Ever wondered how and where people find the gems on eBay? You see your girl Lou on Instagram rocking a pair of badass shades and she just tells you "they're from eBay" and you're left sitting there wondering how the hell did she find them? Well... this post will be ALL about how you can sift through the beat down not-so-fly garments for the cool. Believe you me, I used to hate eBay before I knew how to use it properly.
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| Image source: Weheartit |
If you're not using advance search on eBay, you're doing it all wrong. When I'm shopping, I like to make sure everything I'm buying is brand new and not used, as this helps me find the gems or the new trends that I may be searching for. After selecting the 'New' option in the left hand sidebar, I usually then also select 'Buy it Now' (found right above search results), as i just can't DEAL with the anxiety of bidding for something I really want. This also filters in all the cool online eBay boutiques and allows you to shop as if you're browsing an online store.
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| eBay gem: Gold Sandal Heels |
Location
I've had occasions where I've ordered items of clothing from China for dirt cheap prices to find that they look nothing like the picture when they arrive and/or the quality has been really bad. However, if you shop carefully and read through reviews - styles delivered can actually be really good without making you look like you've sewn it yourself. Factories in China sometimes copy key trends that we see in Zara or on the likes of ASOS etc. Most of the time though, I set the location to 'UK Only' as 9 times out of 10 items bought from online boutiques in the UK are good quality. This option can be found in the left hand sidebar under 'Item Location'.
I've had occasions where I've ordered items of clothing from China for dirt cheap prices to find that they look nothing like the picture when they arrive and/or the quality has been really bad. However, if you shop carefully and read through reviews - styles delivered can actually be really good without making you look like you've sewn it yourself. Factories in China sometimes copy key trends that we see in Zara or on the likes of ASOS etc. Most of the time though, I set the location to 'UK Only' as 9 times out of 10 items bought from online boutiques in the UK are good quality. This option can be found in the left hand sidebar under 'Item Location'.
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| eBay gem: Rose Gold Mirror Aviators |
The more specific your descriptions, the better. Typing in 'red shoes' brings up lots of random styles which most likely won't be of interest to you. More specific search terms like 'red stiletto sandal heels' tailors your results making it easier to find exactly what you're looking for. If i've seen a style that I really like on say Missguided that I 'm really not trying to spend £60 on, I use eBay to see if I can find something similar or exactly the same for less using very similar descriptions used on these online stores. For example, on my birthday a couple of years back I found a badass dress from House of CB for like £120. I was so keen to buy it but a voice in my head told me to check on eBay. As a result of this, I ended up buying the exact same dress brand new for only £35 #BargainAlert
Categories
This seems pretty obvious but make sure you select the right category for your search. If you're searching for clothes, make sure the category is selected to ' Women's Clothes, Shoes and Accessories' as this will naturally help your search.
Although these tips are great if you're looking for something in particular, eBay isn't great for just having a browse like other online stores. I usually browse online stores to see what I like then search on eBay in the hopes of finding the exact same thing for less. So yes, eBay is a great tool to find bargains but should be used alongside other online stores or whilst having particular styles or trends in mind. Trust me when I say this. You can find some real gems on eBay.
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