Buying clothing and shoes online for less, Part 2

In Part 1 of how to save on clothing and shoes, we discussed local Israeli and British websites where you can find clothing at a significant discount and at equal, or even superior, quality than what's offered in the mall. Now we'll discuss a few American stores with similar qualities.

Unfortunately, many US-based apparel websites like to play petty games with their international shoppers. When they offer international shipping, it's often quite expensive, the Dollar /Shekel exchange rates they use can be significantly higher than the Bank of Israel's, and you often can't take advantage of online coupons and special offers available for Americans. There are a few US sites, however, which are, in my opinion, worth shopping at.

Have you seen those cool 3-D T-shirts? The Mountain is their original producer. Sure, you can get cheap knockoffs elsewhere, but you won't find the quality anywhere near the real thing. These shirts last forever, the kids (big kids too, even the 30+ year-old kids) love them, and they're extremely comfortable. They also don't skimp on the coupon codes - to be had at sites like RetailMeNot . Shipping is $20, but it's the same if you order 2 shirts, and $30 if you order 3 or 4 shirts, so I suggest you order more than one to pay a lower shipping price per item. Cashback is to be had at Mr. Rebates to the tune of 4%, but always compare to other coupon codes available.

Shirts.com  has plenty of cool (though not quite as cool, in my opinion - but then again, my children constantly accuse me of having no taste) T-shirts as well. Be sure to check out the "Under $5" section. Shipping to Israel also starts at $20, and the price per item goes down the more items you order. There are coupons to be had at the site (scroll down to the bottom of the main page), as well as
a whopping 10% cashback from BeFrugal and 6% from Mr. Rebates .

Are you familiar with MyHabit? It's an Amazon-owned site with very reduced prices on brand-name items (clothing and accessories for the whole family, toys and housewares) that go on sale for about 72 hours (if you're familiar with Zulily, it's the same idea, except the latter has exorbitant international shipping fees). Some of the items are still waaaaaaaay out of my personal price range, but others are very reasonable. And the really good news? There's a $15 flat shipping rate! (Keep in mind not all the items are shippable abroad, such as furniture). There's also 4% cashback via  Mr. Rebates .

With the swimsuit season coming, you might want to check out Swimsuits for All , which has a huge selection of swimsuits size 8 to 34. I first encountered this site several years ago. I don't remember the exact circumstances or what I was originally searching for, but the minute I saw the site and the models it used, I knew I *had* to support them. Most of their models are far from the svelte ideal you see in fashion magazines. Prices on sale are reasonable, shipping starts at $21, and the quality of their items (I own 2 suits from them) is unbeatable. I've recommended the site over the years to any number of my personal friends, and every single one has been pleased, so far. You can almost always find good coupon offers at the site; I understand that if you fill up a cart and don't buy immediately, they'll send you an email with a coupon as well. There is also 7% cashback from TopCashback .

While Israel (and China, but that's material for a whole other post) provides plenty of options for smaller women, women over size 10 often find the selection very limited - yes, I'm speaking from experience. Which is why I was overjoyed to find Fullbeauty - a site selling clothes for men and women size 12 and up. The prices aren't cheap, but check out their clearance section . There are lots of options for religious women that aren't muumuus or worse, as well. Unfortunately, not all items can be sent abroad for reasons best known to the site owners. Shipping starts at about $15. There are also coupons to be had at the site or at RetailMeNot .

If it's shoes you're looking for, you'll find it hard to beat the prices at Shoe Metro . This California-based site has a wide variety of brand-name shoes for low, low prices that have me struggling to curb my inner Imelda Marcos. Shipping is $17.99 for the first pair and $8 for each additional pair. There are often price reductions beyond the already reduced prices at their site, and 10% cashback at BeFrugal, 8% at TopCashback, and 5% at Ebates  and Mr. Rebates . Shoe Metro also has an eBay store called apparelsave, which contains almost the same inventory, but also store models, slightly used shoes and pairs where the shoes may be two different sizes, so if you shop there, read the descriptions of the item very, very carefully.

Happy Shopping!