Ebay.... How Do I Love Thee!

A while back I was in need of an entire, new wardrobe fast! Where did I turn to? Ebay of course! I was able to buy clothes in lots at a fraction of the cost of even thrift store clothes. I am talking nice things from The Gap, Express, J. Crew and so on.

For those of us who love fashion, but are having a bit of a cash crunch, Ebay can be a god send. It just takes a few tips to get the the most out of this bargain site.

1. Check out the feedback of the seller you are going to buy from. I stay away from anyone with less than stellar feedback.

2. Know what you are looking for. It helps to have a game plan when you start. I was looking for size 2 pants. I put that in the search box and added the word "lot" as a search term. I was able then to find incredible bargains from people selling pants in sets. I got a set of 5 pants in one of my lots for $15.00 and I paid for a flat rate box to ship them in. My favourite pair from this lot is:

White Velvet Jeans from Express.

3. Form a relationship with the seller. That way you may be notified when she/he gets new items in. The soft green cashmere turtleneck sweater in this picture I got after the one in the Ebay listing sold. The seller let me know she had another one, along with MANY other items that I purchased for a reduced price.


4. Watch out for shipping! Make sure to always check out a seller's shipping policies before bidding. That adorable item may not be such a deal if you have to factor in exorbitant shipping costs. I have seen designer jeans listed at $5.00 with $50.00 shipping. Look for sellers who combines shipping.

5. Don't get "caught up" in the bidding. You can get really carried away when you are in the throes of a bidding war. Did you really mean to spend $100.00 for that dress? No, I didn't think so. Set yourself a price that you would not go over and stick to it. I let this beautiful skirt get away from me last night because I was not willing to pay $70.00 plus once tax and shipping were factored in.

Gorgeous! But I am just going to try and make a replica instead.

6. Be aware of scams. There is a lot of fraud on Ebay. Make sure that you are protected. Only pay by Paypal or a credit card. Do not use a wire transfer ever! Pay for insurance if possible and if you do not receive your item make a claim with Paypal, your credit card company and Ebay. Do not delay and do not listen to any sob stories a seller may have. Time is of the essence for a claim.

I hope that these tips will help make your time with Ebay a bit easier and more fun. I know I wish I had know some of these when I started!

Pel