4 tips for shopping on eBay, from vintage clothing buyers who shop the marketplace daily

Sydney Frost and Jessamine Black spend their days painstakingly combing through eBay’s virtual racks for the perfect clothing finds.

They’ve been shopping on the online marketplace for years and say it’s usually their first choice when hunting for new pieces to expand their wardrobes.

It may not be as convenient as shopping firsthand — you can’t try on the clothes before you buy, and shipping and return policies vary by seller — but it’s a sacrifice they say they’re willing to make for the right threads.

“I feel like you can find really unique items on eBay that not a lot of other people will have,” Frost, who’s been shopping on eBay for over three years, told Business Insider.

However, shopping resale on eBay comes with a learning curve that took time to overcome. Frost and Black have had to get creative with their searches, planning accordingly, and practicing patience while shopping.

With the online resale market growing rapidly, Frost and Black shared the hacks they’ve picked up to find their holy grail items on eBay. They’ve each built a following on TikTok, where they share thrifting tips.

Have a plan

Pinterest is Frost and Black’s best friend for online shopping. Making a board of outfit inspiration is Frost’s starting point for figuring out what she wants to find on eBay.

“I’ll head to Pinterest or TikTok, and I’ll find some inspo for a certain piece,” Black, a 30-year-old social media manager, said.

They tend to stick to their favorite brands, such as Ralph LaurenSave The Queen, and Miss Sixty. If you know what brand you’re looking for, it’s a good starting point for finding items you like, they said.

Frost said she goes down rabbit holes on eBay, making lowball offers on several items she’s interested in. From there, it’s a waiting game to see if the seller accepts.

“It was like Christmas morning when everything came in,” Frost said of a recent haul.

Be specific with your searches

Shopping on eBay isn’t as simple as typing in the phrase “Y2K skirt” into the search bar.

The search bar works best when you use keywords like brand names and specific styles — be sure to include “vintage” to avoid fast-fashion listings — Frost told Business Insider.

The search feature is Black’s favorite part about eBay. It sets it apart from other secondhand sites because they can be tougher to find specific items based on keywords, she said. Keyword searches are the jumping-off point for finding the best items on eBay if you’re prepared to sift through pages of listings.

“Anything that you can think of in your brain, you can type it into eBay, and I just scroll,” Black said.

She can scroll for hours to identify clothes she’s interested in purchasing. It’s how she spends part of her day as a break from social media.

“You can type in vintage ‘Ralph Lauren women,’ ‘vintage Ralph Lauren men.’ You can type in ‘vintage Ralph Lauren small,’ and every single time it will populate a different list for you,” Black said.

Professional resellers may not have the best deals

You’ll likely find marked-up pieces from professional resellers if you don’t know what to look for, 26-year-old Frost said.

It’s easier to find deals on listings from regular people who are clearing out their old wardrobes. They’re less likely to know the value of what they have, both women said. You can usually tell from a seller’s profile or a listing’s wording whether it’s a business or an individual.

Professional sellers tend to use trendy buzzwords to attract buyers, while regular people keep it simple with their listing titles and descriptions.

Add it to your wish list

One of Black’s not-so-secret hacks is adding items to her eBay wish list. It’s not just for keeping an eye on items you like. Sellers know when you’ve added an item to your wish list, and it could work in your favor as a buyer.

After Black likes or saves an item to her wish list, she said it typically won’t be long before the seller offers a deal on it. It’s how she gets items at a good price, like a pair of vintage Ralph Lauren pants for $30.

“Save it to your wish list, give it a minute, and the seller — I’m saying 99.9% of the time — they’ll throw you a lower offer,” Black said.

Shopping on eBay may require patience, diligence, and savvy, but it’s worth it for the thrill of finding a holy grail item, Frost and Black said.