Should You Buy Clothes Online?

July 10, 2010, By Jim Fiorini 0 comments

There is nothing more painful to me than going shopping with my wife. You guys know the drill. "Honey, I just need a new blouse for the big meeting at work this Friday. I'll be in and out, I promise." So you start at one end of the mall, she tries on six blouses in the first store, and you head to the next. Fast forward three hours and 14 stores later and we are back in the first store buying the first blouse. Meanwhile, she found perfume, earrings and a great handbag.

When I need casual shirts I go to the outlet store, find three shirts, check out and I'm home in under an hour. Yet buying some types of clothing online makes sense for me and most guys who are more interested in getting it done than "shopping" in the traditional sense.

Finding clothes is a problem for me since I have 30-inch arms and an 18-inch collar. When I am buying clothes that I need to look good in -- suits, business casual, dress shirts -- I go to my favorite men's boutique and get everything custom made. This sounds extravagant, but on average my suits last 10 years and my custom shirts five or six.

When it comes to casual clothes, I don't really care so much about fit and finish, but I find that shopping for jeans and polo shirts online can also be a hassle and shipping costs can add up. I usually just pop by the outlets two or three times a year and load up on that type of stuff.

So what clothing do I buy online? Outerwear, accessories and specialty items are what work best for me. The sizing is usually fairly consistent for coats. I wear an XL, and whether it's Columbia Sportswear or The North Face, XL is the size that works for me. The same goes for hats, gloves, etc.

I maintain an active outdoor lifestyle, so I purchase lots of high-tech underwear and fleece online. These types of items are not terribly size critical as long as they are comfortable. High-quality clothing of this type tends to be expensive, so finding deals is important to an old skinflint like me.

Here are some tips for picking up some great deals online.

Always check out the "closeout" tab that most sites carry. At my age and mindset, I'm past caring what anyone thinks of how I dress and I don't have any fashion statement to make.

When you find a few sites that you are happy with, get on their e-mail list so you are notified of sales and closeouts. Since I'm not concerned with the latest style, I always follow up on any e-mail links my vendors send me regarding sales and closeouts. I've stored items I purchased on closeout for two years before I've worn them.

Every year, someone at one of the big name shops will come up with a ski jacket color combination of mustard yellow over eggplant purple. That's when I score a $189 jacket for $79. I have a very colorful wardrobe made up of these items. My wife calls my closet "the vomitorium." Hey, my stuff is high quality, warm, dry and dirt cheap! I always turn it around on her by blaming my frugality on her extravagance. Try it, it works.

Another cost saver in closeouts are factory seconds. These items may have a slight defect in fabric or manufacture. These defects typically don't affect the performance of the clothing but are more cosmetic in nature. Usually it's a poor stitching job on a cuff or hem. Rarely, it turns out to be something significant but fixable.

Another great idea is to search "coupons for ..." Sometimes you'll find some coupon codes for additional savings. Usually coupons don't count on closeouts or sale items, but I always try.

When it comes to clothing that I depend on for protection from the elements, quality is always my first consideration. The rain, wind and snow don't care what color my jacket is, and neither do I. I'm 51, married for 26 years, short, fat and broke. Just who do I need to look good for?

My favorite sites for these items are Campmor.com, Overstock.com, EddieBauer.com and REI.com. Beware of smaller, no-name sites. I haven't been burned yet, but I'm sure to look for reviews and comments before I try a new site. It's really difficult for a bandit to get away with ripping you off these days if you are checking a source before you buy.

Jim Fiorini is a contributor to Six Apart Media.