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Normally, I’m the one who assigns stories around here. But I suppose there’s a first time for everything.
I have what might politely be called an eBay “habit.” Shopping in crowded New York stores makes me anxious, so I end up buying almost everything online. At this point, I’d say at least 75 percent of my wardrobe – maybe more – has been purchased online, and most of that 75 percent from eBay. Yesterday, after boasting about my latest great eBay find, some of my coworkers – Ashley, Jennifer, and Drew from Crushable – asked if I’d school them in the ways of the eBay. It surprised me that other women about my age – particularly ones who love fashion – hadn’t ventured into the exciting world of online shopping, but I figured a story assignment is a story assignment.
So let’s do this.
The number one concern that most of my friends have about online shopping is sizing. Considering how crazy women’s sizing is, a four at one store is an eight at another, and that makes it difficult to know what numbers to trust. I have a couple of ways of dealing with this. First, if there are particular brands you like, find out exactly what size you are in that brand. For example, I love Theory and have bought quite a bit of it online. I’ve tried on stuff at the store and know exactly what size I am in their clothes, so I don’t have to worry about stuff I buy online. Also, invest in a measuring tape and don’t be afraid to use it. If you want to buy vintage online, you won’t be able to rely on brand sizing. Most eBay sellers will give specific measurements – instead of saying “this is a size six,” they’ll talk about skirt length, inseam length, and how wide the garment is. You’ll need to know your own measurements in order to make sure the clothing is a good match.
There are some definite disadvantages to eBaying it. If you walk into The Gap and find a sweater you love, it’s usually available in every possible size and color you could hope for. But not so much on eBay – it’s a lottery. If you’re absolutely in love with a dress but it’s three sizes too small for you, you’re probably out of luck. But eBay and other shopping sites reward people who are willing to spend some extra time browsing – if you search by brand, have favorite stores, or set up alerts for certain search terms, you can find an absolute goldmine. One of my all time favorite buys is an Anthropologie dress that sold out of stores in what seemed like minutes. However, thanks to some diligent eBay surfing I was able to find one and bid on it. The dress is now in my regular rotation, and I would never have been able to get it otherwise. Another reason I love eBay is its democratic nature. I grew up outside of a major urban area, and there weren’t a lot of shopping options in my hometown. If you don’t want to dress in the same clothes as everyone else where you live, the web provides a way to buy clothes that wouldn’t be available for you otherwise. Thanks to thrift stores and online shopping, I got everything from jeans to my senior prom dress without having to worry if every other girl in my grade was going to be wearing the same thing.
Apsolutely not true about asian sellers. All of them i dealt with were honest people. I cant say that about americans especially when it comes about designer clothing. Those things are cheap for a reason on ebay. Every “brand new with tags” item i purchased so far had some imperfections and it was not as advertised. This is something i did never experienced in a local store.
As a seller and shopper I communicate with my potential buyers about sizing I think this is important and if the item doesn’t fit then the customer can return for a prompt refund. When I buy if I see an item in a store I have to come back to ebay to see if it online because I know I can be able to get it cheaper. I would like to invite you clothes lovers to my Ebay store: Heavenly Hand Me Downs II http://stores.ebay.com/Heavenly-Hand-Me-Downs-II
When I finally discovered ebay, I was horrified that I hadn’t tried it before. Every time I want to buy something online now, I ALWAYS check ebay first to see if I can get it cheaper. I too will only purchase from sellers in the US (after some issues buying jewelry from China when I was an ebay newbie). I would only buy from a seller in Asia if it was something super cheap that I don’t want or need right away. Ebay has saved me SO much money, made me a bit too. You’ll get way more money selling your outgrown designer clothes on ebay than going through a consignment store. It can get addicting though, so beware…
Thanks Lilit! One time in college I bought a dress for Halloween that was supposed to be a slinky flapper number…only to find out it was a CHILD’S medium.
Creepy
That reminds me… I recommend this article as supplemental reading http://thegloss.com/fashion/ebeware-seeing-past-the-scams/
My wedding dress wasn’t exactly bought on e-Bay, but it was made through a dressmaker in China whose work we found on e-Bay. We don’t speak any Chinese so communication was difficult but it’s also a good way of spotting scammers. If you’re in high communication with them, we discussed everything from styles to adjustments and time frames, chances are they won’t burn you. If they just want to grab a few hundred from you, they won’t spend a lot of time talking to you. And good communication with sellers always seems like a good policy.