A vintage fashion expert shares her top tips for finding secondhand clothes on eBay

“Through eBay, you have access to the most extraordinary array of stuff. The trick is learning to use the platform to your advantage to find extraordinary treasure.”

Now the norm, online shopping has both pros and cons. It connects us to the world but precludes the face-to-face human interaction that can make vintage shopping so meaningful.

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The thrill of coming upon treasure in real life just can’t be mimicked online. Nevertheless, we must embrace the digital world as it’s both the present and the future. And it must be said: it’s rather fabulous that you can access vintage collections from all over the world from the comfort of your own home, cup of tea in hand. 

eBay

Best for: secondhand designer and vintage accessories

eBay is the largest secondhand fashion seller on the planet. A 1920s beaded purse from Belgium, a 1990s Moschino jacket from Portugal, an authentic kimono hanger from Japan, a 1960s mod mini dress located just up the road – it’s all on eBay. (These are all items I have purchased via eBay, by the way!)

Of course, what you’ll find on eBay varies greatly – literally, the best and the worst are up for grabs there. It is a truly level playing field. Through eBay, you have access to the most extraordinary array of stuff. The trick is learning to use the platform to your advantage to find extraordinary treasure.

eBay is generally the best place for sourcing secondhand designer items. I tend to buy most of my secondhand or vintage accessories off eBay. Often, those selling designer garments on eBay aren’t clued up in the way that those selling on other platforms, such as The RealReal or Vestiaire Collective, might be, which means there are many designer bargains to be had.

The sellers

Frankly, one of the most challenging things about eBay can be the people on the other side of the transaction. For whatever reason I find the more colourful characters sell on eBay versus newer platforms. Be prepared for a range of unexpected conversations along the way. For example, I once purchased a pair of earrings off a lovely lady via eBay, and we ended up having an impromptu counselling session regarding her recent divorce! Of course, I felt for the poor petal, but the subject matter didn’t feel entirely appropriate or relevant to the task at hand.

I should politely warn you that sometimes eBay sellers aren’t the most tech-savvy people. Patience and politeness are key here. I do my best to conduct interactions with professionalism – pay on time, send on time, send courteous notes to the other person and so on. If someone tries to tell you their life story it’s okay to respectfully put up boundaries, baby.

Tips for the search

eBay’s interface has improved a lot in recent years but it’s still quite clunky, so enter the process with a relaxed frame of mind. The key to the hunt here is about separating the wheat from the chaff. It’s best to be simple yet specific in what you’re searching for. Say you are looking for a classic 1960s shift dress in fuchsia and you’re roughly an Australian size 12. For this, you could type ‘vintage pink 1960s shift dress M’.

By using these terms you have specified that you’re looking for true vintage, that you want it to be from the 1960s, that the colour should sit within the pink family, that you want a shift dress, and that you need about a size medium (the most international way of describing a size is by letter, rather than number: XS, S and so on).

You could just as easily type ‘60s mod dress fuchsia size 12’ instead, but then you might be inundated with knock-offs in the wrong size (an Australian 12 is very different to a US 12), while also missing out on gems because the colour term you’ve used is too specific. Don’t dodge details, but don’t go into too much detail. It’s a proper balancing act but very easy to master after a bit of trial and error.

Creating a shortlist

Now get scrolling. When something catches your eye, click the heart on the image thumbnail and it will automatically be added to your wish list. Rather than getting caught up on the first couple of good-looking garments, keep scrolling and hearting items as you go. I usually click through to about page 10 on a computer or the first 100 or so garments on the app, but only take it as far as your patience can bear.

Then click back into your wish list. Take another quick scroll through and get rid of any items that are no longer drawing you in now that you’ve seen what’s available. At this point, you can also organise your eBay wish list further by creating ‘sections’ within it if you’ve saved a lot of items. After this is done, click through to each listing. Be sure to read the full description, including information about the product’s condition.

Check the garment’s size against your measurements (by now you should know them intimately). Look carefully through each image for any signs of damage that mightn’t have been addressed in the description. If there’s anything you still want to know – if measurements are missing, or if you think you can see a flaw that the seller hasn’t noted and that you think should be reflected in the price – message the seller right away.

If you are tossing up between a couple of items or can’t decide whether to buy or not, give yourself a quick break. Go back to your fashion mantra, compare what you’re looking at with your Pinterest board and ask yourself whether the piece in question visually aligns with what you’re searching for. Think of other important factors that may lead you to being on the fence as well: is it the right size? Can you really afford it? But do act fast. Sometimes things on your wish list can hang around for years, and other times listings are only live for mere minutes. It’s unpredictable, so do your best to make a decision quickly. 

Bidding, bargaining and buying

You’ve decided yes and you are ready to buy. Hooray! Some eBay listings will be listed as an auction while others have a set price. If it’s an auction, check the start price and decide what your maximum bid will be. Do not exceed your maximum price, as this often leads to regret (she says to her reformed shopaholic self). I suggest placing a lower bid on the item as a starting point. This shows the seller you are interested and also enables automated eBay updates about the item, just in case you have a forgetful moment and need to be reminded of the auction’s end. 

When you enter a maximum bid, eBay will automatically put you slightly ahead of any other bidder until they eclipse your maximum bid. That said, it’s a good idea to set a timer on your phone for 15 minutes prior to auction end (yes, even if it’s the middle of the night and you’re desperate). When the timer sounds, hop online and place a bid if you’re not currently the highest bidder, and then stay there until the auction is over.

Be aware of those sneaky people who swoop in with a bid a few dollars more than yours just before the auction is set to close (in an ideal world you are that said sneak!). Just make sure you don’t get caught in a bidding war and wind up far exceeding the maximum bid you’d decided on.

If the item is being sold at a set price, make an offer. Don’t make a ridiculous offer – such as 50 per cent off. This will just anger and offend the seller, and quite rightfully too. Instead try making an offer of about 5 to 20 per cent less than the advertised price. If the ‘make an offer’ option is not available on your desired item, message the seller directly to see if you can get a small discount.

It’s crucial to take shipping into account, too. Shipping even a small item from the US to Australia can cost north of $100, so ensure that you factor that in when buying. You can narrow your search to items in Australia for lower shipping costs, though you will also cut out some of the best vintage by doing this. If you’re really budget conscious, you can even narrow the search down to your local area and see if there’s an option to skip postage fees altogether by picking up the item in person.

The takeaway

Almost anything you could possibly be looking for is available on eBay, and there is certainly a plethora of premium vintage clothing, secondhand scores and timeless designer gems to find on there. Seek (with persistence, specificity, manners and determination) and you shall find. Play by the rules or leave it to the fashion gods. Treasure is on its way to you via eBay.

This is an extract from How To Be Fabulous by Charlotte Dallison. You can get a copy here.