Instant Messenger alerts
You can now subscribe to AIM alerts by adding “steepandcheap”, “whiskeymilitia” and/or “chainlove” to your buddy list and IM the word “subscribe”. You’ll start getting IMs whenever a new item is posted on one of the respective sites.

Twitter
Follow gearhunter on Twitter and you’ll get a tweet whenever any of the sites posts a new item. Get all three for the price of one. …which is still free, but you get the point.

Happy hunting!

• SteepAndCheep (“One killer deal,one item at a time until it’s gone”) features outdoor gear and clothes for hiking, snowsports, climbing, etc.
• WhiskeyMilitia carries stuff geared more toward surf/skate lifestyle. Shipping seems to run a bit higher than SAC.
• ChainLove is all bikes, all the time. Bike clothes, bike parts, bike accessories. I’ve even seen a high-end bike frame up for a couple minutes.

So far I’ve picked up a Crumpler messenger bag and a slick Oakley laptop bag for myself and Skull Candy headphones and a rockin’ pair of pink Oakley Wisdom goggles for egeekette, all at mega-markdowns.

All three sites work similarly: Each puts up an item at a huge discount. When it sells out, a new item takes its place. You gotta be fast – you want it, you better buy it quickly. If (when) you get totally hooked, each site features plugins or feeds to alert you when a new deal is posted.

Feed your shopping jones – check out SteepAndCheap, WhiskeyMilitia, and ChainLove. Just make sure your 401K is solid first.