Ebay

[The_Foxx]

as the subject of ebay has come up a few times, thought i would start a seperate post. myself, i have not yet been burned on ebay. the closest i have ever come has been buying a kilgour french and stanbury suit, not realizing it was the SH*TTY AMERICAN MAKE of the same label, famous in london. however, that was my own fault. as i have stated previously, i look very carefully at the pictures, and often request specific photos (i.e. labels, linings, lapel close-ups, etc.) before buying. also, i only buy from a handful of buyers. if you're interested, you can always look up my items on the search menu, by buyer (The_Foxx) here are two examples of some of the goods i check out on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...item=944960108 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...item=946334980 interested to hear thoughts, comments, etc.

 

[PeterMetro]

Myself, I simply cannot imagine buying a uit without trying it on first. How will you know if it fits properly? How will you know how the fabric drapes, what it feels like? Clearly, if you have experience with a brand or label, and Brioni is obviously reputable, you may be secure that it will be a nice piece. But for me, there is so much variation in fabrics and cuts for each piece, and my tastes are so particular, that I would not feel comfortable buying clothes (particularly suits and shoes, dress shirts maybe) on eBay or anywhere else that I couldn't try them on first.

 

[NavyStyles]

hmm, I looked at the two links. Both items appear very nice. But I've never been a fan of buying clothes online. Even when it's through a store's website... I dunno. I guess, that'd be okay, but in this case, I personally wouldn't want to gamble with that much money -- are there any "return" policies? In case the clothes dont fit as you imagined they would.

Only reason I ask is I was looking at a tan seersucker suit in BR and the store here didnt have my size, so we called around and found the jacket in one store and the pants in another. So, I was happily waiting for my shipment to arrive and it gets here and I try it on -- yeah, well, let's just say I returned them... the pants tapered and just weren't that comfortable. The jacket was way too large. and even had it been my size, it didn't fit well.

So if e-bay has a return policy, then you could try it. And hope that everything works out anyway. If they don't I personally wouldn't chance it. Plus, as PMetro mentioned getting a feel for the certain fabric before purchase also helps. I hope I've helped some and not confused you even more. Happy clothes hunting.

 

[pstoller]

if e-bay has a return policy, then you could try it.

It wouldn't be eBay's policy, it would be the policy of the individual seller. Some take returns, others don't. Usually, those that do only take them for items that are demonstrably not as described. I've been able to get my money back on some things that didn't fit as described, and I've accepted returns from people as well, even when not strictly necessary, because I think it's better to have good will than a few bucks.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Being new to eBay, I was wondering whether there were any commonly accepted rules of etiquette (beyond the obvious like pay the seller promptly if you win an auction) that one must observe to avoid getting blacklisted.  I assume that it is perfectly acceptable to swoop into an auction at the very last second and place the high bid.

 

[pstoller]

Last-minute bids are perfectly acceptable as part of "the game," so long as you pay promptly. Proper etiquette includes leaving positive feedback as soon as you receive an item and determine that you're happy with it (or, if you're a seller, as soon as you've been paid), and not leaving negative feedback without first exhausting more diplomatic methods of resolving problems with an auction. Prompt, polite exchanges in email are also important. Read item descriptions carefully before asking questions that may already have been answered. Oh, and, if you're a seller, please take good photographs of your items, be honest about the condition, and list comprehensive information including country of manufacture, material, and useful sizing information (that is, US and international sizing where applicable, and actual measurements of things like chest, sleeve length, waist, inseam, and so on). The main no-nos are when either party doesn't answer emails, backs out of a completed auction, drags out closing, or haggles after the fact.

 

[GQgeek]

I really couldn't recommend ebay to anyone for the purpose of buying clothes. The others have already stated the most obvious reasons. You never know how something will fit, what the fabric feels like and how it drapes. Not to mention there's the risk of buying knock-offs and when it comes down to it, there really are no guarantees.

Bluefly, I love though; particularly for dress shirts. I bought 6 zegna shirts recently (still waiting for them) at 60-74% off. This isn't a problem for me since I know what size shirt I need and I own zegna dress shirts already and it's an easy alteration. I don't think I'd buy a suit off of bluefly though. I pretty much limit myself to stuff that's hard to mess up on. So far that's been shirts and ties. And at the very worst, I could return them and get my money back.

 

[aybojs]

I've heard a huge range of estimates for fakes on ebay; some people claim fakes are pretty rare, while some pessimists will say that ~90% of clothes on ebay are fake. What's everyone's general procedure to make sure everything's on the up and up before buying? E.g. right now I'm a little interested in this item http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...item=945882017 , but having heard that Prada's are especially popular to rip-off, I'd like to know what kind of questions I should ask the seller to get an idea of whether it's legit. I just made my first purchase the other day ($20 on that blue burberry shirt I was looking at in the other thread), so I'm a total ebay newbie. While I'm at it, I might as well ask how Prada's sizes tend to run: 32W/30L pants are more fitted for me , while most of my newer pants are 33W/30L to fit loosely and leave room for any potential growth, but this size is pretty hard to come across.

 

[jetLab]

aybojs those pants are real. The only Prada fakes on eBay are from the sports line, most of them are caps and t-shirts.

Prada size 46 is a size small and its supposed to be a 30.5 inch waist.

 

[aybojs]

lol, wow, if I have to strain like hell to fit in my old 31 waist pants, I don't want to think of what blowing cash on a 30.5" would do to me. Thanks for the heads up, I think I'm gonna go try on some designer stuff tomorrow so I know how the sizes work.

 

[pstoller]

As a rule, a EU 46 in pants is roughly equal to a US 30, EU 48 = US 32, and so on. However, not all designers run the same (and not even all of one designer's items will fit the same, although the odds are a bit better for consistency there). For that matter, what I'm calling "EU" is not true of all Europe; while it's typical of Italian clothing (and I believe German, as well), the French size pants a bit differently, because, well, they're French. (My YSL pants are size 40.) Jackets are sized differently from pants, where EU 48 = US 38, and so on.

I'm sure there's a very good explanation for all this, but what it is, I have no idea.

Shoe sizes are equally tricky: for example, I wear a US 8.5 (except in a sneaker, where I'm a 9), which is a EU 41.5-42, and a UK 7-8. Prada and other Italian shoemakers have adopted the UK system, with their sizes tending towards the lower end (I wear a Prada 7). In a Japanese shoe, I'm a 26, which could be why I don't have many Japanese shoes.

Chances are that the seller in this case measured the pants and came up with 32"...but, depending on the rise of the pants, that doesn't mean they're cut for a man with a 32" waist. For what it's worth, I generally wear a 30", and my Prada pants are size 46. You would be much safer looking for a Prada 48.

If this is at all exasperating, be grateful you're not a woman. There's nothing even remotely rational about women's clothing sizes, where the physical size represented by the number shrinks in some strange inverse proportion to the price tag.

 

[GQgeek]

ferragamo seems to be a bit smaller than normal also. Usually I'll wear a US 8-8.5. I tried on a size 8 ferragamo and it was really tight so I had to go to a 9.

 

[High_Roller]

What does everyone think of these Jeans I found on Ebay..I liked them when they came one last year and still do.

 

[pstoller]

What does everyone think of these jeans I found on Ebay? I liked them when they came out last year and still do.

If you like them, it shouldn't matter what we think of them. Personally, they're not my cup of denim; I'm not nuts about the pattern, and I don't like the oversized jeans thing, either. My only other thought is, at those prices, I sure hope you still like them next year, too.

 

[LA Guy]

I find them visually interesting, but would have serious reservations about buying them.

The problem with high visibility editorial pieces like the jeans in question is that they tend to become dated. If your social circle is highly fashion conscious, it will be obvious that you are wearing an editorial piece from quite a few seasons back (S/S 2001, if I remember correctly, when Tom Ford did their his "samurai" collection), which is generally considered rather gauche. On the other hand. If your social circle is not particular fashion-forward, you will look conspicuously out of place.

Unless you intend to purchase the jeans for a collection rather than for wearing, I say, go for it. Otherwise, I'd give them a pass.