Obviously, this is the magic of venture capital and outside of investing in a publicly traded venture BDC like Harris and Harris (Ticker: TINY), there’s not much we at home investors can do to get in on the ground floor. But, with up and coming retailers, we can still win! Heck, everyone remembers when Zappos was a low-price retailer instead of just a “customer service focused” retailer. Those were good days weren’t they?

Well, it seems a new trend is hitting the web. “Private” members-only luxury sample sale sites.  These retailers focus on getting limited quantities of luxury brand items and selling them for firesale prices. Obviously, sales last a limited time and items typically run out fast. As luxury retailers struggle in the current market environment, private sample sale websites have become a favorite way to liquidate past seasons’ inventory without risking the brand image (i.e. falling into the discount vortex). Sale prices are fleeting and consumers never get a chance to get accustomed to being able to get a luxury brand’s wares for less. In fact, the sales may only help reinforce the “aspirational” quality of these brands. By now, I’m sure you’re dying to know what sites I’m talking about. Never fear. The Curious Investor is here with the skinny and I’ve got invites for all my readers as well.

Gilt Groupe seems to be the mother of the main private, sample sale retailers in the U.S. With 1.4 million members, it’s growing like a weed and predicts that it will grow sales from $140 million this year to $400 million next year. They’re also hiring like a crazy so those of you looking for a job, head on over and take a look at their careers page. Gilt is women’s focused but men’s brands have been coming fast and furious. The main site – Gilt Groupe – focuses on established brands like Ralph Lauren, Guess, Barker Black, Dior, etc. and features apparel, accessories (handbags, shoes, watches, etc.), beauty products and home interior products. After using the site for a while, my guess is that the Company takes inventory for some sales and these sales are the fastest to sell out and typically only last 24 hours. Some other sales seem to be drop shipped and you can tell by the 2-3 week wait time for delivery on some products. Overall, this site definitely has the best and most regularly updated selection, but the drop shipping makes for a rather irksome customer experience. Gilt is also launching a travel website – JetSetter – and has already launched a women’s only site – Gilt Fuse – so keep your eyes peeled for even more great bargains on other types of products. You can access all sites with one account and your invite is right here.

Rue La La is yet another competitor and supposedly is on track for $130 million in sales this year. The site sets itself up as “mini boutiques” and sells all sorts of aspirational products. I’ve seen a Cuisinart sale and there’s an upcoming sale on Patz and Hall wines. There’s cutlery, jewelry, and just about anything you’ve probably ogled but not had the money to buy. Prices range, but it seems the initial sales tend to be more expensive than on Gilt (but still 40-60% off of retail price). In contrast to Gilt, which seems to have inventories so limited that everything sells in the first go, Rue La La is currently running “final sales” for many of the apparel brands for which prices have been lowered even more! The benefit at Rue La La is also that sales typically last more than one day and most products ship in 3 to 4 days which makes it a bit easier to spend some time thinking about what you want to buy rather than the impulse feel of Gilt. Again, your invite is right here.
Finally, Haute Look. Haute look has womens, mens, and kids gear as well as home goods. The site isn’t quite as pretty as Rue La La, but the concept is similar. Individual “boutiques” for each brand and staggered sales opening at different points each day. The collection is a bit more eclectic and not quite as “couture” as the previous two sites. For example, there’s currently a sale for sports memorabilia. I haven’t spent enough time digging through Haute Look, but you can now get there before me! Here’s your invite.

Alright, after quite an eventful week in the markets, I think we all need a break from the investing talk. What better way to take a break than think of ways to spend your money? Obviously, as investors, we’re still always looking for value and Starbury shoes offer just that. Say what you will about Stephon Marbury, he might not be the greatest teammate, but he does have the right idea with his Starbury line of sneakers. Yea, this is kind of old news as Stephon Marbury has been marketing his shoes for almost two years now, but given that they are only distributed by Steve and Barry’s it seems that there aren’t too many people who have caught on.

Basically, the Starbury brand was conceived to provide designer shoes at a low price because Stephon Marbury remembered that as a kid he wasn’t able to afford $150 basketball shoes. Something it seems that most basketball stars forget. Starburys, instead, sell for at most $15 and are supposedly constructed the exact same way that the top of the line sneakers are. In fact, when tested by ABC’s 20/20, it was found that the shoes, when cut in half, have the same construction as Air Jordans though the material is of a bit lower quality. Also, Consumer Reports noted that the shoes performed quite well in their tests though 6 of 9 real-world testers did say they weren’t as comfortable as top end shoes while playing basketball.

I don’t really play basketball regularly, so sub-$15 basketball shoes didn’t interest me that much, but the Starbury line has expanded this year to include all sorts of sneakers ranging from walking shoes to cross trainers. The designs are really quite cool with one shoe, the Crossover LE, that looks a lot like Nike Air Force Ones except with a kind of cooler logo if you ask me. (I really like the Starbury Star.) While these shoes might not come with the highest of quality materials, for less than $15, I’m pretty sure I can’t find any shoes that provide better value especially if you’re only planning to be walking around or doing light running in them. As long as they keep designing nice shoes, I’m declaring myself a Starbury convert.

This was not a sponsored post. I just happened upon these shoes while hanging out in the Manhattan Mall and love the idea. 

Slickdeals isn’t really a site to go if you want to find a specific deal, but if you’re diligent and check often enough, you’ll likely find a deal on something you need and save a bundle of money at the same time. The only problem is resisting the urge to cash in on the deals for those things you don’t really need. I’m pretty sure slickdeals.net has caused me to spend a lot more money than it has saved me just because some of the deals are just so damn good.

For even more deals, just check out the forums where members discuss other deals and freebies that they have found online. What are you waiting for? The markets aren’t open on the weekend and it’s time to spend that money you made during the week! Head over and grab yourself some goodies at Slickdeals.net.

Silver Jewelry Club is a website which has actually been around for quite some time. It recently received a facelife and has begun having four deals at a time rather than just one. It’s idea is similar to that of woot! and other deal of the day websites except Silver Jewelry Club has a new deal every 15 minutes! Oh, and one more thing. The jewelry is absolutely free (except for shipping and handling)! You do need to buy a chain for some of the silver pieces and that is an additional $3. So, in total, the jewelry pieces range from $6 to $9. Not too shabby for some really beautiful, sterling silver jewelry and you don’t need to tell your friends you got it for free. (Don’t tell my girlfriend…) Also, if you’d like to support this blog, buying from Silver Jewelry Club would be a great thing. I like the products so much, I’ve decided to become an affiliate – a new banner showing one of four current deals is now in the sidebar – so before you buy, make sure to click a link from your favorite investing and personal finance website!

This weekend’s site is woot.com! This site has been one that I check daily for several months now. Basically, the website sells one product each day (usually electronic) at an extreme discount. Shipping for every product is only $5 to boot! Don’t mull over the purchase, though. Once the clock strikes midnight, the deal is gone! Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, the site serves as the destination of choice for many new electronic product launches so its always a great place to visit just to stay on top of what’s hot in the gadget world. Go check it out! Make sure to pick up a “bag of crap” if they happen to be selling it. If you’re a budding wino like myself, check out Wine.Woot! where the same company sells a weekly wine deal. I picked up a four pack of Parker Station wines for $39.99 just a few weeks ago. Not great wines, but definitely good everyday wines and you can’t beat the price.