Presented by eBay
I first began shopping on eBay in high school when OG blogger Jane Aldridge published her guide to vintage shopping on the site. For me, it was insider gold—her advice demystified the online auction website and revolutionized how I shopped for vintage clothing. Many of her tips I still use today, like using varying phrases when it comes to searching for what you’re looking for—for example, if you want something from YSL, try searching “vintage Yves Saint Laurent,” “vintage YSL,” “YSL jacket,” and on and on.
Since then, I’ve also developed a system of my own for scouring the site. It’s remained close to the vest—aka on the Notes App of my phone—until now. Below, you’ll find my expert advice for shopping eBay, with a bonus: the rest of Vogue’s fashion team has weighed in, too.
Become a Search Pro
Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue’s archive editor, has been a longtime fan of the auction site—she even had a column at style.com (which eventually became Vogue Runway) called “Laird Loves eBay.” Here, she demystifies her search process for striking gold, which doesn’t only have to apply to clothing.
“Contemporary fashion illustration is something I’ve written a lot about, but the drawings in archival Vogue are hard to beat. To start, I search terms like ‘vintage Vogue.’ Then I switched the page to gallery view, increased the number of images to 120 on the page, and searched for vintage Vogue 1930s.” The result? A cover by Power Roy that will be hanging in her home very soon.
Try Going Off Vibes
Occasionally, I know exactly what I’m looking for, like a Christian Lacroix Bazar suit or Suzy Perette pleated dress. But I have the most fun (and make the greatest discoveries!) when I search more for style terms that I love. It can be as vague as “’70s disco” or as specific as “bask waist,” “micro-pleats,” or “embroidered floral appliqué”—all of these terms, plus the word ‘vintage.’ Sometimes, it’ll send me down a rabbit hole of a new seller’s wares I’m into, while other times, it’ll turn me onto a new designer I’ve never heard of—best case scenario, I’ll scoop a total steal of a buy.
Shop Japanese
“I have the luxury of having [former Vogue writer] Liana Satenstein as one of my closest friends and she’s taught me everything I know about buying vintage,” brags Vogue Runway production and editorial assistant Irene Kim. “The key is to search for designer pieces from Japanese sellers on eBay because the chances of it being cheaper are so much higher. Also, Japanese sellers often have rarer luxury pieces that I’ve never seen before. While you might be wary of the language barrier, you’ll find that the sellers are extremely detailed and organized, and will list exactly what condition the item is in as well as any flaws.”
Digital style director Leah Faye Cooper agrees with Kim: “I am who I am, and that’s a woman who really, really loves vintage handbags. Recently, I was on the hunt, so I typed in phrases like ‘vintage nano Louis Vuitton Speedy’ and ‘vintage Gucci Boston’—a seller that kept popping up was Brand Street Tokyo. Japan is known for great, authentic luxury, and the seller has great reviews on eBay (and TikTok). I ultimately went with a vintage Dior Trotter in light blue. It’s pretty well-worn, but that just means whoever owned it beforehand loved it as much as I will. It’s a Y2K dream.” An added layer of security, especially when it comes to handbags: Japan has strict counterfeit laws—and it applies to Japanese resellers, too.
When to Be Specific
While I can be open to all eBaying possibilities, Vogue’s Lilah Ramzi and Christian Allaire both know what they want. “When I shop on eBay, I tend to be hyper-specific in my search terms,” says Allaire. “I’m always on the hunt for very specific pieces from the runways, so I will always include the seasons in my search, like ‘Prada Fall 2017 fur belt,’ or ‘Prada FW17 fur belt’—and I will alternate between the two formats, as both can yield different results.” Ramzi peruses eBay in a similar style. “One of my favorite ways to shop vintage on eBay is to zero in on specific designers—particularly the lesser-known talents who deserve more recognition,” she says. “Jacques H. Réval is one I’m always on the hunt for. A Parisian couturier who ran a small atelier in the 1960s, Réval’s designs stand out for their bold embellishments and sculptural silhouettes. Thanks to eBay’s global reach, you can often find rare pieces like the dress I recently scored: A crisp black-and-white wool crepe A-line trimmed with gold chains and tassels, complete with its original metal Eclair zipper.”
Use the Watch List
If it’s something that’s a ‘maybe’ for me, I always add it to my watch list. The reason is two-fold: I don’t want to lose it in the pages of scrolling I’m doing, but also, maybe the item would switch to a yes…If the price was a little lower. I find that 50% of sellers will offer you a deal if the item doesn’t seem to be selling (it’s typically somewhere between 5 and 20% off the item), and that’s where I’ve managed to win some of my now-favorite items.
Buy Now vs. Bid It Out
Allaire isn’t afraid to fight it out for a vintage item, though there’s a method behind it. “I am a big vintage denim lover and I have won bids on some amazing Orange Tab Levi’s from the 1970s on eBay. With pieces that are a little more generalized, I don’t mind engaging in a bidding war—because if you lose, there are countless other options to try again for. The same goes for things like vintage Ralph Lauren shirts (love) or Barbour jackets; eBay has a huge selection of them, so why not try and bid and get it for the lowest price possible?”
