Hello lovelies,
I spent the entirety of this Friday trawling through second-hand stores and strange little stores full of curiousities in the backstreets of town. I finally emerged victorious, with a patterned Miss Sixty t-shirt, a black Sportsgirl skirt, and a red cord skirt for less than $15. Not bad for a days work, huh? I've had a few people comment that they're impressed with how I manage to get my clothes so cheaply, so I thought I'd fill you all in on my bargain secrets. I've been doing this since I can remember - I have very fond primary school memories of my Nan taking me second-hand shopping on my school holidays. At the beginning of the day, she'd give me $10, and I'd see how far I could make it stretch. When I went through my "brand name" phase at the beginning of high school, my family couldn't afford to buy the stuff new, so I got knock-offs from Target or Kmart, or my Nan scooped up bargain brand-name pieces for me from second-hand stores. Shopping on the cheap is a legacy in my family. Now my clothes all come from four main sources - eBay, thrift stores (or op shops), chain stores and lower-class department stores.
Before we start there's one thing you have to know - bargain shopping requires paitience, and lots of it. If you're not prepared to sort through lots of items you hate, you're never going to find the one item in the pile that is perfect for you. If you're not prepared to spend lots of your time searching through piles of clothes, trying things on and inspecting clothes, then bargain shopping is never going to be your forte. Second-hand shops don't offer any guarantees, or refunds and most shops won't refund or exchange their sale items, unless they turn out to be faulty (and weren't on sale because of said fault). These things are important to know, because no matter how cheaply you acquire an item, it's not a bargain if you get it home and find out it doesn't fit, or looks horrible on your body type. Equally, an item is not a bargain if you get it home and find a huge tear in the side - plus, your sewing skills are non-existant. Damaged items are a great bargain if you can repair them, but not so much if you've never picked up a sewing needle in your life.
Thrift-store shopping (otherwise known as second-hand, or op shopping):
Second-hand shopping is one of my favourite ways to snap up bargains. However, just because thrifting is suddenly in vogue, don't hold any illusions about how glamorous it is. Earlier, when I mentioned the three great items I found in one day, what I didn't mention was that I visited six thrift stores in that day, and spent at least half an hour to an hour in each one. I sorted through endless racks, and discount piles. I only bought things from two of the stores. It is back-breaking work - and, it is also totally worth it. I once found a pair of Italian designer boots with a price tag for $110 still attached, which I bought for $10. With a few simple tips, you too can strike gold in second-hand stores.
Firstly, take your time. Thrift stores end up with lots of junk, and you really have to take the time to sort through it all to find the good stuff. Look out for good quality fabric, unremoved price tags, and colours that aren't faded. When you do find an item you like, check it for stains, tears and stretched, threadbare patches. Then, go and try it on. Don't skip this step, and don't rely on sizing! Older items may have different cuts and follow different sizing guidelines than new ones - a size 10 now does not equal a size 10 from ten years ago. These things are all very important, as I've never seen a second-hand store that offers exchange or refund on any of their items. Remember, it's not a bargain if it ends up sitting at the bottom of your wardrobe because you can't wear it! Doing these things is all you need to ensure thrift store success - and most of the time you don't just score bargains, you also end up with unique items that will turn other people green with envy.
Here's a fun little video about thrift-store shopping for your enjoyment. Mostly the tips are similar to what I've mentioned, but even I found it to be a good watch. Enjoy:
eBay:
eBay is a treasure trove of bargain finds - my favourite eBay buys are Emily The Strange items that I get for a small percentage of their retail price. Again, take your time. Searching for particular brand names can turn up some good things. But you have to watch out for people who sell brand name items for cheaper than retail price, but jack up their postage costs so that you end up paying more than retail. Most of the good stuff I find is from people who are clearing their own wardrobes of things that they never really wear.
When you find items that you like, do a few things before you click "bid". First, check the photographs of the item - are the photographs clear, do they match the description of the item in the listing, can you see any colour fading or any unmentioned faults? Next, has the seller given measurements for the item? If not, ask for them! If the seller can't be bothered providing measurements, then they don't need your money. It's not going to help you if the size medium they're selling isn't the same as the size medium you usually wear. If they do provide measurements for you, compare them to measurements from garments that fit you nicely. Then, consider the item carefully, and compare it to things you've tried on in the past - if high-waisted bell-bottom jeans didn't look good on you in the Valley Girl changerooms, they're not going to look any better if you buy them on eBay.
Now that you've picked an item, and can be reasonably sure it will fit and suit you, you need to decide just how much you're willing to spend on this item. Don't go over your limit! It's easy to get sucked into bidding wars and end up spending way more than you intended to because you want to "win". If you have to, tell someone else what you want your maximum bid to be and have them place bids for you. And as a last note, always take postage costs into account - I've seen some sellers who hold off calculating postage costs until after the end of the auction, and then jack up the prices exorbitantly when the item doesn't sell for as much as they hoped.
Here's another good little video - again, most of the tips are the same, but it does include a good guide to "sniping":
Chain stores and department stores:
These are really pretty much the same thing when you look at it - except some department stores charge ridiculous prices for their goods, which are no better than the stuff from chain stores in the first place. I tend to avoid stores such as David Jones and Myer like the plague - and even more now that I work for Trade Secret, and we get some of the same stock, often for less than half the price. No offense to anyone, but I'd rather pay the cheap price for the cheap stuff than pay the expensive price and only think I've gotten higher quality stuff.
Ok, I got a little off-topic there. Now, when I go into chain/department stores I make a beeline straight for the sales table. I know lots of guides to shopping say to avoid sales tables/sales racks, but I say the opposite - by all means, go and scope them out. Just don't be tempted into leaving with items that are too small, too big, too wierd, or ill-fitting just because they're only $5. In those cases, you might as well keep the fiver and go buy a coffee instead, because it will be far more useful to you than an item of clothing you'll never wear. When shopping the sales tables, generally follow the same guidelines as when thrift shopping - take your time to search, try things on, check them for faults etc. Most stores won't offer exchange or refund on these items, so choose carefully. However, if you have sewing skills, then barter with the sales assistants over faulty items. Unlike thrift stores, in chain or department stores you may be able to swing further markdowns due to faults in a garment, and if you can repair them easily, then the fault doesn't really matter.
Another tip I have is one that most people seem not to endorse - go shopping at the end of the season! Lots of people seem to think that if you shop at the end of a season then you're destined to leave the store with piles of garment rejects that are only cheap because they're somehow defective, and no-one else wanted them. It's completely bogus. Shopping at the end of the season is as simple as shopping any other time - if you don't like something, or it doesn't fit, don't buy it. The positive side of shopping then is that if you do find things you like, that fit you well, you get them at extremely reduced prices. It's also an excellent way to pick up those pricey pieces you've been eyeing all Summer/Winter. Maybe you can't wear them now, but next year you won't have to worry about finding them. And, if you're like me and wear jeans all year round, any chance to get jeans for cheap prices is greatly appreciated. Lastly, if you're enamoured with something that isn't on sale, ask when they are next having a sale - most sales assistants will be happy to tell you when their store is having certain sales (provided they actually get told in advance, because that doesn't always happen).
And there you have it lovelies, it's that simple. I know it probably seems like I'm repeating the same advice over and over again, but that's only because bargain shopping like a pro really is that easy. So long as you have time and patience, anyone can do it. But what about you guys? Are you bargain-savvy shoppers, or high-expenditure shoppers?
Until next time, xo.
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