All marketing.

I don't know if any sale site is without marketing.

They call it "curated" and "Flash Sales", basically they want to be more like a personal shopper and less like a department store. They have invited designers to shop for and pick out collections, which I think is clever. They also have items designed for the site. They tend to be right on trend and at times cutting edge, finding items that many shoppers didn't know they had to have. That said, the prices are a little steep, but you are paying for a service and the experience of being part of an 'exclusive' club that anyone can join.

I think what you are asking about, is their level of service. I have never shopped there, but I would expect their service in terms of accuracy of descriptions, shipping, etc. to be top notch and I wouldn't be afraid to buy form them, if I found something I fell in love with.

But when I have shopped there, the items I 'had to have' were all ready sold out, so I haven't really gone back, because I don't like looking at what I can't have.

I find their prices to be even less then Wayfair.
Which happens to be under the same umbrella as far as ownership goes.
Shipments arrive within 7-10 days.
Most items can be returned.
Shipping is cheap.
This site is not like the OneKingsLane site that takes for ever and is sooo over priced.

Before you order, find someone who is already a member (me)
so that they can receive a $ 25 credit.
Just kidding about using me...(not kidding)
Anyway , the few items that I have ordered have arrived well.
I google everything before I purchase for the best price.

Lilylore~
I've just noticed that you said their prices are a "little steep".
In most cases I've never( maybe rarely) found that to be true.
Comparing like to like items that is.

Adding: I also get upset that an item has sold out 5 min. after I get the email...

This post was edited by forboystoo on Sun, Nov 2, 14 at 16:47

Joss and Main is the flash sale site for Wayfairer. I would google image search the item before you pull the trigger. I have found many Joss and Main items that were cheaper on other web sites. Sometimes the Joss and Main price is cheaper but when you add the shipping it negates the bargain.

I have ordered a few small things and have been happy but I carefully research before I purchase.

Thanks Everyone.

Deer-I am a price shopper too.

I think @lilylore was speaking in general terms of all the "flash sale" sites and curated sites like OKL and J&M.

I've found that J&M can have content at the exact same price as their parent Wayfair, and sometimes with better terms on the regular site. I don't find their content to be that exclusive -- they work hard to rename items to make it harder to price shop. Shipping and service can be good -- I did buy one item there before I found I didn't have to wait and could just go to Wayfair.com/AllModern. Shipping with them is a big variable.

I find OKL to have a better selection of more unique items -- items usually only sold via design marts or high end stores (e.g, Baker) but their pricing can be high on many items. I've also seen some good deals on Gilt (with a coupon) or sometimes, on vente privee from AMEX -- the latter had Mauviel last week at a prices well below sale prices at other sites and B&M stores.

They had the best price even with shipping. $10-20 difference from others who offered free shipping for the rug.
Thx.

I'm interested, as someone who isn't in the mainstream of regularly shopping from these on-line companies (OKL, JM, 1st Dibs) what the "reality" is. I have seen preposterously expensive items on OKL ($600 for an old school bench worth negative $100) that makes me wonder if other items are equally overpriced. What's the difference between them, what are the bargains--or are there any bargains?

OneKingsLane is a platform where various antique dealers or flea marketers can sell their items at a more "upscale" site.
I find that many of their items can be found on Ebay.

I bought a rug from Joss & Main last year for DD who really wanted one after we put in hardwood on the 2nd floor. It's quite large,
arrived packed well, was exactly as described. It's cute but nothing special. I didn't pay much for it. Other than that I have not bought anything else from the site but I have no complaints.

I think others have said it well. You must do your research before purchasing items from any of the flash sales sites. Many times, you can find the same item at the same or a lower price, but with a lower shipping cost and faster delivery.

I agree that the vintage items offered by OneKingsLane are vastly overpriced. They have some exciting items, but I don't have the budget to pay two or three times market value for an item just for the convenience of buying from OKL.

I have had excellent customer service from all of the flash sales sites. While I've had a ton of breakage on fragile items, I've always received a quick refund after I sent pictures of the breakage. One site even let me return some non-returnable glassware because the actual color was so different from that pictured on the site.

I stopped subscribing to OKL because I found their prices way too high. This is my first purchased from JM.

When we moved into our home 8 yrs ago, I found many of our upgrades on Ebay. Recently, I've been doing pretty good on Amazon. You just have to know what you want and keep returning to the sites and definitely read reviews. Some of the brands I have bought are Grohe, Franke, and our Siemens front loaded washer and dryer. Saved a lot of moolah. Recently bought thick padding for our 9x15 area rug on Amazon and saved $85.00 and they cut it to fit the rug. No tax and free delivery. So, I probably saved more.

Can I tack on a dumb question about J&M - does the site have a search function? I'm often hunting for something specific - a coat rack at the moment for example - but I can't figure out how to search the Joss site. I don't have the patience to scroll through each individual "sale." But I'm probably missing something wildly obvious.

I'm with smalloldhouse. I like a lot of the things for sale on J&M but hate there is no (obvious to me anyway) search function for something specific. I also hate having to scroll through each individual curated sale. SOH, I don't think we've missed something. They just want us to see everything, hoping we'll buy more. I did finally purchase a couple of pillows and they are ok but nothing special and they were fairly cheap so I'll use them for a while and replace them eventually.

On Joss and Main, there is a search box in the upper right. You have to be signed in to see it. If you are signed in and still can't see it, try clicking on the "shop events" header on the left and see if the search boxes shows up on the right. I tried it and typed in coat rack and some options popped up.

New favorite is 55 Downing Street. It's part of Lamps Plus. I know, sounds crazy. So far everything I've seen has had free shipping. The prices end up being less than the "Professional Discount" from Lamps Plus. Again, it's certain items on sale for a short amount of time, while they last.

I've had a few clients pick up various pieces from this site with a lot of luck.

If you want an "invitation" to the site and a $10 coupon, let me know, I'll email it to you. (we both get $10 credit) Just email me at beekeeperswife at gmail dot com.

As far as J&M, I've had wonderful success with their customer service. Bought a 6' tall palm tree for a show house. I was taller than it.....They thought a wrong one was sent, so they sent another one...again, I was taller than it. I ended up making both work (yes, they didn't want the first one back).

I've bought other things from them too, all with good luck.

Reviving this thread for cyber monday.... they are offering an extra 30% off today only. Amazon's MyHabit has 20% off extra.