How to shop vintage online

My tips & tricks of secondhand shopping

Happy happy holidays!

Today I’ve chosen to do something a little different. Usually I offer you a smattering of vintage listings and styling suggestions but as the year comes to an end I figured I could offer you a smattering of something else: knowledge! Knowledge of how to wind your way through my favorite platforms where I find you all those vintage listings. What we have here is a breakdown of my top four favorite sites: Ebay, Etsy, Poshmark, and The Real Real. I’ll talk about what each site offers, how to search them, what to search on them, and how to get the most savings!

There’s plenty of vintage to go around and I think making shopping vintage more accessible to all is paramount to incorporating the circular economy into your lives more easily.

So, enjoy my tricks and tips and leave any of your own in the comments!

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How I See It: A digital thrift store! Can be very overwhelming without a plan and there are deals aplenty. Not curated at all so need to look at pieces with a critical eye and not be afraid to ask questions.

How to Search: First, preface every search with “vintage.” It will automatically kick your inquiry into the vintage side of Ebay - searching “linen tunic” garners 320,000+ results whereas “vintage linen tunic” garners 6,000 results which is still a lot but much more reasonable.

What I’ve found to be the easiest way to tackle the behemoth of Ebay is to search using vintage labels. I’ll use “Liz Claiborne,” “Forenza,” “Garland,” or “Ann Taylor.” My suggestion would be to go into your closet and check your labels! If you like one item from that designer it’s worth searching for more.

But if you want to find a deal on something like wool pants, you’ll need to get more specific. Use a color, a print, or a cut like high-waisted/cropped/wide leg/flared. I often use “trouser” in lieu of “pants,” as well, as it pulls up different listings. You can also search using decades but I’m not allegiant to that method as sellers on Ebay can often misdate items.

I don’t just use Ebay for clothes, though! You can find so many cool, weird home goods for a steal. In this case I find that searching a piece like “fiberglass bowl” gives me pages of the exact style I’m looking for. Sometimes, though, I want a vibe more than specificity so I’ll search “psychedelic” or “folk art” and it always delivers. The reason you can find so many deals on Ebay is that a lot of sellers are cleaning out estates or they buy in bulk which means they want to sell a lot, quickly, and a low price will get them the fast turnover they want.

What to Search: I use Ebay for everyday clothes, accessories, and home goods. It’s these items I know I can score good deals on and it just takes a little patience to find. I don’t often use it for jewelry or furniture.

Let’s Make a Deal: So many deals to be had! But you must make an account so do it now, post-haste!

Unless you’re desperate for an item or terrified to lose out on your favorite piece, don’t buy an item as soon as you see it. Like it, and expect the seller to send a discount soon after. There are also many listings that have the option to “Make an Offer” which you should take advantage of! If the seller doesn’t like your offer, they can counter with a different offer, so don’t be afraid to start low (but not insultingly so).

In its advent, Ebay started solely with the auction option and for some listings that’s still the only way to purchase an item at a low price. If you’re not terribly worried about winning, you can set your highest bid and leave it for Ebay to keep bidding for you until it hits that price. No need to sit anxiously near the computer and go tête-a-tête with another buyer. Unless you want to!