The Budget Fashionista

I noticed that Ebay is not mentioned too much and this is honestly one of my favorite places for buying clothes at a great price. I just picked a pair of men's plaid Nautica shorts for $1.99 that still had the $49.99 tag on them and a pair of men's plaid American Eagle shorts for $2.99 that still had the tag on them (but not the price tag) AND since they came from the same person I paid a flat rate shipping of around $7.00 so I got them both for like $11! They were for my 14 yr old son and he loved them - hs is learning that being in style doesn't have to cost a fortune!

In addition to getting the clothes at great prices, the sellers will often give you the exact measurments of the item so there isn't any guessing when it comes to sizes. This is kind of an added bonus over purchasing directly from a store - see the May Topic of the Month forum on vanity sizing.

I have also begun to collect my children's outgrown clothes and plan to sell them on Ebay as well. I will make more money than if I sold them in a yard sale and it is so much easier! I have been selling my textbooks on half.com (a division of Ebay) and just received my first payment of $184.00 for five books - not what I paid for the textbooks originally but WAY more than the campus bookstore would have given me and much more useful to me than the books sitting on a shelf unused! You can also sell them on Ebay and receive the money yourself which is what I would probably do with any book other than a textbook - people tend to want to buy those immediately without waiting for an auction so I think that they tend to look at places like half or amazon first.

Anyway - that is my budget shopping tip - Ebay - for clothes, shoes, books ... you just never know what you will find. I even purchased a new French door to replace the boring front door on my house - $20.00!

i remember the end of my first semester when i went to sell back my geography book. i paid almost $50 for it and they only offered my $.50 for it. FIFTY FREAKING CENTS!

i love ebay. the only problem i have with it are sellers who charge an exorbitant amount on shipping to make up for ebay fees and/or make up for the low sell price of the item. for instance, a pair of sunglasses set at buy it now 19.99 and shipping is 50. WTF

I would caution selling on ebay. It can end up costing you more than what you make. It sounds like a great deal but unless you have something that is wildly in demand then chances are you won't have many bidders. It is possible that you would end up paying someone to take it off your hands via ebay fees and paypal fees. And shipping always seems to be more than you expect it to be.

If the items doesn't sell you are still stuck with paying the listing fees.

Yesterday, I found a site that I hope will take off - http://www.personalcloset.com. You can list clothes for sale for free expect possibly paypal fees. I put a ton of stuff up there and will report back if anything sells.

I find that certain items like lingerie, big clothing brands like marciano, electronics, perfumes sell well from experience, and I just love the bargains there. I also use rebate sites all the time like Bigcrumbs so I get cashback everytime I shop on ebay or other stores!  :) :-)

I’ve been up and down with eBay myself, though I think there are always bargains to be had if you have the time and inclination to look! Years ago, the deals were fantastic, but once eBay businesses started in earnest and the competition got hot, the deals dissolved for awhile . . . now I just find it a little overwhelming. However, I especially liked shopping on eBay for my kids—got some great Nike soccer cleats for a song one time, and clothing for my daughter before she discovered Hollister (clearance, of course!).

Anyway, my advice for eBay is to always look at the seller rating and comments and check those shipping charges!

What about a consignment shop in your area to sell clothes? I take anywhere from 25-50 items every season and make anywhere from $100-$125. Most of them take anywhere from 30-50% of the selling price but I have always had luck w/ them. It is worth a shot and doesn’t take much of your time.