I am the worst shopper in the world. I want to get better. My husband wants me to get better. (I know. How many of you can boast that?).
I often flick through magazines and just wish I had the budget to clothe myself in the gorgeous classic coats, well cut tops and designer jeans that the celebs wear. Their figures and a few more inches in the height department would probably help too.
So with that in mind, and some play money from the wonderful people at eBay, I went shopping.
I got drawn by this:
I don’t know why. I am a mother. I would never in a gazillion years get away with wearing it, but it did draw my attention. And yes, I know, she is a mother too! It was at this point it was time to *step away from the computer*.
I scrolled through a myriad of trench coats and jackets, trying to find the perfect one.
Then this gorgeous number caught my eye:
I was ready to buy until something else popped up in my eBay feed. My heart started racing. May palms got sweaty. I became short of breath. I was instantly falling in love.
I was torn. Do I go with the one I’m in love with and spend a bit extra? It’s reversible, so it’s like buying two coats in one. Right? Or do I go with the cheaper option and have money leftover?
I couldn’t decide, so I asked Facebook. They’re a smart mob over there. Just to confirm Facebook was right, I asked The Bloke in the Shed. He agreed with the Facebook crew and I came away with this gorgeous reversible Marc Jacob jacket.
I am happy.
See? 🙂
So, if you want to know how to find THE perfect fashion item on eBay:
- 1. Use the search options to whittle down the myriad of items to an easily searchable list. Add in the size, the brand, the type of garment and even the colour if you’re so inclined.
- 2. Buy something from a brand you already wear so you can find something that will fit. This was my biggest mistake with the Marc Jacob jacket. I was taking a gamble in buying it. It’s slightly big. Yes, even at size 8. Where as I knew the Portman’s trench would fit.
- 3. As you find things, add them to your “Watch List’’. You can delete them later. Like taking a handful of garments into the dressing room to compare and decide exactly which one you’re going to buy, your Watch List can work in much the same way.
- 4. Check out the feedback on the seller’s page. It’s always good to see if people have been satisfied with the service and product they’ve been supplied with.
- 5. Have some money ready in your Paypal account. There is nothing worse than seeing something you want to buy instantly, only to realise you don’t have any money in your Paypal account and it’s going to take 3-5 days for any fund transfers to clear.
Just so you know, this post wasn’t just a tease. We’re giving away one $50 Paypal credit to help you do a little shopping on eBay for yourself. To enter, all you have to do is tell us in the comments below your “best’’ eBay purchase. It could be anything that was weird, funny, personally meant a lot or was an absolute and utter bargain. The winner will be judged on creativity and skill. The giveaway closes Monday, June 25 at 7.30pm and winner announced on this blog and via Facebook and Twitter. Australian residents only. One entry per person.
Feel free to share the post via Facebook and Twitter and don’t forget to sign up to my eNewsletter so you never miss any of these fabulous giveaways.
**DISCLOSURE: I received a $100 Paypal credit to spend on eBay. All opinions expressed are purely my own.
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED
I love a good eBay shop around! We have bought loads over the years but my absolute favourite purchase ever was the Leander cradle we got when Luca was born. It made me swoony & sweaty in the palms too & I HAD to get it. I even asked on twitter for tips on how to ensure I won it and (Diminishing) Lucy told me about the Just Snipe app. I won & cried with joy cos yes I’m that pathetic! Luca was only in it for 3 months but I took loads of photos of it in the nursery cos it was so dreamy. When we sold it on eBay ourselves I cried when the Grandpa of the new owner came to get it!
I needed a spare part for my breast pump. I found the piece I needed (it was actually all the parts for the breast pump minus the actual pump part). When my mum picked it up for me, it was stored in an OI OI nappy bag, and came with 6 Avent bottles and microwave bottle steriliser. For $1. Then, inside the nappy bag, I found a $1 coin !!
I love ebay! One year I did all of my xmas shopping on ebay for everyone in our family as well as cousins!
The best buy so far is our Motorhome! I brought it from eBay and then had to tell hubby afterwards 🙂
Then I needed to find out where it was located. Yep hadnt thought of that.
Luckily we were able to pick up the Motorhome, get it back and everything was A-OK.
Love your jacket.
Cheers
Lisa
I have spent quite alot of time and money, all on bargains, through ebay. But my best find was a digital photo frame. I was the only bidder and picked it up for about $8. Love ebay and always pop in there to catch a bargain x
I bought a baby on eBay!!!
Well not quite – I bought some ovulation predictor tests and voila – nine months later I had a little eBay baby :))
It might not sound super exciting but the best ebay buy for me has been a baby seat that fits onto the front of my bike. It has been a lifesaver as the kids and I don’t have a car during the day, we zip around everywhere on the bikes, rain, hail or shine!
My story is a Marc Jacobs story too….. I was in love with a bright green Marc Jacobs bag that I had seen in Mew York in 2005….. and it was WAAAAAY too expensive – I came home to Australia dreaming about that bag….. I bought green scarves, green shoes, cheaper green bags, but nothing ever came close to THAT Marc Jacobs Venetia bag. Then, 2 years ago, I had a random look on ebay……… and there she was – BRAND NEW WITH TAGS – and only $400 – and still with a seller in New York. My husband still freaked out at the $400 price tag, so I felt guilty, and didn’t bid…. and gee, that bag haunted me so much, that I emailed the seller, as it didn’t have any bids, and they relisted it for me. I then waited another 7 DAYS until it ended and that bag WAS MINE. I don’t feel guilty now about spending that much money – I love my Venetia bag so much and feel so so so happy when I use her. Although that bag purchase started something…….. and now, my addiction to bags is hard to shake!
Looks awesome Kelly. Nice shopping indeed. Oh I bought my entire kitchen on ebay 🙂
I was never off ebay back when we were doing our house up in the UK. We bought everything on ebay from a shower enclosure cubicle and taps to a solid oak sideboard and venetian blinds. It was a mad time, because we bought a shell of a house and did it up slowly over four years. And then long story short we ended up having to sell the house to move to Australia, and here we are! It’s been three years since we moved and I can still recall the sound the shower doors made as they glided on the rollers…
I will admit to Stalking the postman for my latest ebay purchase this week , my perfect ( hopefully ) well made designer and all the rest – wedding dress!! i love eBay, have been furnishing our home and clothing the Girls for years , i can shop when it suits me ( i did find my prefect fairy tale dress at 3am on the way to work non the less ). And have just about finished my Chrissy shopping . i use PayPal for the business too so i love the service , the security and the reliability it offers when buying online
Nothing to do with clothing, however I recently restored a 1950’s wardrobe and turned it into a dress up wardrobe/station as a present for my daughters 4th birthday! I wanted to wallpaper the exterior of it in vintage prints. It was going to cost well over $200 (for 6m) for new wallpaper, so I scrolled Through eBay! $24 later including postage I walked away with the most gorgeous vintage (original) 30m of wall paper! Talk about a bargain. P.S her room is styled shabby chic vintage. Thank you eBay, one happy mumma
I needed a new motor for my 4WD after I blew the last one up. The I searched eBay and found a whole working car with enough rego to drive it home, that I got for $160. It had been smashed in the front, but I only wanted the motor, so I got a bargain I used the motor and sold the rest of the car for scrap metal. Saved a bunch.
Love the jacket Kel! and my best buy on ebay was the baby rocker that I lulled the girls to sleep in. Great price, brand new and comfortable. Now the girls are older Great Nanny uses it as her chair when she stays, she can rock right out of it! lol 🙂
My Favorite purchase was a signed postcard of Zac Effron when he was in Sydney to promote his movie 17 again ,i won the bid snd got it for $10.00,i have framed it and keep it in the sun room.The next day i checked and they they were selling for over $50 bargain:)
My Mother wanted an umbrella, but she had definite specifications. (She had memories of one from when she was a young woman.)
It had to be green underneath to stop the heat reflecting up & white on the outer to deflect the sun. The handle had to be wood & just the exact length. When folded it had to be this size, not that…………..
NASA needed to have designed this thing I thought.
I FOUND ONE!!!!
My daughter’s old BMW didn’t cost much, but the parts are sooo expensive. She’d just lost her job and Dad had tried without success to fix her electric driver’s side window (no, not a fashion story here). After much cursing, then contacting yet another dealer who advised us that if we couldn’t afford the $360 for the part, then check the wreckers. Cheaper yes, only $250 for a maybe, maybe not working part. Sigh. On the off chance we ebayed…. & found the part in China, brand new, free express postage for $39! It only took 4 days to get here! Yep, it’s in & working & the seller sent us links to how to put it in & checked in with us a few times to see if we had any questions/problems, then sent a ‘congratulations’ email lol. It definitely pays to look around, and check ebay!
My best buy was a box of miscellaneous old jewelry from an old estate. I paid $50 for it and when I received it I found a few beautiful items worth 100s of dollars when I thought them worth something and got them valued!!!
when I found out I was pregnant I started trolling through Ebay for cheap baby items and found a hungry hippo ride on toy that gobbled up block for $20. I thought it was the coolest, we bought it and though only two month pregnant my husband and I played with that thing and were so excited over having it, it was our first baby purchase. And yes my son loves riding on it. It was an expensive item really but it made the idea of becoming parents real in our minds.
I am an ebay addict, I buy almost everything I need from clothes, shoes homewares, phone credit, and even luggage for travelling. $50 would come in handy to top up my phone credit.
I needed a 1950’s style dress to play a part in a musical. I had a picture in my head of what I wanted it to look like. I headed to ebay and typed in ‘1950’s Navy Polka Dot Dress’ and what do you know, there was a dress listed as per my search AND it was listed for $0.99!!!! The dress was my size so I bid on it and I won the auction. It would have cost me quite a bit to get a replica made. Ebay really is a treasure chest of everything and anything you need and desire.
I too love your jacket Kelly. It is now on my wish list!!!
Sorry Kellie, wrong spelling of your name in my post! My apologies!
A $1.15 iPhone silicon case. It came with free shipping from Hong Kong and the cover usually costs $40! Best buy ever.
Trixie Belden #38. These books from my childhood are impossible to find anywhere, and EBAY produced results as always with a bargain price to boot because the seller spelled the name of the book wrong. It was that breathless, desperately want this item but can’t really afford it OMG I found it for an unbelievable price moment.
Some real cheap personalized number plates in which i then resold to a mate for triple what i paid! SCOREEEE!!
A jar of my favourite caramel coffee, which wasn’t being produced anymore. It was actually a little expensive, but that didn’t matter, I was just thankful to get my favourite coffee fix again!
We bought an electric baby rocker swing on eBay that was used nonstop for three months with one very fussy baby, then sold it on eBay for more than we bought it for. Still makes me smile when I think about it.
My best ebay purchase was an embroidery machine, so much cheaper than in store! I wish I had more patience to bid for clothing I like on ebay, I always favourite then forget!
My best ebay buy, was a mug with my daughter’s name ‘Alyssa’ on it, they were not available in Australia at the time, it was the only thing she had ever gotten with her name on it and it was her best present ever!
lol just reading through these comments.. if you ever want to sell any ‘Alyssa’ pieces, let me know for my daughter 🙂
Up until a few years ago we were flat broke, struggling to make ends meet. eBay saved my house, my budget, my sanity and and my marriage!
Buying necessitites and selling things I dont want or need is a way of life for me.
My best buy on eBay was a perfect condition second hand rocking horse for $5.
I went and picked it up in the next suburb, sanded it back and painted it red.
We gave it to our firstborn for her first Birthday and now all 3 of our kids love “him” and they called him “Gee Park” as in Gee Gee Park.
It took a while, but I can honestly say I now love “Gee Park” with all my heart, and he is still the biggest and best thing in my girls’ toyroom and he is something that I will always think of fondly.
I will keep “Gee Park” so my Grandchildren can ride him and he will stay in my family forever!
Thanks for the opportunity xx
This one is totally boring, but my daughter is on a two night excursion to canberra, and needed to take the camera. The battery charger was nowhere to be found 🙁 Rather than buying a new camera, I jumped on good old trusty ebay and scored a new charger for $5 🙂
I won the auction for an antique type writer for $3.49. The lady was a bit upset but she still sold it to me. My mother cried and said it was just like her first one she had.
I’ve picked up many bargains via eBay over the years, but one of my favourites was a gorgeous carved recycled teak Balinese daybed for $600. My husband was a bit upset that I’d spent $600 on something second hand until I showed him similar ones in local shops for $3000. Then he was all smiles. 🙂
My best Ebay purchases have been a Lululemon bag, which hasn’t been released in Australia for a mere forty bucks. I’ve also had a bit of luck with Mimco products as well!
I love ebay and have bought some amazing goodies, but my fav was my 40th birthday pressie, a pair of 1/2 carat diamond studs for only $242.00. I would have never got them if we had to pay full retail. The only sad thing is that last week I lost one earring, back and stud disappeared into earring heaven, and with no idea when I lost it, will never be found 🙁
My best buy was an old vintage plus sized paisley dress – when I turned into a gorgeous, more modern skirt and top. I never wear them together, but they are great statement pieces on their own. I love that I don’t have to trawl through op shops to find great vintage pieces and can do it from the comfort of my own home, and then use my sewing skills to upcycle them or add my won twist.
I bought a Wii game on ebay for my son’s birthday earlier this year – not only was it a great price but it arrived the same afternoon! Amazing!
My best eBay buy was my iPhone 3GS. I got it secondhand after my iPod touch went through the wash – that’s what happens when you wash baby vomit stained sheets at 3am when you are chronically sleep deprived. The touch had been my link to the outside world during the hours of breastfeeding a newborn so I was devastated to find it dead at the bottom of the washing machine. BUT eBay to the rescue, I got an amazing deal on the phone, including 60 days warranty. Best buy ever!
I bought a beautiful Balinese TV unit for $26.15….what a bargin.
I just couldn’t find girls character pajamas in the size I want at any physical stores,it is very annoying.I have gone Ebay instead and just bought fleecy winter Angry Birds PJ’s in size 8..bargain price too.
There have been many tiny bargains (mostly electronic accessories) but my most recent favourite is a purple Kindle case, which I got for $7 including postage. 🙂 I also bought five necklaces (which some lucky duck had bought on their travels through Asia) for $13.
kate1485 at hotmail.com
I was searching for barbie hairclips for my daughters 5th birthday party as part as the party favour bags for her little guests. I got a quote for some gorgeous handmade ones from fb however were going to cost me close to $50. So I decided to search on ebay- to my surprise I got 2 x 12 pkts for under $10 delivered !!! OMG 🙂 and they were gorgeous and didnt need to wait for them to be made .
Perfect 😀
My best purchase on ebay was a huge bulk lot of clothing for my little one. I only paid around $20 all up and got well over 40 pieces of clothing and they were all in great condition!
Love shopping on ebay. I love fashion on a budget and have scored designer bulk clothing for $20 for 10 pieces and also 20 pieces for $35
I adore eBay, have been using it for 10 years + ! Although I’ve bought a lot from there, I have to say that my best buy was finding a vintage plush toy to match the one the little girl I was nannying had lost. It was no longer for sale anywhere and her mum and I panicked when she lost it at preschool one day… She was terribly upset until her new friend turned up, and she pronounced that he had just been on a holiday somewhere and returned to her 🙂
I bought some red and white suede flats in New York five years ago. LOVED them. Wore them daily. SO individual and comfortable.
When they finally conceded to old age and split underneath, I searched the web desperately for replacements. Found them – and black ones too! – on eBay!
I’m skipping along my yellow brick road of eBay happiness once again! 😀
I am a very nifty shopper if I don’t say so my myself. My best ever bargain was on ebay. It was a pair of Oakley sunglasses (Brand New in the box with the sticker tag still attached) for $20! The picture they used wasn’t the best and their title/heading not eye catching at all. A one sentence description and thats how they became mine. I waited til the last second and I was the one and only bidder. I walked away with a gorgeous and genuine pair of sunglasses for my sisters birthday (I own a pair exactly the same but in a different colour) BEST BARGAIN BUY EVER!!
I once bought a brand new Cushie Tushies modern cloth nappy for my eldest son when he was a baby at the bargain price of $7 incl post. I think they are $35 rrp. My aunt would take the prize for best bargains, she bought a heap of Cuttlebug products for only $2 each….bargain!!!!
We had a little camera, nothing would it bear,
But a blurry image with pixelated hair,
The queen of Ebay’s angel came to visit me,
All for the sake of good photography
The Nikon that she brought us, for which we topped the bids,
Took crispy clear photos of our three ‘tin lids’,
All those priceless memories captured digitally,
Thanks to eBay and my sweet little three!
I am mad for eBay! Buy and sell clothes, toy, mobile covers, furniture, kids toys etc. if I have nothing to sell, I then sell things for other people. I have an addiction to buying and selling on eBay.
Ebay is a fantastic site, I try to steer clear with all my might but I get drawn in to a fantasy world where everything will fit perfectly. And as if that isn’t enough I’ll browse and browse until I dose off!
Best thing i ever bought was a tiny skinny lead costing a dollar, sent from china…without it our wizzbang 50cm LED tv and surround sound wouldnt work!!!!
My best ebay bargain would have to be my wedding dress at an astonishing price of $140.00 – what I hear you gasp!!! I waited ever so anxiously and it finally arranived 6 weeks later with a description on the box of ‘material samples’ my heart sank! But when I opened the box there lay be beautiful dress. And yes I was a fairly princess for a day and thanks to ebay and the money I saved on a wedding dress we had an amazing two week honeymoon in New Zealand!!!
Leather thread and a stirling silver pendant was my Ebay score,
I used them to make a treasured bracelet for my partner, mon amour.
Love Ebay Shopping as a massage therapist sometimes can find some great bargains on products for massage, but also gym clothes, shoes, etc…
I found something on Ebay that I hadn’t been able to find anywhere else,
cloth zip up bags for putting delicates in through the wash. Plenty of holey nylon ones around, but they don’t last long, but these cloth ones are superb. Went back and ordered several more to give to friends and family too!
The best things I have EVER bought from eBay iS the little rubber plugs you shove in the bottom your iPhone/iPad to stop crap getting into it 🙂 @ 50c each. BARGAIN
Fish Tank BOYU 43L Aquarium – I should have bought a ‘gone fishing’ sign because the kids catch the fish and pat them. I like watching the baby fish grow up. It takes them a few Months whilst our kids take 18 years.