Exploring the underworld: Saving (lots!) by buying lingerie online

Note: most of the stores mentioned, while they also sell men's underwear, are geared primarily towards women. Depending on your place of work and your/their personal sense of propriety, many of the sites may also be considered NSFW. Just don't say I didn't tell you :-) .

Possibly one of the more expensive items of clothing many of us women wear at any given time is our bra. This is especially true if you're the well-endowed type, are pregnant or nursing, or have had a mastectomy. Such bras purchased locally can each cost several hundred Shekels.

Women who need shapewear have a similar problem. Good quality shapewear, which, in my humble opinion, is the only type worth wearing, can also run you several hundred Shekels bought locally. Or you could take your chances with an as-seen-on-TV bodyshaper via Groupon. 

Fortunately, there are other excellent options with reasonable, fast shipping from abroad, so you shouldn't feel you need to compromise on quality at the expense of a decently-priced item.

HerRoom is a US-based online underwear and shapewear retailer with a huge variety of products. If you can't decide which size to purchase, they also have an amazing bra fit guide and calculator. HerRoom has a very large selection of specialty wear, such as large size, nursing and post-mastectomy bras. For men, there is the sister (brother?) site HisRoom, and you can order at both sites, and then pay for your purchases and send them in one package. Shipping starts at about $10.
Cashback is 7% at Mr. Rebates, 6% at Extrabux, and 4% at Ebates and BeFrugal.

[If you're unfamiliar with cashback programs, I recommend you read about them here - you're missing out if you don't use them!]

Freshpair is another large US underwear retailer. Not all of their items are for shipment abroad, but their prices are very attractive, especially during BOGO (Buy one, get one free) sales. They have flat rate shipping of $9.95 per package. Mr. Rebates has 8% cashback, and Ebates and BeFrugal have 6% for this site.

While Spanx does, in fact, ship to Israel (which is a relatively recent improvement, mind), shipping to Israel starts at about $25 (with  8% cashback on Mr. Rebates and BeFrugal, 4% on  Ebates) for a small item. I'd probably pass, given the other excellent options available, but if you insist upon the genuine item, know that it's available to you.

Figleaves is a British online underwear shop which also has a US site - this is important if you're a large size as the UK/US sizes aren't identical (see conversion table here) and if you're more comfortable with buying in a specific currency. Shipping is virtually identical, starting at $9 for the US site and for the UK one at £5.95. I suspect that shipping is somewhat faster from the UK, however. There are coupons to be had at RetailMeNot, as well as 2% cashback from TopCashback and BeFrugal. For the UK site, Pouring Pounds has 1.5% cashback, and Quidco has 2%. You can pay via Paypal if you wish here, too.

Bras & Honey - shipping starts at  £5.95, and Quidco has an amazing 12.5% cashback on all purchases! 

Bravissimo  specializes in large-size (D-cup and above) bras, swimwear and nightwear. Shipping starts at £7.95, and there's cashback to be had from Pouring Pounds (2.25%) and Quidco (2%).

You can pay with Paypal at all these sites except for Bravissimo.

Happy shopping and saving!