Is anyone else fascinated/staggered/terrified by the proliferation of membership only online sale sites lately?  There’s been a lot of talk in the media about the crises faced by the fashion industry in the “new economy” — is this going to end up being one of them?   Back when we did our membership only sale site roundup, I had experience with only four fashion-oriented sale sites.  Now?   Gilt alone has four different sale sites, including one for vacations, and I’m a member of at least seven other sale sites, specializing in items from beauty products to home goods.   Even one of our perennial favorite stores, Revolve Clothing, has started its own members-only sale site (Reverse). Several of these sites have launched only within the last few months.

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The online shopping guide rolls on, and this week we’ve arrived at one of my favorites — the membership only sites.  I have to admit, the membership site sales are a BIG weakness of mine.  I hesitate to specify how much money I’ve spent on Gilt, but let’s just say that my wardrobe is a whole bunch nicer than it was before I joined, and I have a few really fabulous handbags.  The great thing about the membership sales is that while you can’t rely on getting the season’s latest offerings, you can get some really great items at discounts way beyond what you’re likely to see in the online or physical stores on a regular basis.  The online membership sites are the perfect place for opportunistic shopping; if you keep your eye out for, say, a dress to wear to a wedding, and give it a little extra time, you’re likely to see something going by at one of these sales that you’ll love and that won’t cost you anything like retail.

A discussion of the various sale sites follows after the jump!

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