Vix's Tips - How to Find Fabulous Vintage Clothing on eBay

Hooray for eBay! I bought this amazing Rabari mirrorwork and embroidered Indian cotton maxi skirt from my friend Katy's shop last week (link HERE). Although the three year old chazza-shopped black top I wore on Sunday was fine with it, I felt I could do better so I typed "blue bodysuit with sleeves, UK Size 8" into eBay and this once- worn, crushed velvet number popped up. I clicked Buy It Now and two days later Izzy the postman handed it over to me.

I doubt if the body suit was particularly expensive to start with but even so, £6, was a steal and I much prefer to buy my clothes secondhand rather than f*ck up the planet further by buying new.

It's a shame the weather's too hideous to show it off in daylight, the joys of living in Northern Europe. I'll just have to pose in front of my me-made patchwork curtains instead. Check out my new-to-me cushion cover, it's Suzani, a tribal textile originating in central Asia. God knows how it ended up in the 50p bin in a Black Country charity shop.

  Isn't my pendant incredible? It's made by Alison, an IG friend, using an antique knife and some vintage embroidery silk, recycling at it's most glamorous! Visit her wonderful Etsy shop HERE.

A few weeks ago the ever fabulous Suzanne Carillo published a blog post entitled How To Successfully Shop Secondhand Online (link HERE) and, as trawling eBay for vintage clothes is a passion of mine, I left a long & involved comment. As I'm often asked how I manage to find so much good - and reasonably priced - stuff on eBay I thought I'd share a few of my secrets. 

In addition to today's crushed velvet bodysuit, these two 1970s Indian-made dresses were this week's eBay buys. As you saw on my last post, I've already worn the embroidered velvet maxi. 

Without further ado, here's how I search for fabulous vintage clothing on eBay.

1. When trawling for something specific, rather than choosing the Vintage Clothing & Accessories option, I enter the description into the "Shop by Category" box at the top of the page and select "All Categories" from the drop-down menu. This means I often find vintage clothes listed in incorrect categories which are less visible to fellow vintage enthusiasts.

2. I try and think of alternative ways to describe the item I'm looking for. For instance, if I wanted a vintage Welsh Wool cape I'd first start searching using that description and then I'd look for Made in Wales Cape, Mod Cape,1970s/1960s Cape, Tapestry Cape, Tweed Cape and Retro Cape. 

Yes, it takes ages but finding the perfect vintage piece generally does - this ain't fast fashion.

3. I always select “UK Only” in the Item Location category on the left hand side of the screen (thus keeping postage costs to a minimum and avoiding any nasty customs charges) and "Used" in the Condition category (filtering out all the nasty imported Chinese sweatshop tat registered at a UK address).

4. I never search items listed as Ending Soonest. It's easy to get carried away in the dying seconds of an auction, not read the description clearly and end up disappointed when you failed to notice that the seller mentioned that there was an obvious fault or that the item needed serious cleaning in your rush to bag a bargain. If you've got a question for the seller, last minute auctions it don't allow adequate time for them to answer. By searching Newly Listed items you've got a week or more to ask yourself if you really need it (I'll often change my mind when I've had the time to carefully consider) and it gives you plenty of time to ask the seller any questions you might have.

5. I don't leave anything to chance. If there's no mention of the type of fabric in the listing - I ask. 
Same with a vague description like "In fair condition, remember that this item is 50 years old and won't be like new". You've only got yourself to blame if the gauzy cotton frock you planned to wear on a tropical holiday ends up to be 100% nylon or that a zip needs replacing and the armpits are hideously stained. No response to your questions from the seller? Step away from the item! 

6. I’m very dubious of vintage sellers who don’t include a photograph of the garment label (if there is one) in their listing. I’ll always message and ask for a photo and failing that, a photograph of the zip and the inner side seams, if they fail to reciprocate it makes me suspect they’re selling modern stuff and trying to pass it off as vintage which sadly happens a lot. 

7. Remember that vintage dress sizes are much smaller than their contemporary counterparts. If an item is listed as a UK size 12 but there's measurements in the listing, ask the seller for clarification before bidding. A vintage UK Size 12 has a 24" waist measurement (the equivalent of a modern UK Size 6) whereas a contemporary UK Size 12 has a 29.5" waist - a big difference!

1970s clothing sizes bear no resemblance to today's!

8. If a listing catches your eye there's a possibility that the seller has similar tastes to you so it's a good idea to check out any other items they have available and if so, message them to ask if they can combine postage before you bid. 

9. Use a sniping tool. This is an application that will place a bid on your behalf in the dying seconds of an auction, ideal for auctions that finish at odd times and/or when you haven't got access to the internet 24/7 (like non-smart phone owning me!) While there's no guarantee you'll win the auction if your bid isn't high enough it'll stop you getting into a bidding war and paying over the odds for something. Many auction snipers are free, others take a tiny percentage from the winning price (I use AuctionSniper which charges 1% of the final fee.) Sharing because I like them - not 'cos I'm getting a kickback.

10. When you're searching eBay and find something gorgeous listed as a Buy-It-Now with a wildly optimistic asking price don't scroll past outraged, watch it anyway. Occasionally you'll get an email from eBay letting you know that the seller has slashed the price and you can snaffle said item without bankrupting yourself. The kaftan below was originally listed for £90, needless to say I didn't pay that much!

Hope this helps and, if you're an eBay virgin, you feel a bit more confident about buying on line.

Happy bidding!