overstock

Color me impressed. It's hard enough to find a good-looking accent chair for under $300, but Overstock's Hero Chair ($250) does just that. And even better? $50 of that price tag is actually directly donated to the Wounded Warrior Project, a program which serves the wounded men and women of the United States armed forces by raising awareness, enlisting public aid, and providing programs to meet the needs of severely injured service members and their caregivers. You can donate directly to the project here.

But back to that handsome chair. The Hero Chair was designed by Angelo Surmelis and features a hardwood frame under a gray chenille upholstery that will fit into any number of decorating schemes. Its versatile design, which combines both modern and traditional elements, would be equally at home in a ski cabin or a downtown loft. I definitely wish that I had room in my home for this chair. Do you have room in yours?

With the launch of its new home décor site Eziba, Overstock is following One Kings Lane and Gilt Groupe into the private sale game. The products aren't necessarily overstock items, but rather, new and affordable. Overstock president Jonathan Johnson notes, "Overstock.com has relationships with a large network of suppliers, who are in search of different avenues to sell product. It was a natural progression for the O to build a private sale site."

Already the selection seems more upscale than Overstock's usual inventory. This gorgeous reclaimed teak buffet, for instance, comes from C. G. Sparks and is for sale for $1,100. Kitchenaid, Lenox, Cybex, and Calypso Rugs are among the other debut labels, with patio furniture, tabletop wares, bath towels, and furniture in the mix.

Sales begin daily at 11 a.m. EDT and last between 48 and 72 hours. If you're already a member of Overstock, you can simply use that user name and password to log in, and if not, sign-up is free and easy. Just like Overstock, entire orders on Eziba ship for only $2.95. That's the clincher!

On the heels of my 10 Knockoff Designer Chairs From Overstock slideshow, I found a knockoff of noted midcentury Danish designer Hans Wegner's Wishbone Chair ($730), designed in 1949. The Wishbone Chair, also known as the CH24 Chair or the Y Chair, is a small, light armchair with a gracious shape and elegant Y-shaped back. It offers good support, is easy to move around in, and can be pulled up close to a table even though it has arm rests. Though Hans Wegner designed over 500 chairs in his lifetime, this one is the most popular by far, and still claims a high pricetag 60 years after it was introduced. Beloved as it is, it's still out of reach for most. So it's a good thing Overstock makes a knockoff.

Overstock has made a name for itself by selling surplus merchandise to consumers at deeply discounted prices — and always shipping for only $2.95. Cheap is the word that the company most brings to mind. But there's one product that most definitely calls for an exception. The Rare Antique Meshkabad Persian Rug, at 26 feet, nine inches by 37 feet, retails for a whopping $135,000. The one-of-a-kind rug was hand-woven from 100 percent fine lamb's wool, using vegetable dyes, some time around the 1920s. It took a group of semi-nomadic people living in the village of Meshkabad (near Arak in North-Western Iran) five years to weave the rug. Wow!

I was first just shocked by the sheer price of the rug. But then I realized it's essentially the length of a pretty fancy yacht! And it took longer to weave than many people stay in one house! It's actually kind of sad, really, that a tribe spent so much time weaving something that eventually ended up on a surplus retailer's website. No? If you had the dough, and the space, would you buy it?

We were disappointed to learn that a certain friends and family sale is going to be open to public forcing us greedy hording editors to contend with hoi polloi. Yes we are selfish and prefer to scramble at sales with a smaller crowd. Can you really blame us for living for this singular perk of the job? As more and more of the secrets of the industry get out to the public finding a quiet shopping haven of discounted designer goods has become nearly impossible. Yes, yes please feel bad for us, its horrible we know!

This crowding issue is why we love Gabay's. The still relatively unknown East Village designer surplus shop is know for its impressive collection of unsold shoe inventory from a well known luxury department store. The place is a jumble of hidden treasures for those with the patience to root around looking for a gem. If you prefer a curated easy shopping experience though guess what you still get what you pay for so head to your nearest full price personal shopper. Otherwise, if you are in New York head to Gabay's for a little recession era fun. We know we are craving a little retail therapy.

225 1st Ave Apt 1 (between 13th St & 14th St) New York, NY 10003 (212) 254-3180