The initial rounds of Gilt were very limited on offerings (unlike the 6 or 12 designers they now carry daily) it was still high end though, so that initial entr

The initial rounds of Gilt were very limited on offerings (unlike the 6 or 12 designers they now carry daily) it was still high end though, so that initial entry point was indeed there for the early "designer" items, but as momentum gained on revenue/capital they snowballed to the current state. To further pad this shortcoming in the early stages Gilt was invitation only, and had a lot of control of the influx of new customers to the site, which helped two-fold: promote the air of exclusivity and buffer for the smaller initial supplies/vendors from being out of stock too quickly. This also promotes traffic to the site as items, as they do today, sell out in popular sizes/prices fast, your users are logging in sooner/more frequently to grab a "deal".