How to Shop Ideeli

Remember the days when, if you wanted to get in a bit of shopping on your lunch break, you had to time it perfectly. You had to find a way to get out of the office without stopping to speak to anyone, rush to the boutique while silently cursing each slight traffic delay, and swiftly enter the boutique only to discover that firstly, the item you were dying to get your hands on isn’t actually in stock right now and secondly, that the relaxing, engaging experience of shopping was destroyed by your time constraints?

Enter Ideeli.

Thanks to online boutiques like these, you can shop for a plethora of goodies without leaving your desk. Four million shoppers so far have caught onto the Ideeli craze, and if you want to get to the head of the pack, here’s what you need to know. Read these tips, get shopping, and get the most out of that lunch break without breaking a sweat.

How to Shop Ideeli

First things first.

To take advantage of Ideeli, you’re going to have to join, which hardly takes a minute. Membership means access to a \\assortment of items every single day, including fashion, experiences like spa trips and restaurant deals, home decor and getaways. And if you get your friends to join too, then you get $25 after each of them makes their first purchase, which isn’t as good as Gilt, but it’s still a perk.

Rules of the game.

Shopping with Ideeli brings out a fashionista’s competitive side. Sales begin every day at noon EST, but you can peek at the offerings beforehand. That way you know whether to stick around to get to the sale first, or to pass. Selections are first-come, first-served, so if you want to make sure you get what you want, get there first.

An Ideeli ideal: variety
Not only do Ideeli members get to choose from items for women, men, children, home and travel, but there’s also a wide selection of brands. Ideeli doesn’t just let you score deals on premiere designers, but on more everyday brands as well (you can purchase BCBG and Reebok both at 50% off). Sometimes Ideeli allows you to purchase not just clothing, but discounts on clothing from certain retailers. Example: $50 toward a $100 purchase from South Beach Swimwear.

First row perks.
When you join Ideeli, you’ll be automatically classified as a 2nd row member, but you can upgrade to the first row for a price. For $7 a month, you can get into sales an hour before they begin, letting you get first pick of the items you want. Plus, you’ll have access to exclusive first-row member sales.

The fine print.
Ideeli accepts returns on most unopened items. You can see if an item is eligible for return on the right side of the item’s detail page. If the item is eligible for return, you’ll have 14 days from the day it’s shipped to get it back. You can’t get your cash back for returns– only store credit– but at least there are no shipping fees.

Patience is a virtue
We love Ideeli, but we’ve got to let you in one last bummer before sending you on your shopping way. The sad truth: the item you purchase could take as long as three weeks to ship.
Granted, Ideeli lets you know how long it could take, but if you want an item in a rush, you’ll have to look elsewhere.