Shecky’s

It’s a girl’s secret weapon to luxury brand shopping—sites that do incremental bidding. I wouldn’t be surprised if celebrities have their assistants up at night bidding on the latest Christian Louboutin shoes or the new Marc Jacobs hobo bag. But now, Shecky’s girls can be in-the-know for real steals.

The first site I came across was Quibids, a brilliant company where you can buy products for a couple of dollars…or even cents. I found it captivating watching a 40” LCD Flat Screen TV go for $11.64 or a set of Callaway Diablo Edge Golf Clubs sell for $2.44. The money makes sense; it’s a win-won for both. The website charges a tiny micro fee for bidding, once you bid, even if you don’t win, you still “pay to play.” These pay to play sites, when done well, can be like winning the lottery if you get the hang of it.

But let’s face it: we’re girls and when we think about deals or bargains, we think Tiffany’s, Chanel and Gucci. That said, I’m pretty sure Oohilove fell from heaven (er, actually Palo Alto). It features the same bidding concept but focuses on authentic luxury accessories.

Recently, I was on eBay about to buy a gorgeous Louis Vuitton Damier Speedy for $300, which I thought was a fantastic price as the description noted the “tags are still on it.” I emailed the seller to double check its authenticity (Shecky’s girls do not buy fakes!) and never heard back. I had to go through some rigmarole and fill out a form to rescind my offer—turns out it’s quite common to get a lemon on eBay. Oohilove guarantees all of their items are the real thing, so you don’t have to worry or wonder about whether something is a phony. Upon purchase, each item comes with certification of authenticity and its original packaging.

At Oohilove, all auctions feature no reserve, a $0 start, and bids that cost just 99 cents each. So get geek savvy, get out of the stores, get online…and get some Tiffany pearl earrings for $1.74!

-Terra Khachooni of Girls in Tech

Girls in Tech is a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology. As young women with the capacity to inspire, we made it our personal desire and passion to create and sustain an organization that focuses on the collaboration, promotion, growth and success of women in the technology sector. Girls in Tech aims to offer a variety of resources and tools for women to supplement and further enhance their professional careers and aspirations in technology. Some of these resources include educational workshops and lectures, networking functions, round table discussions, conferences, social engagements and recruitment events.

GIRL TALK TIME: Have you ever used any of these sites? How do you score designer duds for less? Ever scored a big bargain? On what? What are your online shopping secrets? Share now!