The Online Thrift Shop
What to Know When Shopping Vintage Clothes Virtually
An online thrift shop can be a wonderful source for finding vintage clothing, but you have to know somethings to really get the goods. Covid-19 accelerated the shift towards everything being offered online. What were once solely, or at least strongly, in-person activities, from concerts to religious services, now still take place with hybrid in-person and online streaming. It’s as if the two simultaneously occur in tandem now, when previously it had been one or the other. And that includes thrifting.
The thing about vintage clothing online is that there really is no one resource for finding all that’s out there. That’s why Donna Tell ‘Em is here, to send the best of what’s out there directly to your inbox with the Muse Letter. The great thing about thrift shopping, or consignment shopping, in person is that as overwhelming the jam-packed store may be, it’s confined to the four walls of the shop in which you happen to be. Searching for gems among online thrift shops — whether it’s on Poshmark, Depop, Etsy, Instagram, or more centralized markets like The Real Real, you have infinite options.
A 1948 advertisement for Kayser Blue Gown from a magazine — before you could go to an Online Thrift Shop.
So the first thing to know is that you’ll get a lot farther with vintage shopping online if you have a goal in mind, and the more specific the better. While you may have infinite options, you also have the help of a search bar — if you’re using Instagram, hashtags come in handy here. If you’re looking for a 90s Pierre Cardin silk blouse, you can get tons of options, surely, and it’s not like you’re depriving yourself the experience of checking out a variety of pieces and choosing the best of the bunch. After all, secondhand shopping is all about the thrill of the chase. I mean, it’s also great for the environment, but the real immediate satisfaction comes from finding something that really speaks to you and feels unique.
Another benefit of having a specific goal in mind — beyond narrowing your potentially overwhelming options — is that it also helps you shop smarter. It takes a good deal of knowledge to know what you’re looking at when you see a vintage piece, and that’s if it’s in your hands! Without the experience of feeling fabrics and appraising their quality, you lose a great deal of information in venturing into the online thrift shop. So if you don’t have the sensory information, you really need to rely on your research. That means looking up various vintage tags and making sure you have set expectations as to what manufacture or fabric information should show up on a piece’s tag or at least the listing description.
Speaking of listings, you must be sure to know your measurements frontwards and backwards — literally, get the full picture of your body’s lengths. And all vintage sellers worth shopping with should provide the measurements of clothing item as it’s laid flat from pit to pit, shoulder to shoulder, waist, hips, inseam, and its full length. Not all sellers will include all of these measurements, but you should have yours at the ready to compare.
Lastly, remember that shopping directly from sellers is really best for the added advantage of having open communication. And as someone who works with vintage sellers myself, I can promise you that they’re almost always friendly and helpful people — and of course very very cool. Ask your questions and enjoy!
If you’re wondering how to find out what you may want to narrow your search for in the first place, well that’s where the fun comes in. Sign up for the Muse Letter for help with learning what the best vintage clothing online actually looks like. It may surprise you, and it’s sure to dazzle you.