Saturday 4 May 2013

Outfit: Tips for Bargain Hunting #1: eBay.

Top: New Look | Necklace: Vintage | Hairband/Bracelet: C/O Popband* | Watch: Michael Kors

H&M Denim Bomber Jacket: eBay £7.00
River Island Culottes: eBay £2.99
New Look Shoes: Megan's Blog Sale £9.00
Dixi Sunglasses: Kim's Blog Sale £6.00
(All prices are including postage)

When you're a student, there's nothing you love better than finding a bargain. And spending your student loan on clothes. Unfortunately, the two often don't go hand-in-hand. This is where eBay, blog sales and charity shops have been a savior for me as they are great places to pick up a few bargains- if you know how to find them. Recently I've managed to pick up quite a few items for cheap and so I thought I would write a series of posts showing you what I have bought and sharing the tips that I use for hunting down bargains. I'm going to split it in to three posts; eBay, charity shops and blog sales/other. 

My tips for hunting down bargains on eBay
  • Narrow down your search. What I do is I either type in a brand name (i.e. River Island) or a particular garment that I am looking for (i.e. Culottes) in to the search bar. Then I sort by "Time: Ending Soonest" to see if there are any bargains that I can pick up at the last minute. After this, I sort by "Price + P&P: Lowest First", which often brings up all the 99p starters. If there is anything I like the look of, I'll add it to my Watch List.

  • If there are a few hours/days left on an auction, don't bid just yet! If other people have their eye on the item, bidding might start a bidding war too early, which could end up hiking the price up quite a lot. I usually put the item on my Watch List and if it is still at a good price or nobody else has bid yet around 15-30 minutes before the auction ends, I will place my first bid then.

  • Decide how much you are willing to spend on the item and stick to it. When lots of people are bidding on an item that you really like, it's easy to get sucked in and end up paying more than what you first set out to.

  • Think about what you are buying. I don't see the point in bidding on a £3 Primark dress with another £3-4 on top of that for postage when you can probably still find something similar in style and price in store. I try to seek out brands that might have cost a little more originally, like Topshop, Motel and Urban Outfitters, or items that aren't as easy to get hold of (i.e. vintage items or items that were bought abroad- the H&M jacket in my outfit was originally from the U.S.)
  • Check the cost of postage and decide if you still consider it a bargain after you add that to the cost of the item. This is what has put me off a lot of items lately- as if the increase on Royal Mail prices wasn't bad enough, some people are cheeky and like to try and make a profit through postage costs.

  • Check the seller's other listings as they may be selling lots of nice things for cheap. If you like more than one item, send them a message before you bid asking if they're willing to combine the postage costs. Most sellers are fine with this.

  • Find the best time of day for bargain hunting. If you're a night owl or an early bird, this might be the time to see if there are any bargains ending soon as most people will be in bed, meaning less bidding wars! I also find that any time before lunchtime is okay too, as lots of people are at school/work. I tend to avoid eBay in the late afternoon/evening as that is when it seems to be the busiest.

  • If you have a smart phone, download the eBay application; this way you can keep an eye on the items you are watching.

I hope these tips helped!
Let us know in the comments if you have any more tips for finding bargains on eBay :) For my next post in this series I will be sharing my tips for charity shopping with you :)
Now, if only we could have a decent Summer so I can wear this outfit outdoors!
*DISCLOSURE: Starred items are PR samples.

21 comments:

  1. I'm so bad at hunting for great stuff on ebay, it is definitely a skill to be able to find the great bargains. Really love the bomber jacket.

    Lola xx

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    1. Haha, I used to be bad at it too! Think I've just had a lucky streak recently :) Thanks doll! x

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  2. you're so pretty - I really like your shoes and sunglasses.
    I love your style too! xx


    bahsabrinabah.blogspot.com
    youtube.com/SabrinaBah

    xxx

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  3. Omgg such an amazing outfit! Your style is AWESOME! xx

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  4. This is so gorgeous! And you have an incredible figure! X

    justrach.com

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  5. I totally need to start shopping on Ebay! My student loan is rapidly shrinking! This really helped :) Thanks , Grace xxx

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    1. Haha just don't get carried away- I think I did! I'm glad it helped lovely :) x

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  6. I love finding bargains on ebay, my favourite find were my white converse hi tops- love them!
    Daniella x

    http://daniella-r.blogspot.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. Ooh I wouldn't mind finding a cheap pair of converse on eBay! I'll have to keep an eye out :) x

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  7. I really loved the look and your tips are amazing!
    Thank you for your awesome tips!
    Have a nice day,
    Kissu*

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  8. So pretty! I love the floral pattern!

    http://lovelyinlipstick.blogspot.com/

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  9. cute outfit, your tips are great too! xxx

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  10. love this outfit! the skirt is gorgeous!
    xx Ayesha

    http://ayeshaalimfashion.blogspot.com/

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  11. Wow! Complete bargains! Love the shoes loaddss!
    Just followed your gorgeous blog.
    I live in St Helens so hello neighbour :)
    FashionProject x

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  12. Gorgeous outfit and such bargains too! I love finding those little gems on eBay Xx

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