The Websites that Revolutionized Shopping

There are shopping websites. And then there are the genius creations that have us logging in, clicking on, and otherwise drooling over the best of the highly curated best. Here, the sites that have made shopping part sport, part fetish, and in some cases, part-time job.

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AMAZON.COM

Amazon.com made its start with discounted books (the paper kind), but the third-party retailers that now drive its site make it possible to snatch up everything from deodorant to jeans and deal with only one very convenient checkout process.

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BIGCARTEL.COM

Bigcartel.com is like an e-mentor for new designers, making it easy for anyone to set up shop online. What previously required a programmer and thousands of dollars is now an afternoon's project—and costs, at most, 20 bucks per month.

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BLOGGERS

Bloggers who really shape tastes and drive products include Grace Bonney with her home-centric DESIGNSPONGE.COM, Rumi Neely with FASHIONTOAST.COM (she's now the face of Forever 21 ads, after all), and the two exceptionally chic Southern California-based surf and skateboarding designers who run BLEACHBLACK.COM.

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EBAY.COM

Ebay.com has created a nation of attic-rummaging merchants and likely killed the chance that you'll ever encounter an underpriced Chanel bag at a garage sale. But how can you fault a site that makes it possible to track down four-year-old Chloé pants or skip the waiting line on a Birkin?

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ETSY.COM

Etsy.com makes it possible to do something inconceivable a few years back: buy a one-of-a-kind bud vase—or gorgeous stationery or gown—designed by an unknown artisan with no other retail outlet. The main downside of the mega-site is that it can be difficult to sort through the bejillions of handmade and vintage offerings.

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FARFETCH.COM

Farfetch.com made virtual world travelers out of us all. Based in Europe, the site integrates pieces from amazing boutiques scattered across the globe into one slick, gorgeously designed site, which means you can shop London's Start, Canada's Reborn, and Copenhagen's Paristexas all in one go. Hopefully, all of our favorite boutiques will be represented here someday.

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GILT.COM

Gilt.com is famous for being the first online sample site to lure marquee designers— and offer insane bargains like brand-new Marchesa gowns at 70 percent off. Every day at noon, when the 36-hour sales begin, 120,000 users log on to the invitation-only site to snag deeply discounted clothing and hotel stays. Gilt bred a whole new category of site, including hautelook.com, ruelala.com, editorscloset.com, and ideeli.com.

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LOOKBOOK.NU.COM

Lookbook.nu.com does the best job of gathering and editing street-style shots from around 
the globe, and we love being able to rank the different looks. But we also need to give a shout-out to the originator of the genre: BILL CUNNINGHAM of the The New York Times.

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NET-A-PORTER.COM

Net-a-Porter.com built a name for itself back in 2000 by successfully luring the most Web-resistant of upper-echelon designers (including Rick Owens) into the then-Wild West world of online shopping. Arguably the most editorial-like of the major e-coms, NAP is also distinguished by its pristine design and spot-on photography.

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POLYVORE.COM

Polyvore.com took the social networking phenomenon, added fashion voyeurism and a dash of let's-pretend fantasy, and created a sensation. Each day, some 30,000 "sets" or inspiration boards of shoppable products are created by people around the world, meaning that it's easy to spend the better part of a day checking out what people are dying to buy.

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SHOPBOP.COM

Shopbop.com began life in a tiny shop in Wisconsin, working as a portal for not-yet-online retailers (it sold Madewell stuff before Madewell did and is currently the only place you can buy Club Monaco remotely). Now it stays ahead of the curve by offering a department-store-deep mix of up-and-coming and well-established lines.

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SHOPITTOME.COM

Shopittome.com worked programming magic and took the legwork out of trolling for sales. Set your preferences and get a daily or weekly e-mail of everything in your size from the designers of your choice.

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