Buying Secondhand Clothes on eBay - Any Point?

giantmutantbroccoli

Has anyone had any luck buying secondhand clothes off eBay? I've bought a nice pair of jeans, a really good bra, acouple of decent t-shirts and a beautiful pair of converse trainers in the past that I was really happy with. Unfortunately I've also received a heck of a lot of garbage that really should have been thrown away,not sold! Have I just been unlucky, or is there just a lot of rubbish clothing on eBay? Anyone got any tips on how to avoid the junk?

Alternatively if you want to share your eBay bad clothing horror stories, please do!
So far I have received:
Pair of jeans described as brand new size 14 that have been worn by someone who was a couple of sizes larger than that and are stretched out beyond recognition.
Laura Ashley t-shirt described "as new" that was very well worn.
Several other t-shirts also described as "new" that were very much not.
Underwear described as "fancy, expensive well-known brand" (brand new with tags of course) that turned out to be Tesco's own brand.
"as new" maxi dress that arrived stinking of wee and perfume. Seriously, human urine!:eek: That was the worst thing I've ever had in the post.

lulu650

That sounds appalling! The only secondhand clothing I sell on ebay is designer labelled and worn no more than 2 or 3 times. Most have tags attached as I've lost a lot of weight and I'd missed out on wearing the items I'd saved until I'd got down to ideal weight. All the Tesco, Primark or any slightly damaged items go off to charity shops. I've no desire to lose my good feedback !

I've bought a coat which wasn't properly marketed for a bargain price. Sadly it's too big despite being a brand name and the correct size. It's fab!!

The only reason I bought it was because I needed a specific type of coat for best and my existing one was now too big. I'm now getting a local dressmaker to adjust my existing coat and would expect the ebay coat (suitably remarketed) to pay for the dressmaker fees.

I actually wouldn't usually buy secondhand clothes off ebay. We've got a fab carboot sale locally and a charity shop that's reasonable and allows us to take back items if they don't fit. I often donate to this shop because it's a local charity and I've got so many great bargains from there. I know I'm luckier than most.

Sorry that all sounds a bit smug. I don't know how to avoid rubbish clothes on ebay. I used to think that if the photos were badly taken then the clothes would not be good but on my one purchase I can say that's not true at all. Feedback should be good, but this was from a new seller and I took a chance.

sparkleisshopping

I've done quite well with clothes I've bought on ebay, however I once bought a pair of shoes where the seller lied about the size! She'd put the size on her auction, I'd queried it with her to double check the size and the shoes she sent were two sizes smaller! Did she think I wouldn't notice that my feet wouldn't fit into them?!?

Needless to say they went back for a refund. Some people eh!

Crowqueen

I'm wearing a nice skirt I got off one of the regulars on the forums, but most of the stuff I've bought has been a bit too small or the wrong shape/fit for me, so I just go to the charity shops or cheap places like Bon Marche or wherever. I also got my new Skechers off eBay as part of a promotion, but I got them new, so there were no problems.

I think the horror stories are why I don't bother buying clothes on eBay in the main - one of the shirts I bought stank of smoke (came in a jiffy bag so not the fault of the mailer) but it didn't smell after airing it overnight so wasn't worth complaining about.

Some people are bizarre. They just don't realise what is acceptable to them may not be acceptable to someone else. Some people don't realise they have to wash things before sending them out. Yuck!

jasmineswhiskers

Of all the things i've bought only one dress was a little faded on the black part but completely spotless otherwise, and a jacket described as worn once had obviously been worn a few more times and went straight in the washing machine - turned out lovely. I tend to buy brands i know fit me (my faves being Oasis and Warehouse). I check the feedback - 'glowing' feedback is what i'm looking for rather than just 'ok'. (Apart from the two mentioned above but I reallly wanted these and was prepared to take a risk.) I generally only pay a couple of pounds for used stuff (not lost too much if it's rubbish). Otherwise for more expensive stuff only new with labels.
I have taken a gamble on something that's been photographed really badly - price stayed low and the item was immaculate!

hermum

Mostly I've been lucky, I tend to buy things that I couldn't normally afford. I've got some great bargains from bad pics as often I've been the only one to bid so feel that a few quid is worth taking a chance on. Or bundles of clothes & what I don't like from it either gets passed on to family, stuck back on ebay or charity shopped if in good condition.
I've certainly never had anything like the OP.
I did once have a suit with blood up the sleeve, the seller was most nasty about it. I had apparantly done it myself as the suit wasn't to my liking, etc etc, she was a business seller as well. I put that one down to experience & binned it as I didn't want to be responsible for the breakdown she seemed in danger of having, it was a shame as it was or had been a really nice suit.

giantmutantbroccoli

Thanks guys, I'm actually glad to hear I've just been unlucky with what I've bought!
The most I ever paid for clothing off eBay was £40, that was for a brand new coat imported from Hong Kong and I think that was actually the best thing I've ever bought! Okay, HK size XL is more like our size S/M, but it did (just!) fit, and I've never seen anyone else wearing anything like it! I like it so much I plan to take it to a tailors now it's starting to wear out, and see if I can get them to knock up a copy, only maybe a little bit bigger and with nicer fabric. The shape of it is the really good bit.
All the secondhand stuff was a few quid at the most, so it wasn't worth a fuss. I just wish they'd describe things accurately! Was very dissapointed with the stretched-out jeans, but only because I was so excited that I'd managed to buy Armani jeans for £3! Yeah, I know, if it's too good to be true...

KiKi

I've always been fine with clothes off Ebay. However, I only buy brands I know so that I can tell pretty much from the picture whether or not it will suit me. So this usually means buying Next or Monsoon, or Per Una. I wouldn't buy jeans as I can never tell until I wear them what they're like. I'd never by anything intimate like underwear or PJs unless they were brand new!

I also only tend to by new, or BNWOT. Only very occasionally have I purchased Used, and only when it states they've worn it only a few times.

Fuzzy_Duck

I've never had anyone wash the item of clothing before sending to me. I can only assume people don't realise eBay say you have to, or they hope you won't notice. I always do- it's pretty obvious as the item tends to arrive a bit sweaty and reeking of perfume! Same goes for my local charity shops, which is bizarre as I was under the impression they're supposed to wash and iron all of their donations before putting them on the shop floor.

Unless I'm desperate for an item I can't get in the shops, I don't bother anymore. I can't get over how many people sell stuff I'd chuck in the bin, and it's usually not worth the hassle of sending it back.

Crowqueen

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

I've never had anyone wash the item of clothing before sending to me. I can only assume people don't realise eBay say you have to, or they hope you won't notice. I always do- it's pretty obvious as the item tends to arrive a bit sweaty and reeking of perfume! Same goes for my local charity shops, which is bizarre as I was under the impression they're supposed to wash and iron all of their donations before putting them on the shop floor.

Unless I'm desperate for an item I can't get in the shops, I don't bother anymore. I can't get over how many people sell stuff I'd chuck in the bin, and it's usually not worth the hassle of sending it back.

There's some charity shops I like buying from, then there are the small or local run shops that are still a bit like Aladdin's Cave (but without the gold and jewels) which tend to smell a bit dodgy. I pick up loads of ornaments from the "Autistic Shop" round the corner from the school where my mother works, but I wouldn't touch any of the clothes in there, they look like they haven't been aired since 1970...

However, I've got a suit to sell which is in the wash at the moment but I'm just loathe to put it on eBay because of some of the buyers... I think I will just take it to Cancer Research in town.

kbh4031

giantmutantbroccoli wrote: »

Has anyone had any luck buying secondhand clothes off eBay? I've bought a nice pair of jeans, a really good bra, acouple of decent t-shirts and a beautiful pair of converse trainers in the past that I was really happy with. Unfortunately I've also received a heck of a lot of garbage that really should have been thrown away,not sold! Have I just been unlucky, or is there just a lot of rubbish clothing on eBay? Anyone got any tips on how to avoid the junk?

Alternatively if you want to share your eBay bad clothing horror stories, please do!
So far I have received:
Pair of jeans described as brand new size 14 that have been worn by someone who was a couple of sizes larger than that and are stretched out beyond recognition.
Laura Ashley t-shirt described "as new" that was very well worn.
Several other t-shirts also described as "new" that were very much not.
Underwear described as "fancy, expensive well-known brand" (brand new with tags of course) that turned out to be Tesco's own brand.
"as new" maxi dress that arrived stinking of wee and perfume. Seriously, human urine!:eek: That was the worst thing I've ever had in the post.

Think you have just had a run of bad luck.
I sell used clothes in my store and have only had one complaint, the lady bought some Adidas joggers which didnt fit her, I offered her a full refund and then she left me neutral feedback saying I had sent the wrong size:cool: I offer 100% satisfaction guarentee so people know I wont be sending them rubbish.

I also purchased a coat for my little girl which said very good condition and the seller had 100% Feedback, when it arrived it was dirty :eek: . I never said anything to be honest because it was a lovely coat and a bargain.