If I had to buy a new outfit for everything in my diary this summer, I'd have no money left. But I recently found a website that rivals the likes of ASOS, where you can snap up outfits from popular brands like River Island, Topshop, ASOS and Miss Selfridge for as little as a tenner.
Secret Sales cropped up on my Facebook ads recently. I checked it was legit and now I don’t think I’ll ever pay full price for a new look again. The website is described as a ‘premium non-full-price marketplace for fashion, sportswear and beauty brands’, and has previously been featured on the Money Saving Expert website.
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It is essentially an online version of an outlet village like McArthur Glen or Cheshire Oakes, selling surplus, end-of-line and outlet stock from well-known brands at a reduced price, often as much as 75% off. In January this year, ASOS announced it would be joining the platform in a bid to clear stock efficiently, with all the selected discounted items no longer being available on ASOS as products will be housed on Secret Sales.
The partnership means visitors to Secret Sales can shop from a selection of up to 1,000 products from ASOS-owned brands, including ASOS Design, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, and Miss Selfridge, all listed at a fraction of their original price. But there are also dozens of other high end brands also available to shop from on the site, including Kurt Geiger, Burberry and LK Bennett.
I picked up three dresses with a total value of £154, paying a grand total of £37.39 including postage, meaning I saved £116.61 on my order compared to buying new. Usually I’d think nothing of spending £40 on a new dress on the ASOS website - but at Secret Sales, I’d snagged triple the dresses for less money.
I picked up a midi slip dress from Topshop for £11.20, down from £56, saving a whopping 80 per cent. I also went for an In The Style satin asymmetric ruffle detail maxi dress in ochre-Yellow, which should have been £52, but cost £10.40 at Secret Sales.
But it was the third and final dress that was worth every penny of the entire order, and has immediately become my summer go-to. The ASOS DESIGN Petite open back puff sleeve maxi dress cost me £13.80 instead of £46, and has a fabulous textured pink gingham pattern in a waffle fabric, meaning it never needs to be ironed. It has an open back detail which is perfect for the warm weather, and it’s lined very well so you can go braless too.
My order was shipped the next day and had arrived within a week. The orders are sent directly by the brand or seller themselves - in this case, ASOS - and Secret Sales undertakes quality checks to ensure the best standard for customers.
ASOS will be refreshing inventory fortnightly, with plans in the pipeline to grow the selection of products available, which means I’ll be able to update my whole wardrobe for every occasion for a lot less.
It’s not the only retailer where you can get cut-price clothing and accessories, though. Martin Lewis previously spoke about a site called Everything5Pounds on ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB), where he explained the site buys leftover and excess stock from retailers like Marks and Spencer, River Island, Oodie and Karen Millen, and sells it for a fraction of the price.
He explained that they're 'often not branded', so whether or not you get a high-end high street item is a bit of luck. I’ve previously ordered from the site and received dresses and skirts from Boohoo, Topshop and Oasis - so it is a bit of a brand lottery, but if you like the piece, £5-£6 is a very reasonable price. However, with Secret Sales, it does tell you which brand the clothing, shoes and accessories are from.
Shoe lovers can also pick up a range of ex-display shoes from Dr Marten, Timberland and Steve Madden for a snip of the price at Schuh, with dozens of womens, kids and mens styles starting from under £10. Meanwhile, Shoeaholics is an outlet store owned by Kurt Geiger where you can get designer shoes, bags and accessories from £5.
You can shop the whole range of discounted looks on the Secret Sales website here.
