Help Buying Cufflinks off Ebay

[Cognacad]

Hello people,

I am looking to buy some "starter" cufflinks. I made a thread in WTB but nothing so far, so I figured I would look on ebay. I want some nice simple cufflinks to start me off. I typed cufflinks in and things such as this came up:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Silver-square-cuf...ht_4121wt_1014

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ORNATE-BLUE-ENAME...d=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.ca/STAINLESS-STEEL-R...d=p3286.c0.m14

Note that I just picked the first three that I saw that looked OK and were cheap.

It seems I can get some like this for 10$, is there any reason I wouldn't want to? Also, if you happen to be selling some send me a PM, not that this is the purpose of this topic since this is general discussion, just adding that in!

Thanks!

 

[Jeremy S]

The last ones are, IMO, the closest to decent. Look for something incredibly simple, even more so than those, if you are only going to get one pair for now. Or, you could buy a bunch of silk knot links in different colors, if you want to take that route. http://cgi.ebay.com/Classic-Stainles...ht_2594wt_1165 not particularly nice, but simple. http://cgi.ebay.com/Brooks-Brothers-...#ht_500wt_1182 These would also do nicely, but you may not want to spend that much. In my experiences, you get what you pay for with cufflinks, in terms of materials, but there is no reason you cant find nice cufflinks for under $40. I do recall a horrible experience with a rental tux (This was in my pre-SF era). The cufflinks were so cheap, they bent instead of the little toggle part turning.

 

[Cognacad]

Ouch.

Thanks for those links.

I was more curious about actually buying cufflinks off ebay and not so much which ones, so I am assuming buying cufflinks off ebay is OK? Not a big faux pas?

 

[fedora]

Depending on where you are, one can find second-hand cufflinks similar to yours for $1/pair at flea markets.

 

[Metlin]

Originally Posted by Cognacad

Ouch.

Thanks for those links.

I was more curious about actually buying cufflinks off ebay and not so much which ones, so I am assuming buying cufflinks off ebay is OK? Not a big faux pas?

Yes.

eBay is a great place however for buying good vintage cuff links. There are some rather good ones out there, but they tend to be picked up and purchased fairly quickly.

And avoid buying from sellers that have cheap knockoffs -- I've made my fair share of mistakes, of course.

As always, caveat emptor.

 

[JohnShaft]

Originally Posted by Metlin

eBay is a great place however for buying good vintage cuff links. There are some rather good ones out there, but they tend to be picked up and purchased fairly quickly.

And avoid buying from sellers that have cheap knockoffs -- I've made my fair share of mistakes, of course.

+1 The more vintage, the better. I've gotten a couple of 1930s-1940s sets for less than $50. One that came with shirt studs.

They were probably mid-range when they were new but now their quality well exceeds all but the better items.

 

[Cognacad]

Hmm... well I have no idea what a vintage cufflink would be or anything along the lines. Any guidance? Years? Brands? Materials?