTER THE JUMP...

• Web sites that help you save at stores in your town. If you are looking for a product locally you can use the internet to help find a great deal. NearbyNow.com lets you search local store inventories and place items on hold for pickup. Thefind.com allows you to search for a product and then find the stores near you.

• Look up vintage, consignment and resale shops in fancy ZIP codes. The tonier the neighborhood, the better the booty. Also go to narts.org, the site of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, to find stores in a particular area.

• Ask when new shipments are available. New shipments tend to be put out on Saturday mornings to lure weekend shoppers. The end of the year is also a good time, when people clean out closets and donate clothes to get a tax break. Designers and manufacturers often donate unsold items and samples from spring lines in March and April, and from fall lines in October and November. Call periodically to find out when new goods arrive at your local store. If you make friends with the owners, you can get them to call you when preferred styles and sizes come in.

• Shop for evening gowns and cashmere. Wear-once-and-never-be-seen-in-again items like gowns are likely to be fantastic deals. Older cashmere sweaters tend to be thicker and better quality than new ones.

• Know what to fix and what to forget. Items that are too big, long or long-waisted can be easily tailored so grab them, but skip those that are too small, short or short-waisted. Even if there’s enough fabric to lengthen a hem, there will be a telltale line if the fabric is worn at the hemline and such adjustments are often complicated and expensive.

• Bargain, bargain, bargain (but not at charity shops). Prices are often negotiable.

For more information, visit www.shopsmartmag.org.

Sue Perry of Shop Smart Magazine