The Holy Grail

Thrifting with eBay in mind can be a huge rush.  The best shopping moment I ever had was about three years ago when I found these two leather jackets in a tiny little thrift with a lot of random stuff.  I didn't know much about them, but they were obviously of really high quality and obviously vintage.  So I bought them - $40 for both.  Little did I know that these jackets were ridiculously valuable.  They were made by a San Francisco company (now defunct) called East West Musical Instruments. This company made jackets for Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison - pretty much anyone who was anyone in the music world in the 60s/early 70s.  They are rare and awesome.  I was completely shocked and stunned at the auction madness that followed.  I started each jacket at $299 (I thought I was being greedy and would have to relist at a lower price).  At the end, each one sold to an overseas buyer in an uncomplicated transaction for just shy of $2000 each!!!   I have had some great sales since, but nothing has even come close to these jackets.  I am always hunting for more, but I doubt I'll find any.  Hope springs eternal.

If you are an eBay seller, or even just an avid thrifter and you run into one of these jackets,  BUY IT.  I have to say that again.  BUY IT.  I don't care how much it costs.  BUY IT.  You won't be disappointed in the dough-re-mi that you roll in once your sale is complete.


EBay is weird.  There are some high end labels that are impossible to sell.  I can't even give away Marc Jacobs or Moschino.  No one wants my cool Chloe pants.  Coach bags are a hit or miss.  But there are some things that almost always bring me a tidy profit:

• Labels sold at Anthropologie.  All Anthro labels have the RN number (this is a registration number and is unique to each manufacturer) 66170.  Which makes them easy to identify.  The only complication is that Urban Outfitters, as the Anthro parent company, shares this RN and Urban Outfitters is a tough sell.  A little research and you will be able to tell the difference just by looking.  A smart phone with Google helps a lot here too :)
  
• Eileen Fisher/Flax/Peruvian Connection/Exclusively Misook/St. John.  Most of this stuff is really not my style, but the eBay universe loves them.  If you can get a modern item in excellent condition of any of these labels for under $10, get it.
• Japanese high end designers:  Miyake, Comme des Garcons (Kawakubo), Yamamoto.  Items from any of these labels always do well for me.  They're hard to find, but worth the hunt.
• Eskandar.  Ugly linen stuff that sells for a fortune at retail and a smaller fortune on eBay.  Snap it up.
• Marimekko-patterned items aren't huge high-dollar sellers, but they are consistent.  I have never ever had to relist a Marimekko item.
• Vintage Pucci.  If you find a vintage Pucci item in velvet fabric, thank your lucky stars and start counting your money.
  
• Diane von Furstenberg - vintage and the wrap dresses do really well.  Leave the licensed stuff and the QVC stuff behind.

That is just a small sample to whet your appetite :)  A few small caveats, too:

• BEWARE OF FAKES.  eBay is a fake minefield.  99% of the designer handbags you see on eBay are fakes.  Don't buy fakes, don't sell fakes.  They're gross and fund bad, bad people.
• Beware of licensed merchandise.  Sometimes it sells, but most often it doesn't.  Christian Dior, YSL, and other designers made money licensing their names all over the place back in the 80s and a lot of that stuff is crapola.  Make sure you know what you're getting.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!  I definitely do.  At some point I will offer advice for good listings and how to manage your eBay sales as a business (even if you are only a hobbyist).  Anything else you'd like to read about?  Let me know in the comments!