So last week, I went out to the theatre with a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in years. She was late (some things will never change) but she managed to arrive just in the nick of time for the performance. She was out of breath, panting and telling me all about the London fields to Shoreditch bus diversion when I noticed she was wearing a little one shouldered floral number (which is bang on trend may I add). Although I should have sympathised with her dreadful journey, I couldn’t help but tune out some of the finer details of her bus diversion whilst tuning into her dress. I immediately wondered where she had picked this beauty up from. So I asked if it was a vintage piece from the 80’s or a Topshop replica, she uttered what I feared yeah, it is vintaaaaage, dahling. Dammit I thought. Where from I wondered, thinking for sure it was from an east London boutique as that was her neck of the woods. So when she told me it was from the US of A I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
I was thinking ok I haven’t seen her in a few years but where in the hell has she found the time (or the money for that matter) to pop to the states and back on a vintage shopping trip?? Obviously she spotted my bewildered expression, as she then whispered in my ear very lightly as if it revealing the world’s best kept secret.
“eBay”.
Then the penny dropped. “Of course, eBay!” And it suddenly occurred to me that when on the vintage bargain hunt I had missed a whole niche in the market. The dot.com revolution.
eBay I’m thinking.. God every time I have tried to conquer eBay it has been a nightmare. I still cannot work out how to use PayPal (from what I have worked out you have to leave a refundable deposit then they’ll pay it back in to your account to activate your pay pal. Confused?? Yeah so was I.) So I gave up. As a result the day I last clicked off PayPal’s site was the day my relationship with eBay ended. So for the purpose of this article I’m throwing myself in the deep end and giving it another go. Gulp.
And within 5 minutes on the site I’ve found a vintage black body con dress with a cut out middle revealing just a smidgen of flesh, and I need it, immediately. SO I bid. Its only £9.50 right?? That’s nothing. And pretty much straight away a “watcher” (who are these people??!) has spotted my bid and out bid me. Not one to be defeated I bid again, and again and before you know it I’m out of control and perspiring at my desk bidding 40squid+ for a dress I didn’t really want in the first place. Luckily by the time I came to my senses I was outbid and the auction time was up.
So, I thought maybe eBay isn’t for me. But some of my friends do seem to step out in show stoppers every time I see them which they have purchased for next to nothing on eBay, so there are obviously a lot of bargains to be had, if you have the patience. Personally I like visiting nutty old charity shops and boots sales where I can try on and feel clothing, a non refundable dress which is likely to be 4 sizes too small doesn’t overly appeal to me, (case in point, my cousin recently became obsessed with Fred Perry T shirts and bid a small fortune for one, and when it arrived it was a Fred Perry, designed for a baby between 0 and 6 months. Très cute, but totally unwearable)
So I’m still trying to purchase but as I am too behind the times to win the bidding war on anything (it’s really starting to stress me out, how do these people win??) I’m going to hand this one over to a couple of my friends who are official eBay addicts. One of which is my friend James (who is pictured above wearing a shirt he purchased on eBay). James is 22 and the only real male competition I have for a terrible spending habit on clothing, my other source is my friend Jo an interior design student, (also known above as the lady in the floral number). James is my first point of call, so I go and meet him for coffee to get to the bottom of this eBay phenomenon. He tells me that half the fun of the online auction is the thrill. “I like the bidding and winning element, it makes shopping more fun”, he says. James also thinks American eBay stores are better than our British counterparts. “My brother got a pair of top quality vintage shoes from an American eBay store for 12 pound the other day” he adds, also stating that in his opinion the clothes are generally nicer and cheaper in the US of A.
Jo interestingly also tells me that she loves American Vintage stores on eBay as they seem to be much cheaper, despite the shipping costs. She particularly recommends to me noirohio which I am fast becoming addicted to. Full to the brim with uber cute playsuit’s and feminine floral dresses, it’s a great find for people looking for reasonably priced, one off vintage statement pieces. She also recommends trashy vintage, which in my opinion has more edgy street orientated fashion selection, with a richer choice for the boys
So it really does seem the thrill of the chase makes eBay a great place to pick up a bargain. Well I know I want a spot of American chic on the cheap, especially if it going to end up costing less than our own home grown garms. So I’m putting an end to my eBay strike, yet again. Now, all I have to do is activate my payPal account…
If you really can’t get to grips with ebay, there are lots of alternatives. Why not try www.posh-swaps.com for swapping, buying and selling online. Unlike ebay it is completely free to use.
This post was written by our guest writer
Alice Kelleher is a 24 year old freelance writer often known to be distracted by shiny pretty things. Fresh off the block after just returning from a five month travelling trip around south east Asia, Alice is slightly obsessed with Noodles, and totally obsessed by boys in bands and the latest greatest fads and trends. Currently she is working in a Deli part time (she loves cheese), until she finds a stable job in fashion Journalism/fashion PR.
