An Insider's Guide: Shopping Tips for eBay

I've been buying and selling on eBay for six years now! I effortlessly buy designer clothing for the same prices my friends pay in retail stores for poorer quality clothing with no resale value. With eBay, I don't need to win the lottery to update my wardrobe. I merely resell my older designer clothing to make money for the new! Let me show you how to do it! h3. Why don't more women shop for clothing on eBay? The most common reason I've heard for why more women don't shop on eBay is that *women aren't sure that the clothing will fit*. If they only knew! Really, there is no reason to pass up that amazing bargain on an Armani suit as there are many ways to resolve your uncertainty. First of all, you can always ask the seller to give you exact measurements. Next, buy a measuring tape, measure yourself or your favorite suit, and compare that with the seller's description. Isn't that Armani suit worth spending a few bucks on a measuring tape? !http://www.universitychic.com/files/shirt.jpg! *A Word of Caution!* Be sure to find out how the measuring is done. Often, the eBay seller will have a diagram such as this one. If not, drop them a line to inquire. You don't want to measure your jeans' length from your bellybutton if the seller is measuring the length from the crotch. If it is a name-brand item, you can just check the brand's website for sizing information, such as this chart. !http://www.universitychic.com/files/chart.jpg! I also recommend stepping into a "brick & mortar" brand-name store to try on clothing. For example, stop into Armani, try on some jackets and figure out what size you wear in their brand. You can then search for that size on eBay. Good name brands are very consistent in their sizing. Finally, if the clothing doesn't exactly fit when you receive it, you can spend a few dollars on tailoring, considering the amount of money you saved on your new top of the line clothing. In any case, off-the-rack clothing can always use a little pin and tuck to look better on each of our unique bodies. h3. It really is new! Another common reason that women avoid eBay is that they want something new. When I hear this, I know that it is time for an eBay education! First of all, I often see pieces from current collections on auction. To find these new items on eBay, a simple search using the collection's title should work, as the auctions usually have collection dates in their titles, such as "Spring 2005 New Marc Jacobs." A common misconception is that eBay is one big garage sale of used clothing with smells of cigarette smoke and piles of dog hair. However, there are now incredible numbers of people selling on eBay as their full time jobs. These folk order inventory from all over the world and are constantly listing brand new items, many with the tags still on! Also, there are several sellers who purchase catalog returns from retailers like Victoria's Secret that were returned by people just like you who didn't realize the sequined bra would be a little too flashy. h3. Give up? Try gift cards! If you still feel uncomfortable buying the clothing on eBay, or just can't find the cute pants that you saw in the store window, it is still not time for you to pay full price! eBay sellers often auction gift cards for your favorite stores! Remember Ann Taylor's Buy $50, Get a $25 Gift Card? Well, those gift cards are auctioned on eBay. Usually the shipping will be the cost of a stamp, so you're saving on the shipping and handling by buying a gift card instead of the piece of clothing. h3. So you're ready to sell! *Reselling Tip*: save the description and photos from the auctions that you buy from. When you're ready to sell the item on eBay to make some money for upgrading your wardrobe, you can just post the photos and text from the original auction. This will save you a lot of time and you don't even need a digital camera.Please do honor any seller that requests you not use their copyrighted photo. !http://www.universitychic.com/files/ebay.jpg! Once you have downloaded the photos, you'll need to either pay eBay to host them for your auction or you can use your own host. Currently, eBay does allow one free photo. However, if you don't have a host, you can upload the photos to snapfish.com for free, put a cute border around the image, and use it in your auction! delicious | digg | technorati
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