Ok so I will do many things to save mere dollars, but I’m a strong believer in investing in some key designer pieces to make any outfit look more expensive. Whenever I’m shopping for a higher priced item that I’m lusting for, I will always check on eBay first to see if someone is selling it for a fraction of the cost (which they usually are). I’ve gotten Louboutin’s, a chic leather jacket, and most recently a Chloe bag that retails for $490 at Nordstrom’s for $260 (brand new) because it was missing a tiny piece of hardware that no one would even notice.
How to do it:
Be specific about your eBay search: Search with the product’s style name and the color you want. For example, don’t just search “Chloe bag” – search “Chloe Nutmeg Calfskin Marcie”. If you aren’t picky about color, then you will have a bigger selection to choose from if you leave that detail from the search.
Don’t rule out pre-owned: So the small Chloe Marcie bag retails at Nordstrom’s for $1795. As you can see from the pic above, there is a brand new medium bag for $1195, a brand new large for $1395 ….but there is also a small pre-owned in the corner for $489. The photos show it is in incredible condition, and at more than $1300 off the original price, who cares that someone else wore it a few times? No one will ever know. Prosper from that rich person cleaning out their closet.
Make sure the description clearly states “authentic”: If something is being sold brand new at a price that is too good to be true, make sure the listing clearly states that it’s 100% authentic, otherwise you could be bidding on a fake. Ebay has very strict policies about selling fake products, so this does not happen very often. Here is a great article on 5 Tips to Safely Buy Designer Bags on eBay that further outlines what to look for.
Bid at the last minute: The trick with ebay is to set a reminder in your phone and bid in the last minute of the auction ending. You don’t want to get into a bidding war with someone and drive up the price. If you have the iphone app, this makes it easier to bid last minute when you’re away from home.
Getting things for way cheaper on ebay is something I brag about regularly. No shame in my game – I get to have all of the designer things I really want without going broke like a professional athlete.
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