Woot.com
Every day, this internet blog (or store, depending on how badly you want their daily discount, or "woot"), offers up a snazzy, quirky, and sometimes unneccessary, product available for 24 hours directly on-site. Originally founded by an electronics wholesaler, the site offers one deal per day, usually a gadget or computer-related add-on. The site has grown to include a daily "Shirt Woot", "Wine Woot" and a very active and savvy community board.
The Pros:
The Daily Woot is available every morning at 12am central time--convenient for both night owls and early birds.
Once a month, flashing orange construction lights alert the consumer to a "Woot-Off." Instead of one deal that day, Woot showcases many deals for two or three days. When a deal sells out, a new one is replaced immediately instead of the standard reissue at midnight.
Product Stats: A tab at the top of the page offers (again, depending on how much you are lusting after an object) useful or silly stats, such as sales per hour, units sold (only if sold out) and woots per capita. The graphics are geeky but aesthetically appeasing.
Discuss This Product Tab: Users do just that, and Woot moderates to keep it useful. They call it the "wisdom of the herd."
Uses FedEx Shipping: Secure & Trackable.
Daily Side Deal: Exactly that, a daily side deal at the top in case the Woot is sold out or you're looking for something else.
2-Pack Tuesday: Two packs of products available--great for purchasing gifts in advance. Woot has also offered 3-4-5 and 10-pack Tuesdays on occasion.
An Online Lifestyle: Woot has inspired Apple & Windows Sidebar widgets, woottv (a live chat about daily Woots), and a Wootswap forum.
The Cons:
No Time to Think About It: The Daily Woot is only available for 24 hours: no guarantees, no backorders, no waiting or notification lists.
If the day's woot sells out faster than 24 hours, a new Woot isn't replaced until midnight (central time).
Woot will not tell you how many items are left, BUT if you see a "I Want One" button bouncing around, that means a sellout is coming.
Products are never pre-announced, so no pre-planning.
Max of 3 units per order with one account per day.
No Woot.com customer support. Comments (positive and negative) are for the community board. Those with buyer's remorse are suggested to re-sell on eBay.
Link: http://www.woot.com/
FAQs: http://www.woot.com/WhatIsWoot.aspx
Woottv: http://www.justin.tv/woottv
WootSwap: http://www.wootswap.com/