eBay Me Darling…

ebay me darling…

So my darlings, what will you be wearing this Winter?  Chloe over sized fabulous cowboy-chic ponchos? A 50’s-souvenir-sequinned-scarf?  Marc Jacobs cutsey 20’s beaded flapper dress? or a Mathew Williamson fur trimmed collar pouched right from the 1940’s?

Whatever you choose, you’ll be overwhelmed with a sense of Deja Vu, because the A/W 2004 shows are once again all about raiding the vintage rails for inspiration.  Retro -Granny look rules again and oh how we are loving it! Which is why, before you head down to Selfridges (or, erm Topshop), you should go make yourself a cup of tea and log on to www.ebay.co.uk.

Now all of you fashion savvy girls will already know that this is the place to be to bag yourself cut price designer labels ( Chanel bag for £60 anyone? Manolo Blahniks for £50?) and the site to get your mitts on items which sold out before your very own eyes( a friend of mine managed to bag herself a Louis Vuitton Theda bag with ostrich gold trim for a staggering £150! and yes it is real! how jealous am I?)  However, it isn’t just designer goodies that you can buy at irresistable prices, but is also vintage heaven

It is also a wondrous place where you can find one-off old clothes that are dead ringers for those featured on the catwalks, but cost next to nothing.  Yes, for some strange reason, call it lack of imagination maybe, but while everything with a designer label on (no matter how rubbish the label is) are big hits on ebay, however  non designer vintage-worn clothes lack the same kudos.  This is reflected in the low starting prices and they aren’t as easy to find either, they don’t get as many bids, which means that even including postage to the UK from US (where all the good stuff is), you’re only looking at high-street prices ( but with no danger in bumping into someone wearing rhe same little sparkly number).  Clever that.

But apart from the bargains (and the fact that you don’t even have to get out of bed to get them!) what is so tantalising about ebay, is that the selection is endless and theres always something-anything you want, because your sourcing the delights from around the world, and no amount of torturing yourself at Portobello road will compare to the treasures you’ll find on ebay. Of course, it will take away the experience of shopping etc, but if it takes away that headache I get when I can’t find the thing I’m looking for, or when it’s so busy and someone steps on my new fave pair of suade boots, it’s ebay all the way baby! The giant flea market located in cyberspace is such a revolution in bargain shopping, it’s very hard not to get too excited. As a new discoverer myself, I began acting like a child on Christmas day, jumping up and down in my seat at the sight of a sequinned cape I’ve been dying for, was only £20! What? it was a vintage beauty (and would go really well with my charity shop shoes).

So in able to get your vintage treasures, you’ll have to follow these guidelines and be smart, oh ok obsessive, in the way you do it but only the best bidders will win…let the battle commence.

Ok. So you have looged on ready for action and gone to ‘Browse’  (scroll down to ‘Vintage’ under ‘Clothing and Accessories’). Then ensure that you’re browsing the ‘Items Available to the UK’ and once these come up, tick search by ‘Titles and Descriptions’, as sellers wont put up crucial details – such as what the items are made of- in the title. When it comes to keying in the object of desire in the ‘Basic Search’ box, remember that most sellers are American so bare in mind that Americanese is essential if you want to find your eye candy (think sweater versus jumper, pin verses brooch, pants versus trousers etc).  You should also consider people’s little idiosyncraises; so if say, you are after a marabou-feather bolero a la Gucci, remember that one woman’s bolero is another woman’s wrap, stole or shrug.  You see not everyone is au fait with the word marabou so try words associated with it.  Dull but true true I’m afraid, however the more searches the more things you’ll unearth.

Now, I won’t bore you on how to register, bid and buy as the site is very user friendly ( and if I managed to work it out, you will!) However there are precautions to take whilst using it, so before you get out your plastic fantastic, bare these things in mind…

• ·                     Always read te item description carefully to check that it’s what you want. I’m talking material, colour, style wise because pictures can be misleading.  Also make sure it will fit by educating yourself on US sizing (for example a US size 8 is a UK 10). Or your safest bet is to ask the bust, waist and hip measurements.  You can email the seller by using the ‘Ask the seller a Question’ box.
• ·                     Always click on ‘Read feedback comments’ – be wary of anyone who has a reputation for not selling stuff matching the description.
• ·                     If shipping prices to the UK aren’t included, email the seller for details, as you may end up paying £25 for delivery for something that’s just a fiver.  Be bargain aware luvvies!!

So there you have it.  Have a happy bidding war and remember, if that marabou doesn’t fit and makes you look like big bird, or you being a size 10 somehow ended up being a size 14, you can always resell…on ebay of course!!

Happy Hunting!