Best Buys: eBay

I'm often complimented on my ability to shop successfully on eBay. I don't think it's particularly difficult so here's a rundown of my best buys, plus some tips for finding items that will work for you.

Most worn:
Navy jacket

This Long Tall Sally was bought as part of a suit for £10. I knew the skirt probably wouldn't fit me, and it didn't, but it was the jacket I was after anyway. I put the skirt back on eBay, kept the jacket, and wore it a lot last spring and summer. It is lovely and fitted and looks great with jeans or over a dress.

Red jeans

I was reluctant to buy into the red jeans trend for fear it wouldn't last. So I decided eBay was a good place to find a pair for a lower price and paid just £5 for my pair (which are New Look Tall). As it happened coloured jeans took off and I've been wearing mine about once a week for the past 18 months. Which makes them pretty good value, cost per wear.

Grey knit dress

I had a grey knitted dress from New Look Tall that I loved, but when I lost weight it became too big for me. I spotted the same dress on eBay, two sizes smaller, and snapped it up to replace the one I had (which then was sold on eBay itself). I have done this a few times now, replaced an item in smaller size via eBay: a black shrug, a pair of jeans that I loved the cut of.

Coats – teal & houndstooth

I know the magazines will tell you to spend as much as you can afford on a winter coat as you'll wear it everyday, but as someone who is always on the lookout for a bargain I will often search eBay for a winter coat. My best two buys in this area have been the teal Long Tall Sally coat I wore all of this winter. I loved the colour (I was determined not to have black again) and it was in beautiful condition and a wool/cashmere blend. A few years back I got a houndstooth coat for just £7. It was secondhand but I wore it for about three winters before it finally was past its best. I loved that coat - it was a Dorothy Perkins Tall one and had a belted waist making it super flattering.

Next Tall grey hoody

I saw this is the Next Directory years back, but dithered about too long and when I finally decided I wanted it, it had sold out in my size.  So when I spotted it on eBay I pounced and made it mine.  I wear it a lot around the house - it has thumb holes in the super long sleeves so it's really cosy in the evening, and I tend to throw it on on a weekend morning before I've decided what I'll actually wear that day.


Best bargains (brands etc)
LK Bennett peeptoes

We all know how expensive LK Bennett shoes are, even on eBay, so when I saw this pair, worn just once, for under £30 I bid on them and won.

Bench sweater

My friend's sister is as tall as I am and one day I saw her wearing this sweater in brown.  I knew that if it fitted her it would fit me and it has thumb holes which I love!  I got a brand new one in black for a fraction of the RRP on the Bench outlet store on eBay.

LTS leather jacket

Ah, the tall girl's ultimate dream: owning a LTS leather jacket.  At £200 this year (and almost as much in previous years) I thought there was no way I was ever going to own one, but then two came up in my size on eBay.  I won one that had hardly been worn, and for about of the price it would have been new.  And that is why I love eBay.

Zebra print flats

I was looking for zebra print shoes and, thanks to my inability to type and the seller's inability to spell, accidentally searched zebra 'pint' flats and this pair came up.  Not many other people found them due to the spelling error and they were mine for just £2.99.


So, tips for buying on eBay. Lou makes a good point: stick to brands you know. I (generally) know how Long Tall Sally items fit me, along with other tall brands (eg. I know not to attempt to buy Topshop trousers or jeans in a size 10 but that I may be able to get away with LTS or Next ones in that size). I know which of the ‘normal size’ high street brands tend to have longer than average sleeves (hello Primark and H&M). Occasionally I will take a chance on a brand I don’t know, but when I do it will be for an item such as a skirt, or dress that flares from the bust, where the fit can be less precise.

I think I am quite lucky with eBay because there is a good second hand market for tall items. This is the one time it is beneficial to need tall sizes - they tend to be quite expensive to buy in the first place so people will usually sell their items on, rather than giving them to charity. (I know this because I do the same with my specifically Tall items.)

Outfit: Sunny Monday

The high temperatures are set to peak at around 27°C today before cooling off a bit the rest of the week (if the forecast is to be believed). So it was another day for bare legs and sandals. These wedges arrived from eBay last week but they are destined to go straight back on there as they straps are rubbing my heels at the back. I’m not counting them as a shoe save for that reason. It’s a shame as the rest of the shoe is really comfy – nicely padded leather insole and lovely soft leather strap across the toes.

I am supposed to be going to the gym tonight but I also have to pick up the young man from the train station so it will depend whether his train is on time as to whether I make the gym.

Brown denim skirt – John Rocha (charity shop)
Blue tank – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Blue cardi – Ethel Austin
Brown leather wedges – LK Bennett (eBay)
Blue bangle – Diamonds and Pearls
Blue heart necklace – Scope
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £25

Outfit: Friday

It’s set to be hot and sunny again today and you may think that a heavy knitted jacket is not the wisest choice, but between the openish weave and the ¾ length sleeves it’s enough to keep me warm against the office air conditioning but not to make me melt in the heat.

I never used to wear pale denims but when we were in Australia last winter they were everywhere and they just seemed so right in the hot weather. I’ve had this cropped pair for years and they were just the thing for today.

Last night I gave the singing rehearsal a miss as I was still coughing, but we ended up having a BBQ in the sunshine for tea.

Black and white knitted jacket – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Black top – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – New Look
Leopard print shoes – LK Bennett (eBay)
Red beads – eBay
Red and cream bangles – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £70

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge 2012 #36 and Some New (from eBay) Trousers

I’ve really been slacking on the Shoeper Challenge over the past week and haven’t managed to save any shoes at all. I think that all comes from loving a few pairs of my shoes so much that I just want to wear them over and over. Which, I suppose, is partly what the challenge is about: use them or lose them and if you’ve not worn them in a year, you’re probably not going to be that upset about losing them.

Anyway, these shoes were bought some years ago in Whitby when I spied them for just £4.99 in a charity shop. They looked as though they’d never been worn and were so adorable that I snapped them up straight away. They’re from New Look originally so that means that the suede is fake: something I’m quite glad about really because pale grey suede plus the British weather would not a good match make.

I got these trousers on eBay last week. They’re Topshop Tall ones and the length is superb. I love the check pattern on them too: they have a red check, a tan stripe, a black stripe and also a blue stripe, meaning they will be very versatile in what they can be paired with.

Last night I went to Boot Camp class at the gym and it was another tough workout. It’ll all be doing me good though. Then, overcome by a fit of nostalgia after the weekend, I dragged out all my old school magazines and spent the rest of the evening reading them. Lurking in the back of the 1990 issue was an advert for one of our clients at my previous job. Who turns out to be an Old Boy of my school. I swear, the world gets smaller by the day!

Red sweater – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Grey check trousers – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Grey faux suede shoes – New Look (charity shop)
Red beads – eBay
Red and cream bangles – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £31

Outfit: Brown, Black, Tan

Sometimes I get a song stuck in my head for no reason that I can fathom. Since about 9 o’clock last night I’ve had Let ‘Er Rip by the Dixie Chicks going around and around. I was singing it as I was preparing the packed lunches for today; I was singing it in the shower. And I woke up this morning to find it still stuck in my head. Often I’ll spend all day singing the last song I heard on the radio that morning but I’ve not listened to the Wide Open Spaces album since Sunday night. I like the Dixie Chicks and all, but it’s starting to drive me a little crazy! I need to listen to something else.

So last night I went to step class at the gym and then we called in on the young man’s parents to see their new washing machine (I know, we like to live life on the edge!). We got home and had an early-ish night watching Gypsy Weddings. I think it was the last one of the series – gutted!

Today I am meeting my sister after work, then the young man is coming over when he finishes work and we’re all going for fish and chips.

Bare legs for the first time today – we’re forecast highs of 21°C again. Yes, they really are that white; I’m not sure I can be bothered faffing with fake tan this year. No shoe save today but I brought my favourite summer shoes – my tan wedges – to wear later so I’ll try to remember to snap a picture and save those this afternoon.

Brown shrug – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Leopard tank – River Island
Tan and black skirt – Long Tall Sally
Black and tan shoes – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza)
Brown and silver scarf – mall market stall
Wooden heart necklace – Scope
Wooden bangles – gifted
Silver and diamante necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £66

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge 2012 #1 and Spring?

As I was browsing Facebook last night I noticed that Shoeperwoman had announced details of this year’s Shoeper Challenge. The rules are slightly different this year: you are under no obligation to post a picture of your outfit, just the shoes you saved (though obviously I will be doing outfit shots as, you know, it’s what I do here) and you can start the challenge on any day you like with one year to complete it from that date. Since there’s no time like the present, I am calling today, March 13th 2012 as Day 1 for me. My shoe count as it stands is 81 and that includes the pair that are on their way from Sarenza, but excludes things such as flip flops, trainers and walking boots, which I own through necessity rather than choice. As always my total is likely to fluctuate but I am aiming to keep it below 90 and hopefully below 85, which I think is what I started the challenge with last year.

So, Challenge #1 is this pair of shiny patent leather nude courts by LK Bennett. The heel is lower than many of my shoes without being a kitten heel and they are incredibly comfortable heels – I spent well over 3 hours walking around the mall in them in Bristol the other weekend and my feet were fine. They are such a versatile colour that they have already had quite a bit of wear (and I’ve only had them a couple of months) and I can see them getting plenty more over the coming months.

In my ongoing quest for spring, I went for nude tights today. I really didn’t want to wear navy tights with these shoes and I think it’s just about warm enough by lunchtime now that I can get away with nude tights. Perhaps I’ll be wishing I’d gone for boots with them though. The navy faux-wrap top is an eBay bargain – it was just £5.

Last night our friend came over for tea. I made a chicken casserole to a completely made up recipe: I browned the chicken breasts, threw in sliced onions and mushrooms, a can of chopped tomato and a carton of passata, and bunged it in the oven for about an hour. It turned out quite well and I served it with roasted veg and mashed potatoes. Then there were homemade scones for dessert.

Tonight I have drama group committee and I have a bunch of things to do beforehand, like the ironing.

Navy faux-wrap top – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Navy long sleeve t – H&M
Navy stripe skirt – River Island
Nude patent shoes – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza)
Silver hoops – gifted
Blue beads – gifted
Blue/black ring – charity shop

Total Est. Cost £39

Outfit: Red Jeans, Navy Blazer

I made scrambled eggs for my breakfast today. I’ve never done that on a work day before, I’ll usually have porridge or cereal or something quick. But as I was making scrambled eggs at S’s on Sunday morning, it struck me that actually it only took a couple of minutes to make them and that is about the same length of time it takes to make porridge. So scrambled eggs on toast seemed like a real treat to start my Friday.

Last night seemed to be busier than it should have been. I went to Next on the way home to pick up an order from the website (you can have it delivered to a store next day for cheaper than delivery to your home, and you know it will be safe at the store and not put in your wheelie bin or somewhere random). I made the tea, did the ironing, folded the clean washing out of the dryer, phoned my sister, reorganised the cupboard holding my recipe books, made a cup of tea and finally sat down to catch up on my blogroll and eBay watch list.

Today I need to go to Next to return a pair of trousers (I ordered two sizes and the larger one is too big – woo hoo!) and tonight we are out for a pub tea with my sister, brother-in-law and cousin.

This blazer is the one that arrived from eBay last week and I wore it at the weekend and didn’t get a picture. I love the fit of it (it’s Long Tall Sally) and how nipped in the waist is. I can see it getting a lot of wear this spring/summer. There is a matching skirt as it was sold as a suit, but the skirt is a little snug (as I suspected it would be – I’m only a size 10 on top and in certain brands for skirts and trousers) so that is in my eBay pile for resale.

Navy blazer – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Navy and cream top – Forever 21
Red jeans – New Look Tall (eBay)
Silver hoops – gifted
Blue beads – gifted
Silver ring – Evans
Navy shoes – Magrit (outlet mall)

Total Est. Cost £58