web rip offs?

[exquisitebones]

I dont know much about this subject, as I am just now kinda diving into the life style, i was much more into new school rockabilly.. NOW, i am in love with vintage.
as an avid antique collector, I have always been around vintage clothes, as they are always at shops or estate sales when i go on hunts...

and I have been looking for decently priced clothes on the web.
and it seems impossible. I am sorry, but I dont pay 75 dollars for a skirt that is brand new.. let alone used....
MIND YOU, i dont want to sound like a snob.
but there is a local shop here where i scored 2 original early 50s dresses, in EXCELLENT condition for about 16 bucks each.

I just feel that like ebay and other websites are such a rip off..
but maybe thats just what those items really go for??

Maybe I am just lucky enoug to live in an area where we have a lot of DECENTLY priced vintage clothing stores..

am i crazy?

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I won't typically pay more than $20 for anything on ebay, but there are plenty of others who don't feel this way, for various reasons, whether it's more resources or simply a love for collecting! I have been known to pay up to, say, $40 for 1940's dresses though.[huh]

 

[katiepickle]

I feel the same way. I usually hit up swap meets and thrift stores over vintage shops just because I cannot afford to pay those prices. In fact, my last swap meet buy was 2 40s dresses for $15 total. They were freshly dry cleaned too!

 

[exquisitebones]

I won't typically pay more than $20 for anything on ebay, but there are plenty of others who don't feel this way, for various reasons, whether it's more resources or simply a love for collecting! I have been known to pay up to, say, $40 for 1940's dresses though.[huh]

yeah i paid like 20 for a 40s house dress... but really soe of those dresses STARTING at like 49.99 seems so insane [huh]

 

[Mojito]

Knowledge is power - and this is where research is invaluable. I'll bid up to what I think an item is worth - that might be $20 or $500. I do as much research as possible, and have often paid less than 'book' price for an item when I've purchased from ebay. $100 might seem like a lot to pay for a purse...until you find out that it is a Mandalian with original lining, no damage to the enamel, no tears at the hinges etc and is a desirable design that has a suggested market value of $350 - 550.

Some high-ticket items are essentially valueless to me, as I don't like or desire them. On the other hand, I may pay more than 'book' price if it's something I really desire for the collection - depending on quality and scarcity.

If you're patient enough, and look in the right places, and are willing to go through a lot of dross, you can have some amazing bargains. On the other hand, if I see a dress or item at a vintage shop that is exactly what I want and of high quality, I'll pay for it - spending my money on that dress rather than a whole group of items that are inferior in design and condition, or that are nice but not quite what I have my heart set on. I've bought dresses that had a pretty heavy price tag on them, but I could have gone through private estates and auctions for years and not found something similar.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Knowledge is power - and this is where research is invaluable. I'll bid up to what I think an item is worth - that might be $20 or $500. I do as much research as possible, and have often paid less than 'book' price for an item when I've purchased from ebay. $100 might seem like a lot to pay for a purse...until you find out that it is a Mandalian with original lining, no damage to the enamel, no tears at the hinges etc and is a desirable design that has a suggested market value of $350 - 550.

Some high-ticket items are essentially valueless to me, as I don't like or desire them. On the other hand, I may pay more than 'book' price if it's something I really desire for the collection - depending on quality and scarcity.

If you're patient enough, and look in the right places, and are willing to go through a lot of dross, you can have some amazing bargains. On the other hand, if I see a dress or item at a vintage shop that is exactly what I want and of high quality, I'll pay for it - spending my money on that dress rather than a whole group of items that are inferior in design and condition, or that are nice but not quite what I have my heart set on. I've bought dresses that had a pretty heavy price tag on them, but I could have gone through private estates and auctions for years and not found something similar.

:eusa_clap Well said! I would also add that a new old stock vintage dress is certainly worth paying more for than the same thing that has been worn. Well worth it to me!

 

[Pink Dahlia]

That's funny I tackled this (sort of) in another thread.

I haven't had much luck lately with ebay because I cannot afford dresses that start out at $50. I try not to even pay over $20 on ebay (a few bucks is okay but I cringe when the items get up to $30, $40, $50 and so on).

The other problem is finding great vintage items at stores 'round here. (Maybe some of the other AZ ladies can steer me in the right direction.)

I have managed to find many vintage styled clothes at Savers for $5 - $7.

What's a girl to do?

 

[ShooShooBaby]

i occasionally blow a bunch of money on one vintage item on ebay, but rarely. there's a couple ways i justify this. first, finding vintage in my size (modern 12ish, vintage 20-22ish) in the time period i like clothes from the most (late 30s-early 40s) is pretty darn difficult. second, i've bought a huge portion of my stuff for very low prices, so i can splurge on a $70 dress once in a while and it's not like it's eating up all my cash because most of my stuff was a lot cheaper. i find soooo much stuff in smaller sizes for low prices, but in my size i feel fortunate if i find anything i love at all!

I would also add that a new old stock vintage dress is certainly worth paying more for than the same thing that has been worn. Well worth it to me!

i'm the exact opposite! although i love the thrill of a deadstock item, i'm a klutz and am constantly ripping things or spilling stuff or dropping pens, so used stuff takes off some of the pressure! lol in theory though, i do agree that deadstock is worth more though.

 

[Lady Day]

Its about developing those places (online and not) where you can find great items.

I dont buy much online cause they rarely have items in my size, and the ones they do are so inflated price wise, I can make it (for a fraction of the price) and get exactly what I want, in fabric I want (I know, I always go back to sewing ).

But as far as buying, there is totally a mark up. Coats whew! forgetaboutit!

My rule of thumb is dont pay more than 30% LESS than you would if the item were new. That seems to keep me in a good (rent still paid) place.


LD

 

[Adelaidey]

eBay can be so addictive, I swear! But I have been very good about keeping my purchases about $20, maybe a few bucks over if its NOS, perfectly my measurements (hard to find), or just too amazing to lose to someone else by two dollars!

As for shopping in-store for vintage, I can never find what I want here in the city-- all the places I find are either the era I want but ridiculously overpriced to the tune of hundreds of dollars, or the more "hip" 60's or 70's pieces for cheap. Any Chicagoans here know of a great place to find decently priced 40s/50s vintage?[huh]

 

[exquisitebones]

eBay can be so addictive, I swear! But I have been very good about keeping my purchases about $20, maybe a few bucks over if its NOS, perfectly my measurements (hard to find), or just too amazing to lose to someone else by two dollars!

As for shopping in-store for vintage, I can never find what I want here in the city-- all the places I find are either the era I want but ridiculously overpriced to the tune of hundreds of dollars, or the more "hip" 60's or 70's pieces for cheap. Any Chicagoans here know of a great place to find decently priced 40s/50s vintage?[huh]

I have this problem alot... the 60s and 70s thing, i am just not into it..
But we have a few killer vintage stores where you can nab some neat stuff super cheap... its like a treasure hunt sometimes!

 

[pigeon toe]

I've spent upwards of $70 regularly on vintage dresses before. It's kind of ridiculous, but to me, when I fall in love with something, I just have to have it.

And in LA, for some mysterious reason, the only "vintage" one can find is from the 60's and 70's, save for a handful of shops. I have a really hard time finding items I like too, I can be very picky. But when the Vintage Fashion Expo rolls around I go all out and just spend. I figure since I would never spend more than $5 on an item of clothing in high school I can spare extra money now.

I do hate the risk of spending that much on Ebay though. The time I did spend close to $100 though was well worth it. The 40's dress looked like it had never been worn, even the velvet collar and cuffs were gorgeous.

To me, quality unfortunately is usually tied to how expensive it is with vintage. And since I do wear all of my vintage, quality is of utmost importance to me. So I'm willing to spend extra bucks when necessary.

 

[Elaina]

I have to side with Lady Day on this one. I make it because I'm not paying the price, it's not in my size, and I can get EXACTLY what I want. And chances are, if I make it out of vintage cloth, if I don't say it's not vintage, few know the difference (as I'm sure LD can tell you.)

But be warned, it happens in off line shops. Not too long ago, I was in an antique mall and saw this absolutely stunning edwardian dress in lawn. I spent about 15 minutes just combing over it. (They wanted $125, for what it was it would have been a good deal). But the thing is...it wasn't authentic, it was made in the last 10 years or so, and the only reason I knew that, was because I sew on a machine made in the same time this was supposed to be (and the stitches ARE different vs. a modern one, albeit, so slight as not to be readily noticed) and the lawn quality is slightly different.

Everything is a buyer beware.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Soon I'll figure out how to use that beautiful shiny, very complicated Pfaff, and like Ms Pigeon Toe and Lady Day, I'll finally have a perfectly fitted day dress. Golly I've gotta start practicing on that thing!

But back to reality, I think what Mojito said is so true. You have to look at each individual item's worth.
Also there is the fact that sellers know that no matter what some vintage items are gonna sell. So they put crazy high minimum bids ( I love how they say "no reserves", yet they have a minimum bid on the item which is pretty much the same thing![huh]) knowing that there are vintage collectors who are gonna big high and bid a lot. A fine example of this is the angora sailor sweater mentioned in another thread that went for something like $250. That's just silly and outrageous. So, ebay sellers know that their item's are hot and people will pay.

Then there is the other hand. It seems that vintage on the west coast is less expensive then vintage on the east coast. I hear a lot of you saying that you won't pay more than $20 for things, sometimes higher for a dress (Miss Bella, I want to go shopping with you!), I can't remember the last time I saw a dress in a store for that price. I get excited if I find a perfect condition vintage dress and it's under $100. I guess it's just the way the market is around here. Actually we have one vintage seller that I can get dress from for about 1/2 that price, but she hasn't gotten much new stock in lately. Bobby's, the other store I frequent (to you Boston ladies, I am so psyched to have Bobby's cell phone number, anyone want to get lost in the warehouse with me?) is quite expensive, but it seems that the more you shop at his store, the less expensive things become. But, I get excited when something from him is under $100, I walk away feeling like I got the deal of the century. His stuff is mostly all in great condition, a lot of deadstock, and he has a 20 thousand square foot warehouse full of it. It's heaven ladies.

Anyway, I guess it's all relative. When I first started buying on ebay prices were really low. I could get a lovely mint day dress for $30. Honestly, I haven't seen that kind of pricing in years. There are some items I won't pay a dime for, there are others that I just have to have. It depends on the item and what I think it's worth, not just to collectors but to me. I just paid over $100 for a day dress with matching bolero. It's in perfect/mint condition, and is my exact measurements. I thought this was a pretty good deal for something that I don't have too many of at the moment and actually needed for some up coming events. If I went out and bought a new dress of the same quality it would have been a lot more, so I think I got lucky. So, look at each individual item and see what its worth to you. And to all of you ladies finding $20 dresses, send some my way! please......

 

[RetroModelSari]

I allways keep my eyes open for a bargain and dresses that I can buy for a few bucks. I would never pay more than 50$ for a dress or something unless it is really extremely georgous and exactly my size and even than I´d think twice and preferably save the photos in it in my "Idea"-folder i my computer so I can get back to it once I can sew things that are more complicated.

 

[Viviene]

There are other sites on the web besides Ebay to buy vintage clothing. You can check out the Vintage Fashion Guild members for links to their sites. I suggest that you look around because there are nice things to be had for the prices you are willing to pay.

There are all kinds of vintage clothing collectors and retailers out there. Each website decides for themselves which clientele they want to attract and what eras they want to specialise in. They might focus on day dresses for everyday wear. They might choose to focus on clothing from the 1920s back. They might focus on the 70s and 80s and so on. They might choose to focus on designer clothing which of course is going to raise the bar on the prices the store sets.

The bottom line is that these are businesses. They need to make a profit. They will charge what the market will bear. If you are diligent and keep checking back you will catch sales. You just need to keep checking.

So now I'll get off my soapbox. It's time to measure some dresses, take some pictures and get listing. But don't look for me on Ebay because their listing prices are too high.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Everything on eBay tends to go in cycles, and I think vintage clothing is no exception -- right now the trend is for the prices to go up up up, and this is causing more and more material to be listed at higher and higher prices. But eventually it's got to reach a saturation point, and the bubble will pop and prices may well slide back a bit to more reasonable levels. At least I hope that happens -- I've seen it work out that way with other items I collect.

I haven't had the best luck buying dresses on eBay -- the prices tend to run much too high for me to afford, and when the item arrives there always seems to be something wrong that wasn't listed in the description. It eventually got to be just too much frustration for the money, and I gave it up. When I can afford to, I'll still buy accessories and the like online, and eBay is always a good place to find patterns.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

The bottom line is that these are businesses. They need to make a profit. They will charge what the market will bear. If you are diligent and keep checking back you will catch sales. You just need to keep checking.

So now I'll get off my soapbox. It's time to measure some dresses, take some pictures and get listing. But don't look for me on Ebay because their listing prices are too high.

I'm with you 100 percent. A lot of people look at what they can pay for an item if they go out looking for it themselves, but that doesn't compensate the seller for their time. I think a good analogy is crafts. Crafty people will see something and think "Oh I can make that for half the price" and will buy the materials and do just that. But not everyone is crafty and has the time to make things and they see no problem with paying someone who is crafty and has the time.

Another consideration ia that some sellers are hobbyists and can afford to charge less, while others want to make a living and need to make sure they cover their operating costs. That will factor into the pricing. Businesses have to pay rent or web hosting, auction fees, etc. I'm OK with people making a fair profit. Standard retail markup is twice what you pay.

When I go antiquing I know that I am going to pay retail, and I try to do that now and again because I want to keep these people in business.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I just feel that like ebay and other websites are such a rip off..
but maybe thats just what those items really go for??

Maybe I am just lucky enoug to live in an area where we have a lot of DECENTLY priced vintage clothing stores..

am i crazy?

I don't like ebay and avoid it as much as I can, both buying and selling. I used to get vintage dresses from ebay, but now whenever I see something I like it's usually so bidded-up that it's too expensive for me to afford. I also don't like to buy clothes without trying them on first.

Back in '01 I decided I was going to treat myself to 2 Stop Staring dresses. I paid $80 for EACH and I was very disappointed when I got them. Cheap fabric, the bust was way bigger than what the size chart stated, and the cheap plastic zippers were an atrocity- they were shoddily sewn in and they frequently jammed. I was also disappointed that the skirts weren't as full & billowy as they were pictured on the website. I really felt like these dresses were only slightly better than a Halloween costume. Needless to say, I never bought from them again.

Every once in a while I'll go into an antique shop. If I see something I like, and I have the money, I'll gladly pay up to $75 for it if it's in good condition and wearable. That's a rarity, though. The last excellent dress I found in an antique shop was the dress I wore to my wedding and I paid $75 for it. This was in '02. In that same shop I bought a gorgeous black New Look dress for $35 and a lime green 60s mini dress that was on the discount rack for $4!!! And, as luck would have it, both fit me perfectly!! I think I've struck gold if I can find something I like for under $50!!

I go into The Salvation Army and Goodwill a lot. I've found AMAZING things there for really cheap! I found a 50s jacket with real fur trim for $10!!! I also got myself a 50s leopard print jacket for the same price. A very similar jacket was in an antique shop for $200. I've bought myself lots of gowns and coats from the 40s to the 60s. It amazes me what people have thrown away! My gain!!

I've given up hope on finding anything from the 20s or 30s in a thrift shop. Even antique shops don't have anything older than the 40s, it seems. And 20s and 30s repro clothing is even way too expensive for my budget. *sigh* I even had a bad/ripoff experience with a 20s dress that I bought off a vintage clothing website, but that's another thread....

 

[Viviene]

I hope no one takes offense to what I said. After all, I am a customer as well as a retail seller. I buy for myself and since I'm a plus size gal I pay more for my things because there aren't as many out there.

There was a discussion started yesterday on the Ebay Vintage and accessories board about standards on vintage clothing. With the flux of new sellers in the vintage arena it's getting harder to buy because people aren't disclosing flaws. It's frustrating when you receive something that is not as described. What bothers me personally the most is when someone says "good vintage condition." This can mean "it has a few pinholes but what do you want? It's from the 40s" to "it is perfect but I can't call it new because it has no tags."

All I can say is look for condition charts in the auctions. The sellers who have those are telling you what their measuring stick is. If you have questions about the condition of the item email the seller. If they don't answer you that should be a clue that maybe you don't want to bid.

In all the years I've sold on Ebay and other venues I've had one return. I missed two pinholes in a dress. I refunded the entire amount including shipping both ways. I learned a valuable lesson from that and have not had a return since because every item I have has been gone over and over again. Not one customer has asked to return anything.

There are excellent sellers on Ebay and elsewhere. I'd rather pay a bit more to those excellent sellers and get an item that is in excellent shape than get a bargain and have it arrive full of stains which is no bargain at all. If anyone is interested my blog has featured several different vintage sellers. It's a good read if you'd like to know more about what these sellers are like on a more personal basis.