Buying clothes off Ebay.

[SaskaBushFire]

What is your experience? I have just recently gotten into this trend, I like to wear the designer names and living in Saskatoon the selection is limited. We have a few good stores and a lot of bad ones, most of them are over priced compared to the originals. I bought a Lacoste polo off ebay and a diesel shirt which I am awaiting arrival of right now. Just curious how many people have been burnt on ebay buying clothes, and what to watch out for? I understand that most people will try to sell you a rip off of the brand name, but if it is stated as Authentic in the auction can you get your money back? Just a little curious on how people go about buying their clothes off ebay. I always hear people talking about how good the selection/prices are.

I am sure if you buy enough things on ebay eventually you get a bad seller, what do you guys do to stay away from them? I am an ebay newb, I used to sell my MMO accts on ebay years ago but I have never bought before this.

[ken0042]

I've had poor success buying clothes on eBay. If you do, make sure you check the following:

- Buy NWT (New With Tags) clothes only. Anything used is a crapshoot.
- Only buy clothes from sellers with 100% positive feedback.
- Don't buy where size matters. I wear XL or sometimes XXL golf shirts. I ordered one XXL golf shirt and it fit more like a large.

The only thing I've had luck with is hockey jerseys.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Just like anything on ebay, know your product. Only buy what products you are familiar with and know they are going to fit. For me, I know my sizes for the brands I like, so I have had great success (just finished purchasing a dozen shirts in three different product lines and am exceptionally happy with the purchases). My recommendation is to err on the side of something being baggy. You can always shrink it if it's too big. Ken's advice about NWT is right on the money too. I wouldn't be too concerned if you know the line and size. If not, its a roll of the dice, just like anything else on ebay.

[J pold]

How much can you save of off Ebay when buying clothes? I have never really used Ebay ever

[Burninator]

I've boughten clothes once off of Ebay. It was a couple of Lacoste polo shirts. Everything went fine, got a decent deal. They had a tags and each shirt was in a Lacoste bag, so I assume they were authentic. However they did shrink like mad, so perhaps they are not the real thing.

But I will probably buy some more clothes off Ebay in the near future. A buddy of mine and his girlfriend buy most of their clothes of of Ebay. They buy lots of skater and snowboard names like Burton. They pretty much swear by it.

[Bill Bumface]

It's 99% fake, and you wouldn't believe how good the fakes can be.

I've ordered soccer jerseys off of ebay, knowing that at $30 a pop the odds of them being authentic were pretty low, but decided I'd be OK with fakes at that price. They came, and I was amazed. The exact same tags as authentics with holograms, holograms actually on the jersies identical to the real ones, tags inside matched the real ones perfectly. The only way you could tell they were fake was to hold them up to the real version of the same thing and notice the fabric was a bit different.

So pretty much expect fake. Even if it looks good, it's probably fake. Don't pay more than you would for a good knockoff.

[Mango]

A few months ago, I bought a pair of jeans that I couldn't find anywhere in Calgary. Although the jeans were new with tags, I found that they had a very stale smell to them. Subsequent washings have not made a difference and I really can't wear the jeans.

If a seller smokes in their home or has pets will face the issue of having that smell linger in their products. I don't think I'll buy clothes from eBay again.

[Frank the Tank]

I'm a nudist, so I never buy clothes.

[loob job]

I've bought a lacoste polo off ebay and compared it with the real thing that i also have. The ebay one is definitely a fake. It came in the lacoste bag and had all the tags and the seller said it was 100% real. Clearly it wasn't. I agree that most clothes on ebay are fakes.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

I'm a nudist, so I never buy clothes.

PM sent.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Aside from the fake issue, I've gotten burned on sizing too many times. I swear the US has different sizes than us down there. I gave up on clothes on ebay about 2 years ago, and I'm getting rumblings that much of the golf stuff on there is heading in that direction...

[gordo67]

If you are buying a shirt have them measure it from armpit to armpit and then measure one of the shirts you have if any (the nudist)

[SaskaBushFire]

This Lacoste polo I bought was a double from this guy. He bought a 6 pack off ebay and already had one so decided to re sell it, so yes I guess I can bet it is a fake. Still $42 Canadian shipping inc. for a Lacoste knock off is still a decent price, thats over half price actually lol. As long as nobody can tell from a first glance I don't care. I guess I will just buy some stuff off ebay then.. its not bad to have a few knock offs if you can find them cheap.

However I have a friend who buys all his diesel jeans off ebay and he swears by it as well, we have compared these $100 jeans to the store bought $150-250 and they are identical, so if they are infact a knock off then it is such a remarkable job that the company probably couldn't even tell.

I don't think EVYERTHING is a knock off, but usually if something seems to good to be true, it is I guess. Thanks guys for your input, I will continue to buy off of ebay with a wary eye.

Interested to see what tactics regular ebayers use to avoid knock offs, Lanny what do you look for to avoid being sold a knock off? Or do you just buy if its cheap because nobody will really notice anyway?

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

It's 99% fake, and you wouldn't believe how good the fakes can be.

I've ordered soccer jerseys off of ebay, knowing that at $30 a pop the odds of them being authentic were pretty low, but decided I'd be OK with fakes at that price. They came, and I was amazed. The exact same tags as authentics with holograms, holograms actually on the jersies identical to the real ones, tags inside matched the real ones perfectly. The only way you could tell they were fake was to hold them up to the real version of the same thing and notice the fabric was a bit different.

So pretty much expect fake. Even if it looks good, it's probably fake. Don't pay more than you would for a good knockoff.

I routinely order soccer jerseys off ebay, save for the odd time I find them on sale somewhere for around $50-75... (who wants to pay $100 for one?)

I know for a fact some of them are fakes, especially my lettered ones...but I'm quite sure I bought an authentic or two as well. Plus, compared to some of the replicas you see people wearing (silkscreened everything), these are pro by comparison.

All of the ebay purchases stack up next to my authentics near perfectly... same material, same tags, same logo location, same everything. Even if they are fakes, they're pretty flawless.

Of course, the economics of jerseys are different, depending on where you go. In the UK, a jersey is a lot cheaper than they are here.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Slightly OT,

I bought a PS2 a while back on E-bay. When I received it, it had come packaged with a few sweaters, a few pair of socks and and a pair of khaki pants. I e-mailed the guy regarding this, and he said that he had accidentally packed some of his clean laundry in with the PS2 and told me to keep it. I'm not too sure how you accidentally pack laundry into a box, and unfortunately none of the clothes fit. But I guess I should be thankful that it was the clean laundry that he accidentally packed away.

[Flames09]

If you're buying clothes of eBay make sure their new and the seller has a good rep, also since the major reason for shopping on eBay is because it's cheaper try finding it in-stores and try the size there.

[Tron_fdc]

I buy all my clothes from the knock off market in Beijing, and unless I told you you'd have NO IDEA they were fake, the quality is that good. A quick FYI I pay $5 for polo or Lacoste collared shirts, $.50 for brand name socks, $10 for diesel jeans, $5 for shoes of any type, $2 for silk Armani boxers, $20 for Armani eyeglasses, and the list goes on. Even if you're paying half retail, you're still getting ripped off. I have a rule of thumb: pay as little as possible, as you're going to throw it out after 3 washes anyway. If you want brand name, order it from an authorized on line retailer or direct from Lacoste, Diesel etc.

[urban1]

1) I dont know how people can buy clothes without trying them on. Sizing is so screwed up these days. Sometimes an XL is too small and other times Im swimming in a large.

Im fall into the height/weight for the range for male models with an athletic build. My point is that Im not some odd ball shape and that clothes should fit.

Sometimes I try ##### on and cant believe who it would be made for; it will be tight in some places and too loose in others.

My point is though that unless your fat and wear XXXL all the time then I dont know how you can buy clothes without trying them on. Even with shirts I buy for work, I cant always count on the neck/arm size guaranteeing a fit even when buying within the same brand.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I buy all my clothes from the knock off market in Beijing, and unless I told you you'd have NO IDEA they were fake, the quality is that good. A quick FYI I pay $5 for polo or Lacoste collared shirts, $.50 for brand name socks, $10 for diesel jeans, $5 for shoes of any type, $2 for silk Armani boxers, $20 for Armani eyeglasses, and the list goes on. Even if you're paying half retail, you're still getting ripped off. I have a rule of thumb: pay as little as possible, as you're going to throw it out after 3 washes anyway. If you want brand name, order it from an authorized on line retailer or direct from Lacoste, Diesel etc.

You think those were close? Ever heard of "Authentic Fakes"? It's the surplus stocks from Chinese factories that were contracted to produce the authentics by the real brand names, once they've fulfilled that contract, the factory owner (or sometimes the management employees) just keep the line of production "switched on", so to speak. And whatever they churn out they sell in the local markets. This is as real as fakes come, at one twentieth of the price.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Incinerator

You think those were close? Ever heard of "Authentic Fakes"? It's the surplus stocks from Chinese factories that were contracted to produce the authentics by the real brand names, once they've fulfilled that contract, the factory owner (or sometimes the management employees) just keep the line of production "switched on", so to speak. And whatever they churn out they sell in the local markets. This is as real as fakes come, at one twentieth of the price.

That is actually a lot of what you see on ebay... just the way of some of these factories/producers to make a little extra on the side, at a price that severely undercuts the authentics.