The best online marketplace where you can find both used and brand high end clothes is, without any doubt, eBay. However, finding good deals won’t be easy if you don’t have a couple tricks up your sleeve.
In this article I’ll be showing you 5 tips which will help you get lots of high end clothing for very cheap on eBay – some being more obvious and others much less so. If you use them, your closet(s) will be filled to the brim with high-end clothes in not time WITHOUT you ruining your finances in the process!
This article was originally published in August 1sh 2022. This new, updated version contains more information, is better organized and has a better SEO. Enjoy!
Read: 5 Reasons to Shop at Thrift Stores
#1 – How my eBay Journey Started
My eBay journey started a few years ago or, to be more precise, a few days after I began shopping at thrift stores.
During one of my thrifting sessions, I remember getting a quite impressive haul consisting of 4 Hugo Boss suits (and of 1 more thing I can’t remember) for less than $50 in total. When I returned home, I realized that they (or to be more precise, the pants) were too small for me. I wasn’t too happy about that since what’s the point of buying something that you’re never going to ever wear?
Soon, I figured … if I can’t wear those Hugo Boss suits, someone else should…if (s)he pays me first.
And so I’ve opened an account on eBay where I managed to sell each of them for $150 (+ shipping) in a very short period of time because they were of unusual sizes – sizes 46 European / 36R American if I recall correctly. 2 of them went to the US (to Las Vegas and to some town in Kansas, can’t recall the name) and 2 to Israel (to the same buyer). The money that I’ve earned by selling those suits enabled me to source more items from thrift stores, most of which also got sold.
Instead of wasting those thousands of dollars that I’ve earned on God knows what, I had decided to change my niche – instead of selling used high-end clothes, I decided to sell brand new buy high-end clothes exclusively on eBay and Vestaire Collective, which proved to be far more profitable. Most of them had been sourced from eBay (believe it or not) and in this article, I’ll show you how to spot (and get) a good deal!
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Hugo Boss Lines on the Internet
#2 – 2 Things to Know Before Buying High-end Clothes on eBay
Educate Yourself about Brands!
As incredible as it may sound, not all high-end clothing brands are equal.
Some make clothes of EXCELLENT quality but AREN’T widely known. Examples of such brands are Brunello Cuccinelli, Pal Zileri and Corneliani (whose blazer I’m wearing in the picture below) and they aren’t faked.
Some make clothes of EXCELLENT quality and ARE widely known. Examples of such brands are Gucci and Prada. Because of their popularity, they’re HEAVILY faked.
And finally, some WIDELY KOWN brands PRETEND that’re high-end BUT the quality of their is MEDIOCRE at best. Hugo Boss and Tommy Hilfiger are examples of such brands. Because of their popularity they’re, like the aforementioned Gucci and Prada, HEAVILY faked.
If you’d like to know more about the brands mentioned above (as well as many others), then I suggest that you bookmark this page and pay a visit to Style Forum and Ask Andy About Clothes (menswear) and Purse Forum and The Fashion Spot (womenswear). I’ve learned a lot from these forums, and I’m sure that you’ll too.
Read: SHOULD YOU buy Clothes from HIGH END brands?
Learn How to Recognize Fakes
Another thing to keep in mind is that many POPULAR high-end (and “wannabe high-end”) clothing brands (Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss) are HEAVILY faked. On the other hand, high-end brands that AREN’T THAT POPULAR (such as Brunello Cuccinelli and Pal Zileri) are much LESS faked – if not at all. In the picture below you can see a fake Armani jacket that I’ve seen on eBay.
In order to reduce your chances of buying a fake high end product, I suggest that you check this section of this site (which contains several and detailed guides showing you how to recognize fakes, with more on the way), the Authenticate This thread on the Purse Blog Forum and Fake or Real thread on the Style Forum (whose communities were friendly when I asked them some questions back when I had no idea) BEFORE you buy anything!
With those 2 important things out of our way, let’s talk about the topic that had brought you here – how to get high-end clothes for cheap on eBay.
Read: How to Spot Fake Giorgio Armani Clothes
#3 – 5 eBay Tips That’ll Get you High-End Clothes for Cheap
Cheap Doesn’t ALWAYS Mean Fake
In order to sell their goods quicker, many sellers of fakes items will list their goods at a much lower price than the originals. Because of this, many online shopping guides will suggest that you avoid buying those items.
While there’s certainly some truth in the old adage “If something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t” exists for a reason, a low price doesn’t always mean that the item is a fake.
There are sellers who got some high-end piece of clothing for free and want to get rid of it – at whatever price.
There are sellers who need money as soon as possible and they’re willing to sell some of their high-end clothes for cheaper than usual in order to get it NOW.
There are sellers who bought a lot of genuine high-end piece of clothing on clearance from some distributor for ridiculously cheap pennies and are willing to sell it well under their original MSRP in order to make money faster.
And so on and so forth … EVERY seller has HIS/HER OWN story(ies) and the REASONS why (s)he’s selling high-end clothes on eBay are NONE OF YOUR CONCERN! The only things that ARE OF YOUR CONCERN is that the item you bought or intend to buy is CHEAP, GENUINE and IS AS DESCRIBED – nothing else!
Some examples of genuine high-end clothes that I got for ridiculously cheap on eBay are… :
(1) … a brand new with tags Emporio Armani calf hair/wool mix blouson, whose MSRP was $1500. I got it for around $100. Resold it for MUCH MORE THAN THAT (I can’t recall the exact amount) to some dude in New York.
(2) … a brand new with tags Ralph Lauren Black Label suit, whose MSRP was around $2000. I got it for around $200 and in the picture below you can see me wearing it.
(3) … a brand new with tags Prada leather jacket, whose MSRP was around $4000. I got it for around $500 brand new and in the picture above you can see me wearing it.
Read: The ULTIMATE Guide to Ralph Lauren Lines in the Milky Way
Bargain With Sellers
If you ever looked at some listings on eBay, you’ve certainly noticed that many auction Buy It Now (BIN) listings have a Make Offer option active. If the seller has enabled that option, it means they’re willing to consider REASONABLE offers for that item.
In order to increase the likelihood of the seller accepting your offer, start at 70% of the seller’s asking price. Don’t go any lower that that – the only thing that many eBay sellers (like me) hate more than returns and rude customers are lowball offers (offers that are A LOT lower that the asking price). Because of this, they will, in the best-case scenario, ignore your offer or, in the worst-case scenario, block you (like I do)! Also, MAKE SURE that you include a note alongside an offer in which you’re letting them know that you’ll pay IMMEDIATELY – not too long ago I got a Seiko Ananta “Katana” watch (with box and papers) that was listed for $1600 for $1200 because I promised the seller I would pay IMMEDIATELY, which I did.
In case you don’t see the Make Offer option, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the seller does accept offers. Don’t feel uncomfortable sending an offer – after taking a deep breath, write a nicely worded message to the seller which includes your offer (start at 80% of the seller’s asking price) and a promise that you’ll pay ON THE SAME DAY should (s)he accept it. Many sellers gladly accepted my offers just because I promised them immediate payment!
If you feel uncomfortable sending an offer, remember that the the worst thing that can happen to you is the seller ignoring or rejecting your offer – (s)he won’t be chasing you around with an AK-47 around the block just because you dared to ask for a lower price!
Read: How to Get High-End Items FOR CHEAP
Buy Multiple Items from the Same Seller
If you’re planning to buy multiple items (not just clothes), it would be ideal to buy them from the same seller. Why? Because many sellers will be more than happy to give you a multiple purchase and shipping discount! All you have to do is TO SIMPLY ASK! Remember…the worst thing that can happen to you is the seller ignoring or rejecting your offer – (s)he won’t come with a shovel in front of your house or something like that.
Let me tell you story.
A few years ago, during one of my eBay hunts, I saw 2 Ralph Lauren Black Label suits, brand new with tags, being sold for $300 each. Instead of paying $600 (which was a very good price considering that their MSRP (Manufactures Suggested Retail Price) was around $4000 in total), I wrote a message to the seller where I asked if (s)he’s willing to sell me each for $250 and that I am ready to pay on the same day!
Not an hour later I got a positive response. And saved a $100 JUST BECAUSE I had the courage to ask!
Read: Where Are Ralph Lauren Clothes Made? In the US? Or Perhaps in China?
New and Damaged High-End Clothes May be Saved
On eBay, in the sidebar, in the Condition category, there’s a special category of items called New With Defects (NWD). Many people avoid that category like the plague because they don’t want to be stuck with a defective item. You shouldn’t, because not all defects are, so to speak, “equal”. There are 2 types of defects – those that… :
(1) … can be repaired, like scuffs or marks on a black or brown leather or moth hole(s) on a darker suit. Before buying, contact a competent tailor or leatherworker and ask him/her if it can be fixed. If they say it can be, buy the item.
(2) … can’t be repaired, such as a tear on a suede jacket or color discolorations. Avoid buying those items.
Read: Are Giorgio Armani Suits REALLY That Good?
Look for Auction Listings
Before we go on, let me ask you…what Apple, Sony and eBay have in common? Willingness to try to implement new concepts that NOBODY TRIED BEFORE!
Apple became a household name because it created a device that combined a phone and a camera – an iPhone. An idea and concept that NOBODY TRIED BEFORE!
Sony became a quite popular brand back in it’s day because they created a Discman – the first portable CD player (picture above). An idea and concept that NOBODY TRIED BEFORE!
eBay became the most popular marketplace on the Internet (before being supplanted by Amazon) because of its unique business plan that NOBODY TRIED BEFORE – online auctions. Thanks to them, I managed to get lots of high-end clothing for pennies on the dollar by using a bidding tactic called “sniping”, where you put your maximum bid at the VERY END on the auction (less than 10 seconds before it ends), leaving others no time to place counter bids. If you want to win on auctions, that’s the tactic that you should always use.
In order to protect your eBay account, I suggest that you don’t use any eBay auction sniper apps, since you’ll have to give them access to your eBay account in order for them to work – and that’s never a good idea! Play it safe – that is, snipe manually!
And finally, there’s one little trick that I love to use – sending offer to sellers that RECENTLY listed an item that you’re interested in on auction. In order to increase the chances of them accepting it, send them an offer that’s SLIGHTLY HIGHER than the price that item previously sold for and IMPLY that you’ll pay ON THE SAME DAY! As I stated before…the worst thing that can happen is the seller ignoring or rejecting your offer!
Read: The MOST COMPREHENSIVE Guide to Corneliani Lines IN THE UNIVERSE
#4 – An Important Lesson to Learn from eBay
OF ALL PLACES, eBay is the best one where you can learn two VERY important personal skills that will help you tremendously – how to ask for something and how not to be afraid of the word “No”.
If you want people to give you a discount – say so, because the worst thing that they can do is saying “No”!
If you want people to add you to follow you on Instagram – say so, because the worst thing that they can do is saying “No”!
STOP living like a coward – KNOW what you want and LET OTHERS KNOW what you want BY ASKING THEM for WHAT YOU WANT. What’s the BEST-CASE scenario? GETTING THE THING YOU WANTED. The WORST-CASE scenario? BEING TOLD NO!
If you don’t ask for something, you won’t ever get it. This is something I wish someone had told me earlier in my life!
Thank you for reading. If you’ve liked this article and want to see more like them, make sure you bookmark this site and to follow me on Instagram!
Until next time.
Your man,
-Leon
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