Five tips for purchasing fashion on Ebay

Just over a month ago I went to my cousin’s wedding. I left it a week before the wedding to find a dress to wear to the event.

I have a few maternity dress favourites that I turn to for special occasions but because I had worn them a fair bit this summer, I really wanted a new outfit but I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a new maternity dress.

In these situations I usually head to ASOS online but there was nothing there that was grabbing my fancy and the delivery wasn’t going to work with my tight time frame.

So I headed to Ebay. I wanted a dress which would have a hemline just above the knee and have some sort of black pattern so I could wear a black jacket and my black Easy Step wedges.

I scrolled and scrolled through Ebay. I searched for ‘Size 16 Cocktail Maternity Dresses’. I find the more broader the search, the more dresses that come up on the screen.

I ended up finding an Olian Maternity dress in size XL, brand new with tags. The hem length was exactly what I was looking for and it had a black swirl pattern which would tie in my shoes and jacket.

The dress was listed for $7.50 but it had another three days of bidding left and it was from Clare in SA which would mean the dress wouldn’t come in time for me to wear to the wedding.

Not to be put off by the circumstances of the sale, I contacted the seller and asked for a buy it now price and whether I could pay for the dress to be sent via Express Post.

The seller replied promptly and said I could have the dress for $35 and the express postage would be $10. I was happy to pay this because maternity dresses can cost a bomb!

I paid for the dress with Paypal and the dress arrived two days before the wedding!

My gamble worked and the dress fit me perfectly. I was shocked to see that the original price on the dress was $189!!!

This is the dress I purchased…

Here are five tips when purchasing fashion on Ebay.

You need to be realistic about your size. With maternity wear I always find that bigger can be better because you can grow into your item. Knowing what size you fit into a certain brand helps when purchasing that brand online. If in doubt, ask the seller for measurements.
Usually there are no refunds when purchasing from second hand sellers, but don’t despair if the item doesn’t fit, resell it on Ebay for the price you paid.
Have a good understanding of what suits your shape. The dress I bought is a very similar cut to another maternity dress in my wardrobe so I was fairly confident the style was going to suit me.
If you really love an item and can’t wait for the bidding to end or don’t want to miss out on the item, ask the seller for a ‘buy it now’ price. This price will be higher than the current bidding price. If the buy it now price is a bit extreme, you have no obligation to purchase the item. I remember bidding on an item that I really didn’t want to miss out on. When I asked for a buy it now price, the price given was much more than I was prepared to pay. I ended up waiting for the bidding to end and I ended up winning the item at a much lower cost than the seller wanted.
Always pay through Paypal. If the item sent to you is faulty or not like the description, you have the right to demand a refund. If the seller doesn’t give one, you can lodge a claim through Paypal and once proof has been shown that the item is faulty or not as per the description, Paypal will reverse the transaction. (This can take a couple of months though.)

What do you think of my bargain dress? Have you ever bought anything on Ebay?