Buying Collectibles at Online Vintage Auctions

Online vintage auctions are excellent sources for buying collectibles, and auctions such as eBay can offer you some marvelous pieces at very low prices. There are ways to use online vintage auctions to your advantage such as sniping software and looking for valuable pieces that are obviously going to sell for a lot less that their real value, but you have to know about them to use them.

Definition of Vintage

First, a definition of the word 'vintage'. Many people confuse vintage with antique, but the two are not the same - nowhere near it in fact. If I tell you that the word is borrowed from the wine industry then that should give a clearer idea of its meaning. Just as a vintage wine is one made from grapes grown in certain years, or periods within a year, a vintage collectible has been made during a certain period, and that might not be old enough for it to be declared an antique.

For example, an art deco piece of 1950s vintage is only around 60 years old, while one of 'the Beatles' vintage would have been made in the 1960s. A true antique would be of Victorian vintage or even Edwardian, since it would then be at least 100 years old. Generally, an antique must be at least 100 years old, although some use the term more loosely than that. Nevertheless, try to sell some antique furniture that is younger than late Edwardian and you might find yourself in trouble.

If Unsure, Ask

Buying collectibles at a vintage auction involves checking the piece and making sure that it belongs to a specific era. If you are unsure of the era of a 'vintage poster' then ask the vendor. If you are using an online auction site there will be a link to the vendor's email address where you can ask the question: 'what vintage is your Sophia Loren poster?'

The vintage makes a difference with collectibles just as it does with wines, and a Marilyn Monroe poster of late 50s vintage will be more valuable than a Brook Shields poster of any vintage! Even an antique can be of a specific vintage, and that is something to be wary of when buying antiques online.

Vintage auctions offering antiques can word their furniture 'of Thomas Sheraton vintage'. That is not to say that it is a Sheraton piece, only that Sheraton was alive when the seller's great, great, great, grandfather who made it in his shed 1790 was alive. Yes, an antique, because it is over 100 years old, and yes, of Sheraton vintage, but worth anything? Likely only sentimental value which does not mean dollars!

So sometimes the term can give you valuable information, although it can also be confusing. Nevertheless, online auctions tend to demand accuracy in a description, and so you can be as sure as possible that the seller is not trying to mislead you on eBay, Cowan Alexander, Amazon, Copart, or any other online auction site.

Payment Protection

Each vintage auction site has its own way of doing things, but one factor is true of all of them: you will generally not be cheated with respect to definitions of 'vintage', but if you are then they should have protection for you. Look for it and if there is none ask the question by email, but never purchase using online vintage auctions if you have no protection other than your own credit card.

You are protected with eBay through PayPal, and Amazon has its own protection for you. Both are excellent at offering you refunds if the product is not as described. Generally, however, you will find that the description of the collectible or piece of furniture on offer is sufficient to enable you to make up your own mind on its provenance, and if you are not sure, as stated earlier, email the seller and retain their response in case you need it later.

Final Advice

Make sure that you never bid above your predetermined price, because while auctions can result in you getting real bargains, they can also result in the opposite if a number of people want the same item and inflate the price. Also, if you are buying collectibles at online vintage auctions, make sure you check the delivery or postage cost.

There is no limit to what the seller can charge you for 'postage and packing' and that can come to more than the price of the item itself. I recently saw a canteen of cutlery in a wooden box selling on an online auction site for $1.99. A fabulous deal, but, as always, I checked the postage price: $65.

$66.99 was still a bargain for the cutlery, but not the $1.99 that many would expect to be paying - so keep clever and keep your eyes open - that way you will make the best use of online vintage auctions and get real bargains at low prices.

Further details on buying collectibles at Online Vintage Auctions and steps to take make sure that you do not overspend are available on All Vintage Auctions that provides you not only with some great items to purchase, but also tips on avoiding pitfalls.

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ABCs of Buying Designer-Made Vintage Clothes Online

No matter what we think and what our fashion preferences are, one cannot deny that the world of fashion is influenced by the designs and fashions of the past. Over the last years the collection of couture and designer-made vintage clothes has become an important trend in the collection and antique industries.

For the person who is interested in collection of vintage, and especially for the one who is willing to make deals online, it is important to know the ABC's and definitions. One of the most important reasons to get to know these ABC's is the fact that these definitions are often misused by the online traders.

Vintage versus antique

Clothing produced in the period between 1920s though the 1980s is normally referred to as vintage. Some important items from the 1990s also fall into this category.

Dresses and accessories made earlier than 1920s, are referred to as antique.

Designer vintage category continues to expand with years, together with a growing interest to specific designers and historical time periods.

Vintage haute couture versus ready-to-wear

The definition haute couture applies to a garment ordered specifically by one client from a design house, which is made exclusively by hand for that specific client. The term "vintage haute couture" is often misused by the vintage traders. A few expensive couture items find their way to the vintage market through the charities. However, the most valuable vintage pieces can be bought via auction houses or exclusive vintage clothing boutiques.

As a matter of fact, the most exciting thing about collecting couture vintage clothes is that every dress is unique.

Ready-to-wear vintage dress is more easily located, because more of these clothes used to be produced. The prêt-a-porter (ready-to-wear) garments are made by a fashion house and distributed for the mass consumer via specialty boutiques. Most of the vintage pieces found in the vintage boutiques and auctions are ready-to-wear designer vintage.

Identifying ready-to-wear vintage

A mass-produced label, size tag, machine-finished seams are the typical characteristics of the ready-to-wear clothes.

Identifying haute couture vintage

- a couture item will usually have an inventory number on a small label, which is located next or behind the designer label. These labels used to be handwritten with ink, therefore they have been often faded over the time. The inventory number lead to the account number of the specific client who ordered this piece. However the labels were often removed from a garment, it the client traveled abroad and was afraid of having to pay import/export duties. It is in any case important to familiarize yourself with specific designer labels, which are normally made of fine silk.

- the sophisticated construction details is another way to determine the value of the item. You should look for the distinguished quality of fabrics, fine silk linings, hand-stitching, beautiful buttons and hand-bound buttonholes, fine zippers set in by hand, tiny fabric-covered snap fasteners, as well as the overall quality of design and craftsmanship.

- One of the best ways to identify haute couture is examine the finish to it from inside out. French seams are an indication of a fine craftsmanship. In this case the seams were turned in, as the garment was constructed, and the end result would show no selvage edge to the fabric. Hand-finished linings are also indication of a labor extensive work on the garment.

- As far as the embroidered items are concerned, couture garments used to be embroidered by hand. The hand-made embroidery can be identified by examining the thread. Fine silk is used in hand-embroidered garments. The more fine thread identifies the more refined craftsmanship. You have to examine carefully the reverse side of the fabric to spot the hand-knotted ends, which is the indication of hand-work. Sometimes you would need a magnifying glass for this kind of examination.

Collecting designer-made vintage clothes is a latest trend, but also the way to acquire the dresses of the highest quality to achieve the hottest look.

For more details and facts see http://www.famous-women-and-beauty.com/vintage-clothing-patterns.html

Tatiana Sidorova is the owner of the website http://www.famous-women-and-beauty.com

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Buying vintage clothing is becoming ever popular and more mainstream by the day. And we don't all live in uber cool cities with bags of vintage shops to choose from. So most of us, through choice or not, are looking to buy vintage clothing online. So lets embrace this, put our feet up, make a cuppa and take a look at what vintage clothing the world wide web has to offer.

A good vintage clothing company will be run by people who are as passionate about their business as you are about buying their clothing. Such high feelings for vintage are great because any questions you have will be easily answered. You should also feel free to contact these companies if you would like advice on particular styles of vintage clothing or how to put certain items and outfits together. Most of these sellers have a real eye for fashion, cut and style as well as heaps of knowledge and experience of many decades of clothing.

The real bonus of using an online vintage clothes shop is that all the available stock is clearly laid out in relevant sections, with multiple photographs and descriptions, giving you the chance to browse in detail at your leisure. Most vintage clothing websites will sell a combination of mens vintage clothing and womens vintage clothing and many now also sell a range of retro clothing too. Another good tip is to search all sections of the website as there may be hidden gems throughout. Bargain, clearance and sale sections are also bursting with vintage clothing check these areas particularly if you are very petite or plus size.

Buying online is fantastic if you are the kind of buyer who likes to mix vintage clothing with high street pieces. Whether it's vintage dresses teamed with killer high street heels, or designer denim combined with vintage knitwear you can easily cross reference between a whole array of different websites. Much more fun than trailing from one side of town to another in four inch stacks!

Vintage clothing websites are available twenty-four hours a day giving you access whenever it suits you. Once you have then found your desired piece(s) of vintage clothing, simply purchase online and let them do all the hard work! Orders can easily be tracked and within days, your fabulous new vintage clothing will be delivered directly to your door.

Vintage websites can also save you a packet! Internet only boutiques have lower overheads (no shop rent, rates, utilities etc) and therefore can afford to offer top quality vintage clothing for even less money! There will probably be a small postage charge but even this tends to be wavered if you spend over a certain amount.

Always check the terms of your chosen vintage clothing website, but most will have easy to understand policies for returns and exchanges and are happy to help if you come across any problems.

All things considered, buying vintage clothing online is an easier, more comfortable and hassle-free way to get your hands on the clothing you love. So have a good surf, find your favourites and get clicking - who knows what treasures you might find.

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