Maybe the best Impulse Buying Website Ever!

Don't visit this web site: www.steepandcheap.com.

...Especially if you like to play in the great outdoors.

You think you're strong because you have not drained this month's pay check at REI.com. You have kept your wits about you on Sierra Trading Post despite the pervasive deal time flyers spamming your inbox. But with Steep & Cheap you're toast.

Steep & Cheap is an online store that sells one outdoor product at a time for a ridiculously low price for 25min. or until it's gone. Outdoor Research, Arxteryx, Mountain Hardware, Sierra Designs, Black Diamond, Oakley, Smith... they sell the good stuff. And you know how great deals can often be found if you wear size 20 shoes? Or pants are heavily discounted if you are rolling with 42"x28" measurements. Steep and cheap actually has the range of normal sizes of stuff, but at very limited quantities for a very limited time.

What is the catch? Well I've looked into the prices and they actually are about the best deals I've ever seen. I google search each product that interests me and have yet to find that product for near the S&C price anywhere else. Generally the deals run 50-75% off of retail, and sometimes 80%+ off. Here are some examples:

Smith Serpico Sunglasses: $32.99.  Sold Everywhere for $80-$120.
Mountain Hardware Cohesion Jacket: $89.99.  Sold Everywhere for $120-164.

So the prices aren't the catch. But that's the problem! The price is right for only ~25min. and then it's gone and it makes me want to buy everything! I have yet to drop a dollar on it, but I've pined over about $500 worth of stuff already this week. The catch is that they have designed it to be impulse irresistible.

How I Plan to Score (and still have money left for food).

Well, there are actually 4 web sites running this same gig. They all carry a different variety of outdoor products. (Cycling, trendy, hardcore outdoor). I track all 4 of these web sites here:  http://www.sacalerts.com/steepandcheap_tracker.php

These 4 sites seem to be linked to the BackCountry Outdoor Gear Store. This is like the outlet for their outlet. What I don't like about the typical outlet is that many products have very limited sizes available. Currently S&C sells products that are available across a normal range of sizes--so the shopping experience is pretty high quality if the listing is a product you want. I wouldn't be surprised if other stores started copying this model soon. 

My strategy is to drop money on products I have already decided I want before they are listed. I've set a price bar in my mind. For example, I want the Black Diamond elliptical trekking poles. If S&C lists them for $45 or less, I'm in. This should keep me from going bananas (so I can afford bananas). I've noticed that they will often list products a couple of times if they didn't sell out the first time. Several of the products they have listed have been sitting on my Amazon wish list for a while at much higher prices--so I wait.

Of course if you don't like waiting, just buy everything that strikes your fancy. :)
Just kidding.