Wednesday, November 14, 2007

This is how I shop

even though i live in what is probably the best shopping cities ever, most of my browsing at least is done online. thankfully those genius web designers out there have made this easier for me.
my first encounter with shopping list technology was on the lovely shopbop which we all know is the place to go for those of us who can't afford net-a-porter (although we know we can't really afford shopbop either).
when you log into your account, you can create a wishlist, so when you do your daily (ok, hourly) checkup on what's new and you spy your new Development Belted Cowl Neck Blouse, you simply pick your size and color and instead of putting it in your shopping cart, you add to wishlist which really is almost as gratifying.
One nice feature is that you can search for other people's wishlists, which is perfect for surprise gifts or just to take a look at what your friends are craving. Check out mine.
The problem with shopbop's technology is that when they sell out of an item, they take it off your wishlist without letting you know and I hate the thought of missing out on something that I once really wanted.
This is why I have switched to Google Notebook for all of my online shopping needs. Once you install the software, you can create and organize notebooks in the same way that Gmail and GoogleReader work. To tag something for yourself, you just right-click the text or image and Google adds it to your list. I use them for my online shopping, restaurants that I want to try out, exhibit reviews that I want to see, and for school. The notebooks can also be public, which I used as a Christmas list last year.
And although I am late to the game, I have become recently obsessed with ebay mainly because of their watch feature. I started out mostly focused on things for my room, vintage bird cages and an Eames Era Herman Miller Chair to be specific. Ebay then sends you emails reminding you to bid on the items you have been watching when they are running out of time.
The best thing about these lists is that they reduce that special kind of buyers remorse that you get when you decide not to buy it because it will always be on your list and you can see what you wanted last winter which is a good marker of how your personal tastes have changed and what makes up your signature style.

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