The Best Online Home Goods Deal Sites: What You Need to Know

Deals! They’re everywhere online these days. Gilt Group started the revolution a couple years ago by selling designer clothing at steep discounts, and sites like Ideeli and Rue La La followed suit. The deals have since expanded to home goods. Below are a few of our favorites:

1) Fab.com has been getting a lot of press in recent weeks because it showcases independent designers at reasonable prices. Each day, they offer a range of retailers with many items to help you outfit your home without breaking the bank. Highly recommended.

2) One Kings Lane can be a pricy deal site (think keepsake pieces), but it does have some less expensive brands. If you’re looking to buy an investment piece, like a kitchen table, keep One Kings Lane in mind.

2a) Gilt Home should be thought of similarly to One Kings Lane, as they often have more timeless items that could be good investment pieces – but they can cost. I bought a nice pillow (for the bed) on Gilt from the W hotel a few months ago, which ended up costing around $40 if you factor in shipping (instead of the usual $70), but I know I’ll have it for years and my old pillow was flat as cardboard, so it was time for an upgrade. So far, it’s been a great investment –just ask my back!

3) Heartsy.com is definitely lower budget, as it shares deals from popular etsy.com retailers and often includes home goods, jewelry, clothes, etc, from smaller places, as opposed to large brands.

4) Overstock.com is a perfect example of a great deal site that you may not even think of on a regular basis, because its sales aren’t tied to deadlines. Consider it for everything from furniture to bedding. Plus, unlike many deal sites, they have free shipping for purchases over $50! I recently got a watch from Overstock that looks five or six times as expensive as it cost me! And I knew because I’d been looking for a watch for months before I stumbled upon this site.

In general the deal sites are best for, and give you most value, on smaller home items,  such as bed linens, decorative pillows and throws, kitchen equipment, serving pieces, storage containers, desk accessories and a bath accessories.  Sometimes you can also see a great sale on area rugs.  For larger furniture pieces  they tend to offer super expensive brands that are pricy even after big discounts.

However: now that we’ve shared a few sites with you, we want you to pause for a moment before clicking away: spending money on a good deal is still spending money. If you are trying to save, the best way to do that is by not spending money, even if you’re getting a deal.

In other words, these sites are best used if you are already trying to buy a particular object – similar to how I had been looking for a watch – rather than if you are just trolling around, looking for “something” to buy. In the latter case, you’re bound to spend gobs of money and rationalize it to yourself by saying, “It’s cheap.” Remember: if you don’t need it, don’t get it.

Also, shipping is often not included. Keep that in mind when pricing items. Finally, even if one of the above is having an amazing sale on, say, Dansk plates, be sure to Google that same product before buying. Often, you can find it at an even better price on Amazon.com and get free shipping (plus, hey, reviews!).

Have you signed up for any other daily deal sites? What are your thoughts on this new phenomena?