Wednesday, July 4, 2012

post request: how to get a bargain velvet dress

Below: Recent ebay purchases

I've had lots of queries and about my velvet dress bargain-nabbing, so I thought I would od a post on it. I really don't do anything special... I search ebay and etsy for "vintage velvet dress". I don't REALLY bother with the super-expensive ones, it's kind of a game to see how cheap I can get them.

Check out the above copy-and-past table of my latest ebay purchases. There are LOADS of ace dresses out there, you just have to be patient. I've bought a cupboard-full this winter for next to nothing, and I've not been disappointed once.

Also, I'm more than happy to buy an '80s does '40s dress. A quater of the price and just as pretty (and will probably last a lot longer).

You see the third item down (please forgive the book purchase in there)? I bought it for $9.95 (plus $7.00 postage). The picture of it was pretty shitty, but the seller described the dress as "stunning", so I took a punt and boy did it pay off. See below, it got 221 votes when I posted it on Chictopia. Not bad.

When it comes to etsy, if it is cheap, I buy-it-now, otherwise I just sit on it and put it in my favourites. Sellers are always having fabulous sales, so if I really wnat something, I buy it at the cheapest price.

Any questions, please fire away.


  1. 50 Shades of Grey ay??? ^_^ hehe

    I see that you mainly buy the dresses from the US, am guessing its cheaper?


    1. Lol, shut up!

      I honestly take no notice of where the dresses come from, I hadn't even noticed that. But I do check that the shipping isn't mental!

  2. Thanks for the tip, though obviously finding dresses to fit round my bulges is trickier, ebay is my go to place for specific clothes desires though, I usually find something great for very little! xxx

  3. You can't beat eBay for tracking down fabulous vintage stuff. Like you I love it when there's a bad picture, puts most folk off! x

  4. Hail eBay the keeper of dirt cheap, lovely forgotten frocks ... mmmmmmmmm. xxxxxx

  5. Hooray, wonderful post! Thanks for the tips! :)