Believe it or not, May and June are great months to buy fur. The best-kept secret among die-hard fur shoppers is that NOW is the peak time to invest in a fur coat. Shearlings, especially, are at their lowest price of the year but you can also get minks and foxes for a steal (or even a stole!). So you have until July 4th to buy the coat of your dreams at a fantastic price.

But where? New York is the center of the universe as far as finding fur bargains right now. At Saks Fifth Avenue, all the shearling coats from their 60 US stores are shipped to their NY store and sold for a 20% discount. Searle in NY has 40 to 70% markdowns on discontinued designs and even new coats are marked down 20%. Otherwise, you can almost always find a one-of a kind designer fur at Century 21.

But the best deal in NY has to be at Ritz furs. Right on 57th Street, Ritz Furs used to be a thrift shop and it's been around for 50 years. But now they sell both used and new fur coats and their prices are discounted all year long.

Ritz is THE place in NY (maybe the US) to buy vintage (they like to say gently used!) furs. But even their prices on new furs are always well below what you’ll find anywhere else.

Ritz Furs sells shearling, fur lined, fur-trimmed, cashmere and wool coats although minks, fox and coyotes are their major business. If you are tired of your fur and it has been well maintained, bring it with you and they will apply it towards one of their new or used coats. You can trade your coat in or leave it on consignment.

When you buy a coat here - new or used - you are forever part of the Ritz family. They will store your fur in their 57th street vaults for free. There is also free monogramming (so it doesn't get lost in storage!) and the initial cleaning is free too. High end thrift, if there ever was one!

Others who specialize in buying and selling used furs of the more 'vintage' category are Henry Cowit, Inc where you can also rent furs. They are more 'downtown' in every way as well as their 29th street location so if you love authentic thrift shopping, this place might be for you. The Chicago Fur Outlet in Chicago also buys and sells on consignment.

With the NY fashion crowd tiring of their fur after every season and trading them in at Ritz Furs, Ritz is still the best place to come and treasure hunt. Chances are you come across a real find that someone has just dropped off. It's not only fun, but also quite addictive. Happy shopping!

Saks Fifth Avenue 6115th Ave., (212) 753-4000
Searle - for store locations, go to www.searlenyc.com
Henry Cowit Inc 151 West 29th St. New York (212) 594-5824
Chicago Fur Outlet in Chicago - 777 W Diversey Pkwy Chicago, IL (773) 348-FURS
Ritz Furs Thrift Shop 107 West 57th St. New York, NY (212) 265-4559