MISSED out on a coveted item at the GSS? Why not turn to the wonderful Worldwide Web that is the Internet?

You see, my dears, all that running around the stores in stilettos has done my feet in, so nowadays I like to let my fingers do the walking.

I've discovered online treasure troves that sell relatively current bags and shoes from my favourite designer brands for similar discounts to those found in stores here. As The Wall Street Journal calls them: "Designer Bargains, for the invited."

To name but a few, they are Gilt Groupe, Rue La La, Haute Look, Ideeli and The Outnet.

The last is popular designer brand website Net-a-porter.com's sale store, and is a good place to turn to for those hard-to-get-here labels like Rue du Mail or Roksanda Ilincic for anywhere from 30 to 70 per cent off.

Depending on the time of day you surf 'n' shop, you could score extra-sweet deals at the site's "Pop-Up sales", which feature a group of items edited by brand or by theme and are only on sale for a limited time (usually up to 72 hours).

There is also the "Going, Going, Gone" sales, which allow you to choose the price you want to pay for a particular product.

In fact, I'm just waiting to pounce on a pair of studded strappy heels by Proenza Schouler that are currently at half price — 178 pounds (S$421). I wonder if I can get lucky by choosing to pay just S$100 for them at a "Going, Going, Gone" sale.

Of course, there is some hassle involved with ordering from these sites as they are based overseas — Gilt Groupe, Rue La La and Haute Look are anchored stateside while The Outnet is based in Britain.

That means some of these sites accept only US credit cards, or do not ship internationally, or both.

But there are ways to get around the problem, such as making friends with nice Americans, and using VPost (SingPost's online shopping and shipping service).

For the moment, RueLaLa, Haute Look, Gilt Groupe and Ideeli ship only within the United States. Billion Dollar Babes delivers to Singapore for a starting fee of US$45.80 (S$66.50) and TheOutNet ships internationally, while a Singapore-based site, Reebonz ships here and internationally.

Also, do not forget about currency exchanges. With the Sing dollar now at $1.45 to US$1, and $2.36 to £1, you would do well to consider the price after the conversion before you click "confirm purchase".

But when all's said and done, shopping on these websites is not too much different from shopping on, say, eBay.

Sure, the purchase takes awhile to arrive and might have to be stamped at various ports before arriving on your doorstep, but the satisfaction of scoring an It item at 80 per cent off nearly negates the inconvenience.

Best of all, you do not have to physically jostle other shoppers to get what you want.

A last caveat and tip: These sites call themselves "members-only shopping communities", which means you can  take advantage of their sales only if you have been invited to be a member. (After all, no fashionista worth her Balenciaga City tote wants to shop at a store that is a free-for-all, right?)

But invitations and membership are free, and easy to get.

There is either an option on the website’s homepage to request an invitation, or you can simply go to Google, enter two or three key words, and you are on your way in.