Niche e-tailers attract bargain hunters

Far from being a marketing ploy, the one-day, one-deal pace reflects the speed at which the company acquires new products.

"There are billions of dollars of that sort of product in really big need of being liquidated. It's definitely a lot of product and a lot of opportunity out there," Rutledge said.

So much so that woot.com launched two sub-sites this summer -- a wine liquidator (wine.woot.com), and shirt.woot.com for creative-design T-shirts -- in an appeal to the "deal seeking, really savvy shopper ... the expert in the family at finding the great deal," Rutledge said.

TRAVELZOO

Web-based publisher Travelzoo.com prides itself in finding the best deals on airfare, hotels, car rental, cruises and package trips for its 11 million users -- and making sure that they can actually book those deals.

Travelzoo, founded by former magazine executive Ralph Bartel, surveys travel companies each week and, after test booking the trips multiple times, publishes the best deals it can find on its weekly "Top 20" newsletter.

Travel companies and agencies pay Travelzoo to publish their offerings, but the company maintains that "only the most competitive make the Top 20" and "no amount of money ensures that a deal will get listed."

Members also can get "Newsflash" alerts via email to new deals as they are published and a link to last-minute travel bargains.